Where is Vivienne?

Sunday was a quiet day with only a trip to the bar for a coffee followed by an apéritif. We even resisted having lunch in either of the restaurants.
Newswise, a large bear has escaped from the wildlife park north in the Aude and seems to be heading for the Pyrénées Orientales, Vivienne, like Yogi, is obviously "smarter than the av-er-age bear" as despite sightings, she's still at large several days later! So, keep an eye on your "pic-a-nic basket".

Yet More Tapas

A pretty busy day starting at 8.30am delivering the association's newsletter before meeting up with Maggie to unload and put away all the "stuff" from last night. The left over wine and fruit juice came back here ready for the next event on the 16th and then that will be the end of our house being used as a storage depot.
The weather was lovely and sunny so we had the roof of the car down when we went to pick up Juste and Joséphine to go to another village for a vernissage. with a lot of people milling around it wasn't possible to get a decent photo so i settled on this one outside the Mairie where the vernissage was held. It's really pretty, isn't it. Had lunch at the camping down the road on the way home and then while Christian snoozed, I caught up with the blog.

Finished off the day at the "Soirée Rosé" at the restaurant and of course, we both wore something pink for the occasion. There were 8 of us at the table, Juste and Joséphine, Robert, Lone, Jesper and Nina, our Danish friends. Along with rosé by the glass(?) or bottle there were tapas and music. Have to admit that I wasn't too keen to hear someone singing Johnny Halliday songs, but have to admit that the singer was good. What was quite strange was trying to sing along to "Black is Black" and "San Fransisco" in English when everyone else was singing in French and the words weren't necssarily a direct translation either. I didn't even know that Johnny had covered them but heck, who cares?

Tapas Again

This evening was the association's al fresco "soirée tapas", the last big event that I'll need to work my socks off for. Prepared the venue in the morning and did some admin then was whisked off to the bar for an apéritif by Christian. It was so pleasant on the terrace that we stayed there for an omelette and even had some entertainment thrown in. This photo is of the underground refuse container in the process of being emptied.
The evening went well though making sure that everyone else was ok and wine bottles relenished, I didn't really get to sample many of the goodies and if I sat down for 5 minutes that's all. Collective "ahhhhhh, shame"  is called for here.
There must have been nearly a hundred people there and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and just to think, I'll be able to sit on my bum and not stop to clear up at the next one in February.
Once we'd cleared up, Jean and Françoise came back to ours for a nightcap out on the terrace and so ended another day in our corner of France.

Friends

24th we made a long overdue visit to Sylvie's hairdressing salon this afternoon after which we dropped in on Juste and Joséphine for a quick cuppa and were introduced to their new "mower". The two little females that you saw on an earlier post (24.8.12)  had  long since been  given away as they were more trouble than they were worth.This fella seems destined to stay.
25th While Christian was at the Mairie, I gave Michel a hand at the Municipal Libray which still has all the books in cartons after being moved from elsewhere. My job was straightforward enough; all I had to do was put the English language novels into alphabetical order but (there's always a but, isn't there?) they hadn't been packed systematically and then once I'd finished, two other cartons were found necessitating a reshuffle.
In recompense Michel invited me and of course, Christian for an apéritif which became a pot luck lunch of pasta. Very tasty.
In the evening Christian had a Council Meeting where the controversial (well, for a few vociferous opponents of the Mayor) new Urban Plan was to be voted upon. Unlike, Britain, the public are not allowed to speak during the seance, just glower and mutter and then go to court to oppose it.
26th Just as Christian was starting on his lunch of wild rabbit in red wine with prunes, he received a call from the bar inviting him to join the Mayor, Jean-Jacques and a few others for  seafood. As I don't like mussels and oysters I waved him off and put his meal in the fridge for another day.
In the evening, it was my turn to meet up with the women of what we have now named "Apérobio" (said with an exaggerated Italian accent) at the local restaurant. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? All we need is Moltabano to wait on
table! As usual we laughed a lot and were pretty loud. As usual, we apologised to other diners who seemed amused bt the free entertainment. Michel passed by while we were tucking into desserts at much the same time as Terry came to collect Anne so we called Christian to join us. Michel invited us back to his place for pancakes and some music. He played electric guitar and sang as did Lone under the starlit skies.
27th Feeling tired but there was no chance of a lie-in. Christian had to update the electronic public information panel and I had a committee meeting. Skivved off from the language exchange to go to the fruit and veg market in Figueres. After a couple of beers in a pavement café, Michel took us of to "Wok You" for an all you can eat for 10€ buffet. Seating for 311 people, grossly overweight people with plates piled high and metal trolleys being pushed around to clear plates and food waste. It was ghastly, noisy and the food was mediocre although if you're a fish eater you would have fared better. Chinese food was certainly not the main event.
Jean-Jacques came round for something to eat. Couldn't stop yawning but sod's law, when I went to bed it took hours to get to sleep.

