Cee’s CMMC Challenge this week is looking for a subject that contains either ‘Ch’ or ‘ck’ in the title.

The obvious answer, ticking both boxes, is ‘chicken’, so here’s a photograph taken at the annual Christmas Fair in the nearby village of Blond. The USP of this particular event is – or was, at any rate before Covid-19 (and a prior outbreak of Avian ‘Flu) the racing chickens.

Actually, the whole event is called the ‘Foire Aux Chapons’ – the Capon Fair. Capons are sterilised male chickens; they tend to be larger (and probably grumpier) than ordinary ones and a group of them is raced, if that’s the word (‘ushered’ is probably more like it), down the main street, amid scenes of overwhelming excitement. It’s like nothing so much as curling, but with poultry.

This is the aftermath of the race, as the runners and riders, so to speak, are ushered into their coop.

CMMC 24 March 2021: Must contain Ch or ck