Happy Couple

Quite a slow start this morning but no matter. Spent the afternoon doing the last of the bits and pieces for the association. Christian is well pleased that I won't be forever bugging him to correct my written French. Managed to get it all done in time to get ready to go to a "Vin d'honneur" after a wedding. (Son of the Secretary General at the Mairie). There were really good canapés and lots of people to chat to. Jean-Afterwards Jacques invited us along with the Mayor and his wife for an imprompu omelette and oven chips at his place. Hearing voices as he passed, Michel came and joined us as did Sylvie a bit later on. We had thought to take a nightcap at the bar on our way home but we found the terrace empty apart from Jean-Louis and his partner who were tucking in to stuffed squid. I won't go into what the two squid looked like, suffice it to say, I was pleased that we'd eaten at Jean-Jacques'!

Shades of Mem saab Beeton

You may remember the famous "first catch your rabbit quote" but in this case, "it was first toast and grind up your garam masala mix". A curry dinner to prepare for the evening and the spice jar was empty. Spent the whole day cooking until I dropped but it was worth the effort. This was the third round with Manu, Sandrine, Valérie, Eric and Clare  This time Jean-Jacques came along. I also made a spag bol for the six children who came too. I was a bit anxious that the French, who on the whole are not curry eaters, would find the food too spicy. The lime pickle was a bit much for most of them but otherwise they managed very well with the  unknown flavours. Jaimie's Chicken Tikka Masala at  http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/chicken-tikka-masala and Prawn and Coconut Curry from the Good Food website http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5084/prawn-and-coconut-curry were on the menu along with spicy chickpeas, poppadoms and various acoomaniments. Breaking away from the curry theme, there was also a cheese course, at Christian's insistance and he was right as most of it disappeared!

Our guests took their leave at about midnight with Manu's parting shot being "we'll do dinner soon" so it looks like we're in for an Autumn rerun.

Rock On!

What a pleasure it was to hand over the rest of the files and other paraphanalia that I'd accumulated over my five years as General Secretary of the Association. Just one or two more bits and pièces to do before I leave the rest of the committee to it on the 1st September. Retirement, here I come!

Good Deed Day

Our friend Rowena, who lives about an hour and a quarter from here up towards the border has broken her heel and was therefore unable to drive her parents to the airport. So, in exchange for lunch and some fruit fresh of the trees, we did our bit to help out. It also meant that we could replenish our stock of cava on the way back. Here you can see Christian waiting patiently for his apéritif.

Tapas Trail

There were four of us for the "apérobio" this evening. Dani went home early to have dinner but another two glasses of wine later, Lynn, Anne and Terry who had  to get in on the action came back to mine to join Jean-Jacques and Christian who'd been having their own rather more copious tapas platter. We'd also hijacked Jacques, who didn't need much persuading, to come along too. So,  a very pleasant end to the evening.

A Week's Worth

19th August: Rather belatedly, I went for my annual "well woman" check up and all is well except for the weight gain. Called in to see Juste and Joséphine had tea, apéritifs and were invited to stay for something to eat. True to form it was impossible to avoid village politics and true to form discussion was heated but stopped short of a full blown argument. Always, the same rehash  with no change of opinion.  Sadly with élections looming in March next year, it can only get worse! Not sure that my blood pressure will stay as low as it was this afternoon.
20th: Back on the treadmill this morning while listening to "Coffee Break Spanish" and a walk around the village this afternoon. Must keep it up, must keep it up, must, must, must.......
21st: Yes, I did! Just as well as we went to the restaurant for some wine and (very) small plate of tapas. We were still lingering in the cool of the evening with a drop of rosé still in the bottle when the Mayor, his wife and grandaughter arrived and joined us. So, we stayed for something to eat; salad for me and grilled mixed fish for Christian.
22nd: Didn't have time for the treadmill this morning as I had a meeting with the person who's going to be dealing with the membership table on excel. Was she enthusiastic at the prospect? Was she heck as like!!! Christian joined us for a drink in the bar after the language exchange where Terry tried to recruit me for a "Fantasy Football" league. Apparently, you put a team together but not being able to even think of any other name for my hypothetical team than "the No Hopers", he gave up! Result!
23rd: Another funeral at the crematorium this morning and as usual we manged to go all around the
Wreakin to get there. This time it was our friend Josette's sister. Joan (Jean), from the village was there too and he sang two or three songs in Catalan which lightened the mood. Came home and had a rosé at the bar where we were joined by Jean-Jacques. This evening we walked over to André and Jeannine's for dinner. Jean-Jacques had been invited too. It was another international affair with 2 Germans and a Polish/English man who too lives in Germany. Not having much opportunity to speak English, he was delighted to sit opposite me as he didn't speak any French. I walked home with JJ, Christian got a lift. Ended the evening at the bar where there was music and a good atmosphere, it being the Patron's 50th birthday. I remember when he was a lot slimmer and able to climb into our bread oven when he celebrated an earlier birthday in our cave!
24th: For the first time in ages we went to the market as last night Henri had promised us an apéritif.
It wasn't long before we were joined by André, Michelle and the three Germans. They were all due to go to a reception at the Mairie as part of the twinning visit. We resisted André's invitation to join them, prefering to wait for Michel who we hadn't seen for a while.
For the first time in ages, it rained heavily this afternoon though the sun came out again and the communal meal that we were due to go to with some other village folk (not our usual set of friends) to the village that we raised money for after the fires last year wasn't cancelled. One of our number managed to get lost but the rest of us found the tiny hamlet with at least an hour to spare before it was due to start at 9h and it  meant that we could "bag" seats together. By the time that we were served at 9h30 we were well hungry. Still the meal was excellent, chaucuterie, roast chicken, sausage and rabbit in a delicious sauce, dessert, coffee, wine, cava and liquer and all for 12€/head. There were at least 130 people packed into the square. Our presence was toasted and the Mayor was saying that they hope to come to our October Fair, so even though we're not twinned with them, links are being forged. We left at about midnight, leaving the others to the dancing to a live group.
25th: Treadmill, salad lunch and apart from the ironing, we both had a lazy day with not even an apéritif on our terrace at lunch time. Then the new series of "Montalbano" on the French tv ... ahhhhh!

