Winter 2003 in LA BEUNE, a 3-houses hamlet where my mother lives alone. The neighbors, René and Jackie, have left their farm to live in a retirement home. My mother often watches through the window, hoping to see René go for his daily stroll, in vain. An “automatism” as she says – a short moment of hope before loneliness gets the upper hand. Everyday life is emptying slowly and it will end soon. At the retirement home, René tirelessly watches an ever-changing sky. Memories about childhood, nature, books, neighbors or pets softly come up with each tick of the clock. One last time, life is trying to break through but words become heavier. Especially when it comes to the rural world which is slowly dying too. Then comes the bitter conclusion, like a litany – “Such is life”. A story about time passing by draws itself behind words and silences. A story that sees us and our kin growing old while nature keeps cycling around us.