A week of Meetings

29th September - 3rd October
Association meeting, language exchange, village web site meeting, council meeting, all day meeting in Parpignan etc etc, we were both busy. We ate at the bar on the Tuesday (30th) and luckily Patrick, Jany, Michel and Joëlle came for dinner on Wednesday (1st) otherwise it would have been pot luck!

Sunny Sunday

Nothing much doing apart from coffee in the bar in the morning and a trip up into the mountainsfor lunch at an auberge. Rustic environment, copious menu and a wee stroll afterwards to make us feel slightly sluggish.

Zarzuela

The day was a sunny one and the trip to the market was rounded off with lunch chez Jean and Françoise. Kathy and Jeaneau were over for a visit so zarzuela was on the menu. Much of the talk centered around their forthcoming visit to Argentina where they will indulge their passion for the tango.
Zazuela is a Catalan fish stew, by the way.

17 Years of Wedded Bliss!

A sunny day in Prestwick and the "entente cordiale" was signed. Six of us there for a really great day. 17 years later and the sun is still shining! There wasn't a romatic weekend in Venice nor evn a candlelit dinner for two instead Christian was at a meeting and I went to the garden during the day. In the evenining we were invited to the Mayor's for dinner. At least there was champagne!

"A happy home is one which each spouse grants the possibility that the other may be right, though neither believes it" - Don Fraser

Up and away

Up at the crack of dawn to get Mary to the airport for her flight. With Bernadette still suffering with her knee and having to use a stick we were somewhat curtailed as to what we could do until her flight. We went into St Coloma de Farnes which turned out to be a nice kind of place. Sat for a long time over a hot chocolate and sandwich (ie, breakfast). Bernadette sat on even longer while Christian and I went for a stroll around the town. Found a selection of restaurants which will come in handy when we do future airport runs. Came home for lunch as Jany was cutting my hair in the afternoon and by heck, didn't she cut it!!

Off the pill

Today there is something to celebrate. After 5 years of medication and no reoccurance of cancer , it's official, I can stop taking the medication. Yippee! Mary and Bernadette waited patiently while I saw the consultant. Then it was from one institution to another when we went to do a bit of shopping at Auchan. Lunch at home and atrip to the bar in the evening.

One of those days

You all know how it goes ... things start to go wrong and then everything goes wrong. I've given up on the pilates, it's too hard. There was an Association meeting that was ok but waffly so we were a bit late setting off for our favourite restaurant in St Lorenç. Oh woe is me! When we arrived it was closed for holidays so it was into the village for lunch at the "parrot place" only the parrot wasn't there. The lunch was not in the same league but there again it was cheap. Christian and Bernadette gave a stroll around the village a miss. Back in the car and on to the restaurant by the waterfall where we had a weak tea and rubbish hot(?) chocolate. Things were no better at home, the web site still isn't coming together. Grhhhhhh

Retirada

There was an early start at 8.30am to drive to La Jonquera in the old jeeps for the start of the day to mark the exodus from Spain of all those who opposed Franco in 1930s. We started with a

coffee before a visit to the museum where we were given a guided tour.What a surprise, for a Warwickshire lass to find a quotation from Shakespeare in Catalan.

Less surprising was the link made with the present day forced exile of thousands of people throughout the world. The exhibits included poster propaganda, photos, everyday articles found in the refugee camps in France and a huge representation of the footmarks left in the sand at Argeles where one of the camps was located. I was sorry that Christian wasn't there to see it as well but we'll no doubt visit together later as it's well worth it. Christian had to be present in the other village where there was an exhibition of photo-journalism from the era. From the museum we clambered back in the jeeps and headed further up into the mountains to start our walk along the paths taken by the refugees. It was a lovely sunny day, there were interesting people to talk to and the walk wasn't too difficult. What was our reward on arriving? Yes, of course, an apéritif! After that it was into the restaurant where about 25 of us (including Christian, Bernadette and Mary) sat down to lunch. Rounded off the day with tea at Joelle's.

Wedding Bells

Saturday and it was the obligatory trip to the market though the afternoon brought something a bit different.
Michel and Sandrine married at the mairie and had a blessing at the church. We were invited for the "vin d'honeur" and I took the opportunity to take photos for a wee report for the village web site. Well it's not every day that you see a bloke in knee breeches and tricorn hat! Mary came along as well but Benadette decided to rest up.

B's knees!

As Berndette has friends up in the mountains, not too far from here, we drove her up there to spend the day with them. We had a look at the beautiful Catalan fabrics, the espadrilles that are made there and meandered down to Maçanet where Christian treated himself to a Catalan anti THT cap

and Mary treated us to lunch at "La Quadra". On arriving back at Alan and Jill's, we found Bernadette hobbling around with a stick. She'd slipped on the path and had a painfully swollen knee as a result. We were invited to look around their lovely house and have tea during which Bernadette gritted her teeth and put on a brave face.

Sans Frontières

The first meeting of the Association's "Echange Linguistique" attracted 15 people. Sadly the bar was closed as the roller shutter was broken so it was panic stations and hurriedly boiled kettles at the house. Jean-Louis finally arrived for us to duck underneath and have a wine when it was all over. Bernadette came for the meeting as she likes speaking French and Mary came for the wine because... In the afternoon we took Maggie up on her offer of a swim after walking over via the garden. Home in time for an apéro.

