Day two of the Comice sees the less serious side of the ploughing matches, though no less competitive. Here are the Vieil Bauge heros working as a team.
Clefs had to show off and do it with a horse, but actually apart for frequent stops for chats, seemed to be just as good as those using the old tractors.
Of course the big event for the Sunday of a Comice is the procession of decorated floats - the Pontigne line up for example was shown in all its glory here! The theme this year was farming in days gone by, which brought out all the traditional skills you would expect. Fougere opted for the forge.
Bauge introduced the first of two dairies, this one complete with cow and milk maid.
Situated as it is by the majestic Foret de Chandelais, it was inevitable that le Guedenieu would show forestry skills.
Singing as they went (as usual), Chevire showed off their threshing skills. They also showed off by having a double trailer!
Next up was St Martin d'Arce with a wheelwright.
The village of Clefs is home to the best shop around for the needs of bee keepers, and this was emphasised in their bee keeping themed float.
Echimire had a theme of the butchering of the family pig - fortunately the float was very sanitised or this one could have been a bit yukky (and smelly given that it was 32 degrees in the shade).
Cuon was the first of two villages to have chosen a theme of milling. The float was really good, and there was occasional community singing (Meunier tu dors), but there were also harpies around chucking large quantities of chaff down people's shirts. As a victim, I was not impressed.
Looking again at my photo of the Montpollin float, I think they too must have had a forestry theme, but I can't remember what it was.
St Quentin de Beaurepaire was the second village with a milling theme, and thinking about EU subsidies, it was perhaps fitting that the tractor was driven by the Mayor of St Quentin who is also MEP for the Pays de la Loire. Nice bloke too, and a very fine vintage Farmall tractor.
Pontigne worked hard to give a very full view of village life in olden days.
Patricia Leroy pulled out the stops once again for Vieil Bauge this year and taking the theme of the grape harvest, there used to be vinyards all around about a hundred years ago, produced a wonderful float, manned by village children and driven by Robert Letaire. Two pictures of this one, but it is my village!
Then there was Boce with the second dairy theme, this time the co-operative of milk producers, and a very fine vintage Citroen van.
And finally, Vaulandry as the hosts came through. They chose to represent the Marquis of Turbilly, founder of the Comice movement, communing with one of his peasants. It should be noted that Marquis and Peasant were both portrayed by Brits!!
Soon the theme of the next Comice, at Fougere, will be announced and then we can all get going on making the next batch of paper flowers for the Comice 2012.
Well done Vaulandry however, as the only issue I have was that the press coverage of the event was awful, and there wasn't a lot they could do about that.
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