Singing in the rain

 Ferren MacIntyre and Aileen Hennes... gracing the Thursday market with an appearance. Aileen is younger than me but Ferren is 20 years older.  I asked how he was. He's working on a paper that is a critique of two respectable scientists who are climate change deniers, with what he calls 'the other side of the story'. Can't wait!

Ferren is of course our resident genius and author of many a scientific thang, whilst Aileen is the author of The Hirsute Civil Servant available from Vanguard Press and heartily recommended.

The market didn't have much in the way of fruit and vedg - holidays - but was very sociable after a blast of a storm last night that has freshened us all up.

This evening it was cool enough to go for a stroll and as I idly watched a mallard on the Aude there was a white flash of light across the water and an almightily deafening crash. Both the duck and I were startled. It was probably lightening hitting the cockerel on the church tower reflected in the river and thunder, of course- afterwards Charlotte told me she thought her house had been hit by something as everything shook and when I got home Bob told me that Rico the parrot had fallen off his perch.

Another downpour followed.

Got wet.

Lovely.

-and so it goes

The market carries on being a vehicle for the weird and w0nderful; after my shopping I spent 20 mins sitting in the Tibetan takeaway watching the world struggle past. It's cooler so all the world has come shopping. Plus there's a vide grenier by the river. Basically, awful -  but of course lovely to catch some mates out and about.

On another track, I was able to take my atrophying limbs for an evening stroll last night. Our footbridge, no doubt a masterpiece of engineering ingenuity in its day, is looking v sorry.

 

The town hall are going to spend some 18 grand on repairs, subsidised by the region - you can't get a roof repaired for that, difficult to see how effective that can be. Watching with interest!

Boum boum not

 Upheaval continues.

There are  those who think perpetual revolution is a good thing.

I do not; nor do the parrots.

Decent storm yesterday, plus another bunch of rain in the night - temps around 34 so not exactly comfy but a load better.

FranceInfo, reputable source, runs a piece today saying that yesterday the children of a recently deceased man in his sixties found radioactive pots of jam in his house. ( FranceInfo says three pots, other sources four, but I digress)

Twenty emergency firemen and two special mobile units that deal with chemical risks plus special help from Toulouse - two fire trucks, an ambulance and a special drone - came to La Place de l'Industrie and closed it off.

Inhabitants 100 meters around the site were evacuated as a precaution. Ingredients found; mercury and dioxide of thorium (that's radioactive) which are a chemical poison comparable to uranium and all the dangers that that offers. Glass optics, aeronautic bits, and hey, jam jars... our mayor says he was a physicist interested in quantum mechanics and was doing scientific experiments. All have been removed by the correct authorities and are safe. 

La Place de l'Industrie is home to the wonderful Radio Ballade and the studio where the Friday night artists hold life-drawing sessions. There's a yoga studio and various other worthy activities. Plus (it seems) a physics lab - Esperaza really is amazing :)

expulsions

Here is Bob keeping the parrots company in the garden.

Everyone has had to leave their familiar spaces as some changes are made which incur a barrel load of dust and debris.

Then they had to be expelled from the garden as a sudden rainstorm arrived:) Not sure where we are now. It's a full and exciting life, for sure.

 

sadness

 Babette has turned up - alas, no longer of this planet. Aileen thinks she copped a snake bite. She was discovered dead on a bed of waterlilies in the lake. 

Actually any of my dogs, long passed, would have benefitted from such a death.

Many commiserations to Aileen ---

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My family have gone off to Toulouse, thence to other pastures French. Pinning for them.

Matt, Tom and Paddy on our last evening together. Come back soon xxxx

stop press

Babette has gone missing, by the lake at Arques.

Anyone spotting her, please contact Aileen who is desperately worried. Babette is 16 and prone to senior moments but is much loved, well medicated and of course the matriarch of Aileens pack. 

 

Family summer

 William and Hanna Harris have just left for the airport, their visit over too soon - my brother Matt and his two boys have arrived and are here till tomorrow. It was a treat watching the young ones bonding.

Farewell dinner at the Poulet en velo last night, which was of course fun and a delight for those that hadn't been there before (we didn't tell them anything about it) Here's Tom snapping in the lake:

My meal was thin slices of marinated of beef with truffles and parmisan...

and here's this mornings brunch, after we'd waved goodbye to the Harris's, at La Ravido in Couiza;

Sorry, Harrises!! You were much missed!! Honest!!!!