Andrees Farewell

 Here are Toby with Jacques and Pierre, Andrees much-loved nephews... and Alexia her great niece with her partner Timothy

 Pierre and a cousin from Limoux and below, some of our friends...  it was a good send off.

I didn't get to snap many others, sorry - including Andrees great nephew Nicolas. Much love to the family.

Canicule a gogo

 Here's the town square this morning, still cool - though forecasts say we should brace ourselves. And below is the pulled pork burger - with chips and passion flower - we ate last night at the Auberge du Faby.  We sat outside and enjoyed the warmth and calm of the village.
Open except Mondays and Tuesdays, phone 0468 74 35 42 to check. (Writing this as shocked to discover that Max didn't know they had re-opened) Not a large selection but what there is is great and a lot cheaper than most. Vegan and veggie too.

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neighbour fest

Toby instigated a lunch at the Creperie with our neighbours - here are Louis, 90 in August, Jeanette also 90 and Vincent who is but a boy and youngest at the table - at which were Bob and I and Kat with of course Toby. The creperie was jammed, every seat inside and out taken - chiefly with a large group of walkers ('randonees') who had decided to stop walking in view of the heat.

We are in a canicule, a heat wave - the hottest for ever, it seems. Esperaza is rather pleasant if you stay indoors, we all agreed - the old stone houses hold the heat in winter and keep the cool in summer.
After the siesta - and a meeting of the artists hereabouts * -we went to Louis for more fun, apero for us who had Ian and Phil to dinner but grillade for Tony and Leo and Kat -

One thing is noticeable. Age and good health here do not depend on abstinence.

* ADADE (Association d' Artists d'Esperaza) - is open to all artists practising in this area. There is a facebook page if you are interested...

Farewell Andree

Andree, having made her views clear, leaves no possibility of a farewell ceremony; no mass, internment, lying-in-state.
She hated fuss.
Until it happened and then she LOVED it!!

On that principle we are getting together with her family for a farewell apero, Saturday night, 6 p.m., in Toby and Leo's garden, Impasse du Dr Duffour opposite my house. A chance to commiserate with her nephews and to swap tales of her derring-do with each other.

If you knew and loved her, please come...

Andree Bonnett RIP 25 02 1929 - 24 06 2019

 Andree died this morning. There are a shed-load of photos of her on this blog - chose this one because it seemed to contain her sagacity with her somewhat impatient tolerance of stupidity, mine normally. Will miss her forever, she was mother-in-residence to me and many others in Esperaza.

Most grateful to her nephew Jacques who rang me with the bad news and invited us to say goodbye before the body is taken to be used in a teaching hospital, as she wished. He is hoping to arrange a small event for her friends here at the weekend. Will report when I know.

As he said; it is wonderful that she didn't live to face a lingering illness or the use of a wheelchair but went suddenly - after an afternoon of Scrabble, aged 90, in a place she enjoyed.

This was the book on her bedside table. Very Andree. She did everything well.

Easy Sunday

 Here are Peter Dunn and Phil Harris entertaining us after lunch in the mountains... what a paradise. These lazy days must end soon but not yet :) John and Jean leave us today; Phil remains to keep order.

I'm not completely idle. After being sent to get cheese in the market and consulting with our cheese man, here is the apero - basil and herbs, tomato and ditto plus a decent chevre. Bob did the real work, as ever, providing a massive picnic and then producing dinner for the tribe after we got back home. Sat late in the garden, drinking under the stars, generally being pleased with life.

Whilst in the market many friends were complaining about St Gobains. The question asked was: how could ONE restaurant alienate ALL the ex-pat community (who dine out regularly) in ONE night?

 An impossible task, one might think -

successful failure...

 The evening was wonderful and I'm betting there wasn't a soul there who didn't have a great time. Stan was brill as ever.
But how can a restaurant - who knew how many people would be there since they'd all booked tables - fail so conspicuously?
Understaffed with an indifferent menu. Tiny portions of dull stuff, arriving late. Sudden and early lack of house wine meaning expensive bottles have to be bought.
I like to think the staff did their best - they did, for sure - but where was the chef? Gone, it seems (the curse of St Gobains strikes again) plus no effective planning for a full house.
Our friends made their feelings plain. Roland actually took plates into the kitchen to give them a hand. Its a shame because everyone there wished the place well...it'll be hard to get them back there though.

DO NOT BOTHER WITH PLAYING THE VIDEO it wasn't the one I wanted to post and I can't find out how to remove it. And now I'm too wrecked to find the real one, of Stan playing .. 

 Still a pleasure to be en masse and listen to Stan :) (Though not in this video, really, don't bother)

Here are Clare, Toby, Pete...

 Philip and Leo...
and tables of mates. LOTS of people there.

fete de la musique

 Solstice day and the day ordained by the French government to have music playing anywhere and at any time... it rained. The night market happened but not a lot. The family trooped off to Ex-Ty-Rex to see Uncle Stef and  thoroughly enjoyed his updating of the traditional blues.

Good food but jolly costly IMHO -

Thanks to John for this  photo and for the one of Leo, below -

I took the one of the weather. We are allegedly heading for a heat wave.

Bring it on :)

St Gobains tonight to see Stan and dine in even more splendour.

edited highlights

Richard and Eva are back and had apero with us - as proved by inadequate photo - after which we gorged at La Perception which was a big success. There was rain late in the day and last night, apparently more due today. Fresh air! 

