Monday in the Aude

Yesterday was paperwork in Carcassonne with Pete'n'Clare, which lead us to the old city for coffee - it is all open there, masks obligatory, not as rammed as usual. Still good stocks of ceremonial swords.
 

Then shopping, so lunch in Limoux - such a sweet town -

and the day ended at the new chess club in Esperaza. Mondays, 4 till 7.00pm,  first floor of the Centre Culturel. Improves your colloquial French ! Very welcoming, very good fun.

Ace Sunday

The day began auspiciously with the discovery of a new shop in Rue Gambetta, in the old florists. Don't know when this tapas bar, wine cellar and grocery store will open but soon would be good.

Pottered happily round a lovely market, not too crowed but pretty packed, masks still required; the shops were handing out mothers-day flowers to women. By the time I'd explained I'd never been a mother it was too late for them to grab it back :)

Then to the bar, to wish beautiful Gillie a happy birthday. Its a year since she began her cancer treatment and she has come through shinning.

Thence to lunch with Kat and Roland and Peter G. Here is Roland revealing the centre-piece, a paella incomparable - and he told us how to make it. There may an outbreak.

After a decent rest, we hove up to Roses house where she had organised an apero for Gillies birthday. We'd all settled down on the terrace when the rain started, the gentle pitter-patter mixing eloquently with our friends chatter and with me and Norbert humming selections from Beefheart and Zappa....

Then there was CAKE!!

and a rainbow!! It doesn't get much better.

 

Art projects

Regina and Douggie came to see a couple of projects and were forced to stay on account of my bullying tactics , mostly Blanquette de Limoux based. They had to run home to beat the curfew. Hope they got down the road without being arrested

It was such fun! What a pleasure to chatter and laugh...

opportunities abound

Come  to the MJC and play chess and/or scrabble on Mondays - what a good idea - see you there :)

 

Esperaza Terrace sur le Pont

Peter, Erika, Clare

 ....Charcuterie, beef in red wine and chips in cholesterol, jackson fruit salad. That happy and satisfied look? Easy!!

Le Capt who is being healthy had an omelette and chips, no starter, no wine - but the advantage of virtue.

party time

 The commune of Esperaza was definitely en fete yesterday. We had our vide grenier and a band and much joy abounded, though masks are still de rigour. 

There was a fee-paying public for the band but the rest of us stood outside and listened. Sounded good. Wasn't afraid to miss the light show :)

                              I went to Alet-les-bains for their vide grenier too and ours was better.

Much excitement here when after many years of close attention I have seen an electric car charging at our electric car recharge point.  It's behind the Museum of Dinosaurs should you be considering a change.

Anyone know anything about makers' marks? Bought this  at the vide grenier and delighted to see that someone made it - but don't know how to find out who, where or when. 

And maybe its not a markers' mark at all, not my field of expertise - 

Lifting the spirit at Pentecost

The nearside of the river is closed to traffic today, pending the arrival of Nadau tomorrow and Monday. The rest of the riverbank is devoted to parking, whilst over the river is being decked out with bunting and such for the holiday.

Been having fun here and forgetting to photograph it - plotting with Helene*, coffee with Louise and Norbert in their high castle, shopping with them in Limoux (Le Parchemin open, got new clothes and a book!)  apero with Robin and Jane and Zara to celebrate the arrival of Robins Carte de Sejour which means all the foreigners in our quartier are tooled up. And spotted Gracie.

*The reason I was plotting with Helene is that we want her to sell our mountain land. It's too much for  these geriatrics. Anyone want a couple of hectares of vineyard, rock and garden on Mt Marot? Complete with water well, cherry trees, a little stone capitol and sundry sheds, views to die for... I'd always expected to be buried there but forgot I'd have to get there first.

You've probably seen this (below) but it still makes me smile... have a happy holiday weekend out there, y'all

 

Eating out

Lunch; with dear Claudinne at the Cafe du Pont, who have resumed their brilliant menus (14 euros for three courses and wine) We had Greek salad, pork and pasta, coupe Jackson. We left our menfolk to their sandwiches while we caught up with each others gossip.

Supper; Jamsie made a feast at the chateau - here he is eviscerating an artichoke - with gazpacho. basque sauce with pasta, cheese, then bananas with lime sorbet, chocolate ice cream and of course some vanilla. It all deserved a deal of lingering but we had to leave at 8.40 to get home on the dot of the curfew.

Its a wonderful life !!

 

LIBERTE!!

Terraces are open!! We ate and drank in the company of friends! Nightingate, here below, could remember what we all used to eat!!

Le Captain et Susan

enough of the exclamation marks now, you get the gist - it was a cold evening but hey, we were out and about and I can feel another exclamation mark coming on -

Allowed 6 maximum per table, we were me and himself, Louise and Norbert, Susan and Jutta. Drink was taken, crepes were eaten. Snaps were inappropriate and I didn't get any of Louise...

Norbert

Jutta snapping me snapping her

It was noticeable on the terraces of Esperaza that masks were not worn and people were kissing and hugging. Either there will be an outbreak of Covid or we are through it.

This morning there are chem trails in the sky. I'd forgotten them. I shall be lunching at Le Pont while the going is good :)

 

Home are the wanderers

Seven months away!!! Pete and Clare are now home and we are hoping it'll stay that way.

 

The artists lot

Raj was having a tough time trying to draw in the market yesterday - this little one delighted in blocking his view. 

