Grey and wet

 Maggie turned up yesterday (looking good ) in time for the wettest market in an age. England is grey and she's been hoping for sunshine - missed our spring days of last week. And poor Phil, his first visit here and the market was a parody of its usual self - though still crowded and engaging, naturally :)

There has been a marathon drawing weekend in the MCJ, a 14 hour session divided over 4 days. All the Esperaza artists are knackered though our model is still coping. He cooked dinner, in fact, for Aileen, Ole-Bendik and me - this morning there seem to be a disproportionally large number of empty wine bottle lying about.

Saturday night - febuary in the rain -

Saturday night in Esperaza - after a days' rain which shows no sign of letting up -at TyRex, with Aileen, Ole-Bendik and Phil. Good fun, despite the deafening drum of rain on the roof. Poor Phil has not had much luck since he arrived, he's been modelling for the art group 8 hours so far, which is hard work; with more to come, tomorrow afternoon and Monday morning.

Heres hoping the market won't be flooded off.

Phils arrival-

 Phil got in last night in time for dinner at the creperie with Aileen and Ole-Bendik and Ferren - how could it have been other than a great evening? Caught up with the latest on the wonderful world of Oceanography and the Ghia hypothesis. We are doomed.Seize the day.

Spring snaps

From top to bottom; Oswald, out and trying to get fed before the rabbits nick his  lettuce; rabbits Jess and the rabbit formerly known as Princess Alice, plotting; Tango, eating the flowers in the table which I'd just picked in the garden; the best rainbow I've seen here; and reflections of Bob on a bus, leaving for the airport. Hes away for a couple of weeks fighting the good fight.

Birthday Bashes

 Its Andrees birthday on Friday, Kats on Saturday and Bobs has not long gone. We did a bulk celebration at Gayda, the wonderful resturant in a vineyard between Limoux and Castelnaudry.
The weather was perfect, you can just about see the mountains in the distance in this photo, huge and covered in snow - camera (or possibly photographer) not quite up to such splendor.

Can't resisit adding these little snaps of Kats stockings... oh la :) And Andree being chatted up by a waiter.

perfect dinner

Bob cooked last night :) For Kate and Dermot and very good indeed it was. Avocado and sea food starter, chicken casserole, divine cheeses (I chose them) and Christmas pudding. 

Late breakfast in Brenac

Brenac is about 5 Kilometres away from Esperaza but somehow I've never been there. Claudinne and Jean invited us to visit their current home and off we went - to be surprised by Blanquette and smoked salmon and other delicacies that we don't deserve :) Here is Claudinne with some of Jeans ancestral furniture and Jean doing the honours.Then we went for a totter around the pretty village. People have lived there since prehistoric times and I'm not surprised, its delightful. There is a source of water pouring out of the mountain and the village is built around it with a waterfall and all; plus great mountain views.

The church has had attention from artisans from Narbonne and Rome, according to the panel at the side - and yes, it was locked.

Will have to go back.

Glorious Sunday

Market was packed and drenched with sunshine - 20 degrees, it was said - here is the cafe du Pont from the inside, where Kat and I sheltered from the crowds. Realised that the market is some kind of test, where you have to try and remember the names of anyone you have met over the course of any number of events in any possible permutation of  social and/or professional occasions. 

In a minimun of two languages

 Heres another date, hidden under the balcony of the house next door to the Maison de Riviere, the home of Roy and Jo; where I learnt today of the death of Jo's father.

 Commiserations, Jo - so sad for you. Wretched, loosing family.
Those who have experienced it will be feeling for you. Come back to us soon. XXX

Number crunching

Trying to imagine what prompts someone to carve the year on their house...came to no conclusions. But here are some.

 Here is the square today. Was struck how the shadows have the same tonal value of the trees, just about; marvellously confusing.

Not a lot happening :) Which is a Good Thing.

great news from Montpelier

Heres Sian, looking rather glam - lifted from her facebook page - who writes, in her inimitable fashion;
Hello, i had my trachea dilated this morning, doesn't that sound disgustingly gynecological? Surgeon said it was almost completely closed by the tumour so i was gradually suffocating, but stent is obviously working. So great to breathe and not cough all the time!  I'm out of hosp tomorrow. Xx

Much rejoicing in the cafes of Esperaza as the news spread this morning...

Far less exciting is the news that between the 22cnd Feb and the 5th March, no-one can park in the Rue de la Gare.Traffic circulation will be affected as the road is being dug up to lay high tension electric cables.

Before we spit at the mayor lets remember that this was planned some time ago under the last mayors' authority.

Fab weather today and the forecast for the weekend is good. Olwen is safely back in London and Claer in Andorra admiring the snow while Rick skies.

Departures and teeth

Claer and Olwyn left this morning, I think - Bob and I left slightly before them, to a Carcassonne dentist.They had to see themselves out.  Rather a chaotic farewell, especially as Claer was rendez-vousing with Rick - who had missed his plane from London. Awaiting news on that one. Anyway, no farewell snaps.

Instead here is dawn over Rennes les Chateau.

