chez nous

Gave dinner to Jutta and Bernd and thoroughly enjoyed it (artichoke soup, veggie rissotto, tarte tarin.) Took this snap of Jutta at apero and then got busy with cooking and chatting and listening and forgot to take any more.

 Its Halloween and adorable small persons turned up at the door dressed in terrifying ways with their parents standing behind them, asking for sugar things. Was overwhelmed and forgot to photograph them too. One sticks in my mind... all the usual pallor and fangs plus a pair of painted-on spectacles. Scary

Had my 'flu shot. The deal here is that you buy it at the pharmacy (about 6 euros) and then ring a nurse to come and do you. I rang Madame Delaye in Rue Gambetta who came immediately and was painless and charming. Heartily recommended. (0468 20 38 36)

Le weekend

 Fab night last night at Juttas with her husband, above, whose name I can't begin to spell but will ask. Forgot decent camera and this is the best of a series of misty snaps found on my mobile this morning.
Not only are our new friends great company, they are great cooks; wahhhhey :)

Also this morning - voila, Rennes le Chateau floating over Esperaza high street, beautiful and mysterious like so much of life here.  And below that, the market - packed and fun in the sunshine.

Autumn

 Not much to say but that the weather is so perfect it would have been rude to stay in the studio all day... Bob took me, Ian and Lily to the mountains where many mushrooms of various toxicities were hunted. Lily regarded every mushroom picked as hers and we had to fight her for it. Not a helpful dog.

Autumn had been looking like the end of summer and the beginning of decay but after today it seems more like a season of astonishing delight.

When I took the basket of mushrooms to the pharmacy for ID turns out only three of them were edible.

Ladies who lunch-

-and men too, since Bob took Andree, me and Gracie to lunch at La Pierre Lys in Quillan and jolly good it was. Andree has known the owners since they built the place and was greeted like a queen. One of the diners joined in our conversation and of course knew Andree too, though she had forgotten him. It was ever thus.  

We were celebrating Gracies birthday - which is tomorrow - and Andree being lovely.

And the beautiful weather; blue skies, warm, perfect early autumn day.

Lovely Wednesday

 The day began full of mist; here is the level crossing, just pre-dawn, still dark. Then the neighbours left a huge box of wild mushrooms, beautiful...

 Toby hosted a dinner tonight for Leo and Roules (uncertain spelling there), Bob and me, Kat and Roland, Gracie and Jutta, so English, French, German and Dutch sentences were dancing across the table at any given moment. To Thai food with French additions. Delicious :)

 Since Kat and Roland are off to Isle de Brexit tomorrow and Toby and  Leo leave for Amsterdam before they get back, there was a certain amount of hilarious xmas gifting. Above Leo is receiving his toilet set in a suitable way and below Roland is looking anxious, as he may - he speaks no English and he's off to Dublin and then Wales tomorrow. And the rest. I warned him about the weather and the food. Could be why he is looking so concerned.

Day off

Captain Harris and I took a day off to be together - drove from mist to low cloud to fog to Narbonne Plage, where we went to our favourite restaurant and considered our missing friends, now dispersed.
Not as gloomy as it sounds:) Really enjoyed the day.
-And darling Gracie brought us supper when we got home, xxxx

Can't resist adding a photo of dead jellyfish, though maybe they resurrect when the tide turns. There were hundreds on the beach so lets hope so.

Sunday market and chez nous

Sunday market quiet as befits an out-of-season day... still fun of course, many local friends about.

And in the evening, Mary, New Kelly, Gert and Elizabet (here for a brief week from Copenhagen) joined us for dinner and a good job too :) New Kelly brought pudding -  chestnut ice-cream with white pepper. 

Probably needs a poem to do it justice.

Bugarach booty

Every since seeing the Fabiola exhibition at the Portrait Gallery I've been impressed by the idea of her - not of her, per se, but of the ability of an image to strike a chord and to be maintained, without formal networks. This old review explains succinctly what I'm on about;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/5345000/Fabiola-Francis-Alys-at-the-National-Portrait-Gallery.html

Anyway, today I found one:) Thrilled to bits... its a broach, brass, with Fabiola painted on glass over metallic paper. This from the Bugarach vide grenier, where patient Bob took me and Kat and Gracie and much fun was had - tea and delicious cakes and booty for all ( except poor patient Bob who has decided on only getting necessary things)
Cold in the mountains...

Laziness abounds...

Not much going on and anyway I forget the camera... Bob has come home, all well with him, Pete and Annie are gone,  Yuri has returned to London.

Yuri has sent links to some of the videos of the events of Sunday which show snippets of friends and the general flavour of this odd event. Here they are;

The "Grand Pardon" at Montségur, 16.10.2016


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTb1vqxn5uA&feature=em-subs_digest


Demande de pardon aux Cathares de Montsegur


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PIsKyAIc-k


Montsegur 16th October 2016


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8vxXhrtsTE


montsegur 2016



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itU43GDtgzk

Whilst not wishing to lower the tone, there is a vide grenier at Bugarch on Saturday though the weather forecast is for rain so maybe not.

Random snaps

mistletoe by the river

Weekend so far

Saturday saw a demonstration by the fair folk of  Limoux who like refugees, against the racists who arrived in the town mostly bussed in (The Soldiers of Odin (!) and others it seems)

Rather shamefaced to say I wasn't there and lifted these photos from Kate Hardy on Facebook.

 I was seeing Bob off instead - hes had to go to Isle de Brexit for a few days, miserably - and drinking chocolate at Luc's with Annie and Pete, seen here hiding in the shadows. Ineffectually.

The evening was spent at dinner Chez John Marshall and Sues', celebrating the birthday of John Rushton who as this photo shows has grown in grace and maturity. 

Yuri was supposed to be there too but got lost in the woods, under the Hunters Moon, seen below. 

The market to day was fun but slight, few folk around. However I was introduced to artists new to the region (Richard and Suzy) and am thrilled to have wasted the morning chatting and discovering common ground, common allies. 

    Though 'shared' would be a better word - nowt common about any of it :)

Have bunked off the afternoon ceremony at Montsegur. Suddenly the idea of several hours of ritual apology didn't make me feel any better about the murder of the Cathars by the catholic church. Expecting Yuri to bring home the photos and a full report while I potter about in Esperaza, as God intended.

Normal life resumes

What joy to be home :) 

Bob and I fed Annie and Pete and Yuri last night, much enjoyable conversation ensued; which is to say, we all talked a lot till midnight.

And its raining so the trees are being watered and the river getting filled.

-Only anxiety is that Gracie has had the 'flu for the last few days and we are missing her. 

Heresy lovers will be pleased to note this announcement in the Church Times of Isle de Brexit, quoting our Jamsie of St Ferriol... needless to say, we will be there though what to wear is a puzzle. I rather favour smoking rags but in this weather I expect l'd catch a cold.

dinner at Kats

Forgot my proper camera last night and the improper one wasn't behaving - but here is a demure snap of Toby who along with Leo, Bob and me got well fed by our Kat. Thanks babes:)

I'm Back

The town hall in the sunshine this morning - note the European flag - balm to this weary traveler:)

I've missed lots of fun events. 

And I missed the art expo in Magrie though due to Kats' good offices I exhibited there. 

The star turn  was our Gracie, who won the magic marble pencil this year, (as previously won by Kat) - and she has had offers from galleries to exhibit her new work. Congratulations Gracie :) 

Wish I'd been there to cheer.