On the tiles

 Its raining, it was the last day of November - we headed to the Cafe de Fa for fishnchips and music from the Zap Trio, one of whom is allegedly Stan.
Smashing evening, everyone on form.
Only anxiety - apart from the tribes' paperwork issues, ugh - is the non-appearance of Stan. The remaining trio turned themselves into a duo and were amazing - hadn't seen Rida drum before, phew, amazing - as was Serge of course. He's always brill.

Tim, Bob, Pete and strangers in the background.

Rida

Serge

Photos of Clare, me and Gracie didn't make it pass the censor.

Thursday special

 Had lunch yesterday at The Pont with Claudinne and Jean... very good, do like that place and love Claudinne and Jean :)
Was due to have dinner with Tim and Gracie and friend as our celebrations continue but the Resto'o'Vale was closed for annual hols and the Creperie is marked Ferme! The other joints in town are long gone. Ended up in the bar...

Wandering about today discovered a new hole in town, this one by the entrance to Radio Ballade, the Place de Industrie - I'm told that it is to accommodate underground collections boxes of recyclable materials, as seen in major cities. How very modern of us

  And here's this years' christmas tree, looking remarkably like last years - today being hung with its customary finery. Lovely weather for it.

Legal

Got our Cartes de Sejour :) As someone else remarked, blood, sweat and dossiers - though of course in the event it wasn't that bad.
They give you a temporary one with instructions to return when they text you to collect the final version. The final version needs a leeeetle bit more paperwork; in my case the attestation that shows my entitlement to the carte vitale, which I already have and could not have got without said attestation.
The Prefecture was closed due to the gillets jaunes activity (appointments only) which was very marked in Carcassonne. Lots of them round a big bonfire, restricting the motorway traffic and fiddling with the shoppers access to the out-of-town warehouse stores...

Anyone who has not been paying attention may not know that when Britain leaves the EU, the Brits living in France may not have the right to stay here. No-one knows, of course - least of all the government in Blighty - however the Carte de Sejour will give us the right to travel in Europe and maybe to remain in France.
When ours expires in ten years, England will no doubt have become a socialist republic and fit to visit again. Should we live that long.

Voila, a winter vide grenier! To support those who were so hammered in the flood. Sunday. Be there.

Today's the day-

-when we head to the Prefecture who will examine the paperwork I've spent months preparing. What could possibly go wrong?

Was taking coffee with Kat yesterday at The Pont and Philippe [on the town council] came in for lunch. Stopped when he saw us and said, hey - I thought the English had gone!
Our French friends don't get it - what are we doing??


Trotted out this morning to get comforting croissants and behold - The Serrano bakers are really making an effort. Worth staying in France for the bakers alone.

on the road

Yesterday we visited Andree in her Maison de Retrait - who is in top form and sends love to all (she'd been reading about the new arts centre in the ancient presbytery and wanted all the info on that)- after which we had to drive some two hours to a little village in the Ariege, where my translator lives. Beautiful day, autumn at its finest. And the gilets jaunes  out in force to enjoy it...

The longest hold-up was in Limoux, by the Leclerc roundabout. All very good natured - with a visible police presence- though we were asked to sign a petition to get through. We did, natch, so I don't know what happened to anyone brave enough to refuse.
Who doesn't want less tax on petrol? Only those with a neurotic concern for the environment - and what would they be doing in cars?
It was certainly jollier in the Ariege where the G-J danced hand-in-hand round a roundabout and gave out sweeties with the flyers.

The translator was encouraging about our chances of getting a Carte de Sejour, phew - since our interview is on Tuesday - so celebrated that little hurdle with dinner with Mike and Hilary. Hilary still in pain and waiting for a new hip, Mike still strapped up waiting for his collar-bone to knit. They both put on their brave faces :)

-And Leo and Toby have joined the ranks of the friends who have pushed off for the winter, they to Amsterdam where Toby will have to change houses as she can't do stairs yet. Marvelous recovery though, nothing but praise for Limoux hospital.

Fa fa away...

 ...OK as any fule no, Fa is the next village and in the absence of any excitement in Esperaza off we - Bob, Peter Dunn et petite moi - set to see Nicolas Demailly play in the cafe there. He was good, the ambiance was delightful, the occasion merited the buying of his CD. And the moon is full.

Here's a bit of him... there is a lot on you tube, pretty nice :)
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dzhjO5sIxY

Brexit reflections

 Town hall are still flying the flags and the staff continue to help me with the paperwork with which I am up to here... so a calming walk which introduced me to a new French word, Deratisation; most appropriate :)

 and look! Acorns are everywhere. Well, under oak trees, mostly. Must get a load and go a-planting.

The Gilets Jaunes continue their protests. The military have been in Toulouse and Carcassonne and also (apparently) in Esperaza this morning. Lorries still not reached the 8a8 though eggs and fresh fruit and vedg are in, hurrah.

