bah

 I know our lives in Esperaza are marvellous. Which is why when something is not good, you really notice it....

about two weeks ago, early in the morning, a young man appeared and asked that I open wide my shutters to let his tractor through. It was during the heat wave and the shutters are generally open a little and closed a lot to let the air through but keep the heat out. So they make a triangle into the impasse where I live.
Ever obliging, I did as asked.

Since then the tractor has been up and down like a yoyo on a tiny road not fitted for traffic. Whatever fuel drives it is toxic so the windows have to be closed all the time. Heaven knows what they are building on the edge of the field - it is in the garden of an uncommunicative neighbour - they've demolished one building and are constructing another. The dirt and noise starts early, breaks for lunch, carries on all afternoon.

Tiny impasse can be seen in the middle towards the right - now access to a building site 

They keep a lorry parked across the bottom of the impasse so the tractor can load it easily, which means ducking under their wing mirrors to get out and in.
They frighten the parrot.
The workmen are just doing a job. I know most of them and they are decent folk. What I don't get is how the neighbour got permission to do what he's doing. It seems that the field belongs to a school friend of his and that whatever he does there is OK.
Toby and Leo are badly affected as is everyone in the impasse -  we were never consulted.

On the scale of global problems this doesn't register and I've no intention of moaning at the mayor. Just registering my disapproval. Any advice, anyone? Other than to pull myself together, of course :)

Weds and Thursday catchup

 Yesterday we decided to eat out. In Esperaza there was nowhere; St Gobains has been mysteriously closed since before xmas, l'Authentique closes on Wednesday, le Creperie is on holiday till the 6th, TyRex wasn't open. Quelle horreur.
Off to Rennes les Bains to Will and Marvi, always open in the season and always good. Marvi was absent though, in Italy tending her ailing mother. Will, above, was coping rather well - lovely evening a deux, Bob in good form.
Today we  sashayed forth to LasTours to see our mates Helen and Tony Othen, below - glorious lunch on mountain terrace, lots of entertaining conversation, future plans. Slightly embarassed to post photos of them since Tony is a professional photographer - see

http://www.tonyothen.com/ to check out his work.

The big big excitement though is that our Peter Dunn has been interviewed by the guardian re his exhibition currently on at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. It was published yesterday; heres a link;
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jun/28/lessons-hospital-closure-battles-nhs-cuts-activist-art

Rain, a bit - eating, a lot

 Falling rain, beautiful :) Took this on our way to lunch with Richard and Alison the other side of Carcassonne; where we were entertained right royally and in my case glutinously.
Back in Esperaza there had been proper rain and bits of storm so all is green and the river is looking less desperate.
Arvel and Caroline and lovely bookish boy came round in the evening and we uncovered many shared interests... thanks to Max for the intro. Pity they're off today but hoping they'll be back soon.

new friends

 Max is a generous geezer and was good enough to send some of his friends to Esperaza - here is Arvel in white and Caroline in black; Caroline's engaging son with his book and the dashing Captain Harris, back from his travels. We lunched in the Cathar Gormand and as ever ate well :) Max wasn't actually missed, we had so much to talk about (sorry Max)

Found this rather fetching pic of Ole-Bendik on my phone from coffee a couple of days ago looking like Odysseus returning home, perhaps.... he and Aileen are working flat out for their new expo, details posted as soon as they invite me :)

Bit of a breather

 Slightly cooler, mercifully, but still no rain -

Here are the new picnic benches outside the Dinosaur Museum and below is a nice big moth Kat and I saw in the street yesterday.

 Time for a quiet rest :)
Was about to write, nothing to report and then remembered the latest on the Mayor of Limoux. I'm told he was 'imprudent'. Everyone, it seems, knew he had several mistresses and since this is his private life that's OK, his problem; but he was trapped into being filmed and then blackmailed to prevent the film going onto YouTube. The fact that the film is (or was) on YouTube indicates he didn't go for that and is suing the extortionist. Who is allegedly a political enemy who is greatly to the right of LePenn. (There's more but I was told all this in French and may have got it wrong -)
Oh la.

clouds

At last, some clouds - 

its been suffocatingly hot - no rain as yet but much cooler. Phew. Lying low here.

first night market

early at the night market

 The season began with a hugely successful evening... the town turned out in force despite the rather ominous weather. Distant thunder and lowering clouds could not keep the Esperazannaise from their delights:) Toby is back as are the Scottish Daves and all the friends and neighbours came too. Music perfect, one talented bloke and his guitar.
As luck would have it, it was both the solstice and my guest Francis' birthday so much to celebrate.

Here Bernard and Fran sort out the issues while I slide down the table.

The weather cleared and we had a beautiful sunset, so now we get on with coping with the heat :)

Bernard and Francis have just  left for cooler climes but enjoyed meeting y'all... they think that mad people move here so they won't be so noticeable. Hmm. 

Keeping cool

...at Annie and Pete's yesterday in the emerging kitchen - Annie, Bernard, Bob, Mary, Pete, Gracie, Jethro and Frances - all most appreciative of the food and the company in the old mill. And in my case the blanquette which no-one else wanted to drink on account of the heat; madness. It's perfect for the chaleur. As is swimming in the little river Saltz, apparently. Bernard, Francis and I sat on the river bank admiring our friends' fortitude.

newbies

Old chums Bernard and Frances Heslin arrived yesterday - new to Esperaza -  we've not met up for a decade or two so there is much nattering going on.
Tomorrow is the fete de music :) We will be there. It is still hot.

sunday report

 There was a market, there was a vide grenier, it was HOT; too hot for many of us. John has left for the comparative coolness of a Greek island. Here are some flowers grown by the indefatigable Bob in the yard.

