Blood on my Hands!

No need to be anxious ..... the blood was from a dead wild boar, a lump of which arrived, still warm yesterday afternoon. The hunting season has opened here and some of the spoils came our way. In the evening we had an apéritif dinatoire to mark Françoise's birthday which was the day before. Thérèse and Linde came too and as the predicated rain storm never arrived, we were able to sit out on the small terrace.

Omnibus Edition

Why, oh why didn't I heed my own advice? Here I am after a hard morning's ironing with nearly two weeks to catch up on. It's the wretched website for "Maureillas sans Frontières", it's taken over my life in between trips to the bar for a coffee or a rosé. Anyway, here goes for an abridged catch up....
24th-30th August:
How quickly the days go especially when there's the garden to tend, the computer to comandeer and jam to make. There was also lunch with Rowena, Maggie for dinner after the council meeting, Didier who turned up out of the blue after several years of no contact, rugby and dinner chez Philippe and Danielle. Our first wild boar of the season and it was delicious. Cooked for several hours in a low oven, the meat just melted in your mouth. Have just reaslised that I haven't taken any photos this week. Don't know why.
23rd August:
Les Parigos left today and the house was suddenly calm and empty. What else was there to do but pick up on old habits and get off to the market. In the afternoon we packed an overnight bag and set off for St Lorenç as a belated birthday treat. After a bottle of champagne on our terrace, David served us up a super meal, full of variety and interesting touches. Breakfast was good too which we ate on the downstairs terrace looking out over the wooded slopes opposite.
With the whole day in front of us we decided to go up to a sanctuary at 1130m. Needless to say the views are just magnificent and there was even a hang-glider waiting very patiently for lift off. Had lunch there but it was very ordinary and didn't make up for all the religious stuff round about. Still, as I said, the views are just breathtaking. A little nap under the shade of a tree on the way down and an icecream on the back road home.
22nd August:
At long last, a drop of rain and after Michelle and I had watered the garden last night. This evening it was another sort of garden on show as it was the vernissage(opening) of an exhibition entitled "roses and gardens" by a local artist. There were the usual speeches, chat and apéritif. Michelle and Jean-Jacques came back with us for another apéritif and took pot luck for dinner.


21st August:
I'm all for encouraging young people to cook, so today Leo's offer to cook "Poulet Coco"was received with great pleasure and he didn't disappoint. Elsa and I made a mars bar chocolate cereal crunch cake to round off the meal and the hips. Last year Leo had decided that when he leaves school he would like to have an award winning restaurant but sadly for us, this year he wants to be a designer. Ah well, you can't win 'em all.
After the meal, Christian and I took a wander down to the recreation ground to watch the sardane. There were lots of dancers, plenty of spectators, a bar and raffle that we didn't win. This Saturday is the last organised dance, a sure sign that summer is coming to an end, not that you'd know it with the temperatures that we're having.
20th August:
Thérèse laid on a great apéritif dinatoire for 10 of us in her garden which ended with a surprise round of "happy birthday" for me!




19th August:
Yippee! Frank and Stéphanie in the kitchen so that left me free to go to the bar while Christian was at his meeting. What a team. They came up with a great meal and Papa found a bottle of champagne in the cave to celebrate the forthcoming nuptials.
Apéro ~ a variety of toasts with champagne
Roast Tomato Millefeuilles with a Château de Ruth, Côte du Rhone
Veal with crumble topping and a medley of vegetables
Chocolate Gâteau
Rounded the evening off with several games of "Jungle Speed" which is good fun for all ages if you're reflexes are better than mine.

Family Day Out

Thank goodness we took the motorway over the border; the queue on the main road was several kilometres long and just to awful to contemplate. Our first stop was a drink at the waterfall then it was on to Boadella to see the ducks and the geese on the river. It was very warm when we arrived in St Lorenç so half of the group dropped out of the walk around the village, prefering to sit on a bench in the shade. No prizes for guessing who! Lunch as usual in our favourite restaurant was really good and David, the owner was as obliging as ever. Stopped off at the lake for a swim, and at La Jonquera for shopping and petrol on the way home. Then it was a quick bit of organisation to prepare for an apéritif in the garden with our co-horticulturalists, their parteners and visitors; we were 16 in all. We even stopped off at the rugby practice on the way down to the garden but this week I copped out. Packed up and came home around 9.30pm as the light was all but gone. Jean-Jacques and Michelle stayed for a coffee and a bit more chat. It was a long day and no question of reading before lights out.
Phew! At last the blog is up-to-date after being a week behind. Shouldn't leave it so long as I can't remember things from one day to the next!

