Irrepressible Sunday in Esperaza

Sundays' market, with the stallholders usually near the stage moved to other spaces. Worked well. Got very hot! We are so lucky to have the weekly market, source of fresh vedg., knick-knacks and joy :) 

The fete carried on in the afternoon and evening. Us oldies did other things - specifically, lunch at Margaret and Johns. Where those two get their energy from is a matter for science to discover. Kat was there and Mike, pineapple peeler extraordinaire, was there with Hilary. She was making her first tentative social call since getting out of hospital; hopefully the first of many more events. 
 

The weather was gorgeous and so was the food and the guests. 

Fete ongoing

 To La Chapaire last night, at the invitation of Siggi and her family; which has grown by one, Maria - totally charming baby. Here she is with her Mama, consulting the menu - (and that is Nel in the background, there with Pete and friends -)

Maria again, with her besotted uncle -

the town fete continued in the square, pleasing the town greatly - 

and Maria slept through it all.

4 degrees this Sunday morning brrr... market in interesting fettle, because of the fete a lot of the stalls are relocated to Rue Gambetti. Sun is out now though - things are warming up :)

Esperaza fete

It's that time of year... the feast day of our patron St Michael, bringer of cold and rain! Here are Jamsie and Masher last night checking it out - judging from the videos on you tube, the DJ was a great success. 

The funfair continues over the footbridge... 

Right now, Saturday afternoon, the communal meal is in full swing. I took a look around and was impressed by the obvious fun, despite the weather - 

If you don't fancy it, this is on tomorrow night. 

 

going or gone

 Allenna's gone back to Toronto; Bobs in Blighty; and now Valentine is leaving us! Many Brits will fret.

She'll be off in a month to work in Bram. The drive to and from Carcassonne every day was doing her in. Bah.

Perfect seaside at St Pierre

 Pete and Clare, Bob, Allenna and myself stopped somewhere for a coffee en route to St Pierre - this motorbike was tied to the wall. It dates from the 1950's sometime and is called a Beckham?? Or similar. The village was called Taliban. Or something like. Not really on the ball today, after a most relaxing little break.

Lunch was in our third choice, all our fave restos being closed. This wasn't bad... salad, moules, chocolate mouse. Mostly; there were variations.

This is my self-portrait, apparently looking into a microscope, with Pete and Clare in the distance.

Here they are, up closer...

The weather was just perfect. Not too hot, no wind, couldn't have designed a better day. 

I made a recording of the gently plashing waves which I have tried to put up here for your pleasure, but it exceeds some limit and it can't be done. Sigh.

alive and wellish

 

Still twinkling, Ole-Bendik is in re-education in Chalabre where he is well cared for. Notwithstanding, he says he'll be out next week as he wants to come home. Is it us he misses?? Ha! It's Cleopatra.

 Lovely to see the old boy and hear of his mishap from the horses mouth, as it were. Knocked about by the forces of darkness while leaving Annie and Petes, in the rain. Mending heroically fast, he says.  

Allenna and the ruins

 Been doing the tourist thang in the Aude with Allenna; started at Alet-les-bains, with the beautiful ruin of the cathedral - hundreds of photos of course - here's one.

In the adjacent church spotted this angel driving a car.

much other good stuff including a portrait of Nicholas Pavilion

possibly not the pirate of the same name but who knows?? Seeing as Nostradamus is supposed to have lived down the street, anything is possible.

Next stop Rennes-le-chateau where we enjoyed a hearty lunch at the bistro of les amis, much appreciated; and a quick tour of the church where I noticed this stained glass for the first time, Lazarus being called forth. Rather good, amongst the kitsch.

That's us exhausted then.

Today, market day, was WET. Coped well, saw lots of friends, now cocooning.

Allenna and the wider world

 

Allenna's here, hot from the Metaforum conference in Berlin. Which followed on from WOSC in Oxford. Still full of energy! We ate at the Tibetan restro in Quillan last night, jolly good. 

And today in Quillan was the hanging of an arts expo for the Rotary group, decent folk - naturally I'm in it and its all worth dropping in on. At the gym by the swimming pool (closed till spring) 

Speechy stuff tomorrow at 10.00am. Open till Sunday afto. 

Allenna and I took a stroll after the delicious pasta I made -with sauce from Bobs garden vedg - and stumbled on what I'm guessing must be the fete du vin at Le Healthy. 

Music was good to listen to from a distance and Esperaza was warm and pleasant. Felt like being abroad.

Caught sight of Berndt!! He was packing up stuff to take back to Germany since the house here is sold. Hoping he and Jutta will return to us from time to time.

And we finally have the new street lights. Very bright. Worried about the impact on the flies and thereafter the geckos. Watching closely.

Much returning in Esperaza

Heres Kay!! Back with Marie-Ann from foreign parts, here for a while, glad to be back - and Peter Dunn and Clare Millar and Bob Harris, all back home in good health obvs.

 Great evening at Toutla. We were joined also by Nightingale, of early Creperie days - much loved in these parts by the Brits and indeed the French - currently working in Linares the newsagent if you want to say hi.