 This is a traditional French trick for surviving the heat - soak a towel and hang it over your shutters  at night. Works for me.

RIP Irish Steve

Ian writes; 

We have lost a star here. Steve lived hereabouts for over 30 years in a small caravan, arriving with the so-called new age travellers driven out of Britain in the mid-80s by the Major government, before which he was a stalwart in the Teepee valley in Wales. He was a qualified structural engineer. He was seldom out of work, sending money every year to his 7 (seven) children, and never drew on the RSA for income nor wanted to, saying "It makes you lazy." He was rarely disheartened, never depressed, ever cheerful. An angel at the Resto recently enabled him to entitlement to some land in Montazels. He would have been 60 in December and had everything to live for...

mates reunited

Old friend John Murphy is here - we've not met up for some 16 years (when he and wife moved to Greece) so plenty to catch up on. And where better than in a garden on a balmy evening...

Home again

Back from the wilds of Spain - nice, though hot, hotter than here by some 5 degrees and heaven knows it's hot in Esperaza - Lovely to get back to Bob, Lily, Oswald, Jess, Tango and this sleazy beast which has moved in. Gorgeous. Warty Bliggins, I think he's called.

Some bad news... Irish Steve, whom most of the locals know, has been recovered lifeless from the river in Montazels. May he rest in peace.

Other news, also bizarre but (so far) less fatal - a local Mayor (not ours) has been caught in extreme in flagrante and on you tube. Woops. Looks like the national press may pick it up - it's done the local rounds.

I dunno, turn your back for a minute....

esperazas care

 Nice gesture from the town hall... all our french friends are very sympathetic.


Claer has returned to London to vote, Bobs brother John has arrived having sent his in advance.If you are UK based, please remember to vote today.
                                                    This is my 1010 posting; no idea if this is significant.

 The sun is baking hot. me and the girls were out painting yesterday and l got sunburn

Margaret and Kat doing justice to St Ferriol

All will be quiet for a few days as I'm off on the Carcassonne bus to Valladolid tonight - leaves 22.45 and arrives at 10.00am, Hurrah for adventure and excitement :)

Posh Nosh

 Claer very kindly took us to the posh end of town - too the ever-glorious chateau des ducs joyeuse in Couiza. Best food in the region and an historic venue. Big thanks xxxx

Claer in the courtyard

Bob at the trough

Fighting sleep

 Sunday was the festival des hermits which took a strange form this year. Normally the young people hang out asking for dosh and then spend the day in cafes, drinking it - this year they had a rather civilized party in the MJC which the mayor visited. Perhaps it was the planning committee.

We had lunch at the Cathar Gormande which was as ever delicious and fun.  Then Jim (Hankinson, not our local Jim) left us...
Last night we gave dinner to Margaret and John and their family, son Neil and bride Sorcha and their adorable baby Peter, plus her folks who were charm personified. Smashing evening, over too soon. 
 There was just too much colour in this shot, so took it to B and W - and here's a baby fighting sleep

Soldiering on

 Lunch with the new Mr and Mrs J Marshal at their beautiful home... what a setting!! And below is Gus, clear winner of the tackiest shirt competition. Thought I'd spare you more snaps of people eating and drinking BUT in the evening we went to the creperie where I remembered I hadn't photographed Claer, who is staying here for a week, nor Jim who is overnighting. So here they are.

Now off to market - its the festival des hermits - then lunch at the Cathar Gormande. Life is real and life is earnest.

plighting the throth

Sue and John Marshall did the decent thing yesterday and got married at St Ferriol - the mayor did a sterling job and in charming English thanked them for living in his commune. He got a round of applause.

 Afterwards their friends and families were treated to a joyful bun-fight at le poulet  bicyclette where Sebastian and staff ran round like crazy to ensure we were well fed and watered, despite the changeable weather.  Bravo!
There was speechifying and jolly entertaining too.

Stan and Eddie did the music  ---- for a while they were playing and sheltering under a large umbrella in the rain, above the lake.
I took them drinks and was thus privileged to sit next to them while they played a hauntingly beautiful version of Waterfall- [May this be Love] listening to the water around and below us - a memory which is lodged in me now.
Tried to find a you tube of Hendrix playing it but there are only covers on line and Stan's was better than any of them.

So, cheers, John and Sue!! and here's to many years of joy and contentment together. See you at lunch today.

Thursday return

Bob came home last night bringing our friend Claer - not been here for 18 months or so - and in the excitement forgot to snap dinner. So here's a nice fly that caught my eye earlier...

Gracie home tonight! And this is John and Sues wedding day, which brightly dawns.

chugging along

We - Toby, Leo, Kat, Roland and me - were happily ensconced at the garden of John and Margaret about to start dinner when the rain began (again). Decamped to the house and had a lively and entertaining evening though no-one can remember a time when an evening at John and Margarets wasn't lively and entertaining. Above is Roland with our hostess and below, our host - who showed me this beautiful model with which he is filling his time. 

It is Trevithick's Penydarren locomotive of 1804, which predated Stephenson's' Rocket by many years  (The rocket was running in 1829 but I dunno when it was designed - from WikiP it looks like it was a team effort)

Lovely thing, anyway.