All Around Sound

At last! A rain shower yesterday morning but it didn't last long. Just as well as that evening there was an outdoor meal, concert and disco. The concert part was a choir from the western part of the Pyrenees. What voices : unaccompanied and powerful. Michel, one of the singers and his wife Getta  were staying with us for B & B.
After the concert we gave the meal a miss, as we couldn't face a paella and went instead for a quiet drink at the bar and had an early night.
This morning, while the choir sang at Mass (in front of the Archbishop) Christian and I were over at the Mairie to help Carmen prepare the apéritif. There was a moment of panic when people started arriving as there must have been about 100 folk. Still, there was enough to eat and drink and the choir broke into song at various intervals.
Then came lunch at the Foyer ... chicken couscous and very good it was too. The archbishop blessed us (!) and the Mayor sang as did the choir. I can't describe what it was like to be in the middle of such beautiful voices. Goose pimples and tears for us more sensitive souls.

All Quiet on the Home Front

Spent the last few days being totally unenergetic, sleeping late, not drinking and only eating sparingly. Didn't go up to Christian's fiefdom on 15th (public Holiday) for the fiesta though he did for lunch with Jean-Jacques in the restaurant. Feeling more like myself today but am still not ready for any excess.

Oh Woe is Me!

Still feeling pretty flat, sleeping in until 10am and not getting up until 11am. Christian was over to the Mairie as usual for 9am. Lunch time we met Penny and Frank who wanted to try out the new restaurant that we'd tried with Kelvin and Irene a couple of weeks ago. Waited nearly 25 minutes before the order ws taken and they weren't that busy. The food as good but I could only manage 2 courses even though they were light. As for the waiter ... he's not exactly fawning but still over the
top. It was a real shame as it's quite a while since we'd manage to catch up but with the noise level and a large round table, conversation was difficult. Factor in the heat, Christian and my lack of sparkle, we were pleased to get home and have a siesta. There's not even a photo to liven up this post; sorry.

I Shall Wear Purple!

What a nice surprise I had this evening; the apéritif chez Jean and Françoise turned out to be a birthday celebration with Thérèse there too. They'd made a lot of effort with the food, there was a lovely necklace and Jean had done a short slide show on a dinosaur theme. Not that old!!
Who's Who?:
Françoise (Cake), Christian (Dark Green)
Thérèse (Surprise), Present (Joan),
Jean (Flowers), Me (Purple).
If you don't know the Jenny Joseph poem "Warning" which talks about growing old, wearing purple and lots of other fun things, you can find it on http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/warning/
Stopped off at the bar where the terrace was very busy on our way back. Ordered a beer for Christian and a soft drink for me and found Pascal, a really nice bloke who has a nearby café/bar who was paying for them. Given that we don't go into his bar often, he must like us!

In Need of Reining In

This has been a week of excess; eating and drinking and our bodies, mine more than Christian's, are

grumbling loudly at the ill treatment. The weather continues to be hot, energy levels are low and the treadmill has gone back into mothballs.
Monday, 5th: Christian's surgery in the other village. Annette wasn't around but I bumped into Francine and we sat in her garden drinking juice and chatting until Christian had finished. As usual there weren't any clients. Went to the restaurant for a bite to eat opting for salad hors d'œuvres and omelette instead of a 3 course meal. There you are, it's not always duck but it was still more than enough.
Tuesday,6th: We were invited along with Carmen, the Mayor,  and his wife to the President of the Twinning Committee's house for a soirée he'd organised for the Normans. What we thought was to be an apéritif dinatoire was followed by a bbq!

