Happy New Year!

With everyone bringing something for tonight's meal, there was no real cooking for me to do, just the veg. However, I'd not been able to resist some fresh cranberries in the supermarket so I set about making a sauce from Delia's Christmas cookbook hoping that Martine wouldn't think I was interfering with her main course. It was delicious, by the way and complemented the beef very well.  http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/cranberries/cranberry-and-onion-confit.html 
We kicked the evening off at 20h30 and spent a few very pleasant, though not riotous, few hours together
Menu:
Apéro: Oysters (Armand et Marie-Claude); Iberic ham, still with its foot (Jean-Jacques and Claudie, his sister) which we took in the kitchen
À Table:
Smoked salmon; foie gras (Armand and Marie Claude)
Beef Wellington and gravy (Martine); sautéd potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce  (Me)
Cheese Board (Henri and Michèle)
Chocolate and Salted Butter  ice cream yule logs (Henri and Michèle). We all had a bit of each!
Red and white wine (from Claudie's vineyard)
Canellets (little cakes, a Bordeaux speciality) each one being presented in it's own little box (J-J)
Champagne (Us)
Coffee and liqueurs (Us)
It was a good evening and we didn't see the hours pass and openned enough fizz to celebrate New Year in France and in UK, an hour later. Thought the London fireworks were spectacular; shame people had to pay to get ringside views. . Christian did very well to last so long but fell into bed as soon as everyone left at 3h30. I washed the glasses, tidied up a bit but abandoned the most part at 4h until after a good sleep.
Weather:
11°, sunshine and blue skies, wind still present but not so strong
Headlines:
A young Belgian tourist aged 25, won over 519, 000€ in a slot machine in the casino in La Rochelle for 60c. What a way to start 2015! An regular "elderly" player who was interviewed bemoaned the fact that he wasn't a regular and another who had just won 120€ moaned that this was derisory. victor Meldrew is a alive and well! Dear Lord, please save us from becoming such old miseries.

Let Us Eat Cake!

30.12.14:

Nothing special apart from Martine coming for tea. The Christmas cake is reaching it's end; tomorrow we'll be eating up the crusts and crumbs with our tea.
Weather:
8°, sunshine and cold winds
 
29.12.14:
The Mairie reopenned after the Christmas break and Christian went off to show his face. I delivered the association's latest bulletin which gave a welcome bit of exercise and once again, Mt Canigou was sparkling in all its snowy glory.
Weather:
6°, blue skies and very strong, cold winds

Coming in Twos

A cold snap has hit us and the Tramontane is blowing hard. It's worse in the East of France where thousands of travellers returning/going to the alpine ski resorts were trapped by the bad weather conditions. After dithering about going out yesterday we decided to go up into the mountains for lunch. On the way up the temperature dropped to 2°. There were only 7 of us but as usual, we ate well and were placed right next to the fire. https://www.facebook.com/hostaldelstrabucayres/timeline?ref=page_internal Outside, the weather changed rapidly; rain, sleet giving way to wintery sunny spells with the only constant being an icy wind.
Isn't it just the way? Just like buses coming in twos after a long wait, as soon as we'd decided to do something, we get an invitation for later in the day for an apéro chez Jean and Françoise. Thérèse and Joan were there too and we enjoyed  lively, at times, heated conversation. Having forgotten Jean's birthday a week ago, as tradition dictates,  I now need to find somewhere original for us to take him and Françoise for lunch but let's get New Year's Eve over first.
Weather:
5° and as above
Headlines:

• Another Malasian plane has disappeared with 162 passengers aboard
• Fire aboard a ferry with 478 passengers aboard in the Adriatic. Fatalities.

