Mum and Maureen's Visit

12.11.14:
Our visitors' last full day and they wanted to take us for a "nice" lunch so we went to the "Ancienne École" which has been having really good reviews lately. www.ancienne-ecole.fr/ We've always liked it but of late, it's gone much more upmarket. Anyway, we weren't disappointed. After eating well, we continued down to the coast for a stroll along the prom at Argelès. Christian meantime had a wee snooze.
In the evening we abandoned Mum and Maureen to the telly as we'd been invited by Jean-Jacques to have dinner with his friends Alain and Dominique who are here for a few days. André and Nany were there too. My goodness, it was a serious meal. Canapés, Parmentier de Canard (a kind of duck "shepherd's pie"), salad, cheese and two desserts. It all sat very heavily on an already full stomach!
Weather:
20° Sunny
Headlines:
Warren Clarke, he of "Dalziel and Pascoe" fame, died aged 67. Dalziel was horribly non-pc but have to admit that we didn't miss an episode.

 11.11.14:

Armistice Day which started with a procession behind waving flags carried by old soldiers and a brass band. The solemn official stuff over, we all processed back to the Mairie for the inauguration of an exhibition about 1WW focussing on the village. The inauguration came with an apéritif which by the time we actually got to the table, was all but gone! Went up to the bar for a more relaxed one and then went home for a roast lunch which was much appreciated!!! 
Weather:
18°, windy and chilly

10.11.14:

Retraced the route that we'd taken recently with Nick and Lizzie. Stopped off at Can Xiquet for an apéritif and then went to Can Parra for a Mother style lunch. In the evening our visitors prefered to stay home while we went to a hommage to the Catalan soldiers of 1914. Readings from a diary, poems and music. It was all very moving and all the more interesing as the diary had been written by Nany's uncle. The Catalan regiment (which lost 53 men from the village) made contact with the British as early as the autumn of that year on the NE front.
Weather:
17° Sun, cloudy and windy  later

9.11.14:

Following a long established pattern, our visitors went off to Sunday mass and prayed for us. Can't hurt, can it? We, meantime slouched around over a leisurely bowl of poridge and the Sunday papers. Went over the border once we'd negotiated the traffic jam up to Le Perthus, which was surprisingly busy, to meet up with Michèle and Henri to have lunch overlooking the lake at Darnius. As the sun was shining, we ate on the terrace which livened up a rather uninteresting meal. Wasn't surprised, it was ever thus. The food's ordinary which is why I chose it so that Mum could get something that suited her. Still, the view compensated. Good old Christian he is so patient in his role of dutiful son-in-law.
Weather:
17° sun, cloudy and windy by the end of the afternoon.
 Headlines:

• 80% of the 2m Catalans who voted in the "unofficial referendum" voted "yes for Independance

• 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall

8.11.14:

Of course, a trip to the market was the order of the day. Christian and I went for a coffee while Mum and Maureen parted with a bit of cash. Michel joined us for lunch at home bringing a load of oysters with him. Mum and I passed on them but Maureen was game to try. A first for her. Not bad for 90 years old !
Weather:
19° sun but cloudy later




7.11.14:

Had a well deserved late start and went for lunch at the restaurant. Nothing much in the afternoon apart from making a ginger cake for this evening's neighbourhood get-together over soup and roast chestnuts. There were about 30 of us in the little square in front of the church and it was warm enough to stay out until about 9pm. Sadly, Jacques, who usually keeps Mum's glass topped up with muscat was not there but she found a replacement gallant in the shape of Michel who gave her the last rose of the year from the bush outside his house. Quite made her day and compensated  for Jacques' absence!
Weather:
18° sunny but cloudy later

6.11.14:

Mum's birthday today and it started well with a hearty breakfast served by the Chateleine then before leaving we took a stroll around part of the garden in warm sunshine. Drove up the splendid rugged coast, bypassing lloret de Mar to arrive in Tossa de Mar in time for a coffee and a leisurely stroll up through the old village. Well, at least Mum, Maureen and I did. The Med was blue, there weren't many people around and the day was ours to enjoy.
Then it was time to head inland and find somewhere for lunch. Fell across this place not too far south of Girona. Loads of character and an excellent menu to boot. https://ca-es.facebook.com/panolles Before heading for home, Christian had a snoozette while we went for a digestive walk through the woods behind the

restaurant.
Once home, the day wasn't finished for Christian as he had a full council meeting at the Mairie. Needless to say he was pretty tired after a full on day. Tomorrow we won't be leaving the village, that's for sure.
Weather:
17° but in the sun, it felt much warmer



5.11.14:
With Mum and Maureen arriving tonight and a dip in temperatures, it was time to change over our summer clothes for autumn/winter ones. Always a real chore but always a relief to get it done.
Rather than do a 4 hour trip to Barcelona  and back, we decided to do an overnght about 30 minutes from the airport. As it was Mum's birthday the next day, it served as a wee treat too. Found the place on the internet and it was rather grand. http://www.cancasadella.com/#!home/c1efj As, Christian said, if this was the family's  summer residence (built in 1791), goodness knows what their home was like way back when. Anyway, taking in paying guests to keep the family in the style to which they were acustumed is I suppose a usual story. Only problem was that Christian had to climb two flights of a steep staircase. We drank a bottle from the minibar and fell into bed.
Weather:
16° sun with the first snow on Canigou
Headlines:

• Republicans take the majority in the House of Representatives
• Manitas de Plata died aged 93