Kelly birthday

Its young Kelly's birthday:) Here she is looking all of her 24 years at lunch today.
Nothing much else happening on account of Bob is still a prisoner - 8 days to go.
Builders seem to have finished the bathroom in the new house and we are hoping for electricity very soon. Which just leaves housework to do until Sunday when one of my brothers and his family come to holiday allelujia
-and this reminds me of one excitement. For reasons impossible to explore, the hoover swallowed a small bottle of essential oil, Jasmine flavour. This became firmly wedged in the body of the machine, preventing dust going in and refusing itself to come out.
Hoovering rather a good idea at the moment - brother allergic to animal hair and we have been growing a carpet of that. After much farting around, gave it up as a bad job; then this evening I decided it was time to resort to witchcraft.
At which very point, there was a knock on the door and voila!! Beelzeebub himself, in the form of Margarets John, who took the brute away to Mikes workshop. Was back shortly, with battered Jasmine bottle, having shaken it out before Mike could begin surgery.
Thanks all! Goat sacrafice to follow asap.

Alecia's 3rd birthday in Esperaza

Alecias birhday:) - and how different from last years- Etienne was unsuspected then and now a very vocal prescence in our lives, hurrah.

This years pizza came from the newly-reopened pizza place opposite the news agents in Rue Gambetta and very good it is too. Proper. Alecia made a cake that ought to be illegal and we drank her prize bottle of Blanquette (from the Toques et Clochers)

All very, very good. Bob broke with his regime and joined us at the table though not for long. Fun though.
Had a brief look at the night market which I will enjoy another time - when there is less rain - forecast for tomorrow is good for the land and then moves back to being good for humans.

hot sunday

 Glorious market day... met Ryan and Alecia taking the air with young Etienne Frederick-Nicolas who is growing fast. 

Good news of Bob, who has been told that the retina is still attached and all he has to do is keep still for another two weeks. Two weeks after that we see specialist again. Then he will be told when he can travel and how. Thanks to all for the good wishes :)

 

Below is a photo of the new butcher, new in that hes only been here a few years. Been meaning for ages to ask if I could snap him - and the signs that tell you about the french way of meat-eating; if you know the family, its OK. Caught him first thing this morning before the place was crowded.

guilty pleasures

 Feeling very sad for Bob- horribly mean to leave him alone for the evening, he's still laid up to aid recovery after the detached retina -  nonetheless.....

it was Nels brothers' big birthday and old friends from our London days were there, plus Nels family whom I've heard of over the years and was looking forward to meeting. I'm not naming anyone because the Dutch have weird monikas that I can only pronounce after a lot of blanquette and wouldn't dream of trying to spell.
Except for Jaap, the birthday boy, eating oysters with zoon, above - (that's not his name, that means his son) (so they tell me -)

Our Nel needs no introduction though  :) Nor does dear Stan...

a sympa, convivial, musical, gourmet fun fest;  many thanks to all:)

The storm broke in the night after a few very hot days, nice to have the garden watered and the temperatures cooled a little.

Bad news and good news from  America - Barbara writes that Larry was hospitalised after collapsing at a party. Mercifully he's now well - the vargus nerve reacting to circumstances that can now be avoided.
Making him a cheap date, Barbara :)

speed update

I'm back, brother-in-law has returned to Blighty apparently none the worse for wear; Bob gets to interim specialist in Friday so more news on him then; Andree went to hospital today, early, but they sent her home after a few tests as she is so well.
Thats enough excitement....

Claude

I lifted this picture from Ceri on Facebook - a lovely portrait of Claude. Claude has died; came off his quad bike, it seems, but there is going to be an inquest anyway. So very sad. He was a wonder.
Wishing courage and sending much love to his family and especially his daughters.She writes;

Bonjour à vous tous, j'ai le regret de vous annoncé le décès de notre père Claude Bayle, il nous a quittés ce lundi soir. Il est partit sans se retourner et sans souffrance, c'était un homme bon avec un cœur énorme. Je compte sur vous tous pour lui rendre hommage comme il se doit. Il laisse derrière lui 3 filles et 9 petits enfants qui sont très fières de lui. Merci à vous tous et je vous tiendrais informé de la date de ses funérailles.

new beginings

Here is our Mayor George Reverte congratulating Ryan on his son's birth whilst handing over the birth certificate. The mayor says this is the first Esperaza birth he has signed for; a home birth, not in hospital - he hopes there will be many more :)

Im off to Blighty now. Bobs brother John is taking over so if you see a chap you think is Bob please buy him a drink.

