Women who Lunch

Even though I was in bed for 11.30 last night, I read until my eyes drooped around 1.30; consequently, I was up late this morning. Dominique called with a painting an elderly Catalan retired school mistress had done for me. She'd remembered that I particularly like poppies and set out to paint a vase of them. Sadly, they didn't work out so she transformed them into "flowers". I was really touched by her kindness and as she said in her note, "real flowers wilt and die, at least these will be everlasting". Only problem is where to hang the painting.
Walked over to Maggie's for a salt-free lunch to accommodate Martine's diet. Started off with a couple of generous G and T's and lots of chat. Scuttled for home at 4pm as Rowena was due for a cuppa in-between appointments. She came bearing a couple of kilos of parsnips that needed dealt with tout de suite, a must read book and a battery powered rose that changes colour. Kitch but fun and cheery. It will be used!
Made soup from some of the parsnips and a huge stew with the rest. Late again to bed and read until the 9th "Skinner" crime novel was finished.
The photo is of the river on the way to Maggie's. I'll change it for one of the painting when I get round to it. Now there's something to look forward to. Never a dull moment, eh?

Lighting the Darkness

It's six months today since Christian went off to that great oil platform in the sky so it was good to hava a busy day. First there was an Moroccan breakfast in the square in aid of the Téléthon. The two Nicole's came along as well and once again we stayed on for steak and chips. Rushed home afterwards to bake some biscuits for the Swedish afternoon we were attending to celebrate St Lucia. There was mulled wine, good things to eat, songs sung by lovely young women wearing winter white, tinsel and one with a crown of candles. All very ethereal. The little ones were solemn with all the responsibility and just a delight .https://sweden.se/culture-traditions/lucia/ This link tells you all about the traditions and the video "for dummies" is fun.
There was even the nationally known pop star, Cali who was there in a private capacity. The link below is in French but at the moment on  the home page features  a song "On ne se lâchera pas la main" written in response to the attack on Le Bataclan concert venue. http://www.calimusic.fr/ It talks of lit candles in the window so as the French say "la boucle est bouclée".
Weather:
15°, Sunny

Recipe for a Quiet Life

Gave the market a miss as when Michel phoned that he wasn't well and not going after all. I was still in bed and couldn't motivate myself to leap out and rush to get the bus. Went over to see in him after lunch and hear about his trip to Mexico. Another quiet night at home, ruthlessly weeding out old cookery magazines. Well, the realisation comes even to the most optimistic of us that the recipes will never find their way to the table .
Weather:
14° Sun

Not so Golden Oldies

Had a cofee on the way to an end of year lunch. It was a club for seniors and as we all know, seniors like to  save seats  and won't move for whatever reason. Luckily, I don't fit that definition as I moved 4 times before my bum came to rest at the table where I'd started out!! Lunch was good but I had to leave after the main course to go to a funeral at the same cremtorium where we said our goodbyes to Christian. This one was an altogether different affair. Neither warmth, nor connection which was sad because Michel was a fun sort of bloke who Christian got on with well when they met up.
Came back for tea and some rather nice chocolate biscuits at Anne's. A quite night at home followed instead of going off to a bossa/jazz concert. Just felt that I needed to not to make any effort.
Weather:
14°, Sun, blue skies and very windy

Feeling like Winter Already

26.11.15:

Didn't want to get up this morning but had to as I was helping Maggie with the language exchange. Of course, there was a trip to the bar afterwards where Ann, Terry, Annette and I finally got to eat our soup and bread.  It came to the table piping hot in a huge two handled pan which was left there for us to just help ourseves. Full of veg, it was so filling that we had to make a real effort to eat the cheese that was part of the 8€ deal. Now we've had our way and got the soup, will be able to get them to do something other than veg soup. French onion, for example or minestrone or chicken noodle? Ann was talking about a plate of beef casserole but new ideas don't take on here as quickly as thar. Next winter's project, perhaps?
Snoozed this afternoon and caught up with "London Spy" which I'm finding pretty hard  to get a sense of. Otherwise, just whiled away the time until it was time to go to bed.
AND ..... the blog is now up to date!
Weather:
11°, icy light rain, strong winds in the evening


25.11.15:

