all change...that election in full

 Sunday started early, noisily, with great attention to social distancing; by the time the election results were announced, that had gone by the board.

 Many Esperazannaises hung about in the streets, chatting, whilst waiting. Rumours ebbed and flowed.  Eventually Georges announced the figures....Daniels team got 91 votes, Georges lot got 261 which made the winner the Soula team with 456.

 Any one who can do sums will realise that this is a small percentage of voters in a town of nearly 2000 souls, which has been reflected throughout France. 60% abstained. This in a country that was held to ransom by the Gilles Jeunes, demanding greater democratic involvement!

Here is Msr Soula and his team. We are told that they are ecologically based, which is also the trend throughout France. I know only one of them (Elvira)  and she is loudly vocal against the arts in the region. Hey ho.

Le Pont et les beaux arts

 Claudine has been in Toulouse and is about to go to the mountains so we were lucky to catch her and Jean yesterday, for a glutinous lunch at the Pont. The paintings on the walls are by Jean who regards himself as a copyist, which is fair enough, but he is good at it.
It's still brill to eat there, though you must book. We had the only menu, stuffed avocado - no ketchup (!) just a good mayo with prawns and bits of crab and I think tuna, plus salad - rouget which was delicately cooked with a sauce hollandaise, a couple of steamed potatoes with the texture of butter and a pile of chopped courgettes lashed with butter and garlic- a choice of puds but for me a fresh fruit salad with icecream and squirty creme and apricot coulis. That and too much wine cost 14 euros.

We benefited greatly from the company of our friends who were trying to inform us as to the political situation here - as we tried to explain Boris-moves....


Claudine brought us a punnet of her redcurrants, beautiful to look at - with another present within, also a jewel!

Throbbing life

 You can't say nothing happens in Esperaza. Well, you can actually - but you'd be wrong.

 Yesterday Lorraine's broken washing machine started working again and then this amazing moth moved onto Toby's wall.

Today, the bees swarmed. Fantastically noisy business but they seem to have settled down now.

The weather is hot and rather threatening, there is a sense of change in the air. Apropos; elections this weekend. If you have now been disenfranchised by the actions of a handful of shortsighted malcontents in a far county, use your vote!!!

Andree - gone but never forgotten -

It's a year today since Andree Bonnet left us. Still miss her.

Here is a flower blooming on the wall opposite (and up the alley)  the house that she was born in - 91 years ago.

What would she had made of the Covid - 19 stories!! And the election looming this weekend...

Tuesday shopping

 Peter Dunn and I went shopping for paint. We succeeded, enormously. Then we ate melon and salad and pakoras (thanks Annette) and drank blanquette. Sometimes life is just tooooooooo good :)

River walk

 After a dispiriting days' painting, there is nothing like a walk to the garden to lift the spirits.
Garden also sensational, all the hard work of the isolation has paid off.

Sunday treats

 The fripp is back :) Joy :)

The women of Esperaza can again meet and gossip and wear new clothes .. .

The sun was back too though it didn't come out in force till the afternoon - like today, which began dull but has perked up.


Seen friends who are out of isolation after their sojourns in the UK - Pete and Clare, who were in the cafe (along with most of the known world) and today I saw Steve, who sat out the lock down in Wales and loved it. Though there was good weather.

Gossip says that the night markets will recommence towards the end of July, not sure of the date, at a new venue - over the river on the lawn there.
Good plan, more room, better opportunities for  social distancing.

Spot the venue

 Anyone from hereabouts knows this spot- the very wonderful Poulet Bicylette. A restaurant built around a lake by two brothers who also built the lake.  And can cook.
Last night it was packed, no free tables - perfect post-covid spot, being outside and well-spaced anyway. We went with Jamsie... here he is early on, before the place filled up.
The staff wear masks and greet one with bottom and elbow bumping which may well remain after this time, if we're spared. Hilarious.

All the latest

Kat is back from Marseilles looking good - here modelling Chez Charlys new ramp. Chez Charly have decamped on holiday...

here the sun is back , as are the Rushtons who are self-isolating for 14 days and Pete and Clare who have been self-isolating but are due out soon. 

general greyness

It's grey and its damp but we soldier on...had a zoom lunch yesterday where I think I won on points, eating onion quiche and drinking cheap rose. Though the sun shines in the UK, my friends there are not leaving their homes at all, being even older than me. (They told me that I was but a girl.)

Lazy Bee

Found this little fellow on the floor by the parrots so took him out to a geranium and gave him some honey - no idea if it should have been watered down or not but he tucked his proboscis happily in and had disappeared an hour later.