Airport Run

Up bright and early to get to Girona airport to meet Mary's plane at 9.30am. As Bernadette wasn't arriving until 2pm, we went on to St Felieu for a hot chocolate, churiso (oh the calories!) and a walk by the sea. A late lunch in a non-descript restaurant on the way home, an apéro and light bite at home.

Spick and Span

Visitors arriving tomorrow so it was a quick run around with the duster, mop and bucket. Thankfully there was enough time left for an apéro at the bar while Christian was at his meeting.

Busy Little Bee

The week's off to a good start with an action packed day. Pilates to start although I'm not sure that it's for me, Association meeting, work on the village website, téléthon meeting
(France's national fund raising day for children with disabilities), association website and by way of a reward, an apéro on the terrace af the bar.

Red Rose Day

..... or should it have been red nose day? A posse of us left- minded folk (Kathy, Marie-Loudres, Jean, José, Joséphine, Juste, Monique, Alain, Michelle and Jean-Jacques) braved the raging tramontane to have a communal lunch with the socialist party faithful the otherside of Perpignan. Such hardy souls. freezing cold, plastic plates flying everywhere, plastic tumblers ending up in your lap, falling branches, what fun!

Diverse Activities

7th Sept - 13th Sept
The week passed rapidly amid the usual activities of a village housewife! Association meeting, website meeting, coffee and tea with friends, lunch at the local auberge (12th), an apéro chez Jean-Jacques and Michelle and rugby practice. My attempts to get the association website up and running left me in a foul humour but it can only be a matter of time until all comes right. The weekend brought more interesting things to do. The market of course, Michel and Sandrine for an impromptu apéro after which Margaret treated us and Barbara to dinner at the bar.

Mountain Hideaway

Time for some mountain air! Went with Linde up the valley to friends of her's who have taken on huge task of restoring a derelict mas and living off the land. We could only but admire their courage especially as they have two small children. Walked around the land, went to give water to the cows and admired the panoramic view, oh yes, bien sûr, we had lunch in the fresh air!

Dancing Shoes

A village not to far from here, up in the mountains is reknown for making espadrilles, especially the "bigatanes" which lace around the ankles, worn by Sardane dancers. This tradition has been celebrated by the issue of a stamp, the first day of which was commemorated by an exhibition in our market town. Typically I didn't have my camera with me so borrowed one from friends with whom we were invited to have an apéro. Never was a "cub" reporter but I'll learn! Yaneth, a journalist friend, says she thinks I'd make a good journalist as I'm curious, some might say, just plain nosey!

Another Expo

Another assignment for the village web site and an opportunity to catch up with those people that we hadn't seen since the last vernissage! This week there was a guitarist who played for us so we're really getting a good dose of culture these days! Christian bought a nice little watercolour of the village though I'm not sure where we'll put it. After the inevitable apéritif 17 of us went to the local bar for a meal with the artist; you'll notice that I no longer talk about losing weight...

Fresh from the Sea

We awoke to find that the storks were still in the tree where they stayed until about 11am. Our friends also took their leave about the same time which gave us a moment for a glass of wine at the bar where the patron was in fine voice balancing a bottle top on his nose. Don't ask ... I've no idea to what purpose! He'd also shaved his head with a less than steady hand so his hair was tuffty; so what with that and his 2 day growth he looked very much the worse for wear. For lunch, 10 of us had bbq'd sardines brought fresh from the coast this morning chez Marie-Loudres and Jean's. There was the inevitable discussion about the Mairie (Jean was Maire over 20 years ago) and much speculation about the father of Rashida Dati's (French equivalent of the Lord Chancellor) baby. Most people thought that s/he would be born with very short legs????

Rendez-vous

Met up with Didier and Annie in a carpark on the border and from there went off for lunch. The resto was disappointing; prices up and food while good not as good as usual. Still, for them who were hot-foot from a mobile home on the Costa Brava, the setting was impressive and the food a cut above the tourist fare they'd been having. Came the long way home over the mountains and set straight to work for an apéritif dinatoire with Jean-Jacques, Michelle and Joëlle. Michel who had three reports to write wasn't able to make it which was a shame because during the evening about 25 storks arrived to rest in the fir tree opposite before continuing on their way northward.

It's raining, it's pouring...

At long last some rain, inevitably accompanied by thunder. at least we don't have to evacuate like those poor folk in New Orleans and finally it seems it wasn't essential that they do so either. I guess the politicians didn't want to make the same mistake as last time with the elections coming up - they've just made a different one! And what about the Republican VP? Scandal in the family and all that. I don't envy that young woman at all with pressure from her ultra conservative Mother and the press. How can she make her own decision?
Christian's meeting went on until well after 8pm so we decided to stay put in the bar and join Kathy and Carmen for something to eat.

Mountain Tales

First Monday of the month and Christian and Michel were on duty up in the mountains so as usual Joëlle and I made our way up there for dinner. After a hard day's sivvying at home it was a treat to get out and be waited on. Before dinner however, we were "hijacked" by one of the residents for an apéritif who told the story (backed up by a magazine article) about buried Spanish gold that his family had searched for but never found. Apparently three strangers came to the village and claimed to have found it; These frontier villages abound with far-fetched stories which may or may not be true. Who knows? Dinner was as usual, duck breast with a Banyuls sauce for me while Christian went for steak. As usual we had the same table but for a change the photo is of the exterior where you can see with the difference of altitude that the leaves have started to fall.