Compensation

After 4 days of unappetising food, there was no way that Christian was going to wave Martine and myself off to a "soirée vigneronne" in the restaurant and stay home by himself. In fact David and Laura came too as did the Mayor and his wife. Started the evening chez nous with an apéritif , then had another one at the restaurant which was part of the menu. A full-bodied rosé which accompanied 3 different canapés. There was a different wine with each course ending with a chocolate dessert which was to die for! Found a recipe that corresponds to what we had; the good news is that it's simple, the bad news is that it's in French. Just try it, it's excellent.
http://www.chocoholic.free.fr/recettes/chocolat-m045.php

Home Again

Tuesday Joséphine came with me to visit Christian with the idea of having a look at the shops  and a nice lunch first. Managed the lunch in the kind of wee restaurant that I like; creative food, well presented on stylish tableware, pleasant service in chic surroundings. Cherry on the cake was the very reasonable price, especially for Perpignan. The shops fell by the wayside, however, as we had public transport problems.
Wednesday, I took the bus again and arrived with my picnic lunch to see Christian just after 11am. My lunch was tons better than his which was boiled veg and grisely boiled beef! He also got told off by one of the nurses for taking a shower which meant that his dressing had to be redone. The Mayor and his wife popped in as did David and Laura who gave me a lift back in time for me to join "Les Anglaises" for our monthly apéritif.
Thursday, and Christian came home with instructions not to climb the stairs  to sleep in "The Nest" and not to make any unecessary effort. Here he is trying to sort out a computer problem but apart from that he took it easy, enjoyed a stir fry and glass of wine..

Job Done

Although Christian was due to go for his op at 10.30am, he was late going down to theatre so wasn't in his room when I arrived at 2pm. He finally put in an appearance about an hour later. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon listening to him and his room-mate quietly sleeping. Pleased to say that when he did wake up Christian was bright and cheerful but by this time, it was time for me to go for my bus. Talk about bad timing, the secondary school was turning out so there were lads throwing bags up onto to the roof of the shelter, others climbing up to get them and general rowdiness. Lesson leant for the next time.

Grass Widow

Christian spent today packing his bag, making sure that all the appropriate papers were in his file and psyching himself up for his admision to hospital.
Jean and Françoise provided the transport and waited patiently while Christian was checked in. Sadly, there weren't any free single rooms so he's sharing with a very tired looking man who's been in for 2 weeks. Hopefully, he'll be moved before long. Dinner of steamed salmon and carrots arrived before we left and I can't say that it looked very appetising. We came back and had an apéritif which was more like it. Now, it's just me and the telly.

Friends at a Loose End

Decided not to go to the market this morning in favour of going supermarket shopping. With Christian going into hospital tomorrow for an op on his arteries, it seemed wise to stock up as he won't be able to drive for a while afterwards. Unpacked the shopping and went to the bar for a glass of wine and bumped into Robert who joined us. We were really shocked when he told us that he was phoned by a "lonely hearts" agency just two days after his wife's funeral. How despicable is that?
Despite a bit of wind, it wasn't too cold in the sun, so we sat out and stayed on for omelette and chips. Spent a quiet afternoon and prepared apéritifs for Jean-Jacques who was coming around to spend the evening with us. He brought a lovely bunch of flowers and good conversation. What more could anyone want?

Game of Chance

There was still a strong wind when we set out with Eamon and Liz for pastures new to them; or so we thought. Took a quick look at some Roman "ruins" en route and had no trouble at all with the traffic. What joy!
We arrived in Besalù where it was warm enough to have a coffee outside in the big square overlooking the Church. It was a place they recognised but had never known the name of or where it was. They had not found the medieval bridge of which the town is rightly proud either. Moved on from here to Banyoles after a stop at Porqueres to look at the 12th century Church. By this time the rain was on and lunch opposite the lake wasn't the highlight that it should have been. To think that it was a choice made by the flip of a coin as none of us was prepared to make a decision between a Michelin* restaurant in the centre of the town with no outlook what so ever and a more basic meal with a view. Still the meal was fine for what it was and didn't break the bank in anyway. We'll need to redeem our reputation on the restaurant recommendation front next time.
Came home without stopping, had a cup of tea at our place and said our goodbyes until perhaps next October.

