internet not

 For some time now the little streets and pathways of Esperaza have been undergoing changes as holes and tunnels have been constructed. Yesterday men started pulling cables through them - and climbing walls and threading them through gutters, apparently. Then the net went down.

No radio, no mobiles, no TV...no google, no shopping, no correspondance possible. One knows all this of course but it was something of a shock to realise the total dependance on the internet (and specifically Orange.) 

Back by 1.00am, it seems. And here I am again, though  with the price of electricity about to double who knows how long for??

Touring

Max took me a-touring yesterday... we drove from Brenac to Prexian and all points between. So many beautiful, historic, interesting places here. Lunch at the Table Cathar (what else??) in Fanjeaux.

Masses of photos but I do rather concentrate on the theological side of things. Charmed to find a carving of the magdelene , wrapped in stone hair, placed up a wall exactly opposite the virgin on a church entrance - and a very fine entombment. Can't remember which little villages they came from.

 

Monday morning report

Here's John on Saturday, preparing to fly back to Blighty with breakfast at the Pont... he got home safely, all his paperwork in good order. Esperaza was oddly quiet over the weekend; turned out to have devoted itself to Petanque, the space where the night market is held was packed with intense and serious groups of men (spotted ONE woman) as was the car park. Market slightly under par as a result and several stalls missing - off on their yatchs to some other paradise, perhaps.

It's getting colder.

Sunshine persists.

 

Au bord de la mer...

The three Harris brothers at St Pierre yesterday after an extremely decent lunch ( Resturant de la Marine, 0468 49 50 94 for future reference) We were accompanied by Peter Dunn (-missing Claire) and Sigrid...thence to our usual snoozing spot on the beach.. Sigrid swam - twice- and didn't complain about the cold. The rest of us paddled, briefly.

Lovely day. 

 

Covid free

 Off to Quillan yesterday to get John a Covid-free certificate before he flies back to Blighty. All very easy. He'd made an appointment on Doctolib.com and we were expected at the Lab in Quillan, where they cheerily shoved a stick up his nose. (In England it seems they put it in your throat so he was a little discomforted.) Last night they emailed the results and today I've printed them off. No trace of the disease, hurrah.

Above is Quillan market where we hung out for a while in the sun.

Was cleaning my brushes in the afternoon when the tap spluttered and stopped running water. Downstairs I found a distressed Bob looking for the dishwasher guarantee as he'd thought it was broken. Brief search of the estate showed that no water was running anywhere except in the pond. 

To the town hall - having checked en route that Ians was off too - where my enquiry was greeted with hoots of laughter. It's broken. Who knows when it'll return. Cheers.

Later still I saw a SAUR (water suppliers) van and flagged it down ... they said we'd have it back by tomorrow morning. I waved my arms about and shouted, feeling tres french; what are we supposed to do? Go the the cave co-operative and buy some wine, they said.

Gaggle of ladies in the street swapping news. One, married to an ex-policeman, said that it would be on in two hours; but I noticed she'd been buying water. Did the same.

It's back this morning though! No doubt our water rates will reflect this loss of service with a handsome reinbursement, hahaha.

More food.

Brother-in-law John and I hopped the bus/train to Carcassonne yesterday, in the grey drizzle - had a splendid , really splendid, lunch at Chez Fred (heres a pic of the mouth amuser, a tiny vegetable foam with complications ) Was too excited by the other courses to take photos. Really excellent place. 

We held off the pud so we could have it later, and here is John giving it his full attention.

Went to the Maison des Memoires in Rue Verdun between courses. Always fascinated by that place.

And at some point bumped into Leo and Toby and the Scottish Daves! All looking good. Freaky meeting neighbours in odd places.

 

Tootling in Market

New geezer fluting away in the market yesterday, rather good; see him at Ayarunamusic on you tube. 

Gave lunch - a mixed gastronomic event, needs work - to the Harris tribe and to Max. Lovely to see Max back where he belongs. Was failing to cook so forgot photo taking.

Then did that Sunday afternoon thing and went for a walk.