Lazarus and registration

Ole 'Lazarus' Bendik :)
back at his rightful place at the head of a table outside a cafe this morning.

Afterwards we went to the Maire to register young Etiennes birth

-a feast of paperwork  -

Great time, everyone joined in - and work has started on the new bathroom in Msr Francois house so if Alecia wants another baby we'll be ready

fireworks and fun at the end of the day

I was a bit too quick to take the proverbial out of the French National anthem, see last post - watched the celebrations on the tele from the Eiffel Tower live and (to my horror) they played Land of Hope and Glory; toe-curdlingly embarrassing...
They did all the good stuff too, Delibes, Wagner and what have you. Though I've never heard the Ride of the Valkyrie done with such glissando nor with more plein d'émotion Ghastly.

So, hey ho for the Esperaza town party - here are variously Corrinne, Ian, Kate and Dermot, Dutch persons, fireworks. This year we were forbidden the bridge and left by the Church - health and safety a gogo -

Margo and Theophile left this morning just before the rain hit... Bob still supine and malcontent. All quiet.

A sorry procession for this years Bastille day - rain not much of an inducement to form battalions and march with the citizens, as the national anthem would have us do. Before watering our gutters with the blood of our enemies, naturally. 

See the link for full words with English subtitles. In fairness I've never met a Frenchman who approves of it, I'm always 'hushed' when I try and sing it. Might be my voice though. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K1q9Ntcr5g

Esperaza en fete

  Heres Theophile preparing for the party - he ate at the creperie with me and Margo and we all enjoyed that -


then it was the procession led by the dinosaur, with the kids carrying candles and lanterns. Hence to the square where a sort of disco band thang made an unholy row that the children adored. We shoved tissue in our ears and lasted as long as possible...

Many friends out and about and if I'd had more stamina and better ear protetction I'd have stayed for the good humoured fun.

look at that moon :) 

Thanks to all who have wished Bob well. 

He is touched by the level of support we are getting from our friends

Welcome to Etienne Fred :)

 Alicia had her baby safely this morning; his first cry was at 8.07 a.m. He was birthed in my bath (see below), surrounded by candles, after a long night - the parents left Rue des Jardins at midnight as the contractions were coming quickly. They walked and had to stop every four minuites for Alicia to crouch for a contraction. Ryan didnt dress - he wore what Brits call knickers. No-one saw them, which is a bit of a pity - would have made a nice story for someone :)

The sage femme joined them at the Impasse du Dr Duffour at 2.00 a.m. and Alicia says, it was awful. It really hurts. She looks fabulous as ever though ....

 Already Im convinced that this is a very special baby - they all are, of course, but hes extra special.

All the best to the new family. Congratulations all round and more photos anon, after everyone has had a good rest.

from emergency to chaos

 Bob is home; his eyesight, thought not yet restored, is - in principle - saved.
                 All he has to do is keep still for a month.
No reading, no computer, no driving, no gardening, no dog-walking; everything he likes comes with a 'no' in front of it.

Watch this space:)


If anyone fancies dropping in, he's in his room with a terrace and a teas-made. Company welcome.

FYI - symptoms of a detached retina are flashing lights followed by a grey or black cloud that obscures vision, no matter where you look. It is very important to get immediate treatment because the sight can be saved by gluing the retina back on, but only if it is still 'alive'. Fast as possible. Which is why we got such sterling treatment all down the line - doctor to specialist to hospital.

Also FYI, Bob has a European health card which gave him  free emergency treatment. He has to pay the cost of staying in the hospital -as do I, having had a camp bed with him - and meals. We think this is recuperable along with the consultation fees and the pharmaceutical stuff. All will no doubt become clear, as will his eyesight. The eyeball is filled with gas which is holding the retina in place and which will slowly disappear, returning his vision as it does so.