Light up the Skies

Grey skies all day and it felt cooler than it should on the eve of midsummer's day so the traditional fireworks of the "Feux de St Jean" brought a little cheer to an otherwise dull day. That's right, neither of us did anything more than potter.

Ever - Present Mairie

Would you believe it? The day dawned warm and sunny but there was no market today as we went to watch the nursery and primary schools sports day, all part of Christian's civic obligations. The faces of the little ones when they received their models was a real picture and worth having put ourselves out for. It's a shame I can't share the photos that I took of them so here's a view of the mountains behind the sports ground. Had lunch at home; now there's a surprise! Then, at 5pm there was an open air  concert given by a brass and wind band. It was hot and we both caught the sun. After the concert, we joined the musicians over an apéritif. I was all set for bread and cheese but Christian wanted an omlette and chips at the bar. His wish being my command, that's what we did except I passed on the chips. Unexpectedly one of the other members of the Council and his partner had just installed themselves on the terrace and we were invited to join them. Even more unexpectedly, they treated us!

Singing in the Rain

Today was our last day of Spanish and after an hour of irregular verbs, we joined the other group for apéritifs. Cava and lots of nice nibbles.
Michel called in at midday and as I wasn't hungry, he had my share of lunch.
For most of the day, what ever else we were doing we were keeping an eye on the weather as being the 21st, it was national music day and there plans for music of all kinds out in the square. The sun came and went, the rain came and went and finally settled in at about 6pm.
David, Laura, Jean-Jacques, Robert, Martine, John and Jenny came for an apéritif  which I'd had instructions not go over the top with, before we ventured out with our umbrellas to see what was happening outside. The two restaurants did their best to feed folk under cover and

Thérèse who'd invited herself to join our table was waiting for us.The singers and musicians found shelter too so the show went on until about midnight.
While we were at the restaurant Barbara brought over a woman whom I'd known at work. Amazingly she's had a holiday home in the village but we'd never bumped into each other! Even funnier, when I introduced her to Laura, they found that they had a friend in common, even though they live in different parts of Scotland! Small world, eh?
Finished off the evening in the bar and were home and in bed just after 2am.

Back to Normal

17th: The main excitement of the day was an eye test for us both but happily no problems though Christian needs to change his lenses that are well wsratched.
18th: Did a bit of Spanish with Anne, not that Seville had rubbed off on me. Juste, who's without Joséphine for a few days and Jean-Jacques came for lunch. Roast beef, fresh garden peas etc and Banana Malteser Cake for dessert. http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/malteser-and-banana-cake-L6007.html It's easy to make, a bit different and tastes good too. Our guests finally left after 5pm so it was a good job that Christian didn't have the usual  meeting at the Mairie this evening.
19th: The weather has been pretty on/off since we've been back but even though it was unsettled we had a day out. First a walk around Figueres and then lunch in Espinavessa at "La Rectoria". It's the first time that we'd been but weren't disappointed and the countryside around with its cornfields was pleasing on th eye. Fine food, classy dining

room with exposed stone walls and vaulted ceilings, pleasant service and a lunch time "menu del dia" including wine for 15€+vat. definitely one for our restaurant guide. Only downside was that there was no outside space for sitting out.
Made it home with half an hour to spare before Christian's first of two  meetings. The second meeting was with the associations of the village to allocate space for the next year. The Président asked me to be there which was just as well since despite having prepared a list for her of our activities, she still amanged to get things wrong. The meeting finally finished at 9pm. Only two more months to go and I'll be done with it. Nice one!
20th: Committee meeting down at the park but we then moved back to our usual place indoors for the language exchange as it was too cold and damp outside but our beloved President knew best! There were only about a dozen of us for the exchange and even fewer for the drink at the bar. Terry and Anne joined us at the restarant for lunch by which time it was warm enough to be outside. Funny old weather at the moment. No day is the same.

