A french field trip

Yesterday, I went on a french field trip to a castle in the mountains. It started with a train ride. No yellow bus. A train. I went along to assist with whatever needed assistance, or as the french would say, to give a coup de main. It was so very painless. Just let me explain. the kids were to go on a mountain biking adventure around the perimeter of the castle, so they needed someone to make sure nobody went off any cliffs, or got themselves into any sort of snare. You just never know what kind of dragon you'll have to slay when directing bike traffic outside a medeival castle. When they gave me my bright orange, plastic vest, and told me i had to stay at my post until midi (this was at 8:30) I thought I was going to die. That sounded impossibly boring. if you know me at all, you'll remember that I can't even sit through an episode of Project Runway, or a game of Rummy 500. You can just forget rummy 1000. Too, the thought of wearing a plastic vest in that 90° heat was enought to send me a runnin'. But, I did it. And, it wasn't even half bad. I got to my post, at a point where two castle walls meet. If you can imagine one of those platforms where soldiers with bows and arrows stood awaiting the enemy, then do, because that's where I was. Way down below, there was a gorge with a river, and across the gorge was a plateau with fields and some village I don't know the name of. So, there, sunbathing on this castle wall, I began my job of helping little french kids avoid danger. It was tough, sitting there in the sun, counting butterflies, watching rafters on the river below, singing any song I knew the words to, exploring my corner of the castle, telling little ones which way to go. It was rather lovely really.