French conversation this morning though it was somewhat one-sided with Françoise, the workshop leader "enlightening" us about a load of different cultural aspects of French life and personal anecdotes! Then in the afternoon went with Maggie to see Michel (no, not the one I often eat with but the husband of the association's treasurer) lying in the funeral palour. I couldn't help but think of the times that he and Christian shared a joke and a good bottle of wine. Did a quick shop at the supermarket and then had a cuppa at the nearby bakery. OK, OK, I hold my hands up; I did have a mini danish but as there were only a couple of bites in it, it hardly counts.
In the evening, there was another fundraiser. So, for the second time in four days I had the pleasure of listening to good music. El Mariners del Canigó who sing Havaneres and Catalan songs who I've written about before were on stage. Even though they're getting on a bit, they still have voices that do justice to the melodies. Sat with Michèle and Henri, drank Punch, ate chocolate brownies, la, la-ed, and waved a paper serviette with the rest of the audience. No, I've not gone gaga; it's called joining in and hoping that no one is looking on laughing at you behaving like an OAP!
After remaining to help tidy up, Nany invited me to stay on and share the champagne that she'd brought to celebrate André's birthday. Came home about 11pm and I finished off the work on the computer I'd started before going out. Got to bed at 2am. This really is a habit that I should break.
Weather:
13°, feeling colder in the wind and the on/off icy drizzle. Brrrh, feels like winter.

24.11.15:

Managed to get up a little earlier today and tidied the drawer stuffed with, paper, bits and bobs. Can't for the life of me think why all that  useless stuff ended up there. Still, I guess every home has one. Coffee as usual at the bar where there was a lot of speculation about why things were being moved out of the hairdressers. Doesn't take much to excite us locals.
This is Canigó in all it's glory taken on my home. 
Spanish this afternoon and a quiet rest of the day with a cup of tea and the last bun. Come again soon, Hortense.
Weather:
12°, sunshine and cloud

23.11.15:
Having read until 2am, I slept longer than usual only to be woken by a call from Hortense who wanted to come over in the afternoon. Went for my usual coffee at the bar and took this photo on the way back. Yes, it is as cold here as it looks as the winds are still quite strong.
Hortense did indeed come; the caht was fun as ever and what topped it off were the "pain aux raisins" that she brought. What a delight; pastries without the guilt. Well, it wasn't me that bought them,, was it?
Weather: 
11° but feeling colder in the wind, sunshine.

"Le Temps fuit sans Retour"

22.11.15:

Had a longer lie in this morning though not as long as I would have liked. Coffee in the bar with Nicole P and Nicole S. A lazy afternoon catching up with the Scandi crime drama  "Arne Dhal". Just the last two to go and then I can move on to "The Bridge" with the wonderful women cop"Saga Noren".
This evening there was a concert in aid of the Téléthon. Piano and flute. Lovely music and appropriately it's St Celia's, patron saint of music and musicians, feast day  Left the church with the music of Offenbach's "Bacarolle" in my ears and the memory of "Oh, Babuska" from Christian's favourite Fureys albums. I couldn't find either a decent clip of it or Phil Coulter's lyrics so have settled on this classical version with a video of the sea instead. The title of the post comes from the original.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8yenFBRNAI
Glad I did this bit of research; learnt a few things while wrapping my thoughts of Christian in beautiful images, words and music.
Weather:
11° Cloudy with sunny spells

21.11.15:

It was a chilly one this morning; temperatures have plummeted. Still managed to go to the market and during a brief sunny spell have a coffee on the terrace of the bar where the Brits hang out. There were only 4 to start but when others rolled in, Nicole V and I beat a retreat to Lidl. Did some early Xmas chocolate shopping ready for my young visitors.
Could have gone chopping veg this afternoon for tomorrow's Téléthon meal but I gave it a miss and didn't move far from the settee. Well, that's until 7pm when I headed over to Jean-Jacques for supper with him and Alain who's here on a visit. Lots of interesting tapas and of course cava and red wine
Weather:
13°, feeling colder in the strong winds. A few light rain showers. Snow on Canigou.

