A Few Days of Relative Calm

16.12.16: Another Take on Fruit and Veg

Coffee in the morning with Nicole S and then nothing of interest until the evening when I attended a short Council meeting followed by a vernissage. Once again there were only a few people there which was a shame as the black and white photos of fruit and veg taken at odd  angles from close up were original. What's more it was fun trying to guess what they were. The one that I had most difficulty with was a just a section of the peel of a hass advocat.
Weather:
13°, Rain, heavy at times for most of the day

15.12.16: A Welcome Bolthole

Another language exchange and another lesson in patience. The two most tedious participants (English speakers) were in the same group as moi. Luddites the pair of them and not in the least bit of fun. Do I need this? No, I don't but I feel obliged to go to help keep it going. It wasn't all "sacrifice however as Hannele, a Finn, had brought some Swedish cookies which was kind and what's more they tasted good too even if she did bring them in a metal dish that looked as it could be a dog's bowl!
Back to the bar for a coffee and stayed on for a bite to eat with Jean-Jacques who'd left his house keys at the Mairie. Only had an omelette and a couple of glasses of red wine before making my home across a very bare square now that all the trees have gone. No, more pink blossom in Spring but no more petals and dead leaves that fall to sweep up later. Every cloud, eh?
Weather:
15° sun, clouding over later

14.12.16: Square Eyes
Spent most of the day in front of a screen and ate far too much chocolate.
There was an unexpected interlude however, when I went up to Ken's English conversation group to give back the scarf he'd left last week. The participants had brought in a few goodies to share and I was invited to stay for the session which I did. There was a choice of "The Glenlivet" or a muscat sec to drink. No prizes for guessing which one passed my lips. Sláinte!!
Weather:
14°, sun and blue skies


13.12.16: Bringing on the Substitute

Before I got stuck into my "to do" list, I had to deal with an early morning email from the person processing my grant application. The people who will decide if I'm successful or not want my estimates for the work to have my first name on them and not just the name I use. Good old André the project manager did the necessary tout de suite.
Ploughed on with my list, interspersed with my Spanish group and a bit of telly and then toddled over to the bar for an apérobio. Lynn having a cold gave it a miss sending Colin in her stead to do justice to the tapas that Nico had prepared. Terry had been asked but preferred to stay and watch his football team on tv.
The bar was quiet so there was no competition to get ourselves installed next to the fire where we enjoyed the good things put before us by Eve.
Weather:
13°, sunny

12.12.16: Copines go Chinese
匹口戶工內三弓 Had a little lie in until 8am, took it easy and then went to meet Nicole P for coffee. Came back and did some get-ahead cooking which you'll know is an usual event for me. Ironic really as I was out with the "Café des Copines" for a "Chinese" buffet in Le Boulou. in case you don't know or have forgotten, "copines" are female pals. I usually avoid this type of restaurant but Kitty who's pretty fastidious had been and said it was good value for money (12€80 for a weekday lunch) so I was read  to give it a go. It wouldn't be my first choice of restaurant but was fine for a change and the other women were happy; so enough said.
Came home and prepared an apéritif dinatoire for JJ, Jean and Françoise. Amazingly, I managed to tuck in along with the others. Conversation was a lot more stimulating than of late with Victor Serge a Russian revolutionary born in Brussels in 1890 and died in Mexico (like Trotsky) in 1947, who fiction, non fiction, poetry, essays and pamphlets being one topic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Serge
Another topic was JJ's presence at the signing of a convention (Ségolène Royal for the government) bringing environmental grants to the area. Most people tag a holiday onto an official duty but with JJ, it was the reverse so no profiting of  public funds here!
Weather:
16°, sun