 Are they perhaps related??

TONIGHT the first of the night markets... see y'all there :)

forgotten

I forgot to snap the family, now including Phil and plus Ian, at the excellent Bob-made dinner in the garden last night. I also forgot to photograph the very beautiful Chateau de Ducs de Joyeuse where wonderful Margaret took me for an apero  - 

Instead here are the new painting racks, wahey! -the first egg from a startled chicken and a nice lemon tree.

Collioure

Lovely day out in the sunshine at Collioure. Went to the Musee d'art moderne there which in the past has delivered some wonderful surprises but at the moment is, erm, slight. It lacks lustre. On the other hand the beautiful building was empty of folk and gave us a nice little rest after our tremendous lunch. It was in one of those fish restros round the back and  though we ate very little we certainly ate enough, so settled on a picnic dinner at home rather than another meal.
And at home we found Phil who'd arrived a day early and been waiting for us all day, poor chap. So that's the three Harris brothers together again ...

Esperaza region

This blog is getting less and less of Esperaza and more of its environs, weird... yesterday was Carcassonne to meet old school chum Maureen and her husband Keith Douglas-Jones - a blast to see them. Maureen and I shared a bedroom in our boarding school and it pleases me no end that we are still friends :)  Chez Fred was picked for lunch and was closed, who wants to eat lunch on a Monday? But the Terminus - also closed - has kept its bistro open. An undistinguished but agreeable lunch (duck in orange sauce) made seriously pleasurable by our constant chatter. 

In the evening star Bob cooked for me and John and Jean and Ian and we ate in the garden and loved it :) Today we are doing the Collioure trip to check out the dead artists haunts. 

DIARY DATE Wonderful Stan is playing at St Gobains on Saturday night.  

armless

spotted in the market 

- nothing else to report beyond more family fun and feasting. I'm off to Carcassonne today to meet old friends. More adventures on public transport to come, no doubt.

Johns birthday dinner

We ate at St Gobains for the first time since the new management... here is Max, the ingenious and able chef. On music nights like last night (Micheal was playing -) there is a fixed menu at 15 euros. We had a bunch of chopped vedg in a slightly garlic'd mousse (cappachio de legumes), chicken in round lumps that looked at first like raw mushrooms, with a sun-dried tomato in the centre and more fresh vedg and a perfect steamed potato, halved and dusted with a little curry powder and an aoli for the chicken and then a chocolate pud with a coulis of small tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, mint and balsamic vinegar.
It was really really good! Delighted to have spent the evening there. Everyone was lovely, we'll be back asap. They change the menu every day, it seems.
Today John, Jean, Bob and I have agreed to fast. Until tonight, when Bob is cooking for us all, plus Ian.
Off to the fun of the market now. Weather bright but chilly.

johns birthday lunch

  John joined us yesterday with Jean  (why no pic? Ed) and today we celebrated his 75th with Richard and Alison and Jamsie and Guillame (why no pic? Ed) in a languorous and lengthy fashion... salmon, forgot the peas, new pots, salad, toms and mozzarella, cheese, cake and much fizz.
Booked into St Gobain now. The walk will do us good.

weather report

yesterday was quite acceptable; spent it idly wandering and wondering how to make the little fountain slightly more pleasing.

Today the sky is black, we have thunder and lightening and power cuts. At a guess, I'd say the Gods are angry.

Today Bobs brother and partner arrive... trying to work out the chances of them getting here. Good luck John and Jean :)

Day of anniversaries

Lily was 50 yesterday, what a babe; she held her party in their Limoux home so a large chunk of  her Esperaza fans relocated for the lunch there. Plus what must have been all the Ukrainians in the Aude.

 Despite indifferent weather, it was a splendid affair....

 Andree came, of course :) Here she is with Paulette and Hilary, up to no good. Talking of which I was rather pleased to be propositioned by an 86 year old Frenchman in an elegant and courtly way, though as my husband was sitting next to me I had to decline his kind offer of taking off my clothes in a spare bedroom.
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It was our 18th wedding anniversary...
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The evening saw the celebration of our new fence, a beautiful construction of wood and metal incorporating a wishing gate.

Alas, the photos.... but it was a wonderful evening. Many thanks to all for coming. And BIG thanks to Norbert and Bernht, the co-creators of the fence (and of course to Mike for lending the necessary metal cutting and fusing equipment and protective clothing, bisouxxx)

Nortbert,, testing some of the fence he built - 

The evenings' best shirt prize goes to Fran - a man of exquisite taste 

The fact that the photos are so lacking many of our friends and the ones I did snap are such poor quality is a testament to what a great evening I had.
Erm, not a bad excuse.

Saturday's excitements

There is a wedding at the town hall - a worker from the 8 a 8 in Couiza - lots of frocks and these three attendants not quite outdoing the bride, ahhhh...

Missed the big event of last night. Magali rang to say that she was re-opening the St Gobains restaurant, with music starting at 10.30.  Of course at 10.30 we are tucked up for the night.

I hear from almost everyone we know that the place was rammed and it is going to be a grand success which is very good news - we've all missed the place. Will get there soon.

The sheep are back under the new bridge. We are off to the Creperie as my culinary skills are absent, on holiday with my painting skills and all creative endeavours.