Leggit

Claudinne has been missing recently on account of being rebuilt - she's in Toulouse but will be in Limoux soon to be re-educated.
Which is not a way of saying that her political views are being examined but the French way of saying intensive exercise will bring her new leg into full use.

This morning on French breakfast TV we were treated to the sight of the EU parliament singing Auld Lang Syne. Somewhat at variance with what I heard on the radio a few days ago, spoken with delight: Bye Bye Nigel!

hot days

Mornings chilly, afternoons actually hot - had to strip to a T shirt while I was painting :) Tortoise out again, sigh. At least we are drying out after the floods. Though we are getting strange clouds.

Monday in Esperaza

Sunday market something of a wash-out - not terribly wet, just enough to make it not sparkle. So here are some Monday snaps instead; 

Isobelle and Alain leave us this week and here are some stats they've accumulated over the last 17 years.

Here are the bins being emptied - interesting correspondence between the church and container - and diggers and so forth repairing the road that was so damaged by last weeks' flooding.

The electioneering has begun and the mayors rivals have their manifesto out. Intended to write about it, objectively of course; realised that after the 31st none of the Brits can vote.
                          French radio very scathing about Boris and his I.Q.

Annual allotment dinner

Once a year those that work together in the garden by the river meet to eat and drink and swap notes. That the garden is by the river should give a clue as to this years major theme...

We have been submerged and swept away, in various ways. The amazing cement 'dance floor' that Roland made for the group -weighing at least a ton - was swept into the adjoining field along with other stuff. Roland, above, has been in the Ariege and missed it all; here he is looking at the photos of the destruction. It is amazing. Kat and Louise are laughing at his shock rather than the damage, I think.

Bernht and Jutta hosted the event, for Bieke and Wilhelm, Norbert and Louise, Kat and Roland, Isobelle, me and Bob. What a cosmopolitan group :) - dreadful photos, sorry all - 

The tradition is that we all bring food made from vedg grown on the field and this year didn't quite make it, though the intentions were pure. Still there was pumpkin puree, leek and potato soup, apple pie - not bad. The other food delicious and if not grown by the team, it might have been!

Bieke led the speeches in three languages, translating as she went. She - and Bob, of course - are the only original members of the team, so long ago that no-one can remember.

The challenge now is to try and find, repair, clean and replace the fences and replant where necessary.

We tried to write a gardeners song and, deciding it had to be in french, got immediately distracted by the language. To dig depends on the type of implement you use and what you are digging...

apres le deluge

The tribe repaired to ex-Lucs for tapas - I'm under orders with a poorly husband but looks like there was no room anyway :)
Lifted this photo from Janets Fb page.
Other news gleaned from Janet is that Intermarche will be closed for 2 months
------- See y'all in the 8 a 8

PHEW

 Yesterday afternoon; river calming down and the sun came back:) No doubt today is stocktaking...

This is the road adjacent to the Aude,  not a clue what its called; it runs from La Caderonne to John and Margarets and Richard and Evas homes. It did, anyway... badly flooded and some of the edges look as if they will need rebuilding before its safe to use.

The sign is clearly prescient :) It has the air of an art work.

Oswald is up again, trying for higher ground perhaps. Its been a bad winter for her, she's hardly slept.

And the guys... Norbert dropped in and was forced to stay and Max arrived to say goodbye.

Max's big adventure has started as of this morning and everyone wishes him a safe and interesting journey. He will post his travels - provided he can get a working computer .

Latest

-just back from the maire where great dramas are being enacted, centered around the deep comforting voice of our mayor. The barrier isn't going to break, he declares - we do not have to evacuate the town.
But if it does, what to do? At the moment the advice is to move papers and computers (and anything else you want to protect) upstairs.

The phones there are ringing non-stop and the staff are beginning to shout at one another. They all have homes here too...

The river level has dropped and the arches of our old bridge are visible again. But the storm is back, thundering and lightening. The meteo says it'll all be over in 4 hours - so fingers crossed that everything can hang on that long.

Report from the field is grim. Everything washed away though Bieke says that Rolands dance floor is still around, just not in place. We've lost one water container and certainly the pumping infrastructure, plus the fences. All that hard work also gone:(

Lucs' garden, which is close to ours, is also trashed - and has acquired a washing machine.

Water Water everywhere...

...and in Montazels they've been told not to drink it for 48 hours. Back to the wine then.

Rue des Jardins

Major flooding, Esperaza cut off and proud possessor of the only open food store in the region. Carrefour and Intermarche flooded out but the 8a8 shines on in the darkness...

Jean-Lins place

Our flood defenses seem remarkable. After the big flood in the late 1990's the area was soundly dealt with and well done to all involved. The maire text alerts and ring to make sure all is well plus offer a help-line number... 

This morning the news is full of evacuations in the region and indeed, our friends Gillie and Alan need to be rehoused - anyone got a downstairs bedroom and shower? - but right now the rain has nearly stopped and I will venture forth anon.

the hens are coping

Michael Gluck RIP 12 Jan 2020

Micheal has left us - now playing with Beuys, his hero.

