Magrie

 Here is Stan playing to Pat von Essens dancing in front of my paintings at Magrie - which was very wet yesterday. Still very well attended.  Lots of music and food and fun going on :)

In the cave where Kat is exhibiting  they were holding a wine tasting so she had plenty of visitors... below is Pierre, one of the local volunteers; below him the star of the show.

Big news in Esperaza market this morning is the burglary at the hat museum. Thieves broke in and stole a computer and 200 euros. What with the break-in at Luc's about 6 months ago, we are begining to look like a crime capital - lock your doors!
I'm off back to Magrie now, floggin art...

l'art s'invite a MAGRIE

Magrie is such a pretty place and stuffed full of artists and performers it becomes an hypermagnet.

Kat and I were setting up our wares yesterday - Gracie too poorly to do hers, alas - and found many old mates from the arts circuit doing the same. Well convivial.

I'm in the Espace Jean-Claude Garouste - bang in the middle :) - and Kat is in a large cave with a pink door. Unmissable. At 11.00 this morning a band called Botafango will wake us up with their drumming.

Culture abounds

This weekend of course is l'Art s'invite a Magrie - see you there - then next week is Ole-Bendiks exhibition in Mirepoix.

master chef

Bob cooked for me, Mary and her guest Clare last night. Eggs mimosa with beetroot, chicken casserole, chocolate cake. He grew all the vedg.
He can do this again :)

Here there is a tinge of panic in the air as the artists prepare for Magrie, the eponymous arts festival. Hanging Friday, open Sat and Sun., one for the diary. See http://www.art-magrie.com/

Quillan market

 The autumn mist this morning cleared suddenly onto a beautiful day - so hey ho for Quillan market. which is distinguished by Sue the Book Lady - who gives away and receives books in English - and the English Library, ditto. Above is the famous naked ice-cream seller.

'property is theft' in Occitan

Always love Quillan in the sunshine and wonder why I don't get there  more often. Then one grey day I remember.

Now, to business; Andree has sold her house, sniff, and in the fullness will be pushing off to Toulouse. She's getting rid of everything. Below is a marvelous armoire build by her great grandfather (by hand) which is an example the furniture she wants to sell. She is open to all offers on everything. Get in touch.

words fail...

...but joy is overflowing! Gracie is back and Annie and Pete - though A and P are away again today. Bob back too, all is settling down nicely.


DON'T FORGET if you are around Quillan today between 11H - 15H, the cafe et gateaux morning for CSF (cancer support group) at 14 Rue Baptisite Marget (opposite the new campervan park and behind the gendarmerie) Loads of stuff going on there.

Busy Saturday

 Here Tango and Rico check each other out, carefully - so far, so good :) Thence to Brians birthday party, where Kate had done her traditional stack of fabulous cakes.

Pete  and Lionel

Karims' ear, Kate, Brian, Mary on stairs

Oscar grown and a student now, Mandy impressed -

 The fete of St Michel continues....  St Michels feastday  (called Michelmas) is actually celebrated on the 29th September. Ours is out of sync., but as St M (The Archangel) has been the towns patron for as long as the town has been here its reasonable to assume that some parties have enlivened Esperaza around this time of year, for ever. Nice to feel part of that continuum.

We had fireworks (left over from the July 14th cancellation), much oohing and aaahing... and then the band played till late. I forwent the dancing in favour of an early night -  and read till 4.00am. Serve me right for drinking coffee and cognac last thing.

La belle vie

Spent the morning doing tortuous watercolours by the River  Aude and the afternoon at the hot-geezer- heated pool in Rennes-les-Bains, thanks to Kat and Toby who are organised.



Question now is whether to go to the start of the Esperaza fete or save myself for tomorrow.... the poster below shows all our towns activities. Dizzy with anticipation.

Last fete du Vin

 Fete du Vin at the Cafe du Pont last night...ate stuffed guinea fowl as prepared by Chez Charly and Claudine enjoyed the moules of L'Authentique. We all enjoyed the wines of Domaine St Jacques :) Good band playing, Trio Nadal - of whom there there at least four -

Thats the last Fete du Vin for the season but don't forget our town fete on Saturday; below is the square decked in its finery, ready for the party - oh and fireworks off the bridge when it gets dark.

Lets get fat

Made lunch for Pamela and Neil yesterday, friends of my family and now (l hope) friends of us - lovely time together.


After that extravaganza Pete and Clare invited us to eat with their family - all of Petes sisters plus husbands - so we passed a hugely convivial day :)

-And tonight is the Fete du Vin....

Here is the town this morning. The next few days are sunny, according to the pundits.

Sunday frolixz

 The market was good and there was the vide grenier.... masses of it though to my mind a bit lack-lustre; its the change in the weather.
More fun to sit with friends in the cafe - here's Pete, back from Bolivia and La Serpent -

thence to late lunch/early supper with Dermot and Kate plus saintly Brian.

Here are Bobs onions :) (Some of them)

 Other news: The CSF, Cancer Support in France, sale last week raised 340 Euros - not bad for a windy morning:) -  and now there is another fundraiser for the CSF and MacMillan Nurses, a coffee morning being held on the 26th in Quillan, 14 Rue Baptiste Marcet, 11 - 3pm. Anyone available to help?
Volunteers needed on the day plus donations of cakes, clothes. tombola items.Call Stuart and Sheila on 06 415 33362, Barbara on 0468 20 40 49, or Jennie on 0468 74 14 92.

