Cold here in January

Max has developed a wheeze for the intrepid to escape Esperaza in January - he has sent a fine plan;

 

 This idea is simple: we purchase a school bus in Hungary and drive it to Bamako as part of the 2016 Budapest/Bamako Rally, and once in Mali, we donate the school bus to a local charity. Fun and worthwhile in one go! There will be a strict limit of 12 participants, and so I would urge to you consider this seriously and places will be assigned on a first-come basis ..

The costs will be of three elements:

1)      The school bus will cost approximately $13,000 to purchase and drive to Africa

2)      The individual costs for the journey will be approximately $1,000 (including an allowance for visas, insurance and vaccinations)

3)      The airfares from Bamako home.

The initial entry fee will be US$1,100 per person for the vehicle. I believe that it is quite reasonable to seek sponsorships for this amount from admiring friends and relatives. If you like, I can produce a “sponsor sheet”; we will, of course, offer any corporate donors the option to place logos on the vehicle, and have several “action shots” of their generosity for their own use!

The individual costs will become clearer in due course; we will be joining a group, and as such visas will be obtained together and the insurance coverage will be coordinated for us. Please note that the visa issue for non EU, US, Canadian, Australian, NZ passport holders may be more difficult, and plans should be made as soon as possible.

For those with concerns about security, it is important to know that the rally organisers have very strong relationships with the governments of both Mali and Mauritania. The vehicles will be protected by their respective armed forces, and unless there is a sudden flare up in the region, the program will go ahead as planned.

From Bamako, Royal Air Maroc can fly you to a variety of European gateways for about US$ 400, and thence on to your home airports …

I would really appreciate it if you can let me know about your participation; I will need to make some final preparations, confirm our participation to the organisers and generally confirm our January plans within the next month.

 

email me at vanillabeer  at  hotmail.com and I'II forward queries and avowals of intent.

Andrée in trouble...

Andrée has taken a tumble and fractured her left wrist; she's also bashed her head. She will be staying with Paulette, her sister, (see below) in Carcassonne for the next 5 weeks. Easier to get to the hospital - and she needs TLC. 

Completely refused to come here.

Sewing night at Louises'

As usual, a creative evening at Louises where coconut cakes and macaroons were eaten, blanquette drunk. It was good:) Erm, spot the bum?

I had a heart full of song as Max had given me a boxed set - virgin, unused - of opera records from 1956. I had started on Carmen before going out and realised what a treasure he had parted with. Each opera is complete and unexpurgated.  The sound is amazing. I had forgotten pre digital. In my study is a decent record player and nice speakers - they were a gift from R.B. Kitaj, actually, not that I'm braging, much -  so impressed with the sound that you are invited round to listen. Get in touch if you want a seat; tomorrow its Carmen, after that its Faust by Gounod (as and when), thereafter Rigoletto, Il Travatore and La Traviata - by the man my mother insisted on calling Joe Green. 

Saw Roy and Jo today, Roy is on the mend, mercifully. Saw Andree who was good enough to call the garage in Toulouse that had rescued our broken van. It seems it's not really broken, it is in fact dead. This van is no more.
Anyone got a cheap van for sale?

Lovely day, that aside: saw many other friends and actually got some work done between times. Took me a while to get going on account of Maxs' corrupting influence the evening before.
And my neighbours, Jeanette and Louis are back from the cote d'azur, looking marvellous but sad that their old English Setter has died - diabetes got him.

Sweet story; was standing in the 8 a 8 paying for my shopping when I noticed a bloke standing in the square with his arms wide open apparently addressing a plane tree. On pointing this out to the proprietor Alain, he replied that the man would be unlikey to get a response. The man leant forward and kissed the tree. Voila! He's kissing it, I said.
Alain didn' miss a beat. 'welcome to Esperaza', he said.

 Advance notice!!! Poulet-Bicyclette opening on May 1st with a disco... no doubt doing the funky chicken. Sigh. Be great to have them back though, a sure sign of summer.

