Giddy Weds

Robin undertook to fed me and Gracie and Andrew at Chez Francois yesterday and we had a most jolly time - nice to meet Andrew and catch up with Robin and as ever to be about Gracie :)

This is Andrew, new boy in town - hoping he'll stay, he already loves Esperaza. Charmed, among other things, by the politeness of the inhabitants. 

Bob is still quite unwell so he sent me off alone to dine with Gert and Elsbeth  at the newly-reopened Tapas Bar. It was Boys Night Out so most of the male foreigners from a selection of countries were already there, chattering like magpies :)   

Jean-Luc clearly glad to be in the bar. Here he is helping is operate the fondu-type machine. My pictures of Gert didn't pass muster - we'll have to do it all again until I get it right hahaha. 

 

Rain time

Here is Cleopatra with her familiar, Ole-Bendik... a treat to see them both yesterday. Saw a handful of other friends too; all is well, it seems, in this little swamp. It's raining, gently but firmly, and will allegedly continue so to do for another three days. Rejoice for the soil, right?
 

Back in Esperaza

 ...this seems to be it for the missing week :) No news is good news after a rather hectic time in London. Though the weather here has been cold and wet and will continue so ( so they say), whereas I was basking in hot sun in the city.

The Apero bar in Rue Gambas has re-opened, very smart and much bigger. Took  coffee there with Norbert and Phil, who happened to be about - 

Good to be back. Love Esperaza.

aimlessless

 Surely we all know by now that the post office closes Tuesday afternoon at 3.45... here's a reminder in case you are setting off with important post.

Discovered that Linares, the newsagent in Rue Gambetta, will take payment for fines. Since the Captain was reckless enough to go 7 KPH over the 80 KPH speed limit, I took the paperwork there and it was easily dealt with. All it took was money. Bah.

Saw Lily, the most-beloved Ukrainian of them all; still tearful, sleepless. The Mayor has got 8 refugees from Kiev coming to Esperaza - they are already homed. But there will be others, no doubt. Don't forget to offer spare rooms/houses/palaces to the town hall where you just fill in forms and wait to hear what will happen; someone will call when they need the spaces.

Chatted with Erika and Nicholas at the 8a8. They are expanding! They've bought the 8a8 at Couiza which Nicholas will run. Erika stays with us, with help from the family. A big and bold step that will be exhausting but they are young and very enterprising. All the best to them for the new venture.

Kicking my heels somewhat here as I'm off to Blighty tomorrow and  can't really get stuck into anything, hence all this wandering about. 

Rainbows and smiles

It's been raining. Janet spotted this wonderful double rainbow lingering on Rennes le Chateau and John was on hand to take the picture. What a team those two are. 

 Here's another team. Roland and Mike last night at John and Margarets - yes,  they're back :) After apero there was the Creperie and non-stop chatter (me, I fear) and a hugely comforting sense of life becoming real again.

Thursday thriving

Here  is Thursdays market in full swing - and below, the bootmender in his van fixing my wallet which has been shedding money. Lovely delicate leather worker. I was thanking him (3 euros) when Mike hove up with his wallet, which our friend seems to have rebuilt.

 Forgot to photograph Filip and Lone yesterday: they are looking great but you'll just have to take my word for that. They'll be here for a week, between Barcelona and Copenhagen. Oh also forgot Phil and Ziggi today who came round and tried to help persuade Rico to go home. Rico is the most cage-loving parrot possible,  but he was determined to stomp about the place possibly because its spring and, as Phil put it, the sap is rising. It's fine if he wants to be out but food and water are inside his house - as he eventually realised.

It's an exciting life.

Peace Prayer?

Needing to have my bloods done - routine check-up - I took the bus to Quillan. Very cold, very frosty with the mountains being very dramatic. Here's the station.

Since one isn't allowed breakfast, I dived into the Terminus Cafe as soon as I was able and lo! There was Di Eccles, ex-Esperazanaise, who apparently breakfasts there most days. Much gossiping was done. And breakfast eaten.

Bella, Di's beautiful dog, was posing as Goya's dog, in the painting known as The Dog :)

Weather turned beautiful. Chatted to others in the town and caught the bus home, where I was struck by this charming graffiti opposite the 8a8...

 Perhaps intended as a Peace Prayer?

Gallivant

 Ever in search of culture, Gracie and I went to a reading at the Maison des Memoires in Carcassonne yesterday. Two most accomplished actors read from the poems of Griselidis Real (1929 - 2005), billed as a writer and Swiss prostitute. Very harrowing indeed. The poor woman had an horrendous life but kept on top with her writing and eventually becoming a militant voice for sex workers. 

We set off thinking she was *only* a poet - her work was shattering.

One of the sweet people we met took this snap of us. The place was rammed and the smooth organisers set up a video link into the adjacent studio for an extra 20 people, where we snuck in.

Slightly fazed by the content (and quality) of the work, we set off to Limoux where the carnival is in process - note the confetti, it isn't snow - and after a coffee we decided to join the vernissage at a new gallery, where friends where exhibiting. 

