Working hard, Playing hard

Time is just whizzing by faster than ever! The blog has been way behind as are the reports I need to put onto Blabla, as is the ironing and cleaning. Have only been to the garden to take down the compost and shake my head at how dry it is. Most of my time is going on arranging Sant Jordi - it's hard taking the lead when you don't speak French fluently. Christian spends the greater part of his time at the Mairie with at least one meeting a week in Perpignan. Still all this "do-gooding" is interspersed with fun things too.

13th March - 26th March
Apéritif dinatoire chez Geneviève ( a local artist) and Philippe's on Friday the 13th . The first time we'd ever been to theirs so it was interesting getting to know them. Hope they felt the same! Saturday it was the commune's hommage to the "Retirada". Particularly poignant as inevitably large numbers of Catalns and Spanish fleeing Franco came this way. In the afternoon there was a talk and book signing by a local author, poetry, song, apéritif and meal. A late night but worth it. Needless to say there was a sluggish start on the 15th which was a great excuse to head off at lunch time to the local auberge. Next came St Patrick's day and we met up with Linde who with her Rhode Island connections was keen to celebrate. We were the only two along with Jean-Louis but bit by bit the atmosphere picked up as more people, oblivious of the day's significance, arrived. Wednesday, a meeting to discuss the possibility of setting up a support group with women in the Congo where rape is routinely used as a weapon of war.

Thursday, 19th and another lunch at the auberge, this time with folk from the Mairie and in the evening another procession, this time to mark the end of the war with Algeria and another apéritif. Can't believe that it's a year since the last one.

Finally, some space to have a day out together came on Friday, 20th. The sun was shining, there wasn't a lot of traffic on the road so we ambled along to Figueres for a stroll around the shops before going to our favourite resto for lunch which was open! But .... David and his family have gone travelling and another couple have taken it over in his absence. They were just as charming, the food was just as good but there was no sign of a menu so we had to pay the full whack!

A fine weekend and we're starting to stop by at the bar for a glass of wine on the terrace to soak up the sun and watch the world go by. Saturday was a quiet day but Sunday was busier with the kids carnaval in the afternoon and a concert given by the local choir in the church in the evening. The Maire and his wife came back to ours for an apéro which just kept going, so Monday arrived as a bit of a struggle.

23rd March and today it's Alain's birthday so ...... how did you guess? .... another apéritif; this time in the bar. Then .... how did you guess? .... Alain and Monique came back to our place to finish the evening.

Tuesday: The mairie as usual for Christian and for me a walk around the village delivering letters to drum up support for Sant Jordi. Jean, the guitarist called by at apéritif time, so of course we could only be but hospitable and so ended another day.

Wednesday, half way through the week already. Tea with Josette and then dinner at Diana's with Maggie, Trevor, Robin and Bruce. Christian was quieter than usual, difficult to get a word in edgeways but fortunately there was plenty of booze to go around. Come to think of it, Robin was quiet too.

Today it was all rush, photocopied at the Mairie, made the coffee and put in an appearance at the "language exchange", went to a funeral, met a local artist to show here a little chapel for her expo for Sant Jordi, had a couple of glasses of wine on the terrace at the bar in lovely sunshine, all before 12.30. The funeral of an 88 year old neighbour who had spent the last two years of her life in a care home was a sad affair. About 20 of us, no family. It doesn't bear contemplating.This afternoon, I did my "wee wifey" act and made a couple of cakes for Christian to take to the Mairie this evening as a belated birthday gesture. Me I stayed home with my knitting glad to sit and not have to think!