Now, Mexican

Everyone went out fr the day so the grandparents were left to pick up their habits ie, a couple of glasses of wine at the bar before lunch, the Sunday papers and not a lot else. We returned to the bar for an evening apéritif with Thérèse as there was a young accordianist playing. The atmosphere was gay and very French with the paso doble thrown in for good measure. After that it was home for a one-I-prepared -earlier chili con carne. Food sans Frontières!

Yesterday, Spanish; Today, Moroccan

Decided to give the market a miss as there was sure to be a mass of heaving humanity to negotiate. You'll perhaps be surprised that we do do other things apart from eating and drinking; This afternoon there was a visit to José's (Philippe's brother-in-law's) exhibition in a nearby village. since his retirement, he's taught himself to sculpt olive wood and by way of a change he decorates terracotta pots and vases. The paintings on show are those of his cousin who lives in Tarragona. After all that culture and ages spent waiting to be able to photo a swallow feeding her chicks, we were in need of a cuppa which we found at Philippe's Mum's.As everyone knows, we can't live by culture alone so in the evening we attended a meal at the campsite with Leo and Elsa. There were a couple of other councillors there who stayed for the apéritif but we were the only ones to stay for the Moroccan meal. It was really good, so no regrets on that score. Leo and Elsa found another equally bored-with-being-on-holiday-with-Mum-and-Dad teenager. The eclipse of the moon was also visible for a time so one way and another, everyone was happy.

Festa Mayor

Today is a public holiday and the annual festival up in our sister village. For the energetic early birds (such as Frank, Elsa and Leo)there is a walk up there through the woods with questions to answer along the way. The less energetic of us drive up in time for the prize giving and an apéritif. First of all, however, there was the inauguration of a recently renovated bridge which had been covered by undergrowth and long since forgotten.The bridge stands on an ancient mule track and pilgrim path that goes up to the parish church. No doubt the bridge fell into disuse with the building of the road and there's great debate as to the date of it's construction. The cutting of the ribbon was followd by an apéritif (of course)and then it was off to lunch of paella. The chef is 82 years old and the paella served 250. Kinda puts my cuilinary efforts into perspective!In the afternoon there was a boules competion and in the evening a disco which we gave a miss as we were invited to dinner at Joëlle and Michel's along with Robert and Martine to meet up with Philippe and Corinne who are down from Amiens.

Midweek Round-up

Tuesday, Frank and Stéphanie arrived with the two little ones and I worked in the garden in the morning and had my last aquagym sesssion in the afternoon. Just as well really as it was all starting to get a bit ambitious. Well, I ask you, floating on your back with nothing for support than two foam "chips". There ae now 13 of us in the house but it's only for a short while.In the evening there was something to celebrate, Stéphanie and Frank announced that they're getting married next May. Now that's three down,only one to go!
Better news came from the hospital as apparently Dad has picked up so it looks as if we can wait a little before going over, so, relief all round.
Wednesday, we went to Jacques and Yaneth's for an apéritif to meet up with Philippe and Danielle.
Thursday, Valérie, Guillaume and the three kids left so then there were 8 ....

Now you've seen it all!

As the day became a bit cooler we all headed off to the recreation ground for a bit of rugby practice and what a motely crew we were. Still, there was an abundance of enthusiasm and it was fun. After all that effort we felt well justified in having a lengthy apéritif down in the pub under the beady eye of our trainer, Jacques. Not sure if I've told you elsewhere but he and Yaneth publish a women's rugby magazine so there was no macho stuff. It was good to expend a bit of energy as I heard today that Dad was back in hospital and Jill is worried that things aren't looking good. Waiting to hear more tomorrow before deciding what to do.

Airport Run

Elsa and Leo arrived by plane from Paris which was a whole lot cooler tha it is here. Dad and stéphanie arrive on tuesday so they've been making the most of unrestricted telly and computer time!