Tea and Cake

The wind was blowing hard and rain threated so I hummed and harred about going to the market and my caution won out against Christian's willingness to give it a go. He was right, of course, the rain didn't come until the afternoon and we were left twiddling our thumbs wondering what to do. Apparently, we didn't miss anything, however, as there weren't many stall holders nor many clients. We went to the bar instead for a glass of wine and there weren't many clients there either. Jean-Louis was trying to fix the front door which has been playing up for days. The new glasses which have replaced his (long deceased) mother's didn't help much but the day was saved by a couple of customers who came in and took matters in hand.
This afternoon, I finally managed to find a date that suited both of us to invite Nicole for tea and a slice of Christmas cake which is disappearing slowly but surely. The rest of the time I spent clacking away with my knitting needles trying to finish an aran cardigan that's been on the go since last winter. Relly must think about shaking ourselves out of our lethargy!
Weather:
12°, Overcast

Lunch by the Fire

It's not a public holiday here today but even so, the Maire is closed meaning that Christian was able to take it easy. We wandered over to the bar for a coffee followed by a white wine. The patron had brought in oysters which he shared with those regulars in the bar. Despite there being leftovers and the necessary ingredients to do a stirfry in the fridge, Christian decided he wanted to stay and eat. While he went for the three course menu, I contented myself with a goat's cheese salad. It's a while since the menu has changed and I'm beginning to get fed up with the same ol', same ol'. We were the only ones paying to eat as once the oysters were finished, prawns, olives, pickled garlic, bread and foie gras appeared on the bar .... if we'd only known! Can't grumble though, Christian did well with the oysters and Jean-Louis needs to make a bit of money for his forthcoming holiday in Laos.
Weather:
11°, Blue skies and sunshine
Headlines:

• 10th anniversary of the tsunami which killed 240,000 people in Asia
• The cages around the benches have been removed!

Joyeux Noël!

With nothing on the cards until this afternoon, we sat around until midday before getting dressed and settling down to some foie gras and champagne. Lunch was a nice, juicy capon and believe it or not, a carafe of water rather than wine.
After Christian had woken from his siesta we went over to André and Nany's for tea. As some of the family were there we didn't linger too long. Spent the evening in front of the telly, finished off the last of the champagne and ate cold, for turkey read, capon sandwiches as tradition demands. So ended a very low key Christmas day.
Weather:
16°, blue skies and sunshine
Headlines:
The Mairie of Angoulème  heavily criticised for caging off the benches infront of a shopping mall on Christmas eve to stop people from taking them over as their meeting/drinking/dealing place .

Bah Humbug!

No Thérèse this week so I rolled up my sleeves and whizzed around with the vacuum cleaner, mop and duster in readiness for Christmas. André and Nany came in for an apéritif before we all went to the restaurant to clebrate "révillion" which is the main meal here rather than Christmas day itself. The main course was hare with pieces of foie gras. To our surprise Nany and André didn't come in afterwards to see in Christmas and drink champagne. Maybe, they wanted to open their presents at midnight as is the tradition. As we don't give presents, we just went to bed and saved the champagne for tomorrow!
Weather:
15°, Sunshine

Simple Life, simple Pleasures

Awoke to low cloud after a sleep interrupted by 2 hours of wakefulness during which time I finished a Swedish detective novel, "The Weeping Girl" by Hakan Nesser. (Thanks,  Maureen for leaving it behind). Detective Inspector Ewa Morena, the main character has yet, as far as I know, to feature on British tv but no doubt will at some point.
Well, we did it; we braved the hordes at the supermarket which was much, much busier than usual but we kept sane and it only took an hour. Sorry, this really is boring, isn't it? It doesn't hurt though, to know that life in the South of France can be as mundane as anywhere else.  Still, we do have scenery which is far from mundane. This view of Canigou was taken from the little square in front of the village church and as you can see the cloud cleared and the sun took centre stage. It never ceases to delight.
Weather:
14°
Headlines:

• 300 troops to be deployed on French streets over the festive season after recent incidents
• French Gps on strike until after New Year

Men who Lunch

An even chillier start to the day but yet again blue skies and sunshine. At least that's the longest night over. Walked over to the President of the Association's house for the tail end of the committee meeting. Was good to stretch the old legs a bit. Michel had invited us for lunch and at the last moment phoned Juste to join us as Joséphine is away. It's been an absolute age since we've seen him, Juste that is. How quickly things can change, eh? Still, we had a pleasant time and enjoyed duck breast and pasta followed by flammed bananas.
Watched "Fly Fishing in Yemen" this afternoon instead of confronting the supermarket. If you haven't seen it, it's a nice feel-good movie with Ewan McGregor and just right in the run up to Christian. Only downside ... we still need to do some shopping ... an emty fridge at Christmas just aint on!
Weather:
1° this morning, 13° later