Market traders having a tough time too, they have been told they can't sell anything after noon. This is an attempt by the authorities to get people to go home rather than hang about all day having fun. Petitions out on all the stalls. Don't know what happened as the overcast (but pleasant morning) became grey and drizzly.

 One thing that did happen was that the market was intensely crowed as people shopped earlier. Far more dangerous than a few independent souls dancing about... but it'll stay like this till June 27th, according to this article.

https://www.lindependant.fr/2021/05/13/le-marche-dominical-desperaza-mis-en-demeure-par-le-sous-prefet-9543720.php

Saturday ...

 Had a highly experimental and ramshackle lunch with Regina and Dougie - which was redeemed by their conversation and amazing life stories. Esperaza just has the BEST people!

After lunch they were forced to tour the extensive grounds, ahem, which is when I spotted that a tadpole has grown a back leg. We have very few, poached from Gracies pond. I watch them carefully and was beginning to despair of any development; oh me of little faith!

Other excitement is that our neighbour Msr Louis has arrived for a week with his son Michel, visiting their holiday home here in Esperaza from their regular home on the Cote d'Azur. Hoping to spend a deal of time with them.

The end is nigh

 It's official - Vide Grenier on the 23rd. AND the restaurants and cafes open on Wednesday!

Missing mates

 Went to Max's garden yesterday to draw... so very empty without Max and Andy there. Lovely morning, could watch the snows melting in the distance.

Met Rose on my way there, Mike and Hilary on my way back. All well. 

Esperaza rock'n'roll history

 Here's a memory of my nephew Tom Beer and his band Bull playing in the camping at Esperaza, in May 2017. I mention it now because the band played last night on the roof of the EMI building in Kings Cross, London, to celebrate the launch of their first album- and the drummer, another Tom ( Tom Gabbatiss), mentioned the gig in an interview : 'my most fond memory being the four of us in a field in Esperaza, South of France, on our first trip abroad together-' So sweet!

Yesterdays excitement was a trip to Carcassonne which was mixed. The friend we were taking to hospital is well which is a Good Thing; the shopping I was set on was frustrating. We no longer need attestations to move beyond 10 kilometers from home, hurrah, but the stores are sectioned off into areas of things it is legal to sell and things that ain't. Hence I could stand in Decathlon looking at the sandals I need and grind my teeth...

All the stores are like labyrinths, sections closed off with crime-scene-type tape. All this changes on the 19th, allegedly. And the terraces of the bars and restaurants can open! Can't come quickly enough for this esperazannaise.

climb every mountain...

Esperaza from Mt Marot yesterday. Slow climb for me but I got there; getting back was harder, legs, knees, old peoples stuff. Orchids of various sorts abound and larks ascend. Wonderful.

 

freaky sunday

Anyone else see this strange face in the cloud?? Or this spooky man next to a dragon on a roof terrace? 

 Good market if a bit windy. Still armies of gendarmes there, keeping us safe. Took refuge with Loos and Cees who took a group of us round their home - not only beautiful but clean:) Full of interesting things, themselves included.

ADADE adieu

Andy and Lou's old gaff - waving the flags of France and Occitania. 

Association d'Artists d'Esperaza  news:

The final AGM of ADADE, when it voted to dissolve itself. Sad for the artist members but since the loss of the last mayor, Georges Reverte - the visionary who put it all together - and the marvellous galleriste Richard Lyons (who has moved with Eva to Romania) there are no venues nor real directions for the group. There were some glory moments!

ADADE AGM in Tobys garden

 Thanks to president Kat Head, treasurer Bob Harris and secretary Marie Calmet for all the considerable work they have put into the group. The dosh in the associations bank account has by law to go to another association so it went to the Art at Magrie group, who for over 20 years have been transforming their little village through art. Long may they flourish. 

 

Thursday notes

 The  little market, early this morning. It was early because the hoopoe started its tone-deaf  shouting at 6.00 a.m. and - whist its great knowing that a hoopoe is sitting in Leos tree -it makes a racket that is hard to sleep through. Up and at 'em just after dawn as a result. 

Noticed that the wearing of masks is now de rigour regardless of utility. Solitary fisherman wear them as well as wandering folk. 

Had our first outside lunch today. Forgot photos. Saladstuffs, natch. Jamsie is back! En forme.

Now the scops owl, le petit duc, is beeping. Not heard the nightingale yet, alas - just birds that sound like out- of- control alarms. The golden orioles are back by the river though.

Lavaldieu au temps de covid

 Lavaldieu is fully covid cognisant. It has all the safety measures one can imagine firmly in place.  So Gracie and Kat and I hove up there to draw and generally take the air, knowing that no restaurants are open but also knowing that Patricia the host is known to be a top chef.

And so she was; we were fed and watered royally, in the most charming surroundings and in weather hot enough to get us sunburnt. Here is a picture of the sun which at one point got a bit cloudy and then grew this corona (which I know from past experience indicates bad weather in a few days.) 

For the moment though we are at 30 degrees, wahey! It was such a treat after this long period of isolation to get out - albeit only 10 kilometres away - to be cooked for and to have nothing to do but art.

https://lavaldieu.com/lavaldieu/  Can't recommend the place highly enough. We were made so welcome. Big thanks to Patricia and Russell and Rachel for taking such unobtrusive care of us. Back soon, with luck :)