W.I., Here I Come

20.11.15:

Qi Gong this morning. How quickly things come around. "The Swimming Dragon" is a particularly pleasing exercise to do.  Hearing the river flowing in the background just added to the experience and if only I can keep it up, it'll do me good.
Of course I went to the bar for a bowl of soup before lunch to fortify myself for more jam making.
Walked over to Ann and Terry's for dinner and temperatures were dropping. We had a typically British roast chicken meal with just about every vegetable you could think of. There was even gravy too. Mum would have loved (she does stretch to garlic but otherwise can't be doing with anything mildly different!) and I have to say, it was pretty good. Maggie, Annette and I all went for second helpings.
Weather:
20°, sunshine with cloud later and dropping temperatures

19.11.15:

Actually participated in the Language exchange this morning after which there was the usual glass of wine at the bar. Had a hurried lunch at home before going back to continue with the jam making amid the heady smells coming from several huge, bubbling preserving pans.
On the way passed the bar, Jean-Louis said that been soup available but none of us had ordered any. How could we? He didn't tell us! sometimes I despair about certain folks organisational skills. Once home, I stayed home and caught up with loads of admin and computer stuff, finanlly getting to bed at 2pm. Yes, I know, it's far too late.
Weather:
23°, sunshine

18.11.15:

Went to French conversation after quite a long absence and it was my lucky day. One of the Belgian members was celebrating her birthday with cava and macorons. Mmmm. It certainly helped lubricate our tongues.
In the afternoon, the Téléthon jam making began. Melon, orange and lemon. Loads of it; there was enough for 500 pots. It was good being involved in a team effort cutting, chopping and chatting. all part of village life.
You give some and you get even more back.
Had a pleasant evening at Jean and Françoise's where I got to know Hélène and Mohammed better through  lots of interesting conversation. and there's more to come as we're invited to theirs for a tajine in a few weeks time. See what I mean.
Weather:
22°, sun

Art and an Apéro

The morning started late enough but as usual ended with a coffee in the café where I met Nicole P and her grand daughter. The day speedied up after lunch. Spanish group and then up to see James (the palette knife artist who did the life-like  portrait of Christian) to talk about his forthcoming exhibition over a glass of red. Scooted back home to get ready for the apérobio with Ann and Lynn. Nico did some excellent soup so little by little our suggestion that there's homemade soup and crusty bread on the daily menu may just be taking root. Another good platter delighted us but this time I thought you'd be fed-up with a photo. Instead, I thought that this painting by James would fit the bill. it's a bit more original, at any rate.

Time Stopped

There was a minute's silence at midday outside the Maire. As we stood lost in our thoughts, the "glas" or death knell sounded slowly and with solemnity. For those who wished there were candles to light before we dispersed. I found it particularly difficult not to let the tears roll as my on personal loss was touched by the collective emotion.
I was glad not to be going home to an empty house; instead I joined Sophie, Eve and Karine at the bar for a bottle of champagne to celebrate the end of Eve's radiotherapy. Solidarity between women who've had to confront this damn challenge but who know  it's possible to come out the otherside.
Weather:
21°, blue skies

Café Society

It had been arranged that Annie and I would go for a day out but she called off yesterday so I fell back on my well worn plan of coffee at the bar where I was joined by two Nicoles. Really pleased that the second Nicole came and is the fruit of the women's group which I'd encouraged her to attend. Of course our conversation was initially about Friday night's attacks but then we moved on to other subjects. We ended up staying for lunch in the sun, finally going our seperate ways to be home alone.
Weather:
22°, sun and blue skies

Ripped Apart

Turned on the tv this morning to find that Paris was hit yesterday evening by explosions and a hail of bullets. Places where folk go to have fun on a Friday night became a battlefield  ....  but the battle itself was one sided. The Stade de France where 80,000 people including the French President were watching France v Germany, experienced the first of three explosions at 21h17;  the Bataclan concert hall, cafés and restaurants  were targeted just after 22h bringing death and destruction to the 11th arrondissement. So far 129 dead and over 350 injured.
There was an immediate respose from around the world; iconic buildings and monuments lit up in the bleu, blanc, rouge of France, the Marseillaise sung in the opera hall of Milan and a minute's silence before baseball games in the US. A State of Emergency and three days of national mourning have been declared; around France people gather in solidarity and candles burn in windows .....
No market this morning; preferred to linger in bedThis evening's Téléthon went on with Laurent (who wrote the song at Christian's funeral) in the starring role. There was a minute's silence, he sang the song he wrote for "Je suis Charlie" and we spent our money in a good cause.
Weather: 
21° , sun