A Bit of Blarney

Spent the morning unpacking and exchanging the winter clothing in the wardrobe for the summer gear in the trunk. I don't think I've ever done this particular chore so late in the year. Went to the bar and had lunch there on the terrace followed by a siesta for Christian and mooching about for me. In the evening we were invited to Judith and Trevor's for dinner. They had Irish friends over from the coast and charming folk they were too. Good food, wide ranging discussion, a lot of laughs and free flowing wine ..... need I say more?

Back in the Swing

How good it was to sleep in our own bed and we didn't need to lie-in for too long even though it was after 2am when Christian climbed all the stairs for the first time in 17 days.
Market, apéritif with  friends ... old habits are so easy to fall back into. After so much dining out, we didn't succumb to the temptation of a reastaurant lunch, settling instead for a salad at home.
In the evening we went to watch Juste and Joséphine in their end of year flamenco gala but we left at the interval to come back to the village to hear some jazz at the bar, wind down and get to bed by midnight.

Adios Sevilla!

Check-out time from the appartment was 11am and fortunately our host Oscar, was ok about us leaving our bags until we were ready to go to the airport. We had a leisurely start to the day unlike Juste and Joséphine who headed off to visit the Cathederal in the hope of beating the queues. Breakfast down by the indoor market, apparently the oldest in Seville and then the "old crocs" bus into the city centre for us. It was very hot and many of the bars had a sprinkler system which sprayed a fine mist over the customers; a bit like being a lettuce in the supermarket, really!
We met up with our travelling companions at lunch time and Christian treated us to a proper meal in the Méson de Don Raimundo which, along with the hotel is like a private museum. The chirpy waiter mixed us a jug of rebuijto and kept us entertained through out.
Our flight wasn't until 9.45pm but as it was too hot just to wander around, we made our way out to the airport where we waited patiently. This time the flight wasn't delayed and there were no problems on the drive back either. Dropped Juste and Joséphine off chez eux, came home, dumped our bags and fell into bed.

Rome from Rome!

No lie-in this morning as we were up and out for breakfast in time to get a taxi to take us out to Italica for when it opened at 9.30am. The forecast was for tempuratures of 38°+ and Joséphine wanted to get back for the market in Macarena, so an early start it was.
Jean and Françoise told us about this ancient Roman town founded in 206 B.C. by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. The amphitheatre which could hold 25,000 spectators was particulary impressive but after the Villa Casale in Sicily last year, the mosaics, less so.
By the time we'd made it back, the sun was beating down. Christian and Juste retreated to a bar for a beer and I trailed after Joséphine who was on a mission to find a flamenco dress. Although there were sevaeral to be had, they were either the wrong size, too expensive, the wrong colour or too old fashioned. So, Andy and Maureen, when you read this, please note that I'm not the only one who is difficult to please!
We had lunch in "La Gorda te da de Comer", a modern restaurant on our walk back home and it was gooooood.
Once again, having eaten well at lunch time, there wasn't much enthusiasm to eat more than a couple of tapas in the evening and of course there was still the luggage to pack for our departure tomorrow.

These Shoes Were Made For Walking

Decided on a lazy day starting with a lie in. Juste and Joséphine, being more energetic went off on their own . When we were eventually organised we took the bus in town and we were about the youngest and fitest on it! From the Plaza de San Francisco, where we took a few photos,

we found found the main shopping area where we bought shoes. I finally found some MBTs that Maureen had told me about a few years ago; all I have to do now is learn how to walk in them. I will say however, they make you more erect and give  your calf muscles a work out.
Had lunch in a pretty non-descript place so were pleased to go back to "Copas contra Tapas"in the evening  where we sat out and enjoyed better and more original tapas than the usual fare.

Farther Afield

Today we hired a car and went off first of all to Cadiz which was on Juste's wish list followed by Jerez which was on Joséphine's. Cadiz by the sea was of course cooler but in the very short time that we there we didn't get to see much of it. Jerez, the home to sherry was hotter and was where we had a late lunch in a family owned restaurant that our "guides" had found when they were there for the "Feria" just a few weeks ago. I had a potato and chorizo revueltos dish which is made with eggs and Christian had fish. In the evening we weren't that hungry so just bought some ham, cheese and olives for a snack.