Aint nature wonderful

 Rather a poor photo of the bees swarming, either coming or going from the old chimney on the terrace, who knows?? Most exciting, the air deafening with their buzzing and stray ones bombing about.  Now they are settled in - or seperated out, I dunno - though not before Bob got one in his shirt and had a nasty sting on his tummy.  He's back in England and it still hurts :(

And I should not have claimed good weather for Esperaza. Just after the swarm the rain started, not heavily, but accompanied by great gusts of wind. So strong that it blew open the gate in the garden that seperates the rabbits from where the flowers are. Were.

Heres dawn this morning, still blustery but very livable with.

sun persists

There are reports of rain all over France....well, we had a bit of rain last night and enough distant thunder and lightening to frighten the dog. Here's todays market snapped from the Patisserie. Bumped into loadsafriends, quelle plaisir :) Also the Mayor who was surprised at the lack of questions about policy at yesterdays' meeting.

 The bad news is that the Cafe du Pont is closed for good. My (informed) informant said it was complicated; there were infringements of the license, too much late night noise and underage drinking. But the clincher is that bills are not paid and the landlords are taking it back.
Pity. Will miss it and the clientele and the happy laughing staff.

Below is a snap of the first vide grenier of the season, at Luc sur Aude. Tiny but delightful. No treasure alas.
Bob is off again, being taken to the airport by Rushton whose bride is on Bobs flight. I'm getting sad.

Reunions de Quartier

 After the chaos caused by the lack of information which resulted in a petition asking for the Mayors funding to be pulled - that one, way back - the Mayor has called regular meetings with each part of Esperaza to talk about whatever we want to talk about.
 Nice notion.
Today was the turn of the centre of town, thats me and my neighbours; off we went at 10.30 to the MJC.
I thought it rather a good turn out at about 100 people. One friend said that it was poor given that it was the centre of town. Whatever; it was lively.

Here is our leader, Georges Revert with some of his team - listening. They concientiously took questions from all over the floor and chief topic was traffic. No-one likes it, in a nutshell. Cars are fast, cars are dangerous, there isnt enough legal parking. Me, I hate it all plus the big lorries - when I said so everyone agreed. There was massive agreement all round, in fact, plus fears for the wheelchair users who are forced to use the roads because the pavements are unusable due to parked cars, tree roots and simple non-existance of pavement.

For one insane moment I thought our leader would suggest banning pedestrians. He didn't. He didn't offer any direction except that traffic calming measures cost too many sous and that the young were uncivil. (Incivilite? Perhaps it has other connotations...)

It was something of a theme, this call to address incivilite. The mayor agreed with all our difficulties and rather threw the ball back at us.

 Questions were raised about a well-known dog - not Lily, phew - who barks constantly and disturbs the neighbourhood. The owner as it happens in on the Mayors council though no-one mentioned her name :) A petition has been signed against the dog, the council addressed, the gendarmes told and some little steps (electric collars) taken but actually nothing can be done, said the Mayor - except to keep the process going, to keep complaining to the owner. Very wearing.

 

                      Heres Mayor Georges, in statesmanlike black and Bernard Laurens, his money-man.

 Don't want to minute the meeting so heres a quick precis:

Building starts this year on the Maison de Sante.

Moto's, their noise, speed and nastiness on the mountain, will be addressed.

The Gendarmes have had a directive to address incivilite.

Camp site is being renovated to a three star level - 10 new showers and disabled facities

An elderly lady who was afraid to go out at night asked for surviellance cameras, a call that was ignored by the council and greated with silence by the townsfolk, thank heaven.

Security is an issue. It was clear early on that this is now a town of older and nervous people. Lots of complaints against the young, against the hippies, against those that urinate in corners, tear up lotto tickets and leave them in the streets, let their dogs loose to shit everywhere, take drugs in the square.

Most people were clear and to the point. Most had ideas; if there can't be pavements, paint white lines and make safe pathways. If the corners are treated as urinoirs, disinfect them from time-to-time.

It was apparent that the Mayor had heard it all before. With luck the possible draconian 'protective' measures will cost too much to implement - I think its safe to say that the Brits enjoy the freedoms of this little place and the downsides are as nothing compared to the cities most of us have come from.

We'll see. Anyway a nice concluding speech from the Conseille Generale bloke said that we can join  the Petites Freres de les Pauvres and visit old people who've been abandoned by their families (?), that Micro-Credit is available if people need to buy for instance a fridge or need help with housing and that if we are perplexed we should ask at the town hall and stop small problems becoming big ones. Amen to that.

