The punts engage
This weekend saw the annual jousting competition. It was held on a purpose built lake by the River Grosne on the outskirts of Cluny. It’s a new sport to me and I was amazed to find not only that there were so many clubs devoted to jousting but that there would be so many affectionados that the event would take most of the weekend.
There are two motorised punts, a red one and a blue one. A team piles in and the jouster stands on the platform at the back struggling with a very unwieldy ‘lance’. The two boats pass each other at full speed and the idea is to knock the opponent off and into the water. So that the participants don’t get hurt they wear padded trousers and square cushions on their chests. It still looks quite painful though as some of the boys ended up clutching themselves with tears in their eyes.
The loser is pulled out of the water
Another event this weekend was the annual brochante at Donzy-le-Pertuis. Donzy nestles on the other side of the hill from us and is as pretty as a postcard. It seemed as if the whole village took part to make it a huge success. The stalls meandered through the streets and there was an excellent buvette. There was lots of very interesting items to look at and this time the prices weren’t quite so silly. We were pleased to add a nice mountain bike to our motley collection. Well done Donzy!
