Wet, Wet, Wet

30.9.14:

The trip into Spain organised by the Association to play pétanque was cancelled this morning. We're on a orange alert because of the heavy rain so it was the only thing to do. Funnily enough, Trevor and Judith arrived at our door wearing shorts and carrying umbrellas just to check that the trip was indeed off! Well, the Irish do deal better with wet weather than we softies from the S of France.
We did venture out to the bar and had a coffee under the awning as the rain continued to fall.
When Christian, Michel and Jean-Jacques arived at the house after their meeting at the Mairie, Jean, Françoise and Jacques were already here waiting for the apéritifs to begin.
Weather:
20° Rain stopped and it brightened up at 4pm
 
29.9.14:

Despite the all the rain through the night, the sun was shining enough for us to have lunch with Jacques who's here from Colombia, out on the terrace of the bar. Jacques et Jean-Jacques opted for omlette and chips but there weren't any eggs! They opted therefore for the same as me, for curried chicken  (not as we would know it though) and rice. Christian had a warm salad of herrings and potatoes, a traditional French bistro dish.
Weather:
23° Very heavy rain at 5pm

Moving into Autumn

28.9.14:

Christian was on duty this morning representing the Mairie at charity event in aid of cystic fibrosis. It was just a question of buying a coffee, some raffle tickets and showing face. Rather than come home, we decided to go to Latour de France where Pierre-Louis Marin (a new michelin star chef) has opened a restaurant. "La Fabrique plm" is more of a community facility with space for events, a bar, wifi point, tourist info and more affordable prices than his flagship restaurant "L'Auberge du Cellier" in Montner. http://www.aubergeducellier.com/  They also do the meals for the primary school kids. Lucky them.  The food was fine, if a little heavy for September hereabouts and there was a pleasant terrace to sit out on but we wouldn't go back especially to eat there. Kids with nothing else to do than zoom up and down on their motorbikes rather spoilt it. http://www.lafabriqueplm.fr/ and this house is rather quainter than the modern building that housed the restaurant 
Weather:
23° Cloudy, a little sun, rain showers after lunch becoming torrential in the evening

Headlines:

• Apparently, the Air France strike is over with the company no changing their plans to develop "Transavia" low cost flights in Europe which had been the bone of contention. 
• Partial elections to the Senate have resulted in a move to the right with 2 seats for the FN

27.9.14:
Christian's had a sore leg for a few days and still hasn't shaken off his cough but will he do anything? No ... he's a stubborn so and so.
Went to the supermarket instread of the market - now there's a fun activity for a Saturday. Got back in time for a glass of wine in the village and spent the rest of the day doing nothing much at all.
Weather:
24° Sun with the tramontane blowing later in the afternoon
Headlines:
Air France pilots' strike goes into its 13 day

26.9.14:

My goodness, it was hot in Maggie's garden for the MacMillan/Cancer Support France coffee morning that she organised. There were about 30 folk there all told, only three of whom were French. Luckily I was on selling raffle tickets and didn't have to mingle too much. Still the morning ended with a couple of G & Ts and 485€ was raised to boot, so it was bearable.
The association had its AGM this evening and I did my bit as translator. Christian meantime was at an apéritif for the retirement of a long serving fire officer.
Ended the evening at the restaurant with Nany, André, Jean-Jacques, Michèle and Henri to celebrate our wedding anniversary. All very pleasant!
Weather:
25° Sunny

25.9.14:

Same old Thursday to start off with - language exchange, bar for an apéritif then lunch al fresco at the restaurant. Made a couple of cakes in the afternoon; one to take to André and Nany's this evening and one for Maggie's coffee morning tomorrow.
At long last Nany managed to get us all together this evening for the handing - over - of - the - pot ceremony by way of a thank you to David and Laura for their hospitality last May. It was no ordinary pot from over the border but a rather splendid affair that weighs an absolute ton. Laura is talking about taking it back with them to put in the hall ...... and to think that we thought we could go for something that they could use here so didn't stint on either size or weight.
Weather:
24° Sun

24.9.14:
Went for a coffeee this morning to escape the frustrations of a non-connecting internet. In the afternoon I went to Perpignan with Lynn to act as interpreter at her outpatient's appointment.
Weather:
23° Sun
Headlines:
A French mountain guide beheaded by extemists in Algeria

