February's End

28.2.17: Water, Water Everywhere

A smart new heating/air-conditioning unit is now installed in the nest. Spanish this afternoon, then made a few flowers, went around to Jackie's for tea but she wasn't there (?) Tore more of my hair out trying to work on the computer and am ferourently hoping that the guy in the village who sorts out errant equipment will come and work miracles.
Dinner at Jacques' along with Kathy and and another Jackie. Mexican, of course (the meal, not Jackie) and the first test of saying "no" to alcohol. Water instead of a margarita .... oh, woe is me.
Weather:
15°,  chilly,

27.2.17: What a Card!
Had a coffee with Nicole P this morning and started the killer antibiotics at lunchtime as they need to be taken with food. So, the no alcohol  regime starts here.
Funny old afternoon; tried on my playing cards sandwich board for the carnival. Not easy to wear I can tell you and not in the least bit fetching! I chose to be the King of Spades; who among you can analyse that? You'll have heard me utter "why do I get caught up in such things? " before and here I've done it again. Then it was off to the dentist for a routine appointment before coming home to scream at the computer which is playing silly beggars and losing work. The poor electrician thought that I'd blown a fuse.
Weather:
14°,  Cloudy,  feeling chilly, rain in the afternoon

Enjoying a Drink

26.2.17:

Decided to have our coffee à la picnic on the terrace of the café as it's still closed. Needless to say, we raised a few laughs though you wouldn't know it from Anne's face. She feels the cold in case you hadn't guessed!
Our tea party broke up at about 12.30pm with Anne and Nicole S going to their respective homes and me to meet up with Michèle, Henri and Martine to go over to Maçanet for a lunch organised to celebrate André and Nany's wedding anniversary. Gilles and Martine, Jackie and Bernard were also invited. Most people ate the house speciality of "morue", a salted cod and tomato dish. Even though it was desalinated, it was still too much for me. I had rabbit as much to show the French that Brits can eat it as anything else! Problem was that it wasn't very good. I did, however, enjoy the cava and red wine! Tomorrow the dry season starts
Weather:
18°, sunny

25.2.17:

Well, 3rd time lucky. Nicole S and I finally made it to Figueres. Started with a coffee and found Colin and Lynn from the village were in the café too. Small world. It was a real pleasure walking around the market in the sunshine. Only bought myself a black polo neck sweater, some fruit and veg.
Nicole fancied having a curry so I took her to one that I knew of near the station but had never tried .
The waiter said that we couldn't have the cheaper menu as it was Saturday but he relented when I said that we would go somewhere else. It made a nice change to eat curry even though it was nothing out of the ordinary. https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/ShowUserReviews-g315921-d6216757-r193764336-El_Punjab-Figueres_Province_of_Girona_Catalonia.html
Came home via La Jonquera where we stopped for a cup of tea and a bit of supermarket shopping.
Spent the evening watching box sets.
Weather:
16°, sun, lighter winds

24.2.17:

Appointment with the GP about a persistant infected big toenail; one that came off last year. The new medication she's prescribed involves being very absteemious drinkwise. Do I hear you say "so what?". What you don't realise is that it means no more glasses of rosé or cava for 3 months!!! Oh well, it won't do me any harm, I suppose. Decided not to start until Monday as I've a few things on this weekend.
Did a couple of hours making flowers and then walked up to Nicole S's for a cup of tea. She wasn't back from the hairdressers so I hung around until she arrived. What was worse, was,exceptionally I was without my ibook so I had to fill my time looking out over the garden from a sheltered spot. A cup of Earl Grey was most welcome, I can tell you especially as I didn't partake with the flower makers.
Apparently, the weekend away did her good as we didn't talk about the cat.
Tea over, we walked back into the village for a vernissage of one of the association's members. Proceeds from the sale of her paintings will be given to a Franco-Vietnamese association of which she and her husband who is half, French, half Vietnames are members.
Caught up with lots of people especially Linde and Kathy with whom I went for a glass of wine at the bar. Only stayed for one drink but still didn't get to bed until 3am.
Weather:
16°, strong winds, feeling chilly