This is Jean Lucs current menu; for Max really, who is arriving in October and hoping to arrange a soiree around the raclette machine. Which will be repaired and up again in November, probably, says Jean Luc.

Here is the menu from Mattieus place, where Claudine and I had coffee yesterday. (Annoyingly, I've lost the pretty picture of her ) We've decided to lunch there soon.

 

autumns market in Esperaza and on

 Despite the cold the market was its usual cheerful self. Caught up with a few mates and then took off with Rushton to Arques, slowly, marvelling at the countryside. Arques had a vide grenier which was charming - and where we had breakfast, at their buvette - but no purchases made as we are both very mature and need to get rid of rather than acquire stuff. That's what we told ourselves, but the fact was there was nothing much of note there. So we went for a drive, carrying on up above Arques...

... where there are camels. 

On we drove to a little place that we never found the name of, where there was another vide grenier -

All very welcoming and this time we both found bits we liked - so not that mature then -

Thence to lunch, at a la table in Couiza.  Only other time I'd been there I'd had one of those debilitating colds and hadn't managed much but this time I was quite competent and loved it all. The English chef Andy is brilliant and the fact that the place was packed shows I'm not the only one who thinks so...

Voila, Rushton and the chicken curry, hardly a traditional French dish but the French were tucking in too. 

Five star day ! And the forecast says it'll be warmer this week in time to greet the returning Captain.

Ceret and Max Jacob

 Went to Ceret yesterday, courtesy Lizzie Jackson who did the driving - the countryside is so beautiful at the moment, just before the leaves turn - but cold!! Above is a photobomber outside the modern art museum where we'd gone to see the Max Jacob exhibition. 

 

The Max Jacob show was more about his circle and times than his painting which was of course fascinating. Above is Picabias portrait of him. Picasso was his godfather when he was baptised a catholic (being born Jewish) and there can't have been any of the big players of the day with whom he was not an intimate. He cast astrological charts and read palms... got the Legion d'honeur for his literary efforts but alas, died en route to a death camp in WW11. The expo was well assembled, given the multi-faceted nature of the man and lack of output - and the restored gallery is gorgeous. Enjoyed it all.  

 Can't remember what else has been going on. Lovely evening at Toutla on Wednesday. Those evenings come into their own when the tourists have gone and the part-timers disappeared and only the old lags remain to console each other.

frog weather

 

Gymnastics by the town lorry, continuing to change the street lights. They are working their way down the little streets but this one - where Ian and others live - is next to the town hall, so I'm guessing some sort of priority. I'm the next street down and there's no sign of them.  Not bovvered though.

You can tell not a lot is happening. 

Here's the frog, catching the sun but crouching in the face of the wind.

Birthdays

Lizzie Jacksons birthday... so we celebrated in high style. Firstly, Bruno opened a dozen oysters which we wolfed with a white wine d'oc and baguette - a great start - thence to the Chateau des Ducs de Joyeuse, always a popular destination :)

as one would expect, their  menu was a creative and highly digestible joy though it is the dreadfully expensive BaronArques - a heady red - that remains on my palettes memory.

In the morning there was breakfast at le relais occitan after which both Bruno and Bob left us - Bruno for his home and Bob for Stanstead, poor man.

So me and Lizzie did the vide grenier and met a load of friends, had lunch by the fire engine and generally enjoyed the return of summer! A little too hot, perhaps - we are out of practice - but totally acceptable.

Here's a tiny child who entertained us very well...

The other excitement is that my five fish have managed to breed a tiny golden baby!

Hard to snap as its very zippy indeed but can be seen here by the white reflection - thrilled to bits and hoping for more.

 

brrr

 

Weather can't make up its mind... according to the info panel by the fountain its 19c but it feels a lot colder. The forecast expects it to rise to 29.

Only excitement is that there is a vide grenier on Sunday! Lets hope it ain't raining by then.

Bruno and Fontfroide

 Bruno is staying, always a treat - and yesterday he announced that our outlooks needed broadening and that he would drive us to the Abbaye de Fontfroide near Narbonne. I hadn't been there for years and Le Capt had never been, so off we set - dodging the showers - picking up Brunos sister Rosine en route.

Lunch of course was superbe! And long and fun, the Lang family being the sort of French company us Brits cherish for its outrageous otherness :)

The Abby itself is photogenic to the point of unreality - loved it all, even the contemporary art. 

The rain held off so that after lunch we ambled around the rose garden and generally felt ourselves blest.

And today, the rain is pouring off our gutters as I write. Very good news, for the river, the land and the cleanliness of the town.

Seasonal changes

Autumn! This morning was misty and noisy with the leaf blower. Temporary lull in the rainfall, and it's so cool it's delicious

Here's the only usable photo from Saturday night - spent with Louise and Norbert in their eyrie, in the company of the Dougie and the lady now known as Reg. (much debated; public opinion  has dubbed her thus and it seems to stick) Other informed talk still has me thinking. 

Great night! When the food and conversation are so engaging and there is a storm raging about, what's not to love?? 

Photographed the new street lighting afterwards. Ho hum.

Other news: Robin is back, briefly; and it's Ian birthday (66, since you ask)