Freebies at Easter

As usual at Easter, most of us in the street decorate the doors and leave tiny Easter eggs for people to help themselves to. Nicole and Anna even turned their attention to a rather unfestive looking flower tub. Nice idea, isn't it? The sun was actually shining this morning and it felt warm so delivering this week's newsletter was a real pleasure. I was even rewarded with the gift of a book written by one of our elderly members. Came back to the bar where Christian had been waiting for me over a coffee, paid for by Nick. Then it was over to the little square in front of the church to watch a sardane. Here, we were joined by Margaret, Kelvin and Irene. Next it was lunch at the restaurant where we were given a bottle of wine in recognition of us being their first clients. Sat outside and enjoyed the sun which was just as well as the rain came on later.

Goodness Gracious Me

Another Saturday, they come around so quickly. Took a trip into the market and only bought a Radio Times and some coriander. Had a light lunch (yes, we can do them sometimes) in preparation for this evening's curry night organised by the local music association. In the afternoon we put our noses outside to hear the Sardane group singing Catalan Easter songs (Goigs) in the streets.
Must say that the evening was good. We ate well and were entertained by various members doing a turn. On the way home from the village hall we called into the bar and found Jean-Louis, the Patron and a group of fun-loving folk eating tapas and drinking wine. We were invited to sit and join them, so of course we did though not for too long. There was an hour less in bed to take into consideration.

Friends

On Sunday the weather was holding, there was something in the fridge for lunch so conditions were right to go and have a coffee at the bar with Jacques, Yaneth et Lisa. They went off for lunch with other friends while we were invited to join Jean-Jacques and those of the family who had not yet left, for lunch at the bar. The chef was on holiday but luckily there was enough left from the previous evening's menu to feed us all. Couldn't linger too long afterwards as we were expecting Jean and Françoise for dinner. Maggie had given me some venison to roast and it was delicious served with a port sauce.
Monday, our visitors left after lunch. Margaret, who is here for a few days, came with me to distribute association newsletters and then came back for a cuppa. Christian left with her in torrentianl rain to help sort out a problem in the house (he's such a lovely wee soul). No sooner was he back, problem resolved, when Lauren called in. It was apéritif time and he stayed until nearly 9pm when we told him (very nicely, of course) that it was time to go home to his wife who was waiting with his evening meal. This photo is of him in his carnival outfit. He fits the part, doesn't he?
Tuesday, nothing in particular: computer for me  and Mairie for Christian.
Wednesday, Christian had his appointment with the cardio-vascular specialist. We thought having an appointment at 9.30am would mean that the wait wouldn't be too long but it was ..... 2 hours. He arrived late, walked straight through the waiting room without even saying "bonjour". Unusual for a French person. Christian needs an operation to unblock his arteries but has to see the cardiologist first, so we're having to wait for a date. By the time we came out, it was time for lunch so we went and had a cheap and cheerful near the supermarket and then did the shopping. Jean-Jacques came for supper of a very substantial minestrone and Bakewell Tart. Don't know why, it's the first time I've ever made one but it won't be the last.
Thursday after the association we went to the restaurant for lunch, even though there was something
in the fridge. Duck breast and dauphinoise potatoes was just too hard to resist and then of course, there were Angel & Paul, Doug & Linda and Margaret at the table with us.
Friday as it was Michel's birthday, even though he doesn't like celebrating we invited him round with Jean-Jacques for lunch. At his request it was a light one - crudités and humous, smoked salmon & leek quiche with salad and chocolate mousse. There was champagne too. Michel left at about 3pm to go to a meeting but Jean-Jacques stayed on until about 9pm. There were reminiscences to share, tears to shed and hugs to give and receive. Very early days

Je suis seuelement Passé dans la Pièce à Côté

After cloud, cold and intermittant showers yesterday, we were pleased to see some sunshine for Michelle's funeral. There were lots of people in the church, friends and family from four corners of France, village people, all but one of the municipal council and two other local mayors.  André gave an address as did Evelyn who captured the essence of who Michelle was. Two of the grandchildren and two nephews spoke and there was a poem. All very moving. Michelle now lies in a lovely part of the new cemetery overlooking the village and shaded by cork trees. There was a buffet lunch for about 40 which provided an opportunity to talk and share memories of Michelle.          Just as we left, the carnival procession was coming up the main street which for the kids was a bit of well deserved fun. Normally we would have participated in the event but we decided to have a calm rest of the day. As we'd postponed lunch at the restaurant to join the family, we went in the evening and were joined by Manu and Sandrine who work at the Mairie. Went to bed thinking of Jean-Jacques and all the adjustments he'll have to make. 