Lazy blogger that I am, I forgot to photograph the market - which was thriving - or the cafes, ditto. Spotted some friends who have been absent but are now back and heard tell of other returnees. 

Is life not to be changed by the isolation and closing of Europe? 

I have one friend who says that he and his wife will no longer use airplanes and will only make one cross-Europe journey per year. Right now, cars are back in town and masks are rare.

What was it all for?

Long awaited

 The apero - Such an unsung invention and so so enjoyable - 
Here are Douggie and Regina and their son Marlon who have been in lockdown together, tiptoeing out to join us last night. Wonderful.

And talking of tiptoe... out parrots have grown a friend. This little chap flies into their room whenever he can, whenever the garden doors are open.  Not sure which of them he fancies though it could be that the attraction is the lavish amounts of birdseed lying around.

New markers for bonkers

Now we are out of confinement and all nations are talking to each other again, a new standard of bonkerdness has appeared.
-Time was it was giant green lizards hatching from the mountain and/ or aliens lizards in spaceships come to rescue us from the Illuminati - now it can be measured by responses to Covid-19.

First intimation was a few days ago when a French friend said the virus was our friend.
This was followed by another friend who simply denied its existence; and today, another denier. I said, why was the government going to so much trouble? Money, was the answer. So, erm ,what money? They are nearly bankrupt, no-one is doing any work. Ha! In July, they will become rich.

Love it here. Unicorns to the rescue.

Here's the little market, the flourishing PMU, mercifully sane Susan cleaning her windows and Rico trying to get to his walnuts.

Stocktaking

 Once a year my output gets photographed - a fairly depressing experience this year as all exhibitions have been cancelled and there is some doubt that this years' work will ever be shown. Paintings never quite live until they go into the world and this lot go straight into storage. Sigh.

Today is the 19th wedding anniversary of me and Captain Harris :) We celebrate with haircuts.

Had nearly an hours wait outside the post office this morning - despite my early arrival - made rather uncomfortable by a furious Frenchwoman who thought she should jump the queue. Security thought otherwise. Her hammering on the window had a calming effect on the sole post office worker, who laughed and took things even easier - most reassuring.
Nice to chatter to Luc who was next to me - and afterwards ran into Sabine from the Auberge de Faby who is hoping to open up on Friday. They are having trouble getting supplies so perhaps not. Watch this space.

Full sunday

 Dermot is in there, somewhere - he reports that all is well in his and Kates new place but that they are being incredibly careful on account of Kates delicate nature.

The market was cold and dampish though the day brightened later -

but WE HAVE THE HEATING ON, early June, blimey -

Below, a sight to make those missing our award-winning bakers even sadder - below that, a slight market stall.

The day was greatly cheered by a visit from Pete 'n' Nel who were much enjoyed by us and by our parrots.

computers eh...

...great when they work but a large tranche of our friends are having troubles, me included. Sure you have your stories too.

Anyway, sun is out, against expectations, and life is sweet. Here's a random cat on a hot tin letter box - and below, a less-than-random cat fixing a door bell.

Roy and Jo will be opening their B n B soon, June 15th, but only one room at a time for improved safety. Obviously if they get a family they'll open more. Jolly sensible.
Just noticed my reflection in Roys armpit - above the attention au chien sign. Hmm.

Rejoice oh Esperaza #2

Erika has reopened the Pont cafe AND they are doing lunches again - here she is refusing to be photographed ( but then relenting.)

I think everything is open now. Its raining today so its possible we will not find out just yet.

What is really noticeable is the noise. Laughter in the streets. Some houses belonging to French holiday makers have re-opened and there are people everywhere. Masks in evidence but often worn as cache misere for the double chin :)

Rejoice oh Esperaza

Matthieu is back at Luc's! Cafe Open! Luc was there too - and most of the regulars. Louise and Bob and I had coffee there. Lockdown and its impact  totally forgotten. All normal.

How can this be??????

Relaxing rules

 At the market, masks were recommended - not obligatory.The guardians on the entrances didn't wear them and when asked said do what you want, shrug shrug. No sign of police.
It was packed. No sense of distancing and therefore a little bit scary, after these months of awareness of others.
In the evening we - Susan, Bob and I -  had dinner with Jamsie at his Chateau. It was so good, we over-indulged in the pleasures of the table and today l'm suffering. Wages of sin. The conversation made up for it all though, Cathar tales naturally abounding.
Cafes open tomorrow :)