Friday changes

 John left this morning and is safely home in England - though he reports that the resturant in Carcassonne airport has closed, anyone know anything? Annual holiday or are we stuck with the hideous snack bar on the ground floor?

Max is back this time from Georgia and in fighting form. Bob drove Kat and me and Max  to Quillan and we ate at that resturant off the square by the station, can't remember the name, where you have to go up stairs. Hence view, below.

     

Of its kind, it wasn't bad. The house wine was vinegared but the boss didnt make a fuss when we sent it back. He liked it and it was what he drank, personally. We explained that it was what you were used to and bought a chateau bottled instead - that made the evening very pleasent indeed.  

Dear Bob held up well enough to get us home but he aint used to late nights :) 

Diary dates; 

14th May, Place de l'industrie, Rue Elie Sermet Theatre - Les Neons et leurs amis 'La Tourniquette.' I know nothing about this but its in the timetable for the Artistes a Suivre so must be good.

Ditto the 19th at the Centre Cultural, where there is a perfomance of Jazz and Texte.

see www. artistesasuivre.orgfor the full package.

Gossip;

Roy hasn't broken his neck, thank heavens. (That was what I heard on the street) Though he has broken his other shoulder, alas. Rotten luck with a hexed ladder. Much love and sympathy to him and bonne courage to Jo xxx

Perpignan

Its not in Esperaza, Perpignan, so its rather outside of my self-imposed remit to mention the fact that Kat, John and I went there yesterday. However, it is of interest because of our marvellous bus system... John drove us to Quillan to catch the 7.55 a.m. one euro bus for the two hour drive though the mountains and gorges and open countryside to breakfast; where like country bumpkins we were immediatley ripped off for the price of breakfast :)
Checked the prices after that. So lunch was carefully researched and most impressive. Should you find yourself in Perpignan, try it - Le Coq au Riz in Rue de la Revolution which fed us tagines, baclava and tirimisu for a set 12 euro menu and was delicious, served by a charmer in clean and pleasent surroundings. (0468 51 27 54)

We hit the church of St John the Baptist with enthusiasm, dazzling spanish-style over-the-top religiosity. Caught some thrilling organ practice.

But the real gem of the day for me was an expo called Bestial by an artist named Vinz in the Walter Benjamin Centre of Contemporary Art (on till the 7th June)

He's Spanish and concerned with capitalism, austerity, the power of advertising and the rich. The work is provocative and beautifully executed using a mixture of collage, photography and paint.
He goes a-flyposting in various capitals and conceals his identity, Banksy style; though the mayor of Perpignan has given him a lovely expo and a decent catalogue. We outnumbered the staff and there seems to be no advertising - what a strange country! - but its worth the trip to check it out. 4 euro entry.

out and about

Above, the inaugral meeting of the Debating Society :) It was terrific - thrilled to find a clutch of clever, informed, well-travelled and charming folk living not too far away (Quillan)
We expect to meet on the first Tuesday of each month from now on. If you are a curious person and fancy getting stretched, get in touch.

Below, a horse. It's the one that has taken up residence behind the house. Very handsome and wilful critter. You can tell its got attitude just by looking at it; maybe like the Debating Society.

 Yesterday John and I did some motoring - first to Belpech to look at the remarkable entombment there - which was locked into its side chapel and unseeable properly. Then the custodian arrived to lock up for lunch. Sigh.
Nothing loathe we trolled onto Castelnaudry where lunch was very good - I had Poulet a la Indienne which meant chicken in cream with a hint of tumeric and curry powder. John braved pigs trotters for the first time in his life and approved. I shall draw a veil over pudding.

Drove on to coffee in dinky Mirepoix where the lady that ran our chosen cafe turned out to come from Newent in the Forest of Dean. Very droll -
Home to a salad and blanquette with Bob and Kat and a viewing of an ex-Doctor Who playing Hamlet. Wonderful production. Much to consider; the relationship with fathers and sons (WS wrote it after the death of his son Hamnet) and the theology of the day - the change under Elizabeth from the Roman Catholicism of her sister to the Protestantism of her father, in the process challenging Limbo, Purgatory and ghosts - all of which get a decent airing in the play. Must have made a fair old stir in the court in 1601.
Don't start me on Rozencranz and Guildenstern. I've written a paper on them and their relationship with Tycho Brahe.
How can you resist???