Headlines:

• My God! 6 people killed, 8 seriously injured as a bin lorry ploughed into people by George Square, Glasgow. Seemingly, the driver had a heart attack. Here, in Nantes a driver drove into the crowd at a Christmas market. First information is that about a dozen people have been injured (1 died later) and as yet there is no hypothesis as to the reason.
• Joe Cocker died aged 70

DIY Street Decorations

21.12.14:

A chilly start to the day but we were rewarded with clear blue skies and sunshine. We had nothing planned so went and had a coffee at the bar and a home cooked lunch of pork fillet, wild rice, pumpkin purée, tomato and onion sauce. I can almost hear the gasps of surprise from here! While Christian had his siesta I put on my Blue Peter hat and cobbled together this year's Christmas decoration for the door using small fruit boxes. A bit of a headache to come up with something original but it was worth it to see the street decorated with everyone's efforts.
Weather:
14°, sunshine and blue skies

Headlines:
In Dijon, a young man with mental health problems drove into people on the pavement in 5 different places, 11 injured but fortunately no one died.

Rock around the Library

Saturday morning and no peace for the wicked! Christian had a 10am meeting at the Mairie. Fortunately it was brief enough not to make us too late to go to the mini concert given by "Les Inoxydables", our friend Michel's rock group. The manager of the library in Céret is very forward thinking so there are often exhibitions, conferences, book signings, dance and music. It was strange to see people bopping around to "Lucille" and other impossible-to-keep-still-to songs in a library.
By the time we'd partaken of the apéritif on offer, it was late so we headed back for lunch to the village bar where we were the only two clients.
Weather:
17.5°, sunshine and blue skies
Headlines:

• Knife wielding man, crying "Allahu Akbar" attacked 3 police officers in a suburb of Tours
•  2014 is the warmest year in France for a century
• International Human Solidarity Day http://www.un.org/en/events/humansolidarityday/

Forget the Diet!

19.12.14:

A day free of deadlines and enough leftovers in the fridge not to have to cook, so, what did I do but tackle an overflowing basket of ironing. Didn't give up until all was finished but it certainly left me with a sore back and feeling grumpy. Still, by the time I met up with some of the women from the all but defunct Congo association, for a last get-together, I was feeling on better form. We went to a local wine bar which has recently changed hands. Prices are higher and it took too long to get the food from a limited menu on the table. Tripadvisor has 5 out of 6 excellents and 1 mediocre. Interestingly, all 6 reviews were the first that the folk had written. http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g1080312-d6974168-Reviews-La_Cova-Saint_Jean_Pla_de_Corts_Pyrenees_Orientales_Languedoc_Roussillon.html  I'm reserving judgement.
Christian had a wee whisky and a tray on his lap and was all tucked up in bed when I arrived home.
Weather:
17°, sunshine

18.12.14:

A much reduced language exchange this morning and for my sins I found myself trying to deal with an English couple who speak really poor French and a French 82 year old on his first visit. He was dead pleased to learn a few very basic greetings but living on his own he was difficult to shut up long enough to get a word in edgeways. The group in the other room obviously had a lot more fun from the sound of it. There was only Maggie, Christian and I for a glass of wine afterwards and then just the two of us for lunch at the restaurant where I limited myself to a starter and a dessert. Christian went for broke!
Weather:
17°, sunny spells
Headlines:

• Obama normalising relations with Cuba at long last. 

• International Migrants Day http://www.un.org/en/events/migrantsday/

17.12.14:

Back to Perpignan today, this time on the bus with Ann and Lynn for a day's shopping. Started with a coffee of course, at the recently modernised Cafe de la Poste. Sadly, it's lost it's character and the staff were pretty offhand. The weather wasn't with us either as it rained more or less the whole time. The upside was that lunch at "Aux 3 Bambins" where I went last week, met with unanimous approval and I bought a short skirt and sparkly top for Christmas.
Christian and Jean-Jacques ate together at home after a morning at the Mairie and enjoyed a good bottle of red.
Abandoned him again this evening as it was the last French pronunciation workshop. Arrived to find the group who are there before us still enjoying their Xmas "do" so of course we were invited to join them. Couldn't do much else now, could we? Once they'd gone Hans (yes, we're being tutored by a German!) took us through our paces before we too broke out the cava and nibbles.
Weather:
14°, rain