After all these years - many, many years - I have found a new footpath! Amazing. Think its been opened up in response to the flood danger to the end of the village and is clearly used by the wild boar to get to the river. It was a bit scary as its rocky and I am not as the mountain goat of previous years - didn't get as far up as I would have liked to. Will try again in proper boots rather than yesterdays sandles.

 

Love in a mist

Of  course it rained the night we'd decided to show Sigrid the Poulet au Bicyclette - but we were well housed in Sebastiens big tent and apart from not being able to watch the fish all went well. 

He had a decent crowd of charming folk eating there, apart from me and Bob and John.

Today looks clear. Off to market - and perhaps the vide grenier in Couza??

Hope Rose dosn't mind but her recent remark on facebook bear repeating:
 

I wouldn’t normally put things like this on Facebook but... The lovely couple Alain and Isabelle, who brought my house 3 years ago contracted covid. She is seriously ill and unfortunately Alain has died. They both thought covid was a conspiracy, would not wear masks or have the vaccine. For those of you out there who have the same ideas please reconsider. Covid is real and a killer.

Doing our bit...

.... to keep the mossies down :)

 Our neighbour Vincent, familiar with Annies ex-bath ( now goldfish pond) in the courtyard, turned up with a bag full of little frogs and a toad or two. It's raining this afternoon, gently; they are happy amphibians. Loads to eat. Hoping they will feast on the midges and mossies that have bedeviled this summer.

Tonight the Harris tribe dine at the Chicken on a Bike by the lake. Will take unbrellas. 

Rainy night in Esperaza

 Holding our umbrellas high, Bob and John and I set out for tapas - and it was closed. Sinking hearts, wet feet. To the Pont! Where we sat and downed a couple of glasses of red (and a hot chocolate in Bobs case). As we left, John remarked on the pleasures of chips... so into the little takeaway opposite the newsagents, where after a fun-filled five minuite wait we got chipped up.

I don't really like chips so rarely eat them but these were lovely. Being preceeded by 2 glasses of red might of helped but they were made out of potatoes that were hand crafed and fried in something unsmelly. 

Recommended :)

Bumped into friends who were heading to Donkeyshot/x-TRex for dinner'n'disco. Hell on earth? Will ask...

Pont

Lunch at the Pont yesterday - the 3 Harris men, Sigrid, Richard and Alison, Claudine - some escaped the camera. Was tempted to parapatzz the adjascent table of Steve and Leslie and Mike and Hilary but forbore.

Good nosh!

Its turning into a cold and wet autumn, nearly - time to start planning new delights :) 

 

Harris home

John, Bob and Phil (pretending to be a flower) with Sigrid last night and below, with Robin - lovely having a full house :) Sad that Jean could't make it, health stuff has kept her in Blighty. Pity.

All well here, weather a little muggy - but the gekkos on Toby wall are still playing at night so autumn not quite here yet :)

 

Monday morning

The captains table... he's doing good in the garden and Im looking forward to lunch.

 Below, the sign on the creperie, evidence that Kevin is shooting himself in the foot - much like ex-Luc's bar, also closed for the same reasons of liberty. Cafe du Pont profitting as is Jean-Luc.

Heres a slightly underfull market - because there was a vide grenier over the bridge. It was smashing, not too hot, lots of mates out.

 

Photos of Claudinne and New Kelly are dreadful but I like this of Nel, who is offering a reward for a missing cherry :)

New Kelly is here til Tuesday; Shuff is here for a week; Pete n Clare are back; John and Jean are due tomorrow, as is Robin.

I'm just back from the health centre round the corner where an agreeable young man tested my breathiness and lungs. In blighty I'd have called him my COPD nurse; here I dunno. He's pleased with me anyway and Im pleased I don't have to go to Limoux to be tested. That Centre de Sante is a real blessing for Esperaza.
 

Baptising new relationship

You see that little white car in the distance, in front of the lorry? Sigrids car... shortly after she and Phil (and the dog) got out of the windows and waded to safety. Very sudden, lots of force, a deal of shocked fear... but they are safe, allelujia!

                      -This wasn't Esperaza where the sun continues to shine. Really not safe to leave here.