"Quizzing while Paris Burned"

I've said I'd like to do some Tai Chi  and now a Qi Gong group has started in the village so no excuses. We were outside in the sunshine and despite my awful lack of co-ordination, I managed and enjoyed myself. Sure it will be good for me on several levels. Afterwards, Françoise joined me at the bar for a coffee
Friday 13th: a good omen to take part in a quiz? Indeed it was! Fortified by an apéritif here which included an opposing team we went forth to get the brain cells moving. Admittedly we did have an extra person  (Henri, Michelle, JJ, Martine and moi) but Martine couldn't play on her own now, could she? I'd like to think that it was our superior knowledge of the "Around the World "theme that led to our victory. 6€ from every meal went to the Téléthon, raising 102€. Much as Christian and I were big supporters of the restaurant, I'm beginning to feel they're starting to give less value for money. Maybe next year, I'll give the price of the meal directly.
But ..........
Friday 13th: a good omen for others? Hell, no, as I was to find out. While we were enjoying ourselves, Paris was under attack.

Saint Christian

Christian's feast day today but this year there's been no need to find a new restaurant in which to celebrate it. Hélas.
It was good though to see Penny for a coffee at the bar but apart from that "nada".
Weather:
20°, sun

On the Tourist Trail

If it hadn't been for the red and yellow leaved vines it would have been hard to believe that this trip took place in November. Haven't been so far from home for ages so it was good to get away for a couple of days.  Françoise is easy to be with, knowledgeable and good company but it should have been Christian I was sharing the experience with. The imaginery postcard I sent him went with the traditional phrase "having a good time, wish you were here!"
Click on the link if you're interested in seeing a few more photos.
https://picasaweb.google.com/114284735716067114333/WonderboxTrip#6216385568339283298

 11.11.15:

Armistice day but for once there was no ceremony for me (which apparently was noticed) instead Françoise and I spent the morning looking around Fontfroide, a Cistercian abbey. A "must-do" in the area.  http://www.fontfroide.com/
Decided to go for a late lunch by the sea and ended up at Peyriac sur Mer. Found a great bar full of character and we were lucky to get a table with all the tourists and locals off work for the public holiday thronging the place. http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g1726269-d3467374-Reviews-O_Vieux_Tonneau-Peyriac_de_Mer_Aude_Languedoc_Roussillon.html#photos
The village overlooks an enclosed body of water with a number of small islands, a few flamingos and little wooden walkways that just shouted at you "come and walk". We therefore, joined a constant stream of inter-generational families out for a stroll and found a bench to sit on in the sun for a moment's contemplation.
Came home without stopping, arriving for 5pm. All the way back I was debatting with myself as to whether I'd go to the concert in the church or just dump my bags and flop. In the end, I opted for the concert of choral music which ranged from the Renaissance to the 20th century and spanned 3 continents. Glad I went and there was still time to flop.
Weather:
24° sunshine and blue skies

10.11.15:
After a copious, tasty breakfast at 8.30am, we took ourselves off to a Medieval village called http://www.lagrasse.com/en/index.php 

Lagrasse.
First of all a coffee stop as Françoise  has a a morning coffee habit too; this meant that we arrived at the tourist office just as it was opening. What a treat we had looking at amazing remenants of painted ceilings, some of them with quite irreverant images! Then a look around the church and a wander through the narrow streets stopping off to look at the 14th century market hall and at an upholsterer's shop. Not as strange as it sounds. Next to the workshop there was a couple of rooms stuffed with bric-a-brac and all sorts of curios including a series of ornaments of dressed up dogs (not sure how to describe them) that you'll see in the photo album if you click the link at the top of the page. There were also a couple of fat cats which I though that the taxidermist had been let loose on but no they were real. Gave me quite a start when they moved ever so slightly.
Our last port of call was the abbey (14th century), outside the town walls accessed by a 13th century bridge over the river. Well, there was no way that the Benedictine monks could be exposed to the local folk with their ungodly ways hence the stand alone site.
After all that we were lucky to get lunch on the tree lined promenade outside the walls on the otherside of the village before the chef went home. In need of a bit of rest we didn't linger prefering to get back and stretch out on a sun lounger in the garden and then saw one of the sunsets that give  the property its the name.
After a late lunch we weren't that hungry so just went out in the evening to a nearby village for a simple salad and then an early night.
Weather:
24° blue skies and sunshine

