Just before Christmas we took Miles and Savannah to Grammont, outside Montpellier, to see Petit Pierre, a magical play by Maud Hufnagel and Lucie Nicolas.
Pierre Avezard (1909-1992), Petit Pierre, was born deaf, dumb and "with eyes not where they should be". Unable to follow at school and subject to much mockery from other children, he was sent to look after cows, his companions for many years, outside the village at the age of seven.
Pierre Avezard had a very special gift. In 1937 he began to build his manège, a merry-go-round made from scraps of metal, wire, wood, anything and everything he could find. He was clever, creative, funny and a poet. It took him 40 years to complete his work, including his own Eiffel Tower, visible in this video (please watch at least some of it) and now moved and on display at the Fabuloserie (has anyone been I wonder?).
Savannah and Miles were well and truly captivated by the performance, the simple, beautiful scenography and the ingenuity of this very special man and his life story. A memorable moment for us all, I wish you could have watched it too!