Bob gone to London, missing the beautiful weather, back Thursday, in time to say goodbye to his brother who leaves on Friday. Max is back then - and Claudinne arrives on the 1st. Book now.

Damp Sunday

Damp market - got followed by this donkey which was after my carrots. Snapped the square from the cafe table. Was sharing with Jim and Ferren, both rarely spotted in public; nice to catch up.

Market followed by indulgent lunch with John and Bob (foie gras cut with figs; angus aberdeen steak; violet and nougat sheeps' ice cream) Naturally this was at the Auberge du Faby where the art exhibition  was also remarkable, ahem.
Modesty forbids...     











Heres a wet rabbit looking in bad need of a hair cut and one of the orchids that the rain has provoked.


Missed blogging my brother-in-law Johns arrival and our meal at the Creperie, where The Scottish Daves were having their last meal with Steve and Leslie before leaving . Hope they are home safely - weather seems to be cruddy all over France.

     

weather changing

Rain started in the evening, begining with an hysterical hail-storm - it stopped to allow Ryans American family and myself to get to Andrees for apero.
Forgot my camera - - - but Brad took pictures of everything, hoping that he will send some.

They've gone, the Americans. But not quite far enough. The van broke near the airport and when last heard of Ryan was sorting mechanics and so forth. Fortunately the Genglers had a night at an hotel in hand and they are nearby, a taxi ride away. Thank heavens they were not about to catch their 'plane.

Bob is about to drive through Toulouse but with a car packed to the gunnals so he can't pick up Ryan. Late train for him, I'm guessing.

In the meantime, brother-in-law John is nearly here -  arriving on the 5.00 bus.

This morning the air smelled like an especially good German floral wine, just opening a window was a knock out. There were snails in the road and little green frogs bopping about.  The dawn chorus was sensational; saw two scopes owls who were too quick off their perches for me to photograph. A very splendid chesnut horse has moved into the field between the house and the railway line - he is so handsome and clearly twitchy-alert that even the least not- bovvered by horses person (e.g. me) is captivated.

And our bees are back!! The air is noisy again. Feels like summer, except for the rain that is.

UPDATE... all well, John hired car and arrived early, Bob arrived shortly afterwards, Ryan got a cheap taxi all the way back and his family are safe in the hotel. The van is another story... off to the creperie to celebrate all these homecomings :)

Barbie with the Genglers

 Ryans brothers, Paul and Brad - now uncles - with Etienne who clearly likes having a family -

----And the long-suffering matriarch Shirley who looks too young for all this tribe.

We set up the barbie but it took too long and the burgers got done in the kitchen. They were very good indeed. You may have to be american to do burgers properly, who knows, but proper they were. Excellent with Merlot.

Not much happening...

...just spring and high temperatures:) Here are the rabbits formerly known as Princess Alice and Jessica le Chainsaw enjoying their snack. Weather supposed to become stormy tomorrow alas.
Only news I can think of is that the Library have their annual book sale from the 17th, extended opening over the weekend. Now is the time to stock up on french books.
Ryans family are here till friday when Bobs brother John arrives, air traffic controllers permitting. Bob follows shortly after in car. Max has left for London till the 24th. Erm... think thats it. Nice and sedate.

heat wave

Hot enough to eat in the garden last night - voila, the tagine (which works well) - and today, too hot to sit for long outside the Cafe du Pont.
No complaints:)

Tonight Mr Turner is showing at Limoux cimema, starting at 9.00pm. I've seen it on DVD and loved it. Would happily have gone to see it on the big screen but too wrecked; early night on bread and water for me. Without the bread.

                       Here are Max, Pete, Nel and bad Kat last night. Good guests, thank you guys xxxx

The last wolf...

 Le Dernier Loup was showing  tonight at the MJC for the Esperazanais. Many people had said it was 'lovely'. Lovely it ain't. Gruelling it was. Emotionally harrowing and deeply worrying, being concerned with the merging of the Peoples Republic of China and the nomads of Mongolia.
The trouble begings when a party worker sells the secrets of the nomads for a transistor radio... oh, more info would be a serious spoiler.  