Wednesday, 7th: Round 2 with the Mairie folk, this time at Valérie and Eric's. Huge seafood platter followed by scallop pie.
Thursday, 8th: No committee meeting but we had the language exchange and rosé at the bar afterwards. In the evening, Diana and Robin had invited us, Roger and Martine to the lake for dinner. Called in at the bar as there was music on and had more rosé. Not a good idea.
Friday, 9th: Had a miserable night up and down to the bathroom; I'll spare you the details; spent nearly all day in bed sleeping. Thought at first that it was the excess but I've since heard that Valérie and Sandrine weren't well either so maybe it was the seafood. Dragged myself over to the flamenco show outside the Mairie as it was Christian that had laid it all on. Stayed on for the meal afterwards (which didn't start until after 11pm) and didn't eat a thing even tough I'd only had

some dry toast in the afternoon. The only thing to pass my lips was water! A couple of young men helped carry stuff home for us and they came in for a drink so it was 3am when we fell into bed.
Saturday, 10th: Made an early start for the crematorium for a neighbour's funeral and apart from a coffee in the bar afterwards we didn't venture out. Feeling tired and still not 100%.
Sunday, 11th: Coffee in the bar, no alcohol for either of us and an afternoon ironing while Christian slept. Went over to Jean-Jacques for an apéritif and ended up staying for scrambled eggs and sauted potatoes. Yet again there was music in the bar but this time we only stopped to listen for a short while.
Next week isn't quite as busy but there are still meals out on the horizon. Just hope to get some energy back and a stomache that will cope.

Two sets of Twins

It was good to be able to put the hood down during our drive over the border to the village fête of our other "twin" as it helped blow away last night's cobwebs. The fête took it's usual form .... market stalls of local crafts and produce, a stroll around the village following traditional musicians much like the children of Hamelin followed the Pied Piper and a substantial apéritif.
Our Norman friends came along a bit later, so it was a great opportuntity to photo the 3 Mayors together. The local Mp of the Catalan Parliament also go in on the act but that was ok as he always turns up for these events and doesn't rush off at the earliest possible moment.
14 of us stayed on for lunch even though we'd all said that we weren't hungry after the apéritif. Home for a rest via Maggie's and what we thought would be a moment of calm before going along to the bar to hear some music later on in the evening. Bruno, from Normandy telephoned to say that they'd forgotten to buy rosé and could we help them out, Yes, we could! We were invited over for an apéro and light supper. Then we all went to the bar at about 10.30pm for the tail end of the music in the cool of the night.

Making a (not very) Old Woman Happy!

How quickly the years fly by and once again, my birthday was upon me. First of all, there were a number of cards to open; thanks to those who sent them. Went to the bar for tapas and rosé, then came home for a glass of champagne. Neither of us felt like any lunch, so decided to give it a miss and concentrate on the good meal that we were expecting to have at the restaurant in the evening.
Once again, it was too hot to go out until Jacques and Lizzie came over to give a mini concert of Beatles' songs on the upstairs terrace at apéritif time. Martine and Nick came along too, though not to sing. There was a plant and a card that "woofed" "happy birthaday" and it really was something special that happened very much at the last minute. Of course there was champagne and nibbles on offer from us.
Our meal at the restaurant was excellent, an English couple stopped by and sang a few lines of "Happy Birthday" on their way down to this week's meal and disco at the recreation ground . The owner must have heard because later on dessert arrived with a candle on it accompanied by a glass of champagne for each of us. But that's not all, who should come wandering by but six people from the town in Normandy that we're twinned with. Nothing to do with my birthday; they're booked into the local gîte for a week. When we'd finally finished our meal, it was our turn to head to the disco and yes, I did dance ...... even a rock and roll with the Maire!

Hot and Busy Days

31st: This evening, the long promised BBQ chez Sandrine and Manu, who both work at the Mairie, arrived. but first of all I went to the restaurant for an "Apérobio".  Nothing other to say about either event  apart from, we ate well and laughed a lot. Oh yes, nearly forgot; next week we're invited to Valerie's who also works at the Mairie, for Round Two. I guess there will be a Round 3 at ours the following week.
1st: There's still wall to wall sunshine and even under the shade of the trees it was warm at the Language Exchange. Had our usual glass of rosé at the bar but came straight home for lunch. This evening we were back at the bar for a musical evening of songs from the 40's and 50's. The terrace was packed with a mostly grey haired audience!
2nd: With so many late nights, the treadmill has gone the way of many good intentions; no, let's say "gone but not forgotten" as I really must get back into action. Christian on the other hand is doing well to keep up his morning walk around the village.
With lovely weather, it was too tempting to stay home so we took ourselves over to the bar for a glass of what else but rosé;  tell a lie, we did start with a coffee. Robert came by and came with us to a local auberge to look at a exhibition of drift wood sculptures done by someone from the village and to have lunch. It's been a long time since we've eaten there and sad to say that the "rapport qualité/prix" is no better than it was when we decided to cross it off our list. Shame, 'cos the people are friendly and as you will have realised, we like to support village establishments.
Spent the afternoon quietly with the fan whirring away until it was time to go to a double vernissage. One in the Mairie and one straight afterwards in the Museum. Met up with Jacques who invited us back for a drink; a nice drop of Balvenie for Christian while he and I polished off the last bottle of Gaillac sparkling wine.