Early Birds

They didn't catch any birds, just cold! Would you believe it? Today our guests made an unreasonably early start to take "le Petit Train Jaune" up to Fort Romeu and it rained and even snowed! As it was the last evening, there were speeches, official presents and a fideua which was impressive to say the least. It's like a paella without the rice but uses vermacelli instead.Here's a recipe if you fancy trying it.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/recipe-of-the-day-spanish-pasta-with-seafood-fideua/

Pomp and Circumstance

Another ceremony, this time down in the village and this time the Normans were on parade too. In fact, among the group there was a Brit from St Helen's who married a French woman and settled in la belle France, much as I've done. The Mairie provided today's lunch of grilled meats so we were invited to stay as normally hosts weren't fed this time round. The evening we were pleased just to snack at home. We'd issued an invitation via Agnes to those who wanted to come for an after dinner drink and despite their 5am start tomorrow 20 folk answered "present and correct". Admittedly people didn't stay much more than an hour but it was good to open up our doors to our visitors as we had done the last time.

Welcome Back!

Our Norman twins arrived this morning, nearly 60 of them and I'm glad to say that the sun was out to greet them. It was lovely meeting people again. We had three generations staying with us. Agnes who stayed with us the last time around, her daughter, Sophie who is profoundly deaf and her granddaughter Chloe who at 5 years old was an absolute honey. Sophie and I managed to communicate with ipods which once again confirms my belief that they're a great wee gadget.
Hosts and visitors all had lunch together and as you can see, it all got off to a good start. In the evening we had a ceremony up in the other village to commemorate those people who were deported during the war, while our guests went out and then had dinner in the village hall. After a long bus journey down, they were off to bed as soon as they came back in. Don't blame them. We were ready for bed too.

Nifty Fifty

Tonight we celebrated Kathy's 50th birthday after a meeting to discuss the schooling project for young women in the RDC. In the best tradition, it was a surprise but unfortunately, the person who organised it trusted to luck (apart from commissioning yours truly to make a carrot cake) that there would be a good spread of goodies. She didn't think booze apart from a bottle that she took so it was just as well that Joséphine and I were ready for all eventaulities with some cava.

Yet Again

This time we went to the village restaurant with the Mayor as his wife was out of town. We ate well and are hoping to be offered a loyalty card! Did I memtion that the young woman who is front of house worked in a country house hotel which in it's seedier days was my local disco when I was still at school. While there she had a flat in the town where my sister lives. Small world, eh and who says that the Catalans don't travel?

Spring in the Step

Before going for my last physio session, Christian and I both went for blood tests. Christian's is routine and mine was because it's been forever since I've had one. There were loads of things to be tested for and as Tony Hancock would have said "the nurse took an armful"! Results tomorrow.
After 20 seesions of physio, it will be strange not going anymore and I can still feel a twinge in my back though the leg is getting stronger all the time.
This evening we were invited around to Lone's for an apéritif and we roared with laughter when she told us about her husband's latest acquisition for his humanist funerals (he had a business hiring outside broadcast units to tv companies before - not sure that that is relevant but it just shows people's versatility. Apparently it took him quite a while to get the Danish authorities to accept it as an appropriate mode of transport but they have and he's the only company in Denmark with one. As the Grateful Dead sang "I may be going to hell in a bucket but I'm enjoying the ride!" Something that old bikers would appreciate.

Did some Spanish with Anne today as yesterday we were both busy and in the afternoon I delivered the association's latest newsletter before stopping off at her house for afternoon tea along with Reine, Christian and Martine. Just look at the lovely wisteria that helped me on my way.

Sant Jordi

Patron saint of both Catalunya and England (and other countries too), here the day is celebrated with books and roses. The association put on a
simple event ... book exchange/sale, roses for the women, sardane, an exhibition of photos of Catalunya North and South rounded off with an apéritif during which Jany read the history of St Jordi and the Dragon. All went extremely well .. even recruited some new members and it didn't rain!

A Change in View

Today is the day we've all been waiting for ... the first round of the Presidential elections. Christian was on duty all day up in his wee fief and I went up for lunch. The count in the commune went for Hollande but sad to say, the FN made a showing too. Stopped off at the bar for an apéritif with the Maire, Carmen, José and Marie-Jo. Much to my satisfaction José said how much he appreciated my help in finding beds through the association to make up the shortfall for our Norman visitors. This is someone who told Maggie that he didn't have time for the English. Patience, a smile and good humour pays off in the end. Skinning cats spring to mind.

Changeable Weather

Woke up to sunshine and enjoyed the views from the hotel over the town and of course, had a good buffet breakfast. The GPS took us out of Girona without too much trouble and we headed for the coast. A stroll around L'Escala first and then lunch in Sant Martí. The sun was quite strong and we all took some colour. Juste and Christian opted for a snooze while Joséphine and I went for a walk along the sea front. Well, there is another meal this evening at the bar to celebrate 14 years of Jean Louis's ownership, so a bit of excercise didn't go amiss.
Sadly by the time we arrived home, the rain was threatening and held off until about 7pm. The meal/concert was due to start at 7.30pm but we lingered with Juste, Joséphine, Jean & Françoise, Lone and Martine over an apéritif before heading over to the bar. All was chaos ... Jean Louis was trying to erect some kind of shelter for the band, Nicolas didn't have enough space to start grilling the food and the rain was dripping onto some of the tables! Still, people were patient and ordered up carafes of wine and the Catalan guitarist got to work cheering up the audience that was feeling pretty cold. Fortunately our table was inside and fortunately Jean came to the rescue. His son has a business renting equipment for concerts and other such events and he went to get what was needed, erected it in the rain and then came back after midnight to take it down. Some 70 year old!

