Keys

Pete and Clare took possession of their new estate yesterday, up in La Serpent; magical place.

 We expected to eat there last night but as their car keys had gone awol decided to stay in Esperaza till they were found. Had a roisterous dinner in l'Authentique instead and will pursue keys today.

Should you happen upon a car key and a length of royal blue ribbon, let Clare know - :)
Above are Bob and Clare picking up the bed and walking - fol de rol.

Weather turned rather nasty. Cold, showers, occasional sun. Seem to have slipped into Autumn.

bah

 I know our lives in Esperaza are marvellous. Which is why when something is not good, you really notice it....

about two weeks ago, early in the morning, a young man appeared and asked that I open wide my shutters to let his tractor through. It was during the heat wave and the shutters are generally open a little and closed a lot to let the air through but keep the heat out. So they make a triangle into the impasse where I live.
Ever obliging, I did as asked.

Since then the tractor has been up and down like a yoyo on a tiny road not fitted for traffic. Whatever fuel drives it is toxic so the windows have to be closed all the time. Heaven knows what they are building on the edge of the field - it is in the garden of an uncommunicative neighbour - they've demolished one building and are constructing another. The dirt and noise starts early, breaks for lunch, carries on all afternoon.

Tiny impasse can be seen in the middle towards the right - now access to a building site 

They keep a lorry parked across the bottom of the impasse so the tractor can load it easily, which means ducking under their wing mirrors to get out and in.
They frighten the parrot.
The workmen are just doing a job. I know most of them and they are decent folk. What I don't get is how the neighbour got permission to do what he's doing. It seems that the field belongs to a school friend of his and that whatever he does there is OK.
Toby and Leo are badly affected as is everyone in the impasse -  we were never consulted.

On the scale of global problems this doesn't register and I've no intention of moaning at the mayor. Just registering my disapproval. Any advice, anyone? Other than to pull myself together, of course :)

Weds and Thursday catchup

 Yesterday we decided to eat out. In Esperaza there was nowhere; St Gobains has been mysteriously closed since before xmas, l'Authentique closes on Wednesday, le Creperie is on holiday till the 6th, TyRex wasn't open. Quelle horreur.
Off to Rennes les Bains to Will and Marvi, always open in the season and always good. Marvi was absent though, in Italy tending her ailing mother. Will, above, was coping rather well - lovely evening a deux, Bob in good form.
Today we  sashayed forth to LasTours to see our mates Helen and Tony Othen, below - glorious lunch on mountain terrace, lots of entertaining conversation, future plans. Slightly embarassed to post photos of them since Tony is a professional photographer - see

http://www.tonyothen.com/ to check out his work.

The big big excitement though is that our Peter Dunn has been interviewed by the guardian re his exhibition currently on at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London. It was published yesterday; heres a link;
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jun/28/lessons-hospital-closure-battles-nhs-cuts-activist-art

Rain, a bit - eating, a lot

 Falling rain, beautiful :) Took this on our way to lunch with Richard and Alison the other side of Carcassonne; where we were entertained right royally and in my case glutinously.
Back in Esperaza there had been proper rain and bits of storm so all is green and the river is looking less desperate.
Arvel and Caroline and lovely bookish boy came round in the evening and we uncovered many shared interests... thanks to Max for the intro. Pity they're off today but hoping they'll be back soon.

new friends

 Max is a generous geezer and was good enough to send some of his friends to Esperaza - here is Arvel in white and Caroline in black; Caroline's engaging son with his book and the dashing Captain Harris, back from his travels. We lunched in the Cathar Gormand and as ever ate well :) Max wasn't actually missed, we had so much to talk about (sorry Max)

Found this rather fetching pic of Ole-Bendik on my phone from coffee a couple of days ago looking like Odysseus returning home, perhaps.... he and Aileen are working flat out for their new expo, details posted as soon as they invite me :)

Bit of a breather

 Slightly cooler, mercifully, but still no rain -

Here are the new picnic benches outside the Dinosaur Museum and below is a nice big moth Kat and I saw in the street yesterday.

 Time for a quiet rest :)
Was about to write, nothing to report and then remembered the latest on the Mayor of Limoux. I'm told he was 'imprudent'. Everyone, it seems, knew he had several mistresses and since this is his private life that's OK, his problem; but he was trapped into being filmed and then blackmailed to prevent the film going onto YouTube. The fact that the film is (or was) on YouTube indicates he didn't go for that and is suing the extortionist. Who is allegedly a political enemy who is greatly to the right of LePenn. (There's more but I was told all this in French and may have got it wrong -)
Oh la.

clouds

At last, some clouds - 

its been suffocatingly hot - no rain as yet but much cooler. Phew. Lying low here.