'Hiermit trete ich aus der Kunst aus'

                     (Joseph Beuys; I hereby resign from art)

Gutted.

He had lived so long with no red blood cells, to the confusion of the medics, that he seemed immortal; a special case.





Commiserations to those who loved him - Simone, Annie and Pete, Olle-Bendik, Ferren et al. The list is long.

BDay

Wondering what to do on Brexit day? Voila, Matt steps into the breach...

Sure sign...

...that not a lot is going on! If you look very very carefully at this picture you will see the heron in the middle. So I'm just prowling about taking snaps in the undergrowth.

Though I did pop in on Derek and Val, who are here briefly, and on Jo (of Roy and-) who was giving tea to Norbert and Bernht. And I bumped into Rose and Clare. So actually the place is jumping.

Its raining now. Having seen pictures on the breakfast TV of Argeles-sur-mer being flooded, fingers crossed that the tail of the hurricane ignores us.

Rover

Sunday Market was quiet as markets go - cold got to us all perhaps. Lively at ex-Luc's (though should it be called Mattieus now? Answers on a post card)
Here are the newly returned Bob, just off the red-eye from Stanstead, with Susan and Mike and Mikes magnificent bike. Exported from the UK in the 1920's to Holland where it was his father-in-law's vehicle until his death; maintained and ridden ever since by young Mike, who brought it to Esperaza on his marriage.

 Et voila, an insipid sunset. Today is cloudy. Town is quiet but as ever, very charming.

parties parties

 Louises birthday lunch was eaten with gusto at the Cafe du Pont - here she is with Norbert, both getting younger and younger.

And here is Ericka, who does the organizing at the Cafe -  shown with John who is staying with Max and Andy, of whom I have inappropriate photos...

... Rose organised the evening party at her place where we were to say goodbye to Max and Andrea - Andy off to Winnipeg , Max to elsewhere briefly, then back for the ambulance and Africa 

Kat, Max, Andrea and Susans back

Bernht  - exasperated?? - and Jutta and Kat who is back from the Ariege sans Roland who will be absent a little longer.

Budapest-Bamako rally 2020

So; why is our Max loitering by an ambulance???

He is one of a team driving from Hungary to Africa to donate the ambulance to the needy, in a convoy of similar vehicles. There is a link to a film from an older trip below (its an hour long, better charge the glass first) He is, of course, a master traveler and a high adventurer - and bonkers. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_k-ytFesMM&fbclid=IwAR19k6pJSVTUXMDD_qvBayO4JxcK5fofdr24PYWvZ-KD5CcuoK_eaAdVMEY

He's nearly ready for the off. There will be fundraising so get out the slender resources. Not sure of the mechanism for donation but will find out, for sure.

In the meantime, the local news is somber. I went to Andre Donjons funeral this week; he was 89 when he died, preceded by two wives. There were no kids. So the farewell ceremonies, in the church and cemetery, had few attendees - he'd outlived most of his friends too.
Then Madame Pozo died at 94 but she was the matriarch of the Pozo tribe hereabouts who represent most of the pompiers and many others besides - so a crowded funeral. A familiar and much loved figure in the day.

Both were  neighbours of mine and both much appreciated.

On a more cheery note, Kat is back :)

brrrrrrrrr

Early morning frost. 

a cure for eco-anxiety...

... the natural world continues to flourish here, mostly. Very cheered by the rise in Bluetit numbers - thought I'd not see other than the odd one in my lifetime but this season we are overrun with the little beauties.

Yesterday was a freezing morning and a hot afternoon. 

Many plants and creatures think its spring, and maybe it is.

That expo in full

 Being in Copenhagen did not deter the artist from being present - he was on Skype throughout the evening, available to answer questions about his work. AND he managed to get flowers to the gallery owners :)

lunch report

Here's Jim Hankinson, looking philosophical over lunch at Le Pont.  Photos of Max and Andy with whom we ate are mysteriously blurred.

It was a very good lunch - Jim and I did the menu of the day, which was a salad, with roquefort and bits and kiwi and apple and salad stuff followed by trout with almonds and then little potted puddings of the chocolate mousse variety, which with coffee and wine hit the mark at 14 euros.
In these days of diminishing restaurants, worth patronizing.

Brexit continues to dominate the conversations here.

Tonight it will be art :) At the gallery in Rue Victor Hugo, 6.00pm, all welcome -

latest

 Visited Hilary who is healing nicely :) Her x-rays are sensational. She still won't let me photograph her face.

The bad news is re: Gillie. Seems I spoke too soon about Alans recovery and their re-inclusion to the joys of Esperaza.  Gillie is in Carcassonne hospital after a drug reaction and so Alain has been moved to Quillan for his care. All the very very best to them xxx

A somber and reflective walk later I caught on the one side a sensational sunset and on the other a low full moon. Signs and portents, eh.

Don't forget Saturday nights vernissage! Here is the artist - who will not be there.