Here's beautiful Gracie with Diana... the other photos are, hmm, slight . The new gallery is most impressive and being bang next door to the post office, very visible. 

*Forgot - Terminus lunch; Tartiflette followed by coconut pie. Sustained us for the day. Just down from Carcassonne train station, lovely place.

Off to market now. Bob has left for the early flight to Stanstead, poor chap - I have a week of fun and frolics or at least catching of up with work.

Some are blessed; some are wrecked

Here's lovely Janet last night; she and John gave Barbara and Micheal and me and the Captain a marvellous meal and an engaging and entertaining evening, thanks all!! Janet is eating stuffed pepper, mangetouts, little fried spuds with rosemary, sweet potatoes coated in sesame. 

We'd already had a fish mousse with walnut bread - and Barbara brought a cake she'd made. Bob and I contributed nothing, I regret to say - except that they also serve who only  etc etc. 

John and Micheal 

Barbara cutting cake

We are so lucky!

-------Now; seriousness.

The marie is of course closed until Monday but it opens at 9.00am. At that time you can get in and fill out forms, saying what rooms you can offer the dispossessed refugees fleeing their country. I'm sure many of us can offer unused spaces for shelter as this dreadful drama in the Ukraine unfolds. If you've no spare room then take a look in the marie at the list of stuff they'll need and prepare to donate. 

* May those in pain know their suffering shall not last and find comfort and relief*

 

Brothers

One of the tiny miniature jonquils that flower on the hills at this time of year... this was between Rennes le Chateau and Rennes les Bains, that beautiful plateau in the sky. We were totally disturbed and upset to find an elderly French couple with armfuls of them which they had picked, quite illegally. Hence, we could find only two that had escaped the slaughter. I did challenge them - bolting the stable door etc  etc but the bloke seemed to think they'd grow bigger if he took them home, duh. 

And here's Bobs brother Phil (and partner Ziggy) with my brother Matt and a complete stranger on the tele...we ate at the creperie and had a very jolly evening. The brothers were meeting for the first time and it was good to see them get on :) 

This adorable little pic is of course a Duffy. Matt and I made the bus trip to Perpignan and had a remarkable day, featuring the Musee de Hyacinthe Rigaud which has a fine collection - mixed, is the correct term - of art. Rigaud is of course a superb portrait painter and many other Perpignan artists are represented. Since Duffy lived there for 10 years they have a few of his.

It is now an easy matter to take the bus to Quillan and pick up the Perpignan bus there, so I'II be back. Shops! Museums! Restaurants of great splendour! 

Matt leaves for York today, I'm sad to say.

Eating more again - and helping the wounded - and Perpignan timetables

My  brother Matt is here! And so of course we are lunching at the Pont - where Erica (below), is telling Bob he can't have pudding until he finishes his meal -

Again and as usual, an extraordinarily good meal.

Started with sea food baked in cheese sauce. Bob had asparagus in vinaigrette. Moved on to faux fillet (in mushroom sauce) and Bob had an omelette. We all ate the coupe Jackson... Matt is well impressed.

And last night we ate at Healthy Life, the takeaway in Rue Gambetta, who excelled themselves too - white fish, delicate and flakey, covered in a light crunch of herbs and stuff. Their plat du jour is always worth a go.

Talking of Rue Gambetta...lifted this from La Vie Vintage on Facebook (hence change of background colour which I cant find out how to control...):

 The Marie in Quillan is the collection point in our valley of medical supplies that will be sent to the hospital in Kviv next week by Alliance Occitanie Ukraine.

If you would like to donate but can't get to Quillan we are collecting at

La Vie Vintage

2 rue Gambetta

11260 Espéraza

Mon and Wed 14.00 to 18.00

Fri 10.00 to 12.00

Or by RDV at other times, please ring Bev on 06 02 08 96 16 or Gill on 06 72 30 10 17

We will be delivering the supplies to Quillan on Friday afternoon

Items required include:-

All purpose dressings

Sterilised compressions

Betadine

Burns kits

Stretch bandages

Survival blankets

Saline

Basically anything for cleaning and dressing wounds

If you prefer to donate money we will then go and buy supplies

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Since we went to Quillan this morning, desperate to get a timetable for the Perpignan bus (their site is a disaster), we dropped off sterile dressings and all that stuff to the little town hall, who were delighted. Get that old first aid pack out from under the stairs and take it over, or drop off tomorrow afto at La Vie Vintage or on Friday morning. Every bit can only help.

The Information centre in Quillan has the timetables and Nel was right (thanks Nel) they have been changed so now we can catch the 7.55 from Esperaza to Quillan and get to the Perpignan bus in good time. In previous days you had to get a driver to take you to the Quillan stop for 7,45 - now they are coordinated hurrah!

Unless the weather takes a bizarre turn, that's me and Matt out for the day on this memorable bus. It drives through the gorges terrorising cars and drops you in the Centre du Monde, for 1 euro.