Another Good Lunch

Well, yesterday was a fairly quiet day and with the wind blowing hard, it was chilly and definitely most unlike May. The appointment with the anaethetist went fine so Christian is on course for his op.
This morning there was no committee meeting, so I managed to do some of my Spanish homework. Now, that makes a change, it's usually at the very last minute. Met up with Eamon and Liz in the bar where we had a glass of wine and they got a view of village life. The Mayor and a couple of regulars sharing saucisson and bread in one corner, several others propping up the bar, Michel being exhuberant and the rump of the language exchange talking ninety to the dozen. Lunch on the terrace of the restaurant provided some welcome calm and of course good things to eat. Cucumber gazpacho, quail and a chocolate dessert. Mmmmm!
Came back to ours for coffee, well for Liz anyway and we had had more wine sitting out making the most of the sun. There was no need to find anything to eat this evening but there's still that last bit of homework to do, so I'd better get on with it.

Beef with Webbed Feet!

Ken and Kathy's time with us has sadly come to an end. A sunny morning gave them the urge for another walk but not before they'd had a guided tour of the Mairie. Given that duck is rarely on the menu in New Zealand, Kathy ate duck at every opportunity while she was here. It was obvious therefore, that it should be the last lunch chez nous. Pity that both she and Ken thought the lovingly cooked meat on their plates was beef!!!

The car was packed up and the sun was shining as we drove them down to the airport at Barcelona where we made our final goodbyes. We'd only met once before and that was 8 years ago in New Zealand and hopefully it won't be that long before we can get together again. It was a great easy-going visit which we thoroughly enjoyed and the house seems strangely empty without them.
Maybe Cousin Jan will find her way over here too; let's hope so.

Home and Away

Yet another public holiday, another long walk and another lunch invitation. This time chez Martine. The last time that we were there, Christian knocked a plate off the wall which broke; this time, he'd not been in the house five minutes when he knocked a plant over! Fortunately there were no breakages. Lunch of Veal Orloff and petites pois with smoked lardons and onions was delicious. The Panne Cotta was great too. Ken and Kathy enjoyed the view from the house, the garden with it's environmentally

friendly pool, Martine's company and of course, the food.

This evening it was my turn to play host. Jean and Françoise, Juste and Joséphine came around for an apéritif dinatoire. Despite some language difficulties, the evening flowed and a good cultural exchange was had by all!

Two of a Kind

After all the gastronomic excess, Ken, Kathy and I finally took a bit of excercise; a Sunday stroll out from the village into the country for a good hour and a half. Lush vegetation, mountain views, a saffran farm, chickens and rain at the end. Not that that mattered, we had indoor plans for the rest of the day. first of all, lunch with Eamon and Liz, Scottish friends who are staying nearby on holiday. What a lunch ... asparagus wrapped in serrano, huge amounts of steak which Christian cooked and .....  huge amounts of wine served by Eamon à la Christian. We were having such a good time, with lots of laughs and a few reminiscences about the people that we used to work with that it was 6pm before we knew it and time to go.

It was then on to James and Beverley's for an apéritif but we didn't stay for too long ... don't let it be said that we can't take a hint!

Happy Birthday, Kathy!

A top and scarf designed in Barcelona, made in Italy and bought in France; a symbolic present for us to Kathy as it represented the 3 countries making up this trip. Her card had 2 penguins on it which caused a few laughs. I'm afraid you, our readers, can't really appreciate this in-joke, sorry.

While Christian was mingling with high-ups (President of the French senate, our local, MP, Regional President, Departmental President and several mayors) at the opening of a new museum, we wandered around the market. He
didn't stay for the reception but joined us instead for a drink with several others. Quite an experience for Kathy as not only were there several "bandas" playing but she was also treated to a rendition of "happy birthday" from us all which made her blush ever so slightly.
Had lunch at the restaurant and very good it was too, made even more enjoyable by eating outside in the sunshine. Needless to say there was another "All Blacks" conversation and we suggested that Philippe might have a theme evening along these lines. Why not?
In the evening along with Jean-Jacques, we went over to Mas Alart to James's vernissage which was accompanied by a wine and cheese tasting. The cheese was English and went down a storm; James did two small paintings on the spot, sold them and all but one of the others. All in all, a pretty good day for all concerned.

Both Sides of the Frontier

A day off for Christian and fortunately, the weather was sunny enough to make a day out feasible. Started off at Collioure which Ken and Kathy found pictuesque then went on to Port Vendres where Ken admired the 41m boat that was impounded by the Revenue Service last September. There was time to have a coffee overlooking the boats before zig-zagging our way up to the Coll de Banyuls with its superb views.