23.9.14:

Spanish this morning but we didn't really get down to work. Even after a couple of years, Paul remarked that I pronounced every word that I read out wrong. ¡Ay, Dios mío!
Called by the Mairie to see Dick and Lidy,  Dutch  members of the association who were getting married.
In the afternoon there was a ceremony as in every other village in France, to mark the 1st World War. Not to glorify war but to recognise the loss and suffering that came with it.
Christian had a Council meeting this evening which left him in need of winding down over something to eat at the bar which gave us an excuse to try out their new menu. 
Weather:
23° Sunny but cloudy later and chilly in the evening
Headlines:
Fiasco - Three presumed jihadists who should have arrived in Paris from Turkey arrived in Marseilles but the Turkish governement had not informed the French authorities! The three men walked into a small Gendarmerie not far from Montpellier and gave themselves up, surprised that there had been no one to take them in when they touched down. To add insult to French pride, the passport control's computer programme was down so there had been no alert which, of course, they couldn't blame on the Turks.

22.9.14:

A call from Michel to say that I could have a hair appointment with Sylvie, leaving from their house in 15 minutes, saw me throw on whatever was to hand and get out of he house without a scrap of makeup. At the best of times  I hate having to look at myself  with plastered down hair going lighter by the minute and clown eyebrows going darker at the same rate - not a pretty sight - no makeup and I see an escapee from the little house of horrors in those huge  hairdresser's mirrors. Still, 2½ hours later I was able to confront the outside world. Christian came to pick me up and we went to Cantallops, which means "cry of the wolves" for lunch. Nothing pretentious but it was fine. In the evening there was a lengthy meeting at the Mairie about the old Mairie project and for a change it was Christian who was at home waiting to eat.
Weather:
25° Cloudy

It Wasn't to Be

21.9.14:
Breakfast later than usual while lingering over the Sunday paper followed by a glass of wine at the bar and lunch at home. Otherwise, nothing of note.
Weather:
28° Cloudy
Headlines:

• Hollande has a popularity rating of 13% and Valls' is slipping too. 
• Leonard Cohen is 80 today

20.9.14:

Went to the market to keep our rendez-vous with Pierre and Marie. Frustratingly, for them , they got stuck behind a very slow driver so the journey took at least an hour longer than it should have done. Still, we filled the time quite happily over a coffee with Michèle, Henri and a number of their friends. Had lunch at the "Chat qui Rit" though were a bit disappointed with the service and thought that it was overpriced. In the end they decided to leave for home when we went to the memorial mass for the beekeeper's girlfriend. Church, twice in two days and I'm not even a believer. The service was simple and surprisingly moving.
This evening Jean-Jacques came around for a bite to eat and of course, the service was excellent and being free, good value for money!
Weather:
30° Sunny
Headlines:
Sarkozy has sprung into action after announcing his candidature for the leadership of his party which, if he wins, will be renamed and restructured. Opinion polls show that the majority of the French don't want him back.

19.9.14:

We heard this morning that Pierre and Marie were going to come over from Limoux tomorrow to see how Christian is doing and to take us for lunch. Just in case, they decided to stay over, I did a quick scoot around to prepare a bedroom. our other piece of news came from the surgeon who will change Christian's pacemaker on the 3rd October.
In the afternoon, there was the  funeral of Andrée (80 yrs) who was from an old village family. Needless to say, the church was full to overflowing. Afterwards we retired to the bar with Nany and André for a quick beer and spent the evening quietly at home.
Weather:
30° Sunny
Headlines:

• Scotland voted "no" with a majority of more than 10%
• France started bombing raids in Iraq 

18.9.14:

Thursday again so the day followed its usual pattern - language exchange, the bar for a glass of wine then lunch at the restaurant with Terry and Ann joining us  towards the end of our meal. This evening we were invited to Linde's along with Jean, Françoise and Kathy for dinner. Linde wanted us to meet David, a friend of hers from the States who's going to be making a film about her family history. Linde's research is proving interesting eversince she found her Austrian Gran's diaries recently  charting her time in France after the outbreak of the 1st World war. As an enemy alien, it wasn't a happy time for her as she was moved from one camp to another leaving her former more privileged life behind.
Weather:
28° Sun
Headlines:
Voting in the referendum on Scottish independence.