This is beginning to read like a parish magazine. Nevertheless.... its a great cause and raises dosh across the community, not just to help the Brits.

Autumn

Its really here, very suddenly. One minute the place is full of tourists and terribly hot, the next you're wondering where you left the electric blanket and where everyone's gone.

Mike and Hilary gave us dinner last night, no photos :) Wonderful anyway. We watched my niece on a Brit tv show called Crystal Maze; still no idea as to what it was about.

Airport surprise

 Should you be collecting anyone from - or arriving at - Carcassonne airport, you may be startled to discover that there is a new terminal. So far it consists of a collection of huts with a ramp leading to the edge of the car park, see above. As the first person off yesterday remarked; sacre bleedin' bleu.

Thanks to Kellys good offices was able to meet Bobs plane yesterday, in the cold grey weather, no fun but good to have him back. Parrot Big Rico has gone berserk and is doting on him.

Fete du Vin at Cafe du Pont is the next highlight in our lives - on Weds., get your tickets now from Chez Charlie or the cafe or perhaps l'Authentique. Charlie is doing stuffed guinea fowl with pommes dauphinois for 10 euros or the Authentique are doing mussels in white wine and cream plus chips for the same price. Pud is called extreme madarine which sounds promising :) at 2.50 euros.
 On the 23rd September the traditional town meal is held in the Place de la Republique, Places are limited to 150 and the last date to buy 12 euro tickets (8 euros for under 12 yrs old) is the 21st. Chez Charlie for getting those.

The other excitement is that the Cafe Relais Occitain took at 2 day holiday. They're open again though. I love it when nothing much happens :)

latest from parrot world

Didn't take pix at the CSF (Cancer Support France) sale yesterday but it looked like a roaring success. Nor did I photograph the after-event celebration lunch with Kat, Toby and Hilary at the Authentique which was also a good thang :)

So here instead are snaps of Tango being nice to Little Puerto and Big Rico.

The helpline for the CSF is 0800 240 200 and this is for all the English-speakers whose lives have been touched by cancer. See also www.sud-de-france.cancersupportfrance.org Lets hope none of us ever need it but good to know its there.

There is apparently a Beast in the Abdomen of old friend and ex-Esperazanaise Iain MacDonald. Hes in hospital in Edinburgh, ward 57 of the Western General.(Crewe Rd., S. Edinburgh, EH4 2XL) Prognosis is good and his spirits are at their customary heights - send good vibes, cards and love his way -

I have no idea why the text is weird. Attempts to correct it make it worse. LaLa. Sorry.

Its a new dawn

 - but heaven knows what it indicates. Its not raining anyway. Watching the terrible disasters in the wake of Hurricane Irma it ill behoves us to complain of a little rain. Macron has gone off to the island St Martin that has been all but eradicated and so avoids all the trouble caused by his fiscal reforms, though not for a moment do I suppose that is his intention.

Ate at l'Authentique last night with Richard and Eva who are off today to tidy up things in London. Back in a fortnight. They are really good managers; their new house is firmly under control. Here we are having parrot troubles. Poor Rico, the African Grey, has feet-and-beak problems and deep emotional difficulties. The books say he has to learn to trust me.

Little Puerto is in the same position, very shy and nervous. Want to get him out of his cage to give it a good scrub but not risking it yet. Tango  continues to impress with his sang froid.

DONT FORGET; this morning is the sale at Fran and Clares in aid of the Cancer Support Group.
Further dates; Vide Grenier in Esperaza in the 17th, on the 20th the cafe du Pont host the last wine festival of the season.

wet Esperaza

This was yesterday - much like today, except the market is in place under canopies. No frip, alas.People are good spirited none-the-less though if one more person tells me its good for the land I shall spit.
Other mixed news: Andree has sold her house. Its now just a question of time before she abandons us.

ByeBye Breakfast

Here's Bob having a farewell breakfast before leading for Isle de Brexit, poor chap.  There's Ann and Mike; Kieran and Kat were there too. Kat has pushed off for the weekend but the rest of us loiter.
Here below is the finest plait ever seen. Well below her knees. Cor.

celebrations

 A full day of celebrations : Pete and Nel have announced the day of their marriage and held an afternoon apero for the usual suspects; Pete (=the other Pete, Peter Dunn) is safely and triumphantly back from Bogata though his work as an artist there was so successful that he'll have to go back (Forgot the photos which was a pity as he and Clare are in good form AND  a peacock has moved in); and below, Richard and Eva are today finalising the purchase of the wisteria house off the square by the river. They treated us to a crepe and a flaming pudding last night at the creperie, thanks! . Much joy abounds :)

Something like normal...

... life is being resumed. The schools are back, the tourists mostly gone. Last night there was a meeting at the Centre Culturel to introduce an Esperaza-based mutuelle, that is a system of payments to top up your carte vitale. When you are entitled to health care here you get a carte vitale but you still pay a percentage of the medical costs; a mutuale bridges that gap. Mostly. This one is for persons living or working in Esperaza and comes in cheaper than most, isn't age limited,isn't biased against existing health conditions. More info at the Mairie.

Further public information; signs up by the river reminding us of the dangers of swimming in the Aude. Which is good and necessary - people do drown - but at the moment a bit daft as there hardly any water.

New parrots settling in well, eating, drinking, preening and looking less fearful. Lovely.