16.12.14:

The visit to the cardio was uneventful. He was pleased with Christian's improved heart function and even more pleased with himself for being able to bring it about! We knew that it wasn't going to be an easy operation but it was obviously really, really difficult, so well done him!!
On the way home, we tried again to try the new restaurant in Céret and for the second time found it closed despite stating that it opens Mon - Fri lunch times. Annoyed and hungry, we went to Al Catala where we were warmly welcomed and ate well for 15€ including wine. http://www.restaurantceret.com/
Weather:
13°, sun and wind
Headlines:
141 people (132 children) and 125 injured in a Taliban attack on a Pakistan school. Leaves you speechless, doesn't it?

15.12.14:

Back to a bit of normality today that is apart from having tea and our first "galette des rois" (an almond paste tart traditional at this time of year) chez Annie and Richard. Christian had a routine blood test ready for his visit to he cardiac surgeon tomorrow.
Weather:
12°, rain all day
Headlines:
Hostages taken in a Sydney café resulting in 3 deaths (the hostage taker, politically motivated and two women hostages. 3 people injured)

Christmas is Coming

14.12.14:

The alarm went off at 7am so that I could warm up the mulled wine to be ready to help install the Association's stand at 8.30am. Fortunately, although overcast it wasn't too cold. I've certainly known it far worse in previous years.
All went well and we sold all 10+ litres of the wine. We also managed to sell some of the things left over from last week's Téléthon, the proceeds of which will go to a local charity. Christian came over for about an hour and was able to sit in the sun which had made an appearance. We had lunch at the bar with André, Nany, Martine, Carmen and the DJ at the bar after which I broke with tradition and went home, leaving the others to look after our stand.
In the evening there was a Christmas concert with carols in Swedish, English, French, Catalan, Spanish and English in the church which was well appreciated by the audience. This was followed by an apéritif for everyone at the village hall. Henri and Michèle had come over and ever hungry, Henri wanted to finish the evening with something to eat at the bar. Against my better judgement as I wasn't really hungry, I had a small cheese salad. Christian had three courses (including chips for the second time in one day while steam came out of my ears. A sign that he's feeling better I suppose.
Weather:
13°, Cloudy with a midday sunny spell. Cloud and wind later.

13.12.14:

It wasn't too cold so we took a trip into the market where it was easy to circulate with fewer people than usual elbowing you out of the way. Christian did well, walking the farthest he's done for over a week. Had a look at the new shop run by a French couple selling British goods where I bought some Christmas cards and a couple of tins of haggis. Stayed for a coffee and then came back to the village for an apéritif  and a portion of chips. No comment!
Anne called in with the wine I needed to do the Mulled Wine for tomorrow's Christmas Market and stayed for a cuppa and catch up.
Weather:
13°, Cloudy

12.12.14:

Today we participated in the highlight of the village social calendar, so I dusted off my dangly, sparkly earings, found a pair of heeled shoes and delighted in being able to get into my party skirt once more. (The upside of Christian not being well is that I always lose weight - this time about 5kg). You've got it, it was the OAPS' Christmas lunch. As usual, we danced, ate and drank well along with 180 other folk who'd chosen a moment of conviviality rather than a box of goodies or vouchers to spend in the village. Christian managed to walk to the village hall but sat out the dancing.
Dare I admit that it's always a good "do"?
Menu: "Bon Appétit!"
Apéritif
Salade Paysane "chaud"
Cassolette de Fruits de Mer
Dodine de Poulette à la Farce aux Cèpes; Garniture
Plateau de Fromages
Omelette Norvégienne
Vin et Mousseux

Weather:
14°, Sunshine and cloud


11.12.14:
Language exchange this morning but no apéritif at the bar as Christian has been laid low by a nose bleed. As we'd planned to eat in the restaurant, there wasn't any lunch prepared so I organised to get the menu of the day to take away. Christian slept all afternoon. It's one thing after another at the moment.
Weather:
14°, Cloudy


