Goodbyes

Grandparent joy :) Here are Pete and Clare chatting with the little ones after dinner last night - and Terry. chattering with us, ditto.

 Terry and Diane leave to meet their fate in England today, Pete and Clare tomorrow - Micheal and Barbara have already left, bequeathing a summer pudding which we shared.

This exodus is based in family love, plus some health stuff. 

 Here's the waning moon over the valley - they'll miss this :) (and us) 

In a fit of introspection, wandered into our church after this mornings walk (Its soooo hot - only time possible to get out -) Struck anew by the beauty of our Esperaza Pieta; ancient but still touching.

Looking back -

No-one gets out without a courgette... here are Kieran and Ann who were good enough to entertain us at apero last night. Lovely to chatter -  pleasantly cool in the garden - great evening :)

Below is today's Thursday market looking dinky.

And below that dinner at Don Quichotte on Tuesday. The meal looks rather  messy but it was brill - risotto with courgettes, of course, and sole rolled into balls. Very impressive. 

Mondays evening...

The market on Monday is such a treat; its cooler after the great hotness, under trees and on a lawn by the river; many mates are available to share food and drink with. Entertainment too. Last nights band were called, evidently, Inegal and they did very competent rock'n'roll covers.

Food pretty good. I had entrecote and chips. Perfect, followed by Brebis ice-cream - caramel with gruissan salt. We shared bottles of Rose, barely alcoholic. 

All missed the dancing space but, of course, there is a reason - the Covid-19 prevention measures insist on low levels of physical contact (I asked the committee)

It was a very photogenic evening but I wont bore you with the set... here are Ian and Pete, below is Jamsies grown-up boy, then a random shot I liked.

Stopped in the course of the day to photograph the progress of the painting on Chez Charlie... artist struggling in heat but working well.

Performing in Fa

The Cafe de Fa yesterday... Diane entertaining diners. There are two terraces and the internal cafe -  Di was on the river-side terrace, which is where noisy people and the smokers all clustered. Both anathema to me. Heard it well enough from the other terrace. But finding the church over the bridge open and never having been there before, I shot in - and the acoustics were fantastic. Could hear Diane singing as clear crystal. How weird is that?? 

Lovely afternoon. Many mates there and my admiration for the cafe rises in leaps and bounds. 

Is it a sound amplifier?

Saturday in brief

 Chez Charlie gets a mural! This was yesterday, taken with permission from the artist - there will be animals, he said.
Here are Freddie and Vicky, packing up to return to their native Belgium. They'll be missed - didn't like to ask why they are leaving but its been planned for a long time,  pre-Covid-19. We all wish them well xxx

 Anyone know anything about moth management? We have an infestation at our second floor in Rue St Saens, no-where else. Can't work out how they are getting there. None in the day - not even dead ones - but at night the air is full of them. Tried various trick involving lights to shift them and that works to an extent but still too many flapping about all night. All advice very gratefully received, please!

Last night we went with the Dunn extended family to Poulet Bicyclette at St Ferriol, by the lake. What could be more agreeable after a hot day; by cool water with dear mates and decent nosh and alas, too much wine. Actually scrap that - not alas to the wine - alas to the the digestif, which was criminally stupid on top of everything else. Have to learn to drink to my new age.

Here is Diane Dunn looking content under a new moon on the edge of the lake.... she plays today at the Cafe de Fa, hurrah. See you there -

Tea time

Tea time treat!! Andy, Lou and their sprog James... and not a biscuit in the house. They did get a cup of tea, however. And they will be around for a couple of weeks so I might even bake some to lure them back :) They are  in terrific form - 

heavy machines

Took these photies on yesterday mornings early prowl... it is too hot to leave home later in the day. Or, as last night, too wet - storm started early evening and most welcome it was.

Above is the chemists being re-roofed, below is a monster by the weir - no idea what its doing or perhaps more interestingly, how it got there... if its any cooler today might cycle down and investigate. 

Don't hold your breath though. It's already hot and shutters are closing all over the Aude.

Here's a treat for Sunday - Di playing the Cafe de Fa! 

broken storm

storm finally broke, quelle plasir - a bit in the late afternoon and then a lot in the night. Earth thrilling with relief this morning.

Between times me and the captain strolled to the bar and found Ole-Bendik pondering, plus Nora and  Mike who evaded the camera... just lovely to have apero on the terrace with mates.

Didn't realise how rather strange this picture of Roy is until I came to put it on line. Now that Blogger have changed their formatting - why all these changes, I hate them - can't find a way to remove it. Sorry darling Roy xxx

Sociability rebegins

Dear Kate came to lunch - not spotted for several months due to serious lockdown on her part (well dodgy health issues) so a real treat. Alas, with us all not interacting there is no gossip.
Leo and Toby came for apero but I'm so out of practice I forgot the photo. They are safely here until the autumn. Looking very well.
We have all agreed that meeting in small groups is preferable to the big events we used to have, on the grounds that we can talk to each other.
Me, I miss the sense of theatre ...

La vie en rose

 Great hotness hereabouts. Though we didn't need an excuse to visit Richard and Alison Samuel the fact that they had invited us and are very old friends - 50 plus years! - and have a swimming pool, meant that yesterday was entirely devoted to hedonism.