Philippe Ripo RIP

Terribly sad to hear that Philippe has died. He's fought serious illness for so long that one assumed he would live forever but alas, not so. He and Thierry managed many extra years together due to modern medicine - which is something to be glad about.

The photo shows Philippe at his exhibition at Carmens, yonks ago. Philippe enjoyed painting money in ways that raised questions about its use and validity. He was witty and talented and despite his health always willing to put on a brave face.

Much love to Thierry and to Philippes' family. He'll be missed - and not forgotten.

💔

Probably an inappropriate time to show the funeral parlour here in Esperaza getting a new roof but I'm sure Philippe would find it funny... its clear from the snap, taken this morning, that town is quiet. This is because the Gillets Jaunes protesters have restricted road traffic. 

Poor Alain at the 8a8 has had no deliveries and stocks are getting low. No eggs, but enough stuff to keep a small community from starving.

It's cold and wet and dark and November. Time to party :) 

Lighting the parrots

 Finally burnt the parrot candles last night at dinner; no celebration except that Angela is here, Kieran and Ann were available (sorry you missed the game Kieran - but congratulations) Jutta is at a loose end and Guillhem and Jamsie were about... nice mix, thanks to all for coming :)

Angela, Rembrandt, Jamsie

Ann, Kieran, Angela

Jutta and Bob

The best photo of the night was one of Guilhem fast sleep. Suspect it may well be illegal to post pictures of sleeping kids.... who knows.

Gathered news... Mikes' brush with a Mercedes has resulted in a broken collar-bone. Broken in two places, x-rays reveal (after Hilary managed to get him seen). He's trussed up in the hope they will grow back together without  the middle bit dropping out.

Drizzling out there. Market may be slight -

Gill et Jean

Thought Gill et Jean were a happy couple until I paid attention - its actually gilets jaunes  and its going to cause chaos tomorrow. Protesters will be donning the gilet jaunes ( yellow vests)  and blocking roads all over France to protest at the fuel price increases.
Just as our friend Angela flies into Toulouse, oh dear....

Here are random snaps from this evenings' stroll.




I'm putting off writing about the death of our dear little rabbit Jess, who was terribly old and died peacefully, but followed quickly on the heels of Lucifer - making it all quite shocking. Especially as Bella had arrived to join a rabbit-community and is now alone.
Bella however  seems a spark brighter than the missing lapins. She has built a burrow and eaten the roses.

Gloomily pondering Brexit - 

apropos, more friends have got their carte de sejour, hurrah, but word reaches us about some that haven't and have been given three months to leave France. One of them has hired a lawyer, it seems. Everyone is anxious, not just me. 

new bunny

Here's Bella being chased by Jess.
Bella has never seen another rabbit. Jess has, but never like Bella. Here's hoping they can sort it all out.

Fab evening with Oscar and Joy, drinking good red wine in my study. We covered most of the global issues to our mutual satisfaction..

mysterious hole

 Behind our ancient church is this hole, which Ian alerted me to.... I peered in in the hope that it was an archaeological site but there was little of interest that I could see from behind the  barriers. Plus, this was the site of the old abattoir, ugh. And anyway; whats going on?? Why is there a hole behind the church??













Whatever....
We ate tonight with Beth and Dylan and their wonderful kids Iso and Chloe, plus the visiting parents of Dylan, Oscar and Joy.

Beth can  cook and we ate big-time; and we talked and talked and drank a surprisingly large amount of wine. It was good.

And it helped; this morning Bob and I had found our sweet rabbit Lucifer dead, she had died in the night. We were sad. No obvious signs of any problem (just as with Alex's death) the beastie seemed to have lived life as normal and then stopped, suddenly. Both were Tete de Lion and we are wondering if this is a breeding flaw...

Lest we forgot

No-one actually FORGOT the memorial service of yesterday - it just got moved to last week so the school kids could participate. This meant that at 11 am on the 11th day of the 11th month the market was full of Brits wandering around going Quoi?

The French were very entertained and didn't know that the Brits marked that date and time... they were not perturbed by its absence. It was rather surprising how much our lot seemed to mind but of course we all had family in the 'Great' war.

Some friends in England had knitted a load of poppies and tied them to a net to throw over their village memorial which seems rather an elegant idea. My great-uncle learnt to knit in the trenches at the Somme and was delighted when he found I'd taught my little brothers. Fancy it for next year, anyone? Couple of evenings sitting round together would sort it -

The fundraiser for Lizea seemed to go extremely well; pretty rammed with audience and performers. Someone in the wings would rush on to replace an outgoing performer, belt out a couple of songs and be replaced... screen next to the stage for people at the back to be able to see. Lot of organisation and hard work gone into it all. Lets hope it was fruitful.

Tobys back

 After her long stay in hospital, Toby has been released into the community who are welcoming her with open arms. Here she is (above) with Bernadette at dinner last night, thoughtfully cooked by Leo (below) who did his  specials; smoked salmon in whiskey sauce followed by an Indonesian dish with satay. Kat cooked the cake and all lingered over the cheese except those of us who had eaten too much.