On a lighter note, Pete is back, see below :) He and Nel have left Holland and returned to the fold. We took coffee at the new patisserie; l ate fattening food since it seems obese people don't get alzihmers. Probably because they are dead of heart failure befor it kicks in.

Bob has phoned in - the meeting that he had to get back to London for was a success and he's talking about what he will take if he takes the bus again. Cushions, plug adaptors and so forth. All very positive.

Sad day redeemed

 It was going to be a sad day, being the birthday of my brother Simon - the first since his death - and the funeral of Jill.
Max got volunteered to come to lunch in Carcassonne to celebrate their lives.

We went to the Alsacienne resturant in Rue Armagnac and ate authentically and massively - see Max and his plateful (that was just one course)

 Afterwards we looked in at the new show at Maison des Memoirs in the Rue Verdun - work on paper by Joan Jordes, a Spanish artist who was held in a French detention centre when he fled the civil war, finally making his home in Toulouse where he taught at the Beaux Arts. He's a favorite of mine and not often seen. There were other contemporary artists I didn't know of so an interesting visit.

Naturally had to look in on the Beaux Arts to check out the Corbet - oooh that man could paint, see above - and take a peek at Francesca de Rimmini being tortured by Dante for loving too much. Heres Max having a peer with Dante and Virgil.

Forgotten tha artists' name - its someone Martin - and its big and dramatic and really rather good.
We were on the bus/train so bound by time but the timing is perfect and a bad day made very good:) Thanks Max.

Changes...plus ça change

Heres our Sian, coping well - with her illness and the sad death of her mother Jill. Brave smile:)

Today Gert and Elizabet left, Pete, Clare and Di left and at dawn Bob got the local train to get to Toulouse to catch the Megabus for the 20 hour trip to London. Determined or what. The others were driving to their various destinations so the air controllers strike didn't hit them though one imagines the roads may be busy. Bob reports that Toulouse station was packed.

Me? Im doing the ironing and having a blessed early night.

Air traffic cancellations mean chaotic evenings

Behold! Claire and Fran, here for a fun-filled evening; stymied by arriving as Bob found out his flight tomorrow has been cancelled due the the air traffic controllers' strike.

We were running about like headless chickens trying to find a way back to the UK for Bob, who has meetings and deadlines and that. Megabus from Toulouse to London beckoned, 35 quid and 20 hours to kip in but actually trying to get a ticket was something of a challenge. Bob finally succeeded.

Off to the Creperie breathing sighs of relief. Nightingale looked up the trains to ensure that Bob can get to Toulouse in time for the noon bus - what service!!
Then in came Gert and Elizabet with Danish friends, followed by Mike and Hilary and Sian, then Max.
Joy :)

We have promised Claire and Fran a more relaxed evening when Bob gets back.

American visitors

 Ryan cooked a seriously delicious meal last night - pork with prunes and apricots, pain perdu pud with caramel sauce - for us and his family who are visiting. So Bob and I had the pleasure of renewing our friendship with Shirley and meeting Brad and Paul, Ryans brothers, plus Shannon. And naturally Ryan invited Andree -  and she came :)
The conversations were rich and varied - the Americans wanted to know about the war in Esperaza and as Andree was 14 years old when it ended she was able to talk frankly about it.  On our side we wanted to know about their lives in America.
More questions remain but at 6.00am this morning they left for a few days in Paris so everything will have to wait.

Etienne now finds he's the centre of a large family and is cheerful enough about it as long as his mother  is close by. He's reached the age of clinging, just as his grandmother gets here; classic:)

Went to Carcassonne with Max yesterday to visit Jim Hankinson in hospital. He was being attended to and we were told to come back in an hour. We did and he was still having tubes rearranged, poor chap - and was in any case unconcious, so we gave up. Heres a bit of a view of Le Cite, taken when we were hanging about.
Heres wishing Jim a thorough and rapid recovery. Think I might go to the church and light a candle if only because it might annoy him, as a professional philosopher -

The scopes owl is back. When he shut up the nightingale started. Not yet full-throated but just lovely.