10.12.14:

Having resigned from the committee of the Association, I had expected not to be so involved but I ended up meeting Isabelle who knits for premature babies and wants to set up a knitting circle and then went to join Françoise (our guide) and her French conversation group to take a photo for the web site. That was the morning well and truly gone. Christian once again hadn't ventured out even though it's warmer.
Just managed to have lunch when the water went off until after 7pm due to a burst main. Not even a drop of water in the kettle for our 5pm cuppa. Wouldn't have been the same with Perrier!
In the evening, I went to my French pronunciation group joing Christian afterwards at the village hall for the Mairie Christmas apéritif. Employees past and present, councillors and chidren all get a present from Papa Noël. We came home with a box of goodies which included a bottle of wine, foie gras, choccies etc. Christmas is starting to hurtle towards us it seems and I've not even written my cards.
Weather:
15°, sun
Headlines:

• The last French hostage who was being held in Mali arrived home today after 3 years of captivity

• Human Rights Day http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/

A Welcome Break

Yes, another early start (for us that is) but today it was for pleasure. The association had organised a visit to Perpignan with one of the members acting as guide. Françoise had been a professional guide in a previous life and gave the 10 of us who braved the weather an interesting time discovering the Arsenal and la Réal with their buildings from several different centuries and narrow streets off the usual tourist track. She came up trumps restaurantwise as well. The patron of "Aux 3 Bambins" was most welcoming and even offered our glass of wine on the house. Only small, the food was  all home cooked and at 14€ for three courses, was excellent value. No surprise that most of us opted for the onion soup! It's rated 9/332 on Tripadvisor, so one more for the list. http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g187156-d3741042-Reviews-Aux_3_Bambins-Perpignan_Pyrenees_Orientales_Languedoc_Roussillon.html
My goodness, it was cold with a glacial wind but we are all made of stern stuff and were well wrapped up. At least Françoise didn't have to contend with stragglers; we were all ready to keep moving along.
On arriving home I found Christian still in his pyjamas. Instead of going to the Mairie, he'd fallen asleep on the settee and with the wind so strong had decided to be prudent and stay home. He was joined for lunch by Michel who's just back from his holiday in Asia, so there was plenty to talk about other than the Mairie and health problems.
Weather:
8°  Sun and very high winds

Working and Walking for the Téléthon

8.12.14:
The early(ish) starts seem endless at the moment. Today it was to meet up with Martine to go over the border for a long overdue appointment at the hairdressers. It was unusually quiet in Spain and the salon as being the feast of the "Immaculate Consumption", it was a public holiday. Unusually, I was disappointed with the cut I had as it seemed shapeless. Problem is, I can't really decide how I want it .... maybe it's not the hair that needs changed ...... answers are not needed on a postcard!
Christian, in the meantime was encouraged by his Mairie colleagues to go to the GP who decided that he has a chest infection and gave him antibiotics. He rested in the afternoon while Maggie and I went to the recycling with all the unsold stuff left from the Téléthon and that was finally that for this year. We've promised ourselves that next year we won't let ourselves be lumbered.
This evening Christian, in a need to escape his sickbed dragged himself out for André's belated birthday dinner. Also there were Michèle, Henri, Gilles, Martine, Michel (a sculptor who we knew by reputation but had never met) and Jean-Jacques. Needless to say, Nany did us proud; guinea fowl with preserved lemons for the main course. Christian's appetite is starting to pick up but it's plain to see that he's not on form. Shame that I forgot to take a photo.
Weather:
12°, Sun, cloud later and a few spots of rain


7.12.14:

Even on a Sunday, I was obliged not to linger too long over the papers as I had a meeting here with Annie and Geneviève about a grant that the Association would like to give a young person for travel abroad. Christian has still not recovered and stayed in his pjamas all day.
This afternoon, Maggie and I ruthlessly sorted through the stuff that was left from yesterday and then later on Jean and Françoise called in for a cuppa and catch up. Jean, too, has heart problems and he too has been finding it difficult to keep warm. The two of them don't look in too bad shape but not every picture tells the story as it is.
Weather:
10° , Tramontane gusting at 100km/h brought blue skies
Headlines:
Typhoon in the Philippines