 

 

Chores and Culture

Michelle's funeral is set for Saturday (yes, there's no waiting for a more convenient moment here) and we're helping out with accomodation for mutual friends from Paris. I was kicking myself for not having the spare bedrooms ready for guests as I had to get moving and get on with my least favourite activity. There was a break though, as we went to our friend Marie-André's new exhibition which provided an opportunity to catch up with folk.

Later.......

Thursday continued like most others with association stuff but with a sadness hanging over us, so an invitation to Jacques' to celebrate Anna's birthday was a welcome relief. The meal had a Mexican theme as our host was just back from there and was appreciated by us all.¡Buen Provecho!

Adieu

During the day, amid all our various activities, we heard that our friend, Michelle died after a long, long fight against illness. We went round to see her at the house and pay our respects to the family. We'll miss her.

Not so Twinkle toes

As Christian is in need of a new pair of shoes that don't rub his little toe which is giving him grief, we finally found a day to go to Figueres. We also wanted somehing vaguely "piratey" for Saturday's forthcoming canival. Found two pairs of shoes, a couple of plastic swords, an eye patch and earring. Having worked up an appetite we went down to Garriguella and had a really good "menú del dia" at La Plaça then on the way home stopped off to replenish our cava stock. This photo was taken outside the cave in Capmany, the grinding stones are pretty impressive aren't they?
That was Tuesday. Wednesday, Juste and Michel came for lunch, a rather superior macaroni cheese (ie, with chorizo, onions and celery) and salad. Michel brought a rhubarb crumble so there was only one thing to do in the afternoon, yes, you've got it .... have a siesta.
In the evening I left Christian at home and went for the monthly apéritif with les anglaises. We had a lot of fun for 10€/head and Christian had a bowl of soup and the settee all to himself.

A Bit o' Blarney

Happy St Patrick's Day to anyone who has the least little bit of Irish blood in them . Such a shame the rugby team lost to the Italians yesterday.

Now I know there is a global audience, I've included a link to "Danny Boy", perhaps the most famous Irish song which also includes lovely views, for those who are not so au fait with the Emerald Isle. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jgma--0WYU
What I didn't know is that the song was actually written by an Englishman, 100 years ago today.
Sadly there was not a drop of whiskey in the house with which to honour St Pat, so Christian made do with scotch and me with cava. "Sláinte"!

Global Audience

We thought it was about time that we used ourlast Groupon voucher. this time it was for a restaurant not too far from here that has recently changed hands. The meal was fine but nothing to write home about so it's unlikely to see us again. Still, the young woman waiting table was very pleasant and we found this sign amusing.
The wind had died down this morning was back again so we've stayed in all afternoon. Christian snoozing and me surfing the net before bringing "chitchat" up to date. Found that I could find details of the number of page views that there have been and their origin. Believe it or not, Japan, Taiwan, Ukraine and Russia figure on the list. goodness knows what they will have made of  the minutiae of our life!! Laughter Yoga online?
Now for a quiet night and the last two episodes of the French crime serial "Spiral". Hard but gripping but there again, the Saturday night European slot on BBC 4 is always a must.

In Need of a Laugh?

Well, it's been a weather week. Rain, cold, strong winds and snow on higher ground. The North of France has been particulary hard hit with traffic coming to a standstill. Can't get over how lucky we were on Sunday. So all in all it's been pretty quiet apart from a cuppa at Joséphine's on Wednesday and dinner at Michel's that night ... another jar of "Potlevech" with chips; then lunch in the restaurant on Thursday.