Family Life

Like in many families, everyone goes in different directions. This morning Valérie and the two oldest went off to the market and couldn't get back quickly enough; Guillaume looked after his daughter and watched a bit of the football; for Christian it was the Mairie and for me, ironing and catching up on telly recordings. Then we all came together to go to the Auberge for lunch. Have once again put off going to the supermarket and as we've eaten well, will make do this evening.
Feeling saturated already with the Olympics - is it true there are another 17 days to go?

Home Alone

Christian is away playing golf and the family have gone out to the lake. Peace perfect peace. This week has just sped by - I had my first near drowning - I kid you not! I thought my ability to keep at least one foot on the floor of the pool was too good to be true. Yesterday our friends Jacques and Yaneth launched a book that they have published. It gives little-known facts and figures about the Olympics and is a must for any pub quiz fanatic. In the evening there was a debate with three local sports people followed by a mean "punch" served around the fountain.
Talking about the Olympics - what about our President's "U turn"? A little while back he was saying that the Chinese would not dictate his diary and who he should meet. Now, with nasty noises having been made in Beijing about contracts being revoked he's off to the opening ceremony and Carla will meet the Delai Lama next week in his place. I understand that neither Gordon nor Angela will be there. From the photos I've seen it seems that Gordon is having a jolly old time on his holidays and did I hear that he's taking up Pilates? I only ask ask as I intend to join a class this autumn - at least there won't be any "chips".
This evening it was Valérie who put on the pinny to do the meal which was on a Normandy theme. Fish flambé in Calvados and a tarte tatin. Scrummy!

2nd Normandy Landing

This morning Pierre, Marie and Laurène left before we were up and Valérie, Guillaume and the 3 children arrived in the afternoon. Five minutes after they arrived at the lake to cool down after a long, hot journey, the skies opened and down came the rain! To make matters worse we abandoned them in the evening as Christian had his surgery up in the other village with Alain and Michel. We three other halves joined them at the restaurant as usual. There's no point in putting in the same old photo, with the same old people in the same old restaurant taken at the same old table!
At the moment I'm in a bit of a panic as our aquagym trainer was speaking today about getting us to float on top of the dreaded "chips" which means taking your feet off the bottom and trusting that you won't drown. Oh heck, this is the stuff that nightmares are made of!

A Year nearer the Pension!

Despite the new hairdo, the diet and aquagym,there's no escaping the march of time. 59 today. Cards, phone calls, emails, flowers, pressies and lunch out in the mountains was the order of the day rounded off with champagne and canapés.

Happy Birthday, Pierre

There were lots of cars at the market this morning but not so many people which was a bit strange, not that we were complaining. It's so much more enjoyable when you don't have to fight your way around in the heat. This weekend is the worst of the summer season with hordes of people on the roads on the way home from holiday and even more on their way to start theirs. Juste and Josephine invited us over for a swim and an apéritif before lunch but we ended up staying for lunch and getting home at about 5pm. Just enough time to get ready for a guitar recital that was held in the church. A virtuoso Danish musician/composeur who is visiting friends nearby played for just over an hour in the church. A nice change from the boom boom of disco music. The gereral verdict of our party was that it was technically excellent but the content was too much of the same. By the time we arrived home it was apéritif time and as it was Pierre's birthday we opened a couple of bottles of champagne and chatted away until it was time for bed.

A Woman's work...

Busy yesterday getting the house ready for this weekend's visitors which in the heat was no fun. What am I talking about? Housework is never fun, whatever the climatic conditions. The aquagym was a welcome relief even if there was no escape from the dreaded chips and a meeting of the exec of the new assocition/club a bit fraught with undercurrents. Today has contined with more cleaning, preparing food for the weekend and baking cakes for this evening. Michel asked the association and friends in the British community if we'd bake cakes to be served at the latest vernissage/exhibition opening by way of a change. A British couple also came along to play some jazz so it was something a bit different as were the paintings!
After that it was hot foot down to the recreation ground for a meal of paella and a disco in aid of the tennis club. The meal was good but unfortunately there weren't as many people there as hoped for. Everyone is talking about the drop in the number of tourists and how people are starting to feel the pinch. There were 14 of us altogether (Mairie folk) including Pierre, Marie Christine and their daughter, Laurène. By midnight we decided to head for the sanctuary of the bar where Jean Louis had a very quiet evening.