In the meantime, Ole-Benik is apparently home - I know only what Kat has told me - and Alisha  has begun the first stages of giving birth to Etienne.  Here is the clean bathroom, now known as a birthing-pool room. More on everything as and when.....

... not altogether good

So I'd been feeling quietly confident having cleaned the bathroom - its ready for Alicia and Ryans' baby Etienne to be born - just breath deeply and wait, I thought.

Then this morning Bob asked me if there was anything in his eye and described a text-book case of a detached retina.

Dr Baille, blessings on her, saw us immediately. I rang Kat from the good doctors office and she agreed without hesitation to give up her days work and take us to Carcassonne. Many blessings on her too. Maragret drove her over to collect us and I heap more blessing there also.

At Carcassonne - the clinic Montreal - we were passed from nurses to eye geezer, who used their fabbo modern kit to look deep into his eyes. Yup; detached retina. Operate immediately, says our man - Bob was due to fly to London early tomorrow morning but our man said that would be too late and anyway he must not fly.

Dear Kat drove us onto to Toulouse to the clinic de l'Union, where we saw nurses, specialist, other  nurse, aneathatist, and 'wecome to the hospital' nurse. (In the course of this we saw Phillipe and Maryse, of Esperaza - bit like an hallucination! - they were seeing the aneathatist in advance of a little op on Phillipes foot.)

So.... they operate on Bobs eye tomorrow. They will inflate the eyeball, shift the retina, relocate it and glue it down with lazers.
THEN (this is the exciting bit) he can't move for a month. No travel, no work, no dog-walking; no computer, no books, no nothing. He rests on the sofa and watches TV or the retina dosent heal. So thats that then.

We left him happily anticipating the football on the TV in his room. I'm gutted at missing the dinner at Gert and Elizabets. Hoping that this will happen another time and that they have a lovely evening without us, honest; though I'd rather be there with them.

I go tomorrow with stuff he needs and stay overnight at the hospital, somehow (erm, hello, Kat?) get him back on Thursday.

A long and frightening day but the prognosis is good. Things could be worse. Thanks to all for everything.

Johns mountain eyrie

John  M gave Bob and Kat and me dinner with his neighbours last night  -
his place is in the mountains by St Ferriol with the most stupendous views so we braved the cold for as long as possible to have the joy of it.

Then went  indoors to tell ghost stories :)

changes in the market

The Rue Gambetta has been closed to traffic and opened to market traders - excellent notion, I reckon. People still managed to park illegally - here are our local police Barry and Frank dealing with the issues.

A hot - too hot - and frisky market was followed by a major thunderstorm and massive hailstones which sounded like the outbreak of war. Huge, deafening, very scarey.

 Alex was too scared to come out from under the water butt - hes OK now. Strange stuff, hail - iced up around a nucleolus, messages from on high probably. 

 Dinner later with Pete, Nel and Bob. A calm and decorous affair.

Leigh and Lorraines annual fest -

 Stu and Kieron. looking like bad boys... Bob, looking blameless -

 all of us grouped about Leigh and Lorraine's pool in the hot sun, drinking and eating and remembering the pleasures of life :) Here is the redstart that nests in the garage and doesn't seem to mind the invasion.
Lovely party.   Mille mercis guys:)

Hurrah hurrah

An anxious night; dinner with Aileen and Ole-Bendik was cancelled on account of O-B was carted off to hospital with a suspected heart attack. Today it seems he has double pneumonia - which is a better bet :) We all wish him a speedy recovery and a feast of stories when we do a re-take. May it be soon.

Above is a picture of Annies napkin which fell into the chilli beans to create this image of a little donkey. It occured at the baptism of Storm - the offspring of Aileens donkeys. Clearly a miracle. Offered here for O-B's speedy healing.

BACK!!

Im back in France - allelujia!! - and Annie and Pete asked me and Bob to dinner with Theo and Gus.
Here is Annie, labouring over the bread board. She cooked a mean veggie curry and we ate it heartily. 

They're off again on Thursday :(