Today was even less fun with a funeral this morning (the mother of one of Christian's colleagues) and then Christian's scan in Perpignan this afternoon which meant that he had to have eaten lunch by 12.30pm. He was taken right on time and if we'd been prepared to return afer 3 hours we could have had the results today however, we've decided to pick them up just before the appointment with the specialist. Don't think that there's much to complain about here, though of course, some people do.
On a completely different subject, have anyone of you done any "Laughter Yoga"? The woman who created the village internet forum (with which I was heavily involved for over three years) has just set up a club in the village. It will be interesting to see how it goes. Lol!

A Monstrous Regiment ....

Friday was International Women's Day and for the 5th time the association organised its tearoom out in the village square. For the 5th time Christian put on his pinny and helped serve tea, coffee and homemade (usually by the women of the house) cakes. The restaurant lent us their terrace and all went well apart from about 6 cars that remained on the square which we had to work around, fortunately without too much difficulty. 

I think that there were more women (of French, Catalan, Irish, British, American, Belgian, Spanish and American origin) than usual and with lovely warm sunshine, they lingered long. By the time we'd cleared up we were both ready to sit on the terrace and give our lunch custom to the restaurant. Felt it was the least that we could do. Pity that other members of the committee didn't share the same sentiment but there again, the President and the Treasurer having sat on their bums all morning don't really function as you would expect. I won't start or we'll be here for ages yet.
The afternoon slipped by infront of the telly and it was an early night on the agenda for both of us.

It's All in the Preparation

Lovely sunshine, nice and warm and what could be better than a trip to the market not for the shopping but to meet up with friends and have a glass of wine on the terrace of a bar. For once we didn't get side-tracked into going out for lunch, going home instead to eat our cassoulet, a traditional dish of haricot beans, sausage and bits of pork. Very tasty but it fair sticks to yer ribs! Dread to think how many calories are in every mouthful.

This afternoon the rain came on again, something of a weather pattern is beginning to evolve. Sun in the morning, cloud and rain later on.
Later on, after Christian's siesta and I'd baked a cake for tomorrow (mocha cake squares*) we went over to see Gaby who's been in hospital and then onto Daniel and Maud's to collect things again for tomorrow. Stayed for apéritifs which was all very convivial but meant that I had to stay up late to prepare displays and other stuff, for yes, tomorrow. Bet you can't wait to find out what tomorrow will bring, can you?
*( http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/569/mocha-cake-squares.aspx Give them a go, they're pretty good)

Another Lunch and a New Expo

No Spanish as it's half term so pottered around until it was time to drive up to Rowena's. Christian, of course put in a couple of hours at the Mairie and it was warm, sunny  and spring-like when we set off. By the time we arrived (at the same time as the other guests Jean-Noël and Christiane), being at a much higher altitude, it was cooler. The birds were singing and there was still some sun though not enough to have apéritifs out on the terrace. Lunch as we had expected was good and the other two were excellent company. Jean-Noël comes along to the language exchange but as he doesn't come from the village and we've never been in the same group, I didn't really know him. To be honest, he always seemed so formal and serious which just goes to show! Christiane, on the other hand was informal and full of beans .... a couple rather like us in reverse!

By the time we left, the sun had disappeared so there's no photo of the stunning scenery, I'm afraid. You'll have to make do with this one of the tree just outside Rowena's house. Still, even though it has been danaged by the heavy rain, it's remains pretty enough.
This evening the 2013 season at the museum kicked off with the opening of an expo about the history of the wine growers of the Albères. On International Women's Day, it was a timely reminder  to see several photos depicting women involved in the back-breaking task of grape picking. Couldn't snap away as my battery was flat. Anyway, I'll bo back another time to take some photos as they really were superb.

3rd Birthday Celebration in 5 Days

This morning ... same ol', same ol' .... committee meeting and then the language exchange. I'm starting to get just a bit fed up of feeling obliged to do things and am wondering if I can bow out gracefully at the next AGM in October. Still, there's time to mull it over as that's a long time from now.