 -A filling dropped out of my mouth on Monday and  I picked a dentist at random from the yellow pages. It wasn't really random, more cabbalistic; his address was 33 rue des trois courones so I had to go for him. In the event, he was about 14 yrs old and a whistler, which is very relaxing. He bunged the hole, was cheerful and happy and incredibly gentle, charged 41 euros. Will be going there from henceforth: highly recommeneded.

Mais ou sont les neiges d'antan?

This morning there was no sign of yesterdays' snow, only a frost and by coffee time the day was sunny and bright...we essayed to Limoux in the hope of a megagorge at the Pekin and Tokyo; which was closed, exceptionally the sign said. We batted about and at the fourth resturant we tried we got lunch.

Turned out to be a stroke of luck. La Ciboulette is no 1 Avenue Fabre d'Eglantine as you approach Limoux, direction Carcassonne. Passed it often but never been in before. 

The menu of the day was not complex but jolly good - vedg soup (with ham, so non-meat-eater Claer had salad -) Pork and prunes which was perfect (Claer the gambas in calvados) and sundry puds of which the choco mousse de maison came to me to test, happily. Even the decaf was good.

The place is bizarre. It is full of odd collections. Teapots, drawings of cats, nick-nacks, tropical fish. Amazing that we haven't found it before today as its our sort of place :)

Olwen came to France from Wales and Andree was sent to the North of England as a girl. Similar stories but from opposite sides of the channel. Marvellous to hear them talk -

PS I have no idea why the text has gone telegrammese.

Sunday night...

... we dined at St Gobains. It was excellent!! Heres Claer, enjoying -

Saturdays excitements

 Olwen arrived with her daughter Claer last night - here she is, reading to Tango and his friends :)
Here are the ongoing roadworks in the Rue de la Tulerie, the subject of much debate in Esperaza -

 And Kates birthday, annual cake and bubbles party, old friends reunited:) Nathan has grown extremely tall as you can see from the snap of him standing next to Kate, who is herself no dwarf.

Kates parties are a bit like the Queens garden party but (by all accounts) more fun. Another year older and yet more sensational, bravo that girl! Caught up with Sasha, Kate-from Limoux, Kate Hardy (also from Limoux) and others too numerous to mention because I'm on my way out to the Creperie for dinner.

Carcassonne

Spent the day in Carca.; where I got soaked. It rained, heavily, all day. So much for my day off.
Fun, nonetheless, and an expo now in the offing (more later)
And Claer and her Mama are here:) They stay till Thursday. Book now.

Changes..

....Pete and Nel are moving, fortunately not far away; they had a farewell-ish dinner last night though we still have them here for a month . Here are Laura, Bob, Tristran, Alan and Gill tucking in. Feels very fin de siecle. 

Great evening, hadn't been up that late for an age:) Kisses to P and N - very sweet of you both to take time to feed your friends royally in the midst of your packing. Bon courage!

Cafe du Pont

The cafe du Pont, traditional haunt of bikers, has had a makeover as Kat and I discovered this morning. We'd rather given it up after the change of management and a couple of disagreeable experiences - smokers behind the bar, that kind of thing - but now there are women and children in there and you can buy food (frozen snack type food) at any time.
Took Bob there for tea in the afternoon- the tea was served with boiling water and my hot chocolate was brill. A new era dawns...

Tuesday TyRex

Esperaza life rages on :) Last night in the pouring rain, the TyRex provided shelter and decent nosh for Roy, Claudinne, Jean, me and voila!! Bob, back from the UK having struggled on the bus with masses of luggage.
TyRex was empty (=Tues, Febuary, rainstorm) so we could roister to our hearts content. Missed Jo though; she had to man the telephone due to a family crisis. Big love to her at this time.

look who came to dinner;

Kat and Roland!! Long time since we spent an evening together... some of it (not all) was edible but it was a good evening anyway.
The day was beautiful. Such joy to be alive and in the south of France. And Bob arrives tomorrow :)

Sunday tea

Andy and James and Lou dropped round for a cuppa -miserable wet Sunday though the dregs of the market were still a laugh.
Everyone very relieved we are finally getting some rain. Apparently today will be dry but the rest of the week will be wet. This is significant for growing wine and must therefore be a cause for rejoicing.

Drawing Marathon

Drawing Friday night, all Saturday and tomorrow afternoon - oh, and then Monday morning as usual.

Here are some of the team, slightly blurred. All artists  welcome.

Fridays excitements...

Questions have been raised about blue skys, after I posted about Vincents night blue... voila, here is a dawn blue with that lovely morning flash of light and next is an 11.00 o'clock blue,

(featuring a blue tit.)

 Last night Claudinne and Jean invited me to the Casino at Alet-les-Bains where I lost some money and Claudinne made a ton and quit. Just like that. Claudinne and guests were invited for dinner and they gave us a very good cous-cous...

 Must be in the air, St Gobains is doing a cous-cous lunch on Sunday, a speciality of the new chef.

Other news; the Museum of Dinosaurs is being addressed from the rear, heaven knows why. A new large doorway... is this for ease of dinosaur movement? The front door is plenty big but no doubt there are fresh excitements in store.

 Theres lot of digging going on in town, come to think of it, some from the gas-and-electricty folk- more anon.