17.9.14:

We took a trip into town this morning as Christian had spotted some shoes that he fancied. Had a glass of wine in the sun but apart from Christian going to the Mairie for a meeting in the evening, it was an uneventful day.
Weather:
28° Sun and cloud later

16.9.14:
The first Spanish session of the new season took place this morning and luckily for me it was all about logtisics then on the way back home, Christian and I met met up at the restaurant for a coffee. In the afternoon I had my last but one physio appointment followed by a meeting at the Mairie to talk about the use of the old Mairie building. Rounded off the day with an "apérobio" which Christian and Jean-Jacques gate crashed later on.
Weather:
26° Sun at first and torrential (and I'm not exaggerating) rain at the end of the afternoon

Supporting the Local Economy

15.9.14:

Much to our surprise the bar is closed until Thursday .... umph! The only thing to do, therefore, was to go into town for a coffee and change of scene even though it was nearer apéritif time than coffee time. As Christian wanted to try out the restaurant that Jean and Françoise had told us about (the one that was closed last Tuesday), we resisted the temptation to have a rosé.
We thoroughly enjoyed the menu of the day that made use of local produce and the wee garden where we sat was a real delight though the reviews on Tripadvisor are mixed.  http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g196603-d6788336-Reviews-Percherons-Ceret_Pyrenees_Orientales_Languedoc_Roussillon.html#REVIEWS
Weather:
26° Sun to start then cloud, thunder and heavy rain later
Headlines:
Hollande is supporting Obama's plan to bomb I.S. forces in Syria. Well, at least it diverts attention from his government's woeful showing in the polls.

14.9.14:
Nothing much today apart from a glass of wine and conversation with some village Brits at the bar. Even had lunch at home.
Weather:
26° Sun to start, clouding over later followed by heavy rain
Headlines:
Lots of scare mongering in Indepenence campaign

13.9.14:

There were still a lot of tourists in the market swelled by people who were there for the Associations' Forum. I left Christian with Henri and Michèle at the café while I had a look around and of course bumped into a load of people. The folk in costume are part of a medieval dance society. Returned to find his nibs sitting on his own with a very long face. After a glass of wine and then lunch back at the restaurant, normal service was resumed before too long.
In the evening Jean-Jacques came around for some supper on the terrace but didn't stay on for too long, so we were all able to have an early night.
Weather:
28° sunny
Headlines:
Scottish aid worker beheaded in Syria

12.9.14:
We were still sitting on the terrace of the bar after having had our usual coffee, when Jean-Jacques came by. As he'd been away for about 10 days, there was more than a glass of wine's worth of news to catch up with, so we stayed for an omlette and chips lunch. This evening we were back again to listen to some young people playing rock music. We're nothing if not even handed with our patronage!
Weather:
27°
Headlines:
Oscar Pistorius acquitted of murder but found guilty of involuntary homicide. Sentence to be passed at a later date.

11.9.14:

Today is the Catalan "national" day and unusually it marks a defeat in 1714 rather than a great victory. There was a huge demonstration of nearly 2m people in Barcelona with 5 bus loads going from Catalunya North. At 17h14 participants spread out along two of the city centre's main roads thus forming a "V" for victory in the referendum sceduled for November. Before that, of course, all eyes will be on Scotland.
Since we hadn't heard anything from the clinic, Christian telephoned only to find that the surgeon is away for the week. As for me, I was at the physio for the second time this week and now there are only two more sessions to go. Apart from all that, we had lunch at the restaurant and very good it was too.
Weather:
28° Sunny

Venturing Out a Bit More

10.9.14:

Accompanied Lynn to an appointment at the local clinic as she wanted me to act as interpreter. Otherwise there wasn't even a coffee at the bar as it is closed on a Wednesday though Jean and Françoise saved the day by calling in at apéritif time to collect the camera they'd forgotten
Weather:.
28° Sun
Headlines:
Cameron, Clegg and Milliband fly to Scotland to encourage people to vote "no"!

