Louise was watching late night television, and they started talking about shepherds on stilts in Les Landes, a huge plain in south west France. The region was boggy and flat, and the vegetation was of herbs and brushwood. By wearing stilts, the shepherds kept their feet dry, and could observe their sheep from a distance. An extra stick was carried for resting on so they could sit and do their knitting. In the evenings, still on their stilts, they would party.
Les Landes is now full of forest, which has drained the marshes, but the stilt walking tradition still continues. It's well worth a google.
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