Showing Off!

Of course today we had to take the car out for a spin and again we’re able to have the top down. Worked in the morning at our various tasks and headed straight to Vilanova de la Muga for lunch, a village that we’d never visited before and it proved to be an excellent choice. An old stone building set in a pretty garden, family run with a good choice on the 18€ menu which consisted of an apéritif (took cava, of course), starter, main course, dessert, coffee, wine, bread and water. Almost, but not quite, up to the same all round pleasure factor as Mas Salelles.

The sun was shining so there was no excuse not to go for an after-lunch walk around the village. The river was in full flow, the 11^th century church well preserved and a “parfum du cochon” wafted through the air. Well, we were in the middle of the countryside and the chacuterie that we all enjoy has to come from somewhere.

Came home via Figueres where we had a cuppa on the Ramblas and chez Juste and Joséphine where we had an aperitif.

Visit from the Tooth Fairy

Helped Maggie in the morning to sort jewellery and a variety of accessories in preparation for our Téléthon stall in the market on Thursday. Then it was with an excited Christian that Juste drove us into Perpignan to collect the car. The sun was shining and we were able to drive back to Juste and Joséphine’s with the top down. There was enough time for them to crack open a bottle of champagne before Christian had to leave for a council meeting. Maggie came back from the meeting with Christian and we had a bottle of cava (cheapskates that we are!) and some bread and cheese.

Christian’s tooth has gone from under his pillow and his long-held dream has finally come true! Ahhh, in't that nice?

Day Trippers

A day out to Arles (nearly 3 hours away) which was nothing like the Beatles song. 40 over 60’s on a bus which left the village at 7am. Can’t complain, the sun was shining and we didn’t lose anyone though Christian did lose a tooth. The morning consisted of an exhibition of all things Provencal. There was some lovely stuff but I contented myself with a couple of post cards and a bit of wine tasting. Wouldn’t you know the stand which we sat at for a glass of wine and canapés was run by a Brit who has a couple of vinyards around Avignon. After lunch in an Italian sort of restaurant called "Le Stradavarius" which was actually très correct as the French would say, the afternoon consisted of sightseeing in the old town.

Forget the Arteries!

Saturday morning there was a Catalan hunter’s breakfast at the Foyer. Cold meats, bread, cheese, croissants, red wine, tea, coffee and hot chocolate were on the menu and of course we bought a couple of boxes of the wild boar stew. In the afternoon I had my hair cut .... shame that we didn't go out in the evening.

Lunch today was an ollada (all the bits of pig that you wouldn’t normally dream of using stewed with white beans and other veg) plus cheese, dessert and of course as much wine as you could drink. Between the apéritif and the plat de résistance, there was a hat parade. Jany had confectioned some amazing creations; mine was on a sea theme. I never would have thought I’d prance around in front of nearly 200 people but it’s all been in a good cause!

As if all that wasn’t enough, there was a concert in the church in the early evening. The musicians and singers were of mixed talent so we were pleased that it didn’t go on for too long.

Birthday Treat

As we missed both Jean-Jacques and Michelle’s birthdays due them being away at the time, after a morning at the Mairie for Christian and my Spanish group, we took them off to Mas Salelles for lunch. Had a bottle of cava to start which put us in a festive mood for the rest of an as-usual good meal. Michelle put in a request to go and see the sea at Collioure, so her wish was our command.

All Hands on the Deck

With 70kg of wild boar and accompanying veg to deal with, I donned my pinny and went off to the basement of the village hall to cut and chop my way through the morning. There were about 10 of us all together so it was more fun than you would think. My only mistake was to be wearing mascara when there were kilos of onions and garlic to peel. Still, all in a good cause. The stew is to be sold in a couple of days time in aid of the Téléthon.
In the evening we had another 8 folk around for another Beaujolais tasting and this was even more fun than the last one.