Dropping down the other side we went onto Garriguella for a late lunch. The "menu del dia" offered a large choice of three courses, bread, water, wine and coffee. All for 13€ enjoyed under the gaze of a wild boar head hanging on the wall. Once again Ken and Kathy did well coping with dinner at lunch!
The tour continued with a visit to the St Quize monestry where three of the four of us went for a short walk; the other lay on the ground, closed his eyes and enjoyed the fresh smells of the grass and wild flowers. Completed this leg of the journey with a stop to look at the menhir (4000 BC). Supposedly, if you press your ear to it because it is so deep underground, you can hear the sea but neither Kathy or I could.
Ended the trip with a stop to buy cava and for our visitors to look at the tap museum. Back in the village, habit dictated that we have soma wine at the bar before bread and cheese at home.

While the Cat's Away

A cold rainy day and Christian had a meeting all day long in Ille sur Tet . What joy, there was no committee meeting and I gave the language exchange a miss. We did however, have  the traditional Thursday  drink at the bar. Lunch at lunch kiwi style after which Ken got behind the wheel and drove us to Figueres. Looked at the main sites and had a cuppa on the Ramblas with a plate of patatas bravas to keep Kathy going. This stain glass window from the church is much more to my liking than all of Dali's surrealist stuff but there again, I'm a simple soul and no art afficianado. 

Raise a Glass

While our visitors had a lie in I did some association work and prepared some chilli for lunch. Michel joined us but it was all a bit of a hurried affair as we had a funeral (Nicole's Mum) to go to in Perpignan. Ken and Kathy came too and had a wander around. Met up for tea and very scrummy cakes. Weather was dull and the rain came on but not to worry. Wine and cheese was awaiting us at home with haunting Irish music to accompany it. I played "The Lonely Boatman" by the Fureys for when my coffin hits the flames and Ken introduced us to "Raise a Glass" which is what he would like. Despite the subject there was a lot of merriment and of course we followed the advice of Ken's song!

All Aboard

What luck, the weather was good, everyone was on time and the association's trip for 50 of us on the Canal du Midi went without a hitch. No disappointed customers ... phew!
We had the whole boat for ourselves and marvelled at the feat of engineering that took us up 21m through seven locks. The scenes, as we chugged slowly along were from a tourist guide but it was sad to see the plane trees, which are classified by Unesco as a world heritage site, suffering from a fungus that means that they will have to come down. The cost in monetry terms will be enormous.
Lunch overlooking a former lake that has been drained in favour of agriculture was served efficiently and enjoyed by one and all, even though the starter was a chicken liver salad. Next came a short walking tour around Beziers for the more energetic and people-watching from a café for those who were not. The bus came back via some small villages and ended up at a vinyard where the owner had assembled the skeleton of a whale that had been beached a few years ago. Quite a character who told more than his fair share of non-pc jokes.
By the time we arrived home, it was too late for Christian to go to his meeting so we had some wine on the terrace of the bar. There we met Jean-Jacques who came back with us for some supper. Had a lot of laughs especially about having penguins for neighbours even if they are "evoluted" ones.

El Centre del Mon

A complete chill out day yesterday when apart from catching up with the blog, nothing else happened. Today was somewhat different as there was a last minute change to tomorrow's place of departure for an association trip and guess who had to call the busload of people with details. In the evening we did a quick trip into Perpignan railway station (called the Centre of the World by Salvador Dali) to collerct our returning kiwis.

What no Cheese?

Market day again but apart from buying some flowers, all we did was have a glass of wine with Michel. Had lunch in the bar in the village and a lazy afternoon in preparation for an evening with the neighbours. Nicole did the apéritifs, Jack provided the meat and Gérard barbequed it, Geneviève made a salad with mixed leaves and flowers from her garden, André made a strawberry sorbet and Anna made a wicked chocolate for which I must get the recipe. We took whiskey and a bottle of champagne to toast Jacques and Pierre's birthdays. You'll notice that there was no cheese course which Christian made the recurring theme of the evening. Our host is not into cheese, nor wine come to that which is pretty strange for a Frenchman. Still, the evening wasn't just about food,  wit, wisdom and hilarity were also dispensed in full measure.

Artist's Model

After the bright lights of the village, Ken and Kathy went in search of the even brighter lights of Paris. We drove them into Perpignan in good time for the train and then did some supermarket shopping. Driving passed the restaurant in the village, the menu looked too tempting to miss so .......
Had a lazy afternoon before going to an interesting vernissage of paintings with a North African flavour. There was also some music from a singer composer who we'd seen at a previous  vernissage. Christian bought her CD. André, Nany, James and Beverley came back for some supper. James brought a great painting he'd done of Christian. Would you be surprised to know that he has
a glass of red wine in his hand?

