One day during my visit to the French farm just north of the Pyrénées, Colette, her five-year-old nephew Yann and I were driving back to the farm from a trip into town when we found the post office van charging down the farm road away from the house in a mad rush, in spite of there being a tractor ahead of us and it looking like a sure collision as the farm road doesn't have room for two vehicles abreast. Colette swore at the man, almost under her breath, 'Pull over, you fool!'"
We got to the house to find Colette's sister Isabelle collapsing with laughter and barely able to speak. Through her tears, Isa squeaked, "Something funny's happened!"
She'd heard a car pull up at the house and, thinking it was us, had stood behind the front door and, when the footsteps approached, growled loudly. The voice on the other side of the door said, "I am the postman." Isabelle, thinking it was us playing a trick on her, growled even louder and furiously rattled the door handle. The voice said, "I really am the postman."
She'd heard a car pull up at the house and, thinking it was us, had stood behind the front door and, when the footsteps approached, growled loudly. The voice on the other side of the door said, "I am the postman." Isabelle, thinking it was us playing a trick on her, growled even louder and furiously rattled the door handle. The voice said, "I really am the postman."
No wonder he was trying to get away from the house in such a hurry!
(Event happened August 2009)
(Event happened August 2009)
Update (September 2011): On this visit, I discovered that the post office had erected a post box, on a stand, just outside the front door of the farm house. Might they have done so because of that growling incident? I’ve heard of postal authorities finding alternative solutions to carrying out their delivery service on account of dogs, maybe even cats or parrots. If my theory is right, then this is the first time I’ve heard of them resorting to avoiding the house on account of a growling grown-up. What spoil sports!
[1] This title is styled after a classic 1946 drama film noir The Postman Always Rings Twice, which is based on a 1934 novel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman_Always_Rings_Twice_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman_Always_Rings_Twice
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