Patter of not so Tiny Feet and the Babble of Voices

29.10.16: Au revoir until Next Year

Up very early to see the family off at 8am. Bit of blog catch-up, bit of tv catch-up, bit of ironing and last minute packing at well after midnight. Thank goodness for the extra hour.
Weather:
20°, sun, cloud later

28.10.16: End of the Hols
Did some admin with a quick coffee at the bar somewhere in the middle of it all. Frank treated us to lunch at the restaurant and then from there it was over to Michel's for coffee. Quite by chance, while Frank and Stéphanie were in Céret for a coffee this morning they found an old single of, would you believe it, "Nights in White Satin"! What better gift?
After coffee we went to visit the micro brewery that has just opened in the village to taste and to talk about a visit from the association. We were very well received and enjoyed talking with someone passionate about his work. Our two Parisians bought a few bottles to take home at a price well below what they would pay in the capital. https://fr-fr.facebook.com/blaoblank/
There was a last apéritif at the bar for the family who leave tomorrow and they were really pleased as they were able to say their goodbyes to Laurent and Joan who sang at Christian's funeral.
Dinner was a "clear the fridge" kind of meal after which we sat down to watch "Les Hommes de l'Ombre", a French political drama series about spin doctors and their and others dirty dealings. Watch it, if it comes on to British TV.
Weather:
20°, sun and clear blue skies

27.10.16: Revitalised

Went to the association committee meeting first thing but gave the language exchange a miss. Did however go for a drink with them all at lunch time. The sun was shining and we got talking about the possibility of organising some Celtic Games next June. Don't know if it was the stimulation of brain storming or the couple of glasses of rosé that I had, but I felt full of energy at the end.
Kelvin and Irene, who are on holiday on the coast, called in unexpectedly which was a good reason to open a bottle of cava. Quickly did some tapas when they left for Jean, Françoise and Michel who were coming around for the evening. Michel brought his guitar and he and Frank took turns in entertaining us. The Moody Blues "Nights in White Satin" was much appreciated and I found their "Days of Future Past" album on which it features to help Michel with some pronunciation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdykXAT19Go We in our turn sang along though I'm not sure that we managed all the words of a single song!
Weather:
23°, glorious sunhine, no cloud cover so cooler in the evening.

26.10.16: Running out of Steam

The family went out walking for the day which gave me time to deal with lots of routine stuff. Marie-Jo came for me to book her flight to Scotland as she's without internet, the electrician turned up unannounced with his curious 3 year old to have a look at the work and I'd just started to plant the pansies I'd bought last week when Jacques from Paris turned up to get JJ's key as he's staying there. Kindly, he treated me to lunch at the restaurant so, it's not all grind, is it?
Prepared dinner, cleaned the terrace, booked Nicole's hotel in Scotland (problem with her card) and she stayed for a cuppa. Philippe arrived with a trailer load of wood and as luck would have it the family were back and got roped in to unloading it. Philippe stayed for a beer and a catch up and then I scuttled off for a rehearsal for the forthcoming  fashion parade and didn't get home until 10pm.
Much fatigued, I didn't linger long before going to bed.
Weather:
24°, sun

25.10.16: Not a Jolly Day

Woke early and finished my Spanish homework while still in bed. Gave Georges short shrift after the lesson as he wanted the association to meddle in the affairs of another association to which he belongs. Another day I might have been more patient but today wasn't it.
Cleaned out all the leaves from the back court and sorted the wood ready for Philippe to bring a new load. It wasn't a pleasant task as being open, the local cats had wandered in to do whatever it is that cats prefer to do elsewhere than in their own backyard.
After lunch on my own of left-overs, I went with friends to be present at the departure of the body of Carmen, from the village who's to be buried near Barcelona. A solemn but short affair.
Came home to make phone calls but kept losing the connection, someone came to measure up the windows for an estimate, I made dinner and two people phoned with queries about the trip during our apéritif. Surprising really as French people usually avoid meal times which are (or were) considered sacred. After dinner there was a bit of light relief with an old Robert Redford and Brad Pitt film.
Once again went wearily to bed.
Weather:
22°, cloudy but warm

24.10.16: Bonnie Scotland

André, who's going to be managing the work in the house, came by to look at what needs done. Arrived on the dot giving lie to all those expat stories of the unreliability of French workmen. All in all it was a busy day.
Made lunch and dinner for us all, did Spanish homework, prepared for and went to the meeting with the participants on the association's trip to Scotland. Watched the photos of the family's trip to Scotland this summer and fell, exhausted into an early bed.
Weather:
19°, cloudy but not cold