Seeing the Sights

Caught the bus into town which took us through narrow wee streets after a breakfast of coffee and a ham and tomato "bocadillio".  Our main objective was a visit to the Plaça d'Espagne but on the way there we visited the tobacco factory which was the setting for Bizet's opera "Carmen". It was a lovely old building more suited to its present use as a university  than a factory. The square, set in the Marie Louisa gardens was just as impressive as I remembered it from my visit there with Mum 27 years ago. Took loads of photos but its grand scale made it difficult to capture. The weather was warm and a cold beer  beckoned and I had the 5* Alphonso xiii hotel in my sights. Sadly there was a private function on in the bar and we couldn't get in so had to be content with taking some photos outside and had a "rebuijto" at a more down market establishment. Rebujito is made from equal parts of either Tio Pepe or Manzanilla sherry mixed with sprite or 7up and sprigs of mint. Nice and refreshhing and none too alcoholic.
We had the "menu de dia" in a restaurant close by the river and the "Torre del Oro" before heading back for a well earned siesta.
Juste and Joséphine being into flamenco found us a show in the evening in a bar not too far from where we were staying. Fortunately we were there when the doors opened and managed to get four of the few stools available. Nothing like one of those tourist places, it was less colourful but good and well appreciated by an audience that knew their stuff.

Aching Feet

Went out to one of the nearby cafés in the Macarena area for breakfast before going in search of a big open air market. Weather was warm and the road long. Unfortunately as there was a "fun run" on, there were neither buses or taxis to be had. Christian did very well and it was such a relief to see him going farther than for a very long time. By the time we finally found the market which turned out to be a flea market, neither he or Juste were interested in looking around but Joséphine and I did and bought a couple of tops at rock bottom prices. Went into the city centre by taxi as thankfully they were once more available and had lunch not far from the cathedral in a proper restaurant as opposed to a tapas bar.
Our accommodation was less than a 10 minute walk from a huge boulevard surrounded by eating places so the hardest thing we had to do in the evening was to decide which one to choose. Perhaps for Christian it was the walk but he is doing so well and is not complaining.
Well, not out loud anyway!

Bags Packed and Off

Heavy rain for most of the morning so there were no regrets about packing rather than going to the market. Had quite a few things to get done for the association az well and it reminded of work days when I'd be trying to clear up stuff until the last. At least these days with computers there's no need to do stuff at the airport and post it back.
By the time we went to pick up Juste and Joséphine, the rain was off. Our drive to Barcelona went without out a itch but the flight was delayed by an hour.
Arived at our appartement by about 9.30pm, dumped our bags and went out to find some food. We had our first of many tapas and Christian had his first walk of any distance.
Going to bed was interesting as you can imagine from the photo. It was really more suited to younger folk but what the heck, it gave us a few laughs, I didn't roll over the side and Christian didn't break his neck when he had to get up in the night!

Catalogue of Events

1st June: Christian managed to walk to the bar this morning for a coffee and this evening Jean-Jacques came around for something to eat.
2nd June: Back to the bar again to have a seat on the terrace and an apéritif. Robert came wandering by so he joined us nd we all ended up staying for lunch.
3rd June: Christian walked even further today. Collected the newspaper and then went to the Mairie to do some work.
4th June: Juste and Joséphine came around to make the final préparations for our trip to Seville. Cooked Delia's Chicken Basque which went down very well,
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/poultry-and-game/chicken/chicken-basque.html
 Joséphine brought her strawberry cocktail mix which we topped up with cava and it too, went down well.
5th June: Less work to do today  for lunch with Jean and Françoise who brought the main course of cassoulet with them . Not exactly a warm weather dish but it was a treat for Christian. I was more seasonal with my chilled mint and courgette soup.

This evening was the neighbourhood street party with a sea and islands theme. It was lovely sitting out in the evening sunshine and seeing kids and oldies alike enjoying themselves. My contribution was Guggy Ccake but I substituted some of the water for rum! http://www.larecettedujour.org/2007/02/guggy_cake.php

6th June:
Talk about working right up until the last minute. Stuff on the computer for the association and setting up, serving and clearing up at the paella evening. One of the Deputy Mayors had offered to cook one for the association in the hunters' building. Had our apéritif outside but then 60 of us moved i
nside for the main event and my goodness, it was good. Made it home for nearly midnight and there were still  bags to pack for tomorrow.