A Taste of Luxury

Spanish first to get into the mood to go over the border to Girona (yes, I know, they speak Catalan but there are more and more South Americans doing the service jobs, so it might come in useful). This trip is to celebrate Joséphine's birthday which was yesterday. Started in style with lunch at Mas Salelles. Weather was a bit mixed but didn't perturb us. After settling in to our very comfortable rooms at the Marriot, we had a bottle of cava before we took a wander through the town, ate tapas and drank wine. The hotel is pretty high up so there was no question of walking back .. a taxi that cost just 5€ was perfecto!

14th: Market of course and this time we met up with Margaret, Kelvin and Irene.
15th: Josette's birthday so we went over to see her and say "Happy 86th". She's getting more and more forgetful but there, aren't we all, We are, aren't we?? Came back to the village and had lunch in the restaurant and got chatting to a very nice young couple from Perpignan. in the afternoon Josépine invited us for tea which became an apéritif which became supper. Jurgan came around for the last leg. Stuffed artichokes among other things and they were delicious but if life is too short to stuff a mushroom, it's way to short to deal with an artichoke.
16th: Wet and windy and yes, cold. Physiotherapy continues and the leg/back is getting easier. Anne is helping me with Spanish so I'm getting a lesson every Monday when possible. This afternoon I went and had tea with Jany to talk about her contribution to the apéritif that the Association is offering for "Sant Jordi" on the 23rd and than this evening there was a meeting to talk about the visit to the village of the Normans that we're twinned with. Home for 9pm, absolutely starving.
19th Christian was at a meeting all day so after apéritif after the language exchange, Martine and I treated ourselves to lunch at the restaurant.

Differences of Opinion

11th: Thankfully, although a bit fresh, the rain has held off for the Association's game of Boules at Mas Salelles. 22 of us headed off in convoy and as usual we were made very welcome and ate well.It's such a relief when no one complains!
12th: Usual association stuff followed by a drink in the bar and a ringside view of the new installations for the refuse collection. There are tanks underground corresponding to a chute for different waste. There are complaints already that they will smell but I'm telling you that they can only be better than the huge bins that we have in the street at the moment. This evening was pretty heated too. Juste, Joséphine and Margaret came around for something to eat and inevitably we got on to village politics. Margaret wondered what hit her!
13th: Instead of a vernissage there was a finissage this evening to close an exhibition of old local photos and postcards. Not a lot of people there, Friday 13th?

Little Brother

It's my little brother's 60th birthday, so all the best to him for the next decade. Apart from that, it's been raining and out of the blue Ghisèle called in before heading north tomorrow. Ghisèle used to own this house with her ex-husband before they sold it to us. She's looking for a house around here for when she retires next year so we'll maybe see a lot more of her .... more than we ever see of Philippe these days, no doubt!

All Hands to the Deck

A lazy day as a bank holiday Monday should be. An apéritif both in the bar and on the terrace at home. In the afternoon we were invited to eat "bunyettes" and drink tea in the Mayor's garden with Henri and Michelle. A little siesta and then up to the village hall to eat the pascal omlette or should I say omlettes, there were 500 eggs to deal with!

6th: Spanish this morning and a vernissage this evening. Sadly there weren't a lot of people there, this being Good Friday.
7th:Went as usual to the market and bumped into the Mayor's friend Henri who invited us around for an apéritif. All very pleasant. In the afternoon we went to hear the "Goigs" or Easter songs being sung in the street and finished up with an apéritif in the bar. (If you want to know more, look at previous posts at Easter time)
8th: More "Goigs" this morning, this time outside the church then scurried home to make a few canapés for Kelvin,Irene and Margaret who were coming to our place before we all went to the restaurant for lunch. Being Easter Sunday, we left the cava in the fridge and broke open a bottle of champage. We're not cheapskates, are we?

Eat, Drink and be Merry

2nd: Went up to Las Illas for Christian's "surgery" and there's no need to tell you that I ate duck.
3rd: We were invited to lunch at Juste and Joséphine's to meet Jurgan, the new tenant and his wife who's flying back to work in Germany in a couple of days.
4th: The rain that started last night has continued and I went to Ethel's for a Reiki session. Not sure that it's doing anything but at least I'm no longer taking the pain killers. Margaret, Kelvin and Irene came around and stayed for apéritifs so we got stuck into the cava.
5th: didn't fancy cooking after the language exchange and time in the bar so we just stopped off at the restaurant for lunch. Passing the door and seeing the menu is just too tempting. This evening Gaby and Robert laid on a blind "fizz" tasting at their place. 8 different bottles (there were 12 of us)and while the Mumm came out top, the others din't necessarily come out in order of price. Lots of fun, needless to say.

Blue Peter Stuff

The Easter theme for our street is "la poule/chicken" and eggs! We've been invited to make mobiles using a play on words. We opted for "poule au vert/pullover ... so out came the felt tip pens to coulour in some sketches of jumpers that I found on the net. As if that wasn't enough, i abandoned the green pens for red and yellow ones to colour the tiny roses that I'd cut out to decorate the title labels that we're using in a photo exhibition. Please, don't say anything! The afternoon, however, brought some grown up fun. We went to see some flamenco with Juste and Joséphine. Came home for an apéritif and then went and ate at the bar. PS. A "nid de poule" is a chicken's nest or pothole.