Film, Flowers and Friends

23.2.17:
No committee meeting this morning as I was told to expect the builders who were coming to do the insulation between the cave and the first floor. Needless to say they didn't arrive at 8.30am but at 11am so there would have been time to go anyway.
As the café is closed while they get on with the extension into the building next door, I didn't go in search of the language exchangers. Terry and Ann however, called around for a coffee.
This evening, I went with the neighbours to see "La Saison des Femmes", Hindi film (French subtitles) which was being shown by the local film club. 4 Rajastani women's struggle to overcome, violence and tradition in a patriarchal society, its title in English is "Parched". Be you male or female it's well worth watching; prepare yourself to be angry and humbled in equal measures. Despite finding it difficult, I found it uplifting as well. See if you do too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3PsX-xgzQo
On coming home, the eight of us piled into Jacques' for a drink and a debrief.
Weather:
18°, sun followed by cloud

22.2.17:
Went up to the French conversation class to deliver something and found them happily chatting away over coffee and was told that they were later celebrating the birth of a great grandchild with champagne.Well, of course, I stayed on!
Flower making again this afternoon. The noise with all the chat was so deafening that Nicole P and I went for a cup of tea at the bar to wind down. Who'd have thought that making paper flowers could be stressful.Tea became a glass of wine later on when Jean-Jacques stopped by to say "hello"
Weather:
18°, sun

21.2.17:

Spanish group this afternoon after which I went to book an appointment with the dentist. This photo was taken as I came out of the surgery. Pretty, isn't it?
Weather:
17°, sun 

20.2.17:
Electrics continue. Computer problems continue; internet cutting out and losing work.. Did my Spanish homework and generally foutered around.
Weather:
16°, sun

19.2.17:
Sunday coffee with Nicole P and Anne and each of us had a moan about the way our missing "copine" behaves in such a self-centred way. So, it's not just me. Lunch followed at the bar where we were joined by Gilles and Martine. Later on, Nicole came around to hold my hand while I booked my train ticket and stayed for tea.

18.2.17:
Nicole S decided to benefit from a lift with Jacques to Toulouse to see her cousin rather than go to Figueres as arranged. Luckily, Jacques had put me in the picture; Nicole hadn't thought to say. Went instead to the market with Michel.

17.2.17:
Coffee in the bar, flower making, tea in the bar, tv at home
Weather:
17° sun is back

Lazy Days and Wet Weather

16.2.17:
Language exchange and a drink in the bar before going home for lunch and to play with my new toys (tablet and chromecast, if you've missed previous posts) Sad, isn't it? Still can't be on the go all the time.
Weather:
15°, rain has stopped but very overcast

15.2.17:
Took the bus into town and met Françoise for coffee. Flower making in the afternoon
Weather:
14° heavy rain

14.2.17:
Met Nicole P for coffee and did some catching up on the blog.
Weather:
14° heavy rain


13.2.17:

The builders (4 of them) arrived to start insulating the cave. With the doors wide open to the rain, damp and cold, a blanket over the knees is the order of the day. Computer still disconnecting which is driving me crazy but rather than try and find a solution I'm just reconnecting and getting frustrated. Must address the problem  or get Michel to help me out.
Was just settling down to an evening of telly under my blanket when Nicole phoned to say that she wanted to come over as the cat had been put down. Can't help thinking that it should have been done when the first vet said it should be done a week ago. Six days under the care of another vet at his surgery plus all the medication and the drip etc, won't have been cheap and to what end. Yes, ok, Nicole can  tell herself that she left no stone unturned.
I did not talk "cat" but opened the bottle of cava she brought, heated  a bowl of soup and played Ken Loach's film "The Angels' Share".
If you're wondering about the photo, it was taken in a distillery where we'd learnt about the "angels' share" was the 2% evaporation of the whisky occurinng during maturation.
Weather:
14°, cloud, torrential rain (amber alert), chilly