Bob missed the party since he's still in London - due back today - and Bernht and Jutta cried off as did a rather unwell Nel. But Pete, Rose, Kat, Roland, Bernadette and I did a good job on behalf of them. Thanks Leo and welcome home Toby💗💗

DON'T FORGET today at the Centre Culturel - a day-long concert to raise money for Lizea's family to go to America with her so she can have them with her while being treated for leukemia. 5 euros entrance. It all helps.

raining, not

Here we are this morning after yesterdays rain... its unnerving when it rains because of the fear of flooding. Thursday (when the weather was lovely) went to Carcassonne by the magic of public transport and the trains between Limoux and Caca still can't run because of flood damage; the buses are fine but gave an alarming view of the vineyards  around St Hilarie which are crushed and covered in debris.
Coming home in the dark was especially freaky as you can see nothing except when the bus headlights picked out things like colanders, washing-up bowls, old bikes and so forth, scattered over the darkness. Bright plastic, shiny metal. The remains of peoples homes - felt so sad for those that lost everything.

Ah, yes. The reason I was coming home in the dark is because the timetable has secretly changed. The advertised 4.00 return bus in fact runs some time before 3.30 and the next is at nearly 7.00pm. Check everything if taking advantage of the 1 euro trip, which remains the same and the best value in the Aude.

shocks abound...

Went to Rest'o'Vale last night with Tim and Gracie and found half the known world already there - in shock at the news of Mike, who is alright. Which is more than can be said for the Mercedes that hit him on his motorbike at Limoux yesterday.
More on this anon, but you can imagine after Tobys terrible crash we are all rather jumpy on the subject.
Here's dawn, silvery rather than grey ....

Diary date

 Lets not miss this - next Sunday from 10 - 7.pm. Not only will it be enchanting but the money raised gets Lizeas family to the states for her treatment.
Yesterdays Sunday was lovely, good weather, good mates... heres a snap from inside Cafe du Pont.

 And here is Quillan from up the hill, where we went in the afto after we failed to see the expo  in Rouvanac, which had already closed.

 The eagle-eyed will see that I managed to snap a dragon - can't think what else that black shape can be. Of course at this time there are plenty in the hills popping out for a late feed before hibernating.

Official photos

 Roland has sent his photos of last night and here are a few l especially liked...above are the full contingent with Kat hiding behind Jutta.

Jutta 

Bieke 

Field Fare

 Last night was the occasionally annual feast of the fields' gardeners. There is a great team there now, German, English, Belgium and French, all grafting away organically to produce brill vedg. Above is the Captain addressing Bieke and Roland, Louise and Wilhelm and Kat - and off pic Bernht, Jutta and Norbert.
Roland took  the official commemorative photos of the evening which we await, Roland :)

Here is my only decent snap - of Bernht, who hosted the event with Jutta. Everyone bought a dish - (Bobs was an apple crumble with apples from the field) - and I assume I was not alone in eating too much. Walnuts from the garden featured in Kats salad and in Biekes brownies.The potato crop is now consumed. It was a bit late in the year for most of the crops but the winter huddling was a perfect.

We reflected fondly on Alecia and Ryan who laid out the field - to Jennys basic design - and remembered past workers. All are looking forward to Ryan and Alecia seeing how its all developed.

Scarcity and excess

 Saw this collection box in the Maire yesterday.
Eight-year-old Lizea has leukemia  and has had the treatment that France has to offer; the next stage has been made available to her in the USA.
The child wants her family with her and the fund is to raise money for them to fly over, get visas and insurance (and all that) and to have board and lodging.
Anyone who has been around childhood leukemia knows what this represents.... lets not send Christmas cards this year and give the dosh to her? Just a thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excessive eating and drinking yesterday (which really suits my general health) began at the Cafe du Pont, AKA 'Passe  Partout'. Gert and Elsbeth have been recommending it for ages so Kat and Roland, Claudine, Bob and I set off to be joined by Ole-Bendik who eats there twice a week anyway. Turns out we should have booked - Friday is a fish plat du jour and they need warning though other lunch times may be OK. They squeezed us in.

It is terrific - another little coup for Esperaza. The chef was trained at the Pierre Lys in Quillan and for a 12 euro menu you get a salad - v good- the plat, which yesterday was fillets of trout, with pasta and either fresh fruit salad or creme brule made in house. And a small caraf of wine.
Book on 0468 69 47 35. They don't do food in the evening or at weekends.

Margaret and John had invited us to dinner in the evening where Peter and Nel were also being feted. Voila, Nel invoking some absent deity :)

 Here's Peter, shot from the hip at the table and below him our fine hosts.

John has developed a halo. Mysteriously.


Today he is installing his new shed on the ashes of the old.

Here's hoping that Margaret will paint a phoenix on it.

And the Captain in Rasputin mode.