9.11.15:

Bag packed, apéritif organised complete with lemon for the G and T and things to nibble, coat on ready to go for 10am. The weather was absolutely splendid; warm golden autumnal sunshine and a clear road through to Narbonne. Started off at "Les Halles" (opened in 1901) which being a Monday most of the stalls were closed. Walked from there along the canal to the old part of the city. First looked at the shops and wandered around getting our bearings. As it was midday by this time and the museums were closed, there was nothing else to do but have lunch in "Le Mallocolo", which I'd spotted on "Tripadvisor". Small and decorated with souvenirs from the owners' travels with a menu to match, it was a great wee find. http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g187155-d2337253-Reviews-Le_Mallicolo-Narbonne_Aude_Languedoc_Roussillon.html
Fortified by a good lunch, we attacked the Museum of Art and History housed in the 17th century Archbishops' appartments. Painted ceilings and various works of art  through the ages including Breughels and a collection of orientlal paintings in an arabic setting which was just delightful. Soft music, settees and the sound of a fountain created a real oasis of peace. All we were missing was the mint tea.
Next came a chronocologically backward trip to see the prehistoric and Roman collections (the Via Domitia runs through the city).
Still zigzagging in time, we went on to the 13th century cathederal and climbed the 162 steps up the tower; luckily not meeting a soul either on the way or on the way down! Great views over the roof tops.
A cup of tea came next and your weary time travellers then set off to find the B and B. A warm welcome waited us and would you believe it, our room was called "Le Nid"? So, a home from home as many of you will know that's the name of our studio bedroom at the top of the house.
The G and T went down well and loosened us up to meet a load of folk we didn't know and weren't sure that we'd have anything in common with.
There were 10 of us around the dinner table with an ok (well, at least for one dinner) selection of guests. The host was an old charmer who kept the wine flowing and his wife witty and good at her job. Well, we don't have to kid ourselves; that's what it is, n'est-ce pas? http://www.domaine-soleil-couchant.com/
Weather:
24°, blue skies, sunshine

Food for all Tastes

8.12.15:

Woke up to low lying cloud brought in by sea breezes which needless to say was a topic of conversation in the bar. Passed a pleasant couple of hours there with Nicole and Martine talking about a lot more than the weather. As I'd forgotten to take the duck breast I'd planned to have out of the freezer, it looked like boiled or scrambled eggs for Sunday lunch. By good fortune, I bumped into my neighbours who had a bag of ceps that they'd found in some secret place or another and I fell heir to two of them. So, mushroom omelette it was with rocket salad which was definitely more acceptable.
In between doing some computer stuff, I peeled and puréed a load of apples that Valérie and Christophe had brought from Normandy and filled the kitchen with lovely Christmssy smells as my cake slowly baked. A good job done and not before time either.
Weather:
20°, cloudy

7.11.15:

Off to the market on the bus to have an early morning get-together with Françoise to plan a couple of days away next week. We're using the Bed and Breakfast gift token that  Christian's children gave him for his 70th. Such a shame that he never benefitted from it but it wasn't to be. Expiry date is early next year so with lovely weather forecast we decided there was no reason to delay. Hortense joined us for a brief while to reassure herself that I was ok and then I came home with Hans and Marie-Madeleine.
Did some admin getting one of the two things sorted. 50% - not bad considering how things usually go here.
Next was an appearance at the Téléthon bingo where I didn't do an "eyes down" but instead sold cakes at the interval  to a veritable stampede of elbow wielding women.
The evening was a different affair however with dinner chez Chantal and Jean-Marie's in Argelès along with André, Nany and Jean-Jacques. There was a very different menu too. A bit of luxury with langoustines (all ready to eat) followed by veal kidneys in a red wine sauce. Devoured my starter but took it easy on the main course which wasn't exactly my thing. Cheese, two different kinds of dessert and champagne finished off the evening And there wasn't too much Mairie talk ......
Weather:
18° sun with cloud later

Is it really November?

