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.