safe Captain

 
Voila, the Captain made it home safely - here he is with Ryan, also safe - and Ian and Lily, looking into the well that Ian uncovered on Mont Marot. Most exciting. Currently containing fourish feet of water. The team will be excavating it to research its mechanisms,  so more on this as and when. Any oceanographers out there???



Will be silent for a couple of weeks as off on hols., to Italy.

Sunday report

Its raining; things could be worse. It was snowing at Angus and Marys, up in the hills.
There are folk out and about despite the weather.
Asparagus is everywhere in the market.
I'm making an asparagus tart in case the Captain ever gets here.

Some wag proposed a while back that we should publish the Captains schedule so that they could avoid what ever route he was taking, since his genius is for attracting trouble. And so with today - his train under the channel broke and had to be pulled back to England.
Ryan has a rendezvous with him in Paris and I'm hoping all the mobile phones are charged up and working well:)
And that this journey has had its quota of trouble and that the rest will be simple and easy.
Watch this space.

Survivors

All three fledgelings were forced to leave their nest today by the attentions of a magpie who decapitated and eviscerated one. No wonder these little fellows look shocked.

More seriously; another survivor who fell from the skies is our friend Elvira, from the Caderonne. She was in a light aircraft viewing the Cathar castles from on high when something went wrong. Ive variously heard of a failed engine or a blocked fuel pipe. In any case the pilot was forced to a crash landing in which all survived but all are badly injured. Elvira will be a long time mending but she will mend. Positive vibes abound. Much love to her husband Andy. 

Friday is full of forgetfulness...

Not taken pictures for ages so missed Phillipe having a haircut on the balcony above the Cafe du Pont; missed photographing Andrees heart in the cardiologists machine, amazing sight (shes OK, no worries) and  missed snapping Margaret who didn't leave with the others having muddled her flight time. (don't know the sign for *snigger* but take it as read)
Did manage to photograph  Madame Merle and her three babes this morning - its raining, all are sheltering, me included.

Johns birthday

 

Voila!  Le birthday Boy ...

We gathered in Bobs house (in his absence, sadly - hes back Sunday) where Ryan and Alicia orchestrated a dinner of great magnificence. There was a wheel of brie, covered in chopped nuts, wrapped in pastry and served hot with honey and a salad. Then a vegie lasagne and a chicken dish cooked in blanquette. Then the birthday cake which involved Guinness. And a ferocious liquor of Guinness and evaporated milk and cognac or similar - will ask Ryan if he remembers the recipe because it should be repeated and probably often.

Margaret and Johns' guests Barbara and Margaret (another one) leave today so it was a farewell. Others guests, Mike and Hilary and Kat, remain, thank heavens. Where would we be without our friends?

 

Aileens afternoon

 

 Aileens birthday was much celebrated :))

 

She and Olle-Bendik held an afternoon party where the sun did the decent thing and shined from time to time; the rain held off and we all took pleasure in feasting and enjoying one anothers company.

 Since becoming the keeper of a decent camera Ive got too self-conscious to use it properly and tend to go for random rapid fire snaps -

so those picture of friends with their eyes closed, mouths open, or in compromising situations have been excluded, in the interests of me keeping my friends. This edited version is therefore far from a complete guest list ...





Here is the blameless Ferren - above are Margaret, O-B and Jean-Noel - below is Eddie, grinning and bearing it, then Sherry (fighting back)

.

 L to R are Ryan, Ian, Suzie, Ceri, Kat and Mary watching some of the nine dogs that were entertaining us -

Time off here for the owners of the Auberge de Faby and the cafe de Fa, respectively - Sabrina and Marie -


Below Suzie, Ian and Kat are up to  no good - and after that Tim and Jenny share a table

whilst Jean-Noel and Kat take a twirl :)

Andrees garden today...

never a dull moment yesterday

 Here's Margaret hard at it:) before forcing me and Kat to help her with a bottle of blanquette which on the empty tums had hilarious results; well, I thought I was funny.






On our way to dine regally at the Creperie, took in a family of ducks getting their first swim

Earlier in the day the circus were driving a plaster elephant around town, adverting that they were in Couzia - not Esperaza this year which is something of a relief for me, can never get used to camels and so forth tied up by the river.

and here we see Effisol, the toxic factory of bygone days, being dismantled. Soon be a park. 

Unhappy news for those who were installed here before the Petite Casino was the Petite Casino - remember the amazing Madame Micheline? She was a local force of great charm and presence.  Sad to say she has died aged 86, gone to that great epicerie in the sky -

Madame Merle is sitting again, behind the honeysuckle in the yard. More drama with fledgelings shortly, provided the cuckoo doesn't get there first. Heard him/her yesterday...