6.11.15:

Early morning call to Mum to wish her a "Happy Birthday" then out quickly to meet Maggie to take the bus to Perpignan for some retail therapy. Did the 10 minute or so walk from the "Centre del Mon" into the centre stopping off en route for a coffee. Neither of us came away empty handed though I have to say that I still prefer Figueres. The morning disappeared quickly and managing not to find the restaurant I'd planned for us to go to, we fell across "Les Epicureans" where Jen and I had eaten in the summer.  My lasagne was tasty and Maggie couldn't finish her confit de canard. Service was cheerful and we thought 33€ for 2 of us for three courses and a half litre of rosé was "très correct" as the French would say. However, looking at Tripadvisor some clients thought otherwise, so they weren't.  It doesn't pretend to be haute cuisine so whatta they expect?  Maybe we're just more easily pleased finding it all very pleasant sitting in the warm sunshine watching the coming and goings of daily life on the edge of the St Jacques neighbourhood just off the tourist centre.
If you're wondering what on earth the photo is, it's one of the palm trees that line the road down from the station being cut down as a result of the damage done by a wee red insect that's invading the Département ..... but just look at that sky!
Weather:
23°, Clear blue skies and warm sunshine

5.11.15:

Coffee with Nicole, Nany and Annie and after a quick lunch at home, went down to Argelès with Netta. Strode out on a brisk 4 mile (Netta has a pedometer) walk along the prom and back chatting all the way. Also had a cuppa overlooking the port and chatted some more by which time the sun was disappearing and the cloud coming down.Spent the evening watching tv screen with one eye and the computer screen with the other.
Weather:
20°, sun

4.11.15:
Nono and Evelyn left for Narbonne after a coffee here as the bar is closed on Wednesdays. Didn't do anything much other than catching up with the blog.
Weather:
20°, sun

Wine, Women and Song

Managed to get the homework done though I might add Paul really does expect much more than debutant level from us. Still, I guess it keeps the brain ticking over.
Out of the blue Nono and Evelyn were in touch to say that their camping car was ready to make a detour to come and say "hello". They're the ideal guests as they come with their own bedroom! It wasn't possible to see that much of them as I had the first women's group meeting which went well. There were 15 of us and we agreed that we'd meet once a month but in-between times members would propose activities  via email to who ever was interested. In addition it's hoped to develop a self help network and information exchange. Christian (whose room we were in) was I'm sure, in his element being surrounded by all those women! Of course we ended with a glass of wine, water too,  and a few nibbles
Afterwards, some of us dropped into the bar which is right next door for the guitar evening. My 'guests' were there already enjoying the music having had a meal. Was home by midnight so it was straight to bed.

Supping Soup

Today was a day for not moving too far. The weather was just terrible but I did brave it to go for a coffee in the morning. The afternoon I spent doing stuff on the computer until Jean came to pick me up to eat pumkin soup along with Joan and Thérèse. I had been going to  get the bus but it was so wild that I was glad that they overruled me.
Fortunately, the cake I'd made yesterday was untouched because Lone brought some wicked prunes in red wine so  my contribution was to hand.
Was home at a very reasonable time (Françoise is more of a sleepy head than me); watched some tv and just I was heading to bed, I realised that I hadn't done my Spanish homework for tomorrow's class. Oops
Weather:
18°, very wet and very windy

Getting a Grip

Well, the number of posts to catch up with is getting ever longer, so I've decided to put you all out of your misery and cut to the chase here and now. I'll catch up with ancient history as and when. More for me than you, dear readers as I can't leave another hole in my life  .... the real one that's there is big enough.
So today ...... first of all, a meeting with Nicole to talk about the forthcoming women's group that she's helping me to launch. Had coffee at the bar and as it was so nice sitting by the fire that we decided to stay on for steak and chips.
The afternoon was spent preparing an apéritif dinatoire for Lone and Jesper, Danish friends. Had a very pleasant evening but didn't really sparkle as I was feeling tired.
Weather:
18°, sun
News:
Russian plane crashed over Sinai. All 200+ holiday makers and 7 crew died.