Sigrid had just enough juice in her phone to ring Aileen, who came and got them, then Diana to get me to ring her, Sigrid, so Phil could explain that lunch was down river. Alors, I had to cook todays lunch! (Lasagne, salade, chocolate cake) Here are our happy lovers, safe and sound...

 

Its a metaphor!

 The mists are clearing this morning after our storm... and my second cataract has been removed. The world looks truly marvellous (through plastic lenses...)

Latest news of Esperaza

 Yesterdays excitement was the removal of burnt stuff from Annie and Petes place - so the road had to be closed and poor Alix locked in. They were gone by the late afternoon though, to everyone's relief - even pedestrians had to walk round (I put up a fight and got through but it wasn't easy and the workers weren't amusing.) 

Esperaza is still being dug up in patches - today they were outside the post office in clouds of dust. This to lay optic cables and we'll all be very grateful one day.

Apropos the post; it is now only possible to use the cheap Brochure postal rate if the brochure contained is entirely in French. Doesn't matter that its printed in France. Dammit. Used to be a very cost-effective way of posting catalogues.

Now,  apropos Jim Barty... many questions have been asked about his death. Due to bureaucratic issues it was not possible to find the answers. But because of the efforts of Jims friends in the UK, his sister and legal inheritor has been found and she is empowering our own Kate Coughlan to deal with the many difficulties that have arisen. He will be cremated and it is hoped we'll have a party/ritual ceremony afterwards - more to be announced.

Pondering all this this morning I became aware of a drop in the bird song. Looking up, it was clear why; twenty-one buzzards floating slowly over the town. Magnificent. 

Art and nourishment

Very hot yesterday but Alex played through it with dedication - wonderful music to accompany the expo in his studio.  Acrylic abstracts and model boats... not sure how often the show will be open so best contact Alex at La plantation, last house in Esperaza - by the turning to St Ferriol. (domainelaplantation@gmail.com)

We'd been invited to visit Isobelle and Jean-Francois in St Jean de Paracol afterwards where Isobelle showed us how she makes her enchanting mosaics. She collects the stones - or sea glass sometimes - and cuts them, having drawn a plan which she fills (much like an embroidery, she says) adjusting as she goes. Gives a new dimension to labour intensively! Her studio is ordered and very clearly a workspace (unlike some studios that look like bomb sites, ahem) Her she is impressing the captain who has a degree in geology and was mesmerised.

 Jean-Francois is on the committee for the communally-owned cafe de Fa which is how we know that they have rejected the pass sanitare as an entry requirement. It'll be members only and from now on out of bounds to the frail and elderly and vunerable. Sigh.

 We chatted and ate as the light changed and darkness settled. Loved the ambiance - the food :) -the people. Hugs to them both and lets do it again soon.

tropical paradise

Here's wonderful Clare on her terrace yesterday with Nel, plucking lunch - she fed Pete, me and Bob and Phil, Nel and Pete and Hannah (their Dutch visitor) and Cen and Annette. It was a feast in every sense. She claims it was no work at all.

This morning we headed for Montazels, where they were holding their annual vide grenier. Last years' was great so back we trotted - this year getting a little table, some chairs, a bit of table ware. Stuff we actually need.

 Thence, of course, to the market... the sensational sitar player was there with her guitarist husband - who, I'm told, played with Jonny Halliday in the day. They are spellbinding.

 So you've finally decided to get rid of stuff?? Call CARRIE and book yourself a table for next weekends vide grenier in Esperaza -

social skills

 Dinner with Fran and Clare last night - work (tandoori chicken) done by Phil - candles by Chiara - trifle by me. Still trying to remember how to be sociable. Getting the hang of it, with a little help from our friends :)

resplendent like the dawn

 Here's Wilhem, spotted this  morning -going to join Bieke in Bruges for her exhibition and  also for the private view of the exhibition of their son. That's why he's not wearing the usual blues of the workforce. He takes the bus to Carcassonne, the train to Montpelier, the TGV to Bruges. (Easy to get anywhere by public transport from Esperaza!)

...and yesterday, yet more roadworks in town. Sudden and unexpected road closures which must keep drivers on their toes:)

 

Its raining, gently and comfortably - we need it, this drought has been fun but that's enough now.