Monday nights' farewell-

Toby and Leo leave for Amsterdam today for a short while and had a farewell meal at their place last night. The Scottish Daves, Pete, Clare, Di, Kat, Max and Bob made for a jolly soiree - come back soon, our Dutch friends -

RIP Jill Cooper (Valentines day, 1931 - Easter Sunday 2015)

I posted earlier that Sian had facebooked the death of her mother, Jill - now I do not hestiate to lift this nice photo of her with the family taken by Lionel and posted by him.

Here they are; Sian, Tony, Pat, Russell and Jill.

 Jill and Tony moved here from Normandy donkeys years ago to be close to Russell and Pat, who live up the hill over by Rennes le Chateau. Poor Jill had always been bedevilled by cancer but rarely mentioned it. Instead she got on with things, painting delicate watercolours and being a major player with us local arts lot.

She hosted the drawing group for a while - between times at Dr Coues' and the MJC - and only dropped out of that when her legs were too weak to get up to the first floor where we now work. No disabled lift which seems odd in this day and age.

 She carried on doing landscapes and had an exhibition at Rennes les Bains which was very successful. 

Her background was in the antique trade and she had an unerring eye for the pleasing, the beautiful, the rare.

Bizzarrely, she knew Daniel in Normandy - he who co-founded the Creperie with Edith -  they both worked in the same trade.

This last illness was interminable but her spirits were always bouyant. Kat and I visited her in Quillan hospital a couple of days before she took a dive and she was asking for hair conditioner and wanting all the news from home. After that at our last visit she appeared to sleep - though it was possible to read movements on her face as responsive to names...

 

Her cremation is at Trebes at 9.00 am on Friday. 

Sian says, Jill loved flowers so LOTS of flowers, the more natural the better>

 

More from Easter Sunday

 Pete and Clare and Di drove from Greenwich and arrived in time for a late bite, tired:) - here until Thursday, grab them while you can.
To celebrate, the hermits did a last tour at fantastic volume which did not appear to wake Shirley and her family who are sleeping off their jet lag. No sign of them yet:)

Sad news from Sian

Sian has posted on facebook and I share it here for non-FB users... with condolences and many happy memories of Jill Cooper. Love to Russell and Tony and of course Sian.

In loving memory of my mother, 14/2/1931 - 5/4/2015. At last at peace.

 

Easter in Esperaza

 Easter Sunday kicks off early with Les Hermits, young people who dress in white shirts, black bowler hats and a black eye; its some kind of medieval memorial that historians argue about.
They collect money from the innocent and spend it in the cafes.
This year the presence of the police is rather obvious, presumably because last week the Mayor complainted to the gendarmes at Quillan that they were not attenting to the 'incivilites' of the young of Esperaza. 
Whatever that means.

 The brass band is part of the party and everyone dances... in the market, through the alleys...

 ...and at last we know how the eyes are blackened :) Burnt corks abound in the streets.

This little critter is Esperaza's latest contribution to the myth of the region. Its the Easter Egg presented by the new patisserie. They describe it as a cross between a bear and a mouse.


Ryans family have arrived from Dakota. Thought I'd let them settle in and get a bit de-jet lagged before I thrust a camera in their faces.

Happy Easter everyone!

Easter Saturday

- went to the Auberge du Faby for our Easter feast, with Gert (above, with Bob) and Elizabet. Good meal, good friends, good conversation. Good art.

Glory!

Squandered the camera battery trying to photograph the glory that surrounded the sun this morning - so it was flat when we left for dinner with Roy and Jo. Such a pity! Lovely night with Fiona, Max, Fran and Clare and Bob - no mnenomic necessary, I will remember both the food and the company though I will try and forget some of Maxs jokes.

Thursday market

Here's this mornings quiet market, posted because I didnt take pix last night; last night was dinner at the Creperie with the Scottish Daves, Leo and Kat, Bob and me - and Gert and Elizabet joined us, plus Atmo and Ceri were there. We missed Toby who is laid up with the 'flu (no doubt passed on by Jude) and Max, who is dining in Rome. The evening concluded at the Scottish Daves and was enjoyed by all, naturally :)

Lily day

Today is Lilys 10th birthday