6.12.14:
Up early again, especially for a Saturday; this time to set up our bottle stall, bric-a-brac and

accessories stand at the village hall. at the same time, there was also a hunters' breakfast (charcuterie, cheese, red wine and coffee) accompanied by a Catalan singer. Then there was the brass band playing fiesta music at apéritif time. During the afternoon, the British tearoom took centre stage with carols and music also provided by the Brits. What with a guess the weight of the cake, guess the date of the photo, sale of jam and chutneys, they made over just over 1,400€. For our part we took about 460€. Arrive home to find Christian, who'd stayed home all day,  a bit better but very tired.
Weather:
7°  cloudy, a few sunny spells, Tramontane strong

5.12.14:

Christian didn't have a good day today. Started shivering over breakfast and took most of the morning to warm up despite being on the settee wrapped in a duvet with a hotwater bottle. No lunch and slept all afternoon until after 5h30. During this time I went out to see balloons released for the Téléthon. Shame that a few of them burst on the recently installed Christmas Illuminations. Home for a cuppa and then back again for an hour as there was a dance show given by some of the young folk from the village. Tomorrow is the last day of fundraising for this year and it promises to be a long one.
Weather:
12° but feeling colder with the wind. cloudy
Headlines:
International Volunteer Day http://www.un.org/en/events/volunteerday/

4.12.14:
Another early start; this time to sell the things that we'd sorted and priced yesterday. Needless to say, the President didn't put in an appearance. I left, feeling a bit guilty, at 10am to go into Perpignan to meet Rowena. We ate well at "Les Saisons", talking non-stop. http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g187156-d3373711-Reviews-Les_Saisons-Perpignan_Pyrenees_Orientales_Languedoc_Roussillon.html and in case you're wondering,

Christian  had lunch back at the restaurant with Jean-Jacques. The bit of shopping that I needed to do was less successful. Tried to buy a replacement case for my ipod but being 4th generation, it's well outdated! Then a replacement surround for a lamp diffuser which I broke last July before even using. apparently it, too is finished.
We didn't have much time at home together before Christian, went off to the Mairie for an evening meeting and so ended another fun - packed day.

Weather:
12° Chilly with light rain later on


3.12.14:

Up a little bit earlier than usual as the chimney sweep was due to come (it's an insurance requirement to have the chimney swept every year). Christian gave the Mairie a miss to wait in while I went to help Maggie and a couple of others sort out a load rub.... I mean stuff that members had donated for us to sell for the Téléthon. Back home with little enthusiasm to heat up lunch, Christian took pity on me and whisked me off to the restaurant that was open again after 2½ weeks. In the afternoon I walked with a group from another association up to a waterfall just outside the village that after all the rain was in full flow. We each paid 2€, which went to the Téléthon, for the priveledge and were fed tea and cakes at the end.
Weather:
13° Early sunshine, clouding over later in the afternoon
Headlines:
International Day of Persons with Disabilities http://www.un.org/en/events/disabilitiesday/

2.12.14:

Took me a goodly amount of time to distribute the association's bulletin as I kept meeting people and then ended up chez Jacques for a coffee. Arrived home to find all his papers but no Christian. That could only mean one thing ... he was at the bar ... and indeed he was with Jacques (another one), André, Nany and Jean-Jacques. Jacques, who's here from Colombia couldn't stay long but the rest of us had lunch. I had the most delicious calves' liver and Christian "choucroute". Here's Jade, a new client at the bar. She has the most beautiful smoky-blue fur but looks pretty sad, don't you think?
Saw Jean-Jacques again in the evening as he came in after the Mairie meeting for supper. Not that it was the usual relaxed affair as one of the other councillors dropped in later to offload about one of their colleagues. Over an hour and a half and two or three glasses of cava later, she left in better sorts and there was nothing left for us to do but go to bed.
Weather:
13° Overcast
Headlines:
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery  http://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryabolitionday/

1.12.14:
Weather:
14° Cloud with patches of blue sky from time to time.
Headlines:
World Aids Day http://www.un.org/en/events/aidsday/