Only other news that's publishable is that I saw Jill and Tony yesterday - both in excellent nick though dear Jill is quick to tire. In good spirits and well cared for.

spring in the market

Today and yesterday HOT  - actual heatness, not just sunshine. Too hot to draw outside  in the afternoon. Today's market reflected this as all and sundry poured into Esperaza for the joy of shopping.
And from the woods our little faun was drawn, looking thinner than last year I thought - or perhaps its his brother?


New camera is a mixed blessing. Its so big that when snapping wild life, like yon faun, you have to tip. And yesterday, as I tucked it into its protective cases (the camera, not the faun) a pretty red squirrel came out and danced about, laughing at my photo unopportunability. And I'm waiting to get a new computer so I can download properly; and so it goes



Toots family have gone, alas, Margaret has arrived, hurrah.Looking good, BTW. There may well  be more news but the heat is making me drowsy...

Night in the Creperie

Here's Nightingale in the Creperie, working her butt off for many diners last night. La Famille de Toots were there, Andy and Lou, Bernadette and her epouse; much jollity ensued. Place was fairly crowded which is good news so early in the year - our little town would be lost without the restaurant and of course the marvelous pottery behind it.

Here are Andy and Lou taking advantage of Mike and Barbara by using them as babysitters (french for baby sitter, BTW, is babysitter)

With luck this is the last of dreadful camera - new one seems to work though I haven't get sorted how to download the pix. Any techie out there got an idle moment?

soiree with les neighbours

La Famille  de Toots, previously known as the Scottish Daves, had an apero for some neighbours last night which I was lucky enough to be invited too - the camera was worse then ever, NOT MY FAULT, so today I flogged off to Carcassonne and squandered my inheritance on a new one.

(Cheers, Ma.)

Its currently charging so if I get photos tonight they won't be much better.

Here we see Georges and his wife who have just celebrated their first wedding anniversary and we don't see Bernard and Paule who have been married far far longer but are still on speaking terms. Lovely soiree; its such fun talking to neighbours especially ones that have lived in Esperaza for ever and  know all the real stories:)

nature walk

 heartrendingly lovely day so off to the ravine des couleurs...










Heres a bee orchid and some mysterious blue flowers, dunno what they are -

Many of the paths have become little streams after all the recent rain and I got to the ravine mostly on my derriere. If you are going into the hills, take a stick; if I hadn't found one that  fitted me perfectly I wouldn't have got back :)

Voila, fish -didn't get a snap of the kingfisher but it flashed past me going beep beep beep like an emergency vehicle.

 -and some other snaps, new sign pointing the way home, some horses and erm, a washing day casualty.

Hold up in the High Street

Much swearing yesterday as the road was blocked - today they seem to have got the trick better organised but we still blame Pete - hes having his gutters fixed:)

more activities

a

Coming and goings... Here are Barbara and Mike, much loved folks of Andy and Louise, visiting for a fortnight; Diane leaves this morning but will be back, ditto Max; La famille de Toots are here a bit longer; Captain is off tomorrow.
There's probably more but I'm breaking in a new computer (this isn't it) and have a thumping headache. I can now access whats left of my email account but not sure I can reply to anything.
In a week or two I'll love it but today, just bring on the aspirin.

friends in town...

Lunch with Margo and Theophile at the Creperie, both blossoming... here's Theophile, beautiful:)

 Scottish Dave and Mrs SD are here, (aka brother of Toots, aka Stu/Doug) (pay attention at the back there) aperoing at mine with the captain before we all went on to the Tyrex - and Diane, here for a short week -

 and Max!

quiet night, honest...

You can probably tell that the evening meal was a quiet and decorous one - cheers Kat :) Brill xxxxxxx

Cheery captain

Captain H has cheered up and dried out after our day at the sea - here he is yesterday before dinner at T Rex with Max and Andrea, a lively and informative evening. Difficult to imagine that somewhere called the T Rex is the intellectual centre of our town,

Poisson d'Avril

April 1st is Poisson d'Avril here - you are supposed to hang a dead fish on the back of your victim without them noticing.



























April 1st is also Lily-the-dog's birthday (shes 8, BTW; time she learned to behave)

So Bob and I went to the coast to our totally favorite fish restaurant and enjoyed it and the beach which was totally deserted, on account of the driving wind and rain.

I didn't hang a dead fish on Bobs back but I like this photo of him which looks as if I might have done. Lily loved the beach.