We bought the land to build a house, even though we knew it would be years before we could afford to build anything. We thought of it as an investment in our future. The land gave us something to look ... [+]
Translated by Wendy Cross
I don't want to boast, but I've just pulled off a real masterpiece. At the age of seventy-five, I have become the unrivaled outrageous old lady of Moussy-lès-Limas. I live in this peaceful little town of three thousand inhabitants where daily life flows seamlessly, only punctuated by the regular arrival of market day, school celebrations, garage sales and funerals. The opening of a new pharmacy and the renovation of the Post Office were major events and monopolized all conversations apart from well-considered observations of the weather and time passing. Every year was a repeat of the previous