Another Bank holiday

Second public holiday in a row and foolishly, I thought that we could cross the border and go to the market in Figueres. Christian had to stay home as 220 students from the top engineering schools in France on a week long endurance event were spending the night in the village and he needed to be on hand should any problems arise.We, on the other hand, cut our loses and drove up the valley; a coffee stop, a bit of sightseeing, lunch in Maçanet where we bumped into some folk from the village then home by way of Sylvie's salon where the three of us had our hair done. Believe it or not, the traffic was just as bad at 19h30 as it was in the morning and it took us an hour to get home. By this time we were all in need of a drink so once Ken had parked up the car we stopped by the bar for a glass of wine. Christian joined us there after a pretty basic meal with the students served with water!! Paradise??

Stand to Attention!

More commemorations today, this time for the end of 2WW. As usual there was one in each village here but more unusually we ended  in the mountains which meant that we stayed on for lunch. There were 25 us around the table and Ken was chuffed to be seated by the Mayor. From here we went up the new "road" and over the border, visiting the "Retirada" monument on the way. Of course, there was a free history lesson thrown in with André filling in the bits that I missed out. Carried on down into the village, looked at the other monuments and had a beer. Once back home, Michel came around for an apéro and so ended yet another day in Paradise.

Day Trippers

Had a good day out  today. The sun was shining, we put the top down and made good time down to L'Escala. Had a walk around, took a few photos, had a beer and a couple of tapas. Drove onto Sant Marti for lunch and a good one it was too. If you've ever been there, you'll know there's a good easy walk along by the sea, taking you passed the Greek and Roman ruins. Meantime, Christian sat on a bench, snoozed a bit and watched the world go by.

All Ok

A kinda quiet day with Ken having his first drive on the otherside of the road in the "I can't believe you don't have an automatic car". In the afternoon Christian had an appointment with the cardiologist to see if he is fit enough for his forthcoming artery operation. Thankfully, he is. Ken and Kathy had a walk around the town during this time and when we met up the weather was warm enough to have a drink outside. Continued at the bar once we were back in the village and so ended another day in Paradise. As Ken would say, we're so lucky!

Living it Up!

A lovely sunny day for the tennis club's carboot sale which we went to after coffee and croissants at the bar. Stayed there for lunch of sausage in baguette and chips washed down with a can of beer. Don't say that we don't know how to give our guests a good time. Later on we were invited around to Michel's for pancakes and coffee, then wine of course . Some other people also dropped around and then the guitars came out and there was music to round off the afternoon.

A Good Beginning

A bit of a cloudy start to the day for our visit to the market, a must for all our visitors. Had a glass of wine on the terrace of a bar where we met up with Martine who'll invite us for lunch at some point. She's a good cook so we'll be happy to accept. Today, however, we went home for the casserole that I'd prepared in advance. While Christian had a wee rest in the afternoon, I took our visiors for a walk through the vines.

In the evening we went to a local wine bar where Michel and his group were playing. All good stuff  .. Rolling Stones, Pierre's first drum solo, great atmosphere, a plate of tapas and dancing between the tables.

Les Kiwis Arrive!

The sun was shining, the journey down to Barcelona went without a hitch and we found Kathy and Ken in the airport without difficulty. Headed out of the city as far as Riudarenes for a good lunch in a restaurant that I'd found on the internet. It didn't look much from the outside but there was lots of character inside. Didn't need to eat much at home in the evening but we did stay up late talking over a glass (or two) of wine.

All in Order

Only two of us at the committee meeting this morning ...... no comment. Then, instead of coming home to make up for lost time on the house cleaning front, I had to stay and organise the language exchange as Maggie was away and there was noone else around .... no comment. Had a quick glass of wine at the bar and then met up with Lone and Jesper, Danish friends, for lunch at the restaurant.

Sadly, had to spend the afternoon sweeping up leaves over and tidying up over in the garage. at least everywhere is as spk and span as it will ever be; just as well as Ken and Kathy arrive tomorrow.

Welcome Break

Cousins from New Zealand arrive at the end of the week so the past few days I've been trying to get things in order. Yesterday was no exception so it was a welcome change when Jean and Françoise turned up bearing oysters from Arcachon for Christian. The least that we could do was to offer an apéritif and after a moment's hesitation (there are still things to do in the house) we said "yes" to a day out in memory of José, an old anarchist friend, who died a few years ago. It was tradition to go with him to La Bisbal on May Day to wander around the market there and have lunch by the sea.

The weather was with us today which is a public holiday and we spent a most agreeable time first at the market where we didn't buy anything despite looking hard and then had lunh in Llafranc overlooking the sea. Afterwards Françoise and I went for a walk along the coastal walkway which gave lovely views over the sea. Then it was onto Crüells and Monells, two medieval villages which Jean and Françoise had never visited. All in all a pretty good day.