Lunch time we were invited along with about 20 others to help celebrate Nicole's birthday. A good buffet meal and even live music provided by Bente and Lizzie. We're now home with finally a quiet night in front of us.

2nd Hand Ark Wanted

Breakfast was ok though nothing to write home about and it was still pouring with rain. Outside, the river was a raging torrent and just a few yards from the hotel, it had burst it's banks. We were finally able to leave at 1pm.

In the hope of finding a more special meal to make up for our disappointment yesterday we went down to a nice restaurant overlooking the river but yes, you've guessed it ........ it was closed for the holidays. Christian then had the bright idea of going to Can Xiquet where we'd eaten once before for his birthday. A really nice 4 star hotel with great views and it was open!!! The service was pleasant, nice table and glassware and more to the point really good food.
Called in to see Joséphine on the way home and had tea with her and her Mum who is here for a while before going home to Sicily.
Finally, the rain stopped but the ford near Joséphine's was impassable so we took the long way home to spend a quiet night in. In the end, it wasn't so quiet as Jean and Françoise turned up with a gift for Christian ad stayed for a couple of drinks.

Just a Young Thing!

It's Christian's birthday today and we'd planned to spend a night in a hotel/spa the other side of the frontier. It was somewhere we'd thought of going to for a while as we'd heard good things about it. In the middle of nowhere, this converted hydroelectric station stands on a river surrounded by woods. Idyllic. Today, the scene was impressive as the river was well swollen with water coming down from the mountains and of course the torrential rain. Our room was a good size, modern and comfortable but when we opened the blind, we found a view of lichen covered rocks and to one side an ugly metal evacuation pipe coming from the kitchen. We asked to change the room as it kinda did for the romance but the other room that they offered was smaller so we stayed put. Dinner was no great shakes but the bed was comfortable and we slept well.

Two Lads and a Cake

A meal was ready and waiting in the fridge so there was no problem when Christian telephoned to say that Michel was coming for lunch. There was no dessert apart from yoghurt and fruit so we had a great excuse to go to the baker's to buy a cake. A "Saint Honoré " made from choux pastry and filled with cream.It wasn't very big so, there was  no need to feel guilty, was there?
The weather was pretty miserable and the thought of going up into the mountains for Christian's surgery in the evening with no restaurant at the end as they're closed for holidays, was not very appealing. Still, duty calls and while Christian and Michel waited in vain for "clients", I went up to see Annette. She lives at about 800m and her place was shrouded in cloud which made the drive up pretty stressful. Drops on one side, rocks on the other and visibility down to 10m. Of course we survived.

Another Birthday and More Beef

It's been over a year since we've seen Philippe so it was a real surprise when he phoned earlier this week to invite us for lunch to celebrate his 60th birthday. Went over with Marilyse and Dominique, picking up Josette on the way. Wound our way up through the vines growing on well kept terraces held up by small dry stone walls. The sky was more overcast than yesterday but it wasn't cold and the scenery was magnificent. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the house and Philippe and Paula pulled up behind us with several bags of shopping. No, come to think of it, knowing Philippe of old we weren't really surprised. Champagne as an apéritif with among other nibbles, smoky bacon flavoured almonds! Oysters, shrimps and large prawns to start, followed by a fillet of his own beef and seaweed which had a very delicate taste. Cheese of course, two scrummy cakes and more champagne. A short stroll and then it was time to head for home for a quite evening in front of the telly.

Hooray for the Sun

After two days of rain, how good it was to see the sun. Strolled around the market and had an apéritif out on a terrace where we were entertained by a talented accordianist. We were joined by Chantal and Martine and then all ended up coming back to the village to have lunch at the bar. Lingered until about 3pm in the sun; such a bonus for the beginning of March. Long may it continue but that's a bit of a forlorn hope according to the weather forecast.

"Iechyd Da!"

More aware of St David's Day as my brother is about to leave the rural Warwickshire of his birth to spend his retirement in rural Wales. Here's hoping that these pastures new will be as good to him as mine have been to me. What a surprise when I googled "yaki da" and found the spelling was completely different but that's Welsh for you.