waddling today

The lovely Maison de la Riviere is being made more lovely ...such a pleasure to come over the little bridge and see it, ready to welcome visitors. 

To the few who don't know; the Maison de la Riviere is our go-to for guest overflow, it being quite the nicest BnB in town.

Below, cutting our Italian dessert into manageable slices, is Michael who made it. He came with Barbara to dinner last night. Heavenly guests. 

The onion soup was the real thing, since it was made by Madame Charlotte who knows a thing or two... she's selling it in the market today and we might be getting some more!

I did duck to death afterwards, all a bit much though possibly redeemed by blet (chard?) from the garden and potatoes, cooked in more duck fat.
 

Annoy the Young

Hurrah, time for the oldies to get their xmas gift from the town hall.

Well, that is, the gift is from the town hall - you actually get it in the arts centre, no, not the Centre Culturelle, but the place that the last mayor designed as an arts centre, hence the name, but is now a centre for various novel healing techniques. Don't start me.

 

Brrr

some sort of metaphor by the river this morning - a grasshopper frozen to death and used as a hatstand by a spider- 

that aside, all well. Had a conversation with Liz Dunnett who says Hiya to all who remember her; she's hoping to get here with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren for a visit, sometime.

 

Weather will get better, they say -

 

 Since I go rather early to the market, I'm not sure what happens later... but early on, it was c o l d and as you can see from the snap, few people about.

But our Kate turned up!! Long time since she's been sighted in these parts. All well with her and Dermot...

This morning, Rue Gambetta is closed. Workmen at the top. Very pleasant :) We're off swimming and shopping - have a nice Monday, y'all!

Autumn in the Aude

 

Le Relais Occitan

It's been a while since I posted... we've had rain, we've had sunshine. we've had rainbows and all is well. High spot of my week - apart from Bobs (eventual) return on Tuesday - was Wednesday night at Tout la Apero.  Jean-Luc is back from his hols and opened his doors; Alain is back from Australia, Robin from Blighty (briefly, he's off to Toulouse), oh and many others came and went. As ever, fab range of chatting. 

Been swimming today. Indoors, heated, we are not crazy. This is the life :)

Congratulations

 Ever so-slightly surreal evening at La Chapaire with Claudine... it was the third year of their being a fully functioning restaurant, so celebrations were abounding!

Congratulations to Guillaume and all involved.

all well for once

 All good here, from my point of view anyway - Bob is OK according to his UK team, for his age (!) so will be back Tuesday and about time too. Sends love to all who've wished him well.

Thursday market charming as ever. Met with Claudinne, then Rushton hove up back from Japan. Japan one of the few places I'd leave Esperaza for and since I have a nephew teaching there it may not be impossible... will find out more.

Temperatures are low but the skies are clear and the bright blue that makes life so delightful here continues to bathe us... here's the moon this evening.

and in case you didn't realise that christmas is breathing down your neck, the decorations are up. But not yet switched on.

good news!

Ruby and Donna have arrived!!

Tobys grandchildren have been birthed in Amsterdam to the delight and joy of all the family. 

Hearty congratulations to all.

Meanwhile, in Esperaza; its winter. We had our first really cold morning yesterday, the pond frog has hibernated and the garden birds are ravenously hungry. I'm making soup.

In Rue Gamebetta, the original Healthy Life has moved on to become a tea room and old clothes shop - no idea when its opening but there will certainly be a full report.

Bob is still in Blighty, waiting to find out when he'll be back (specialised medical stuff). I'm cocooning.

 

Less exciting Sunday market

Of course, rain never entirely stops the market but the forecast was bad and a lot of stall holders didn't show. Enough to chat with and wander around, so most pleasant - and the rain was only intermittent. 

Today is a national holiday to remember the dead of previous wars. 

Esperaza is deserted - no cars - its very like lockdown in the covid years. Lovely.

 

Thursday market excitement

 On Thursdays there is a market in the square - a fraction of the Sunday extravaganza- where fresh vedg are sold, some meat, new baked bread, that sort of thing. Robust clothes for women of a certain age, occasionally books, the wonderful cordonnier for fixing your shoes and cutting your keys. Very laid back and peopled with the gentle elderly, pottering about and gossiping.

Today the sun was shining and it boded well. But Linares, the newsagent, was closed. According to the sign this was due to an electricity cut.

And such it was. None of the shops had electricity and the Relais Occitan cafe could only provide bottles of beverage so the atmosphere was rather giddy and full of laughter.

Here's Clare wondering what to do without coffee.

 

What with the sunshine and carnival atmosphere it was all a bit jolly. I skulked a while and thought of the Pont cafe, where the electric was still on AND they had a pain au chocolate left.

----Despite it all, life is good.

 

FYI Francis Funeral

 

 

The funeral will be in the church tomorrow, Friday the 8th,  at 3.00.

Francis Dos Santos RIP

Most of the inhabitants of Esperaza knew Francis. He was kindly and charming and thoughtful and on the brink of retirement... heart-breaking, that after a life of hard work, back-breaking work, his life should end so suddenly. 

Francis was found in his field trapped under a tractor late Sunday night. The local papers say that his injuries were too severe to be survived.

I'independent says he was known for his kindness and helpfulness and indeed he was. We first knew him when he was quite new here, some 20 years ago; I didn't have much building French and neither did he, being Portuguese, but his English wasn't bad. He was a mason; having trained as an engineer/architect in Portugal he was incredibly useful. Looking at my home I see evidence of his work everywhere. 

 

He was also a lover of parrots.

Profound condolences to his family and to all those that mourn him.

Sundays revels

It's that time of year...

and the lovely sitar player was out again. Good market, if a little thin. 

The big bad news is that Jean-Luc at Tout-la is off on his hols - well merited but all our Wednesdays are disrupted.

Probably best to check with Roy but guessing it'll be the Pont that welcomes us for the interim.

 

appy alloween

 Rolands shoulder is rebuilt, safely, and he is has started his rehabilitation in Limoux. Kat sent the picture and as she remarked, only three more weeks and it'll be over. 

Toussaint being a public holiday was fairly noisy here, many children painted up to look ghastly and being marched about. Today much more pleasant. The captain and I have booked our christmas lunch at a table in Couiza, delighted with the notion... and for the moment we will live on lettuce.