Got back to Esperaza in time to peek into the night market which was delightful. All our friends were there - including Toby and Leo, yeaaaah - but it was my job to buy supper for Bob and not hang about. Photos inadmissible, except for this random shot below -.

weekend memoire

 Friday night, we went to the Cafe de Fa for a couple of beers before the music crowds arrived. It's safe (- I think) to attribute the revival of that little village to the said cafe.  Nice chat with Msr Lovely, who regaled us with his stories about the Beatles.

On Saturday, we lunched in Carcassonne with Margo and Theophile at the marvelous Wok Land. Oysters, sushi, general deliciousness for 13.50 euros and as much as you can eat. I was worried that Margo and Theophile are not great eaters and it would be a loss of dosh but it turned out they loved all that was on offer and managed to match me and Bob, who are gormande.

So happy to see them again before they move on to other lands. Theophile is adorably photogenic but I love this picture of him in the plastic gloves they give you at Wok Land, photographing me as I photographed him:)



Alas, no decent pix of Margo. I kept moving the camera or someone else got in shot - next year will do better :)

Today is market day AND the first of Esperaza's vide greniers. It is hideously hot out there. I went early to avoid crowds and heat and so did everyone else.

 Lots of folk masked up but forget distancing, ha!

As I floated around the vide grenier I met Jim who congratulated me on not buying anything - I was so pleased with myself  though its not much fun going round stalls muttering the mantra, do not buy any more junk...  lo! It was as if a spell had been lifted. Within seconds after my boast,  I'd got an essential jig saw, a vital necklace and some ticking to repair a chair or two. Cheers Jim!!

Started to lay out the new puzzle and remembered the pleasure of the last. More sense of achievement than painting. Time to change jobs, perhaps.

Day trip

 There are as yet no timetables for the summer schedule but the lady in the Limoux station let me photograph the laminated copy she had. Hope its legible. Though the info is allegedly on line.

So, easy and delightful trip! No access to transport or stores without mask so if you are planning a day out, don't forget it -
Naturally I headed to the Beaux Arts where they are showing one Philippe Shangti with a show called The Future is Now. The artist is denouncing the vices of society - hurrah!

 His methods consist in taking glorious huge photos of beautiful nude women in provocative poses with 'No Prostitution Here' written across their bodies. Ditto cocaine, etc. No mention of trafficking of women, of addiction and so forth. Tad voyeuristic? Simplistic? -But good luck to him, the staff loved it and so did the young women scuttling about with cameras.

The Beaux Arts continues to house a Courbet, a Corot and an Ingres... and the usual rather nice collection of worthies from the last couple of centuries.
The sales are on :)

It's a circus

 Good to see these docile critters by the river again... they all seem quite happy. The lions are also content, it seems, though I caught them watching a wandering camel with interest.

 The circus encampment is flanked by flags of all nations, missing only the union jack...

Not a lot else happening.

Yesterday we swam at Rennes les Bains, thinking that the cold grey weather might deter  others. Not so.

They are quite well organised; masks at the entrance, shoes off,  no use of changing rooms - you must change by the pool and leave your clothes there - all no problem but there was a viscous cold wind out of a grey sky brrr... fortunately the hot water of the pool was really hot, as hot as a hot bath, and a complete delight.

I'm risking the bus today to take a look at Carcassonne.

Scattier and scattier

-The first night market was advertised (poster in the chemists) for the 12th, which is a Sunday. Strange. On the Monday, which might have made sense, the circus was in town.
Forgot it anyway.
Apparently also forgot that I'd invited Jim to lunch yesterday. Bob cobbled together a feast for the three of us - much home-grown yum - so that worked out.
Don't know if I forgot the Bastille Day celebrations but there was no sight or sound of anything last night.
Except Kat and Roland. Lured them in for apero....

 Here's Kat with Bobs reflection - social distancing gone mad - and Roland playing with Rico, who loves him with a passion and started talking like him when he goes. Most disturbing.

foreign visitors

Anne is of course from Couiza so not too foreign, but Margo and Theophile came in from Guiana which is virus ridden, travelling on many planes. Accordingly their long-planned visit was truncated to a lunch, while they stayed in an hotel. We all masked up.

Pity, but at least we got to meet and chatter. And take Theo to the skate park. He's 11 now - Margo is taking him travelling  for a year as her plans for next year have been covided.

It's becoming clear that we must be adjustable and ready to change plans at a moments notice...

Market was great as ever, hot sun, loads of people. Apropos the virus, I go early and masked now. Loads of strangers arriving and we don't know if they are observing lockdown on arrival. BSTS as we all seem to remark nowadays - better safe than sorry.

Take care, y'all

On this day...

Six years ago, Etienne was born in the bath here. 

Would like to re-do his blue plaque one day, when I'm not so emotional... :) Get spelling and layout right, that sort of thing. 

Yesterday was graced by visits from many friends, one of whom was John Marshall, seen here admiring one of Bobs courgettes. Today spotted New Kelly in town! Shes been walking everywhere and accordingly looking brilliant. Didn't have phone with me so can't prove it but she's here for a week. Look for yourselves.