sunshine and rain

 Despite the forecasts for rain, the market was as ever and the day lovely - until we went to the airport to collect Gracie, when it started tipping down :) This morning it's beautiful again. Its Labour Day, when you give lily-of-the-valley (muguet) to those who employ you or who work for you or who you work with or who you just like.

Wonderful to have our Gracie back -

Coleridge wasn't there and doesn't come into it

In Antugnac did Jean and clan
a repas partage decree;
where persons measureless to man
to the salle communal ran
down to a moment de
convivialite

Jutta, Kam, Pete

Leigh, Lorraine and Janet

Kam 

...Apologies to Coleridge and Kubla Khan :)

Bob and I left early as hes not too fit today but actually had a lovely time; I'm not too sure who to thank, apart from our friends of course, who know who they are and that we were happy; but the association who organised it all  (' l'occasion d'une rencontre interculturelle') need to be thanked, can someone do that please? Cheers :)

(Apologies for weird text and colours, diligent efforts still not managed to make it normal.)

Sorry to miss Nel. Love to the aunties. And Kat. Pull yourself together. And Alan, ditto.

a doctor with a dulcimer

Oswald and Jess catching the little sun today.

more excitements

Everyone one has gone and Bob and I are wondering why it is so quiet... temperatures have plummeted and the townsfolk are concerned for the crops. 

I worry about the tortoise and the rabbit who live in the garden.

It won't be quiet for much longer, tomorrow is the Monster Show, see above. Below are the feral cats waiting for Msr Andre to get up and feed them.

Despite it all...

...Margo and Theo finally got here, after two cancelled flights  - French Guiana having a spot of  strikes and airport turmoil. They are overnighting here on a rapid French tour before returning to their tropical paradise. 

 Bob came home last night :) and Richard has a new hat. He and Eva leave tomorrow, as do Margo and Theo - no guests then till next week, wont know what to do with ourselves.

Yuri has gone but Ann was able to join us for dinner and Theo did the floor show. Tremendous evening, thanks all for all the fun -

Iconoclasm in Rennes, dinner in Esperaza

 Yuri walked to Rennes le chateau to check out the damage and here is the extent of it - rather shockingly, the aggressor took a hatchet to the Mary Magdalene on the altar, knocking through the plasterwork - and here is the decapitated demon with an slight explanation from the authorities.

According to the local paper, the attack was made to highlight the bombing of Syria. 

On a lighter note, Richard and Eva took me to TyRex last night - its open all the days for lunch and dinner except Wednesday, under new management, exactly the same menu and jolly good fun, as ever. And look who we found trying to dine quietly with Eric :) 

Here is Elaine, living in a gite whilst waiting for the work to be finished on her new house in Montazel (next door to Mary)She was in excellent form.

Yuri leaves today but back soon, Bob. Margo and Theo arrive tomorrow...

new news

New Kellys' old house in the sun after the market yesterday is hardly new news :) But after I posted the link yesterday, see below, more news has come in. Unverifiable, of course.

It started with a woman in a headscarf cutting off the head of the water stoop in the church at Rennes-le-chateau (a.k.a. Bonkers Central). This escalated into a terrorist attack - the day of the presidential election and everyone on high alert. The police closed off the area and there has been no news about whether or no it has reopened.

The holy water font as everyone knows is a statue of a demon known hereabout as Asmodeus for no reason that I understand. Here it is without its famous head...

further news revealed that the woman in the headscarf was wearing a white robe and a black scarf, and/or a red and black foulard - and a wolf mask.

Witnesses said that she was restrained but that the face of the Magdalene on the altar was painted black; some reports say that the whole altar has been painted black. 

The arms and hands of the poor old demon - who was cut up the same way in the late '90's - have been damaged. It is to be hoped that the Maire have the phone number of the guys that mended it last time.

One report says that the head was thrown in the Aude. This is really baffling since the Aude is a distance of maybe 2 kilometers from R-l-C. If the perpetrator was held after the attack, how did the head  get to the Aude? Of course! It flew there.   :)

breaking news....

https://www.i-services.com/membres/newsbox/fiche-actualite.php?id=623412&idbox=54&sid=10894&uid=28736

Hope this isn't true :(

Chateau St Ferriol

Dinner last night was in the very grand setting of Jamesies' chateau at St Ferriol. Interesting to meet there James and Kay (from L.A.) who do something previously unknown to me - Fast Art. He does an hour of painting in front of an audience whilst Kay does the entertaining talk-over; the painting is then auctioned.
Since my methods are laborious and furtive we are at opposite ends of the art spectrum and it was fascinating listening to them.
They are currently touring castles. They did England and Wales by cruise liner, stopping off at the big castles and are now doing the Languedoc with James. My photos are rubbish but they have a site at www.jamesrhahn.com  which shows them beautifully.

Other guests also interesting; an englishman on the run from office routine is staying there to help Jamsie and a young man from Poland is there working on the lovely gardens.