9.9.14:
Coffee in the morning and while Christian was at the Mairie this evening, I went to the Music Association's AGM. Stayed just for a glass of sangria and gave the supper a miss.
Weather:
27° Sun, rain at 5pm

8.9.14:

For once we managed to arrange Françoise's birthday lunch out fairly close to the actual day. With the roof down, we took the autoroute (because the national was blocked) over the border and down to Garriguella. Françoise and Jean were well impressed with the restaurant, "La Plaça" and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal.
Weather:
29° Sun but heavy black clouds came in and torrential rain hit as we crossed the border at about 5pm with temperatures of 19°

7.9.14:
We found ourselves being invaded by numerous Brits who, like us, were out for coffee. There was an interesting conversation about health services and benefitted from the views of service users and an orthopedic surgeon. There was a less interesting conversation about "immigrants" and it was as much as I could do to keep my blood pressure under control especially when a not very bright Telegraph reader put in her two pence worth.
Discussion over a cuppa at Juste and Joséphine's for once avoided local politics but we left before apéritif time (not that we were asked to stay) and opened a bottle of cava at home instead.
Weather:
27° Sun but low cloud and rain later
Headlines:
The "yes" campaign in the Scottish referendum is 1 point ahead for the first time.

6.9.14:

Gilles' funeral was today at the crematorium. He was only 60 and had worked with the border police. A son of the village, we knew him first off from the bar where we enjoyed his singing and story telling. In need of cheering up, we pushed the boat out at the restaurant and went for the most expensive menu. It was wonderful (see the puds) but it left us both very sleepy in the afternoon.
Weather:
28° sun

5.9.14:
Made our usual trip to the bar this morning for a coffee and did nothing special for the rest of the day until we toddled back there in the evening to listen to "Havanares", songs sung by Catalan sailors when they were far from home, for example in Cuba. Less people there than last week but there was a good atmosphere and a few rallying calls in support of the forhcoming demonstration in Barcelona in favour of Catalan independence.
Weather:
29° sun, cloudy later

Affairs of the Heart

4.9.14:

Thursday again, so while Christian was at the Mairie, I went to the language exchange. Only 7 of us today. Other people turned up to the bar though. Now, what does that tell us? As the menu du jour at the restaurant was the same as we'd had on Saturday, we stayed on at the bar for a bite to eat. Later on, it was back to Perpignan for the second time this week for Christian's ultrasound. His appointment was for 6pm so by the time we got out, as a helicopter was touching down with an emergency, it was 7.15pm and raining. Just at this point, Jean phoned to invite us for an apéritif, so half an hour later we were sitting round their table catching up with Joan (Catalan for John/Jean) who was without Thérèse, sipping away happily.

Weather:

24° Sun to start, rain later, warm and sticky

Headlines:

Valérie Trewheiller, François Hollande's ex-partner has published a "kiss and tell".  Great indignation everywhere but what did he expect after the way he dumped her .... remember the scooter affair!

 

3.9.14:

Went down to Collioure to have a seafood lunch with Michèle and Henri at their flat. Afterwards, while the fellas snoozed, Michèle and I went for a walk by the sea and a cuppa at "Les Templiers".
Weather:
27° Sunny



 2.9.14:
Christian had an appointment this morning with the cardiac surgeon who described him as a complicated case! He's talking about changing his pacemaker for one that is combined with a defribulator and putting it on the other side. This time he hopes to put in three wires rather than just the one that there is at the moment. Fingers crossed that it will be possible. In the meantime he has to have an ultrasound. As we were late getting back, we went for an al fresco lunch at the "France". Feels as though we're on the slippery slope but at least, Christian is chirpier.
Weather:
30° Hot and sunny

1.9.14

It was an ordinary sort of day which ended with a super apéritif dinatoire at Colin and Lynn's. The food was excellent and the company a good mix of people - French, Catalan, British, Belgian and  German  who chatted in a pleasant garden under a warm evening sun.
Weather:
29° Sunny





31.08.14
August slipped away as hordes of holiday makers headed North for the start of the new school year. For us, the weekend was a quiet one with nothing more exciting than a trip to the market, the menu du jour at the restaurant and coffee at the bar.
Weather:
29° Sunny