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.

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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.