Jamsie knocks up a mean pizza and served peanuts on ice-cream for pud. Yuri and I ate and drank heartily ...

election weekend

 The first round of the voting commences this Sunday. If one candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, they get to be President. Normally two candidates emerge and the following Sunday another vote will select one of them. We hold our breath; and note that despite continual replacement of the M le P poster, she is immediately defaced.

Here it is lovely, weather beautiful though the mornings cold (very). Doesn't deter the fisherfolk who are out at dawn...

and here we are last night. Richard and Ava did the cooking, treating me and Yuri who is here for a few days. He is in fine fettle :)

Bobs away...

...so we tipped down to the Creperie for dinner and ran into Gert and Elizabet, Padge and Fran. Overdosed on sugar. We were celebrating that Richard and Ava have put in an offer on a nearby house and I am planning their moving-in party in the summer. 

Like this misty photo of Gert though sad that the pic of Elizabeth was a travesty - and this of Ava is a tad incomplete but nice, I thought

new neighbours?

Here are Ava and Richard, snapped at l'Authentique where we had a fine and filling dinner last night -

They are staying with us whilst house hunting so are likely to become neighbours - here's hoping, they'll be a fine addition to the tribe :)

Railing

In the face of too much activity forgot to photograph supper last night, which was for Richard and Ava (who are staying here whilst house-hunting) and Kat. Instead here are the old railway lines behind the dinosaur museum this morning. Can't help thinking they belong as part of a sculpture but they are too heavy for me to lift...

Jean has a birthday

 It was Jean's birthday on Wednesday and Claudinne invited all his friends to lunch at l'Espinet today, the first chance of getting the tribe together. It was a surprise party :) We think he liked it...

 Voila; Claudine's back, Nel, Mike, Pete, Hilary, Jean, Kat, Patrick and Crystal (hiding) and Bob. Here (below) is Paul Berwyn who played for us.
We ate smoked salmon and goats cheese from Belvianes for apero, a filet de cabillard roti, tian d'asperges au riz a l'ancre with poivrons doux confits followed by lamb cooked with pistachios, then chocolate tart with stuff I fear it is a sin to list. Appropriate wines with each course. Totally marvellous.

Heres to your next birthday, Jean :)

Easter

 Bob and I have been visiting mates in Valencia which turns out to be a fantastically lovely city but are happily back in Esperaza for Easter - Gert and Elizabet gave us a classic lamb dinner last night which was much appreciated :) They leave for Denmark on Friday, alas, but will be back in the summer.

St Hilaire night

Went to dine with Lizzie in St Hilaire and met her friend Fay - non-stop laughter and please can we do it again soon? Forgot photos but the drive home under the full moon was tremendous.
I sat poised with my camera for the whole journey, expecting to see wild boar. When eventually I did it was too far and too quick and too small - a little spotted piglet, adorable. When the very large wild cat of some sort appeared climbing the side of a mountain, I was too astonished to snap it. And yes, I had been drinking :)

market

 Look who was at the market!! Andy, Lou and James are back, hurrah :) And here's Claudinne, looking good -  and some sunlit dandelion clocks from this morning (because I liked them)

Toques et Clochers at Cepie

This is Leo de Faucher whose work I would have bought had I had any dosh. Best ever in the T and C

http://www.grenier-aux-artistes.com/fr/work.php?id=leo_de_faucher

Biker taking a break

We went with Di from noon till 3.00 and that was enough:) Dinner afterwards with our hardy friends Gert and Elizabeth who stayed much longer - all agreed it was too hot, too crowded and as ever too much fun !!

Holidays started

The Toques et Clochers started last night at Cepie with the vernissage of the open expo; here's Kat with her piece which should have won a prize IMHO.



Here also are the Lockett/Hardy family, Ezra, Mark and Kate, 2/3rds of whom should also have won. (the prize money is not unsubstantial so every year all the impecunious artists of these parts try and give the judges what they want.)

The vernissage was a gas, a chance to chatter with mates and wonder as ever why the prizes went to the most surprising paintings :)

The exhibition space was larger than usual so it was more of a pleasure, easy to hang out and discuss, ahem, the work.









Thence to the Creperie; Kat, Roland (back from the coast) Bob, me and beautiful Gracie... and Lo! Gert and Elizabet, just in after a 2 day drive from Denmark! Will be seeing them again shortly, hurrah.
No doubt also at the Toques et Clochers this afternoon along with Max, Jude, Dick and the many other friends who hove up for this important festival. Weather forecast impeccable.

Beautiful Gracie

Easter duty

Here are Andrees peonies, making their regular Easter appearance with great glory. She refused to be in the picture so you will have to imagine her.
You also have to imagine young Diane Dunn who dined with us last night. Tales of her music degree had me enthralled; forgot to take a snap. She around for a while, essay writing and no doubt popping into the Toques et Clochers.