12.2.17:
It rained all night and continued during the day. There was only Nicole S of our group at the bar for coffee but we were later joined by Nany who'd heard that we'd played charades the other Sunday and wanted to give it a go. Nicole and I resisted her invitation to join Gilles, Martine, Michèle, André and Henri for lunch as we were only having a snack. Of course, Nicole wanted to talk "cat" and despite my few pearls of wisdom she continues to talk herself into a deep hole of sadness. Can't (well to be honest, I'm not trying to) understand how someone with a well filled life, no health nor money worries, can put so much emotional dependence on an animal that will never live as long as they will. I can do genuine empathy but on top of her other neroses, it's all too much naval gazing and "poor mes" for me. There are far worse things to deal with. Nicole P has already lost patience with her after spending a whole evening listening to cat talk so it's not just me being a fair weather friend. Well, at least I hope not! I did say that she should come and watch a film and have a bit of company if and more likely, when the worst happens.
Actually did a bit of cooking in the afternoon in between watching tv and reading. Am now on No 4 of the Women's Murder Club series.
Reading this post after going on about a friend who's in crisis, my afternoon was so banal. Still, as Christian would say, "personne est parfaite!"
Weather:
14°, heavy cloud, heavy rain

11.2.17:

Today, I decided not to go to the market with Michel but to have a laze; first in bed (up at 1pm) and then on the settee with a bar of chocolate and a pot of tea to hand.
Weather:
12°, cloudy at first, heavy rain in the afternoon

Thank Yous and Goodbyes

10.2.17:

Wrapped up well as even though the sun was shining and the wind was less strong, it was still chilly. Nicole P and I headed off to Perpignan with Gilles and Martine for a guided tour of the "new" parts organised for the Association by Françoise. Those coming on the bus were late joining us as they were held up by the Police. Several people had their cartons of cigarettes confiscated as they had more than the maximum of two. The need to eliminate illegal commerce obviously outweighs cross-border freedoms. Now there's a surprise! At least during the wait, I was able to buy a couple of things that I wanted.
Walked for an interesting 1h30 and then went for lunch in a very reasonable Lebanese restaurant, "Les Délices de Liban"; buffet style, the cold dishes were excellent, the hot ones less so. Plenty of choice with a drink, coffee or mint tea for 16€. Can't grumble at that.
Rather than rush up to the flower making, I stayed home and did nothing useful. until it was time to prepare for Mike and Linda's leaving do.
Mike and Linda are returning to UK after about 13 years of living here. Mike has been active in the Association, so there was a big turn out. The Mayor gave a speech as did our Vice President (the President being on a Caribbean cruise) and Mike, who needless to say, was as moved as he dared allow.
I had to leave after about 30 minutes to go for dinner at JJ's.
It was funny to note that the men around the table were called Jean, Jacques (2) and Jean-Jacques! We, women were more original; Danièle, Maeva, Lisa, Yaneth, Françoise. Our origins were widespread too. Catalan, French, Sicilian, Colombian and British.
Don't know exactly what I was doing/trying to work out/searching for/downloading on the tablet but I didn't
go up to bed until 5am!
Weather:
12°, sun but chilly even though the wind

9.2.17:

Was able to escape early from the language exchange in order to meet Hortense and Bridget for lunch. Michel happened to pass by as I waited for the bus in a cold wind so I arrived in good time and was 1€ better off! Not to mention of course, having the opportunity to catch up on his friend's visit. Won't go into details but she's changed in the 37 years since they've seen each other.
Had a pleasant lunch in a restaurant on the "zone d'activité"; plenty of laughs, and a good dose of networking.
Hortense drove me back to the village for a meeting at the Mairie with those resposible on a Departmental level for the Téléthon, who wanted to thank everyone for their splendid effort in raising over 17,000€. Best per capita score in the Pyrénées Orientales. Not that we're competitive! Those at the table are the events organisers ; the rest of us were squashed out of view. Of course it was followed by a table laden with good things to eat and drink.
Back home with enough time to get my act together for the meeting later on about the Scotland visit. It went well even though my head was spinning with trying to keep a bit of order during the proceedings. At least everyone is now assured that the water is safe to drink!
The two Nicoles, Jacques and myself retired to the bar afterwards for a bottle of cava after which the latter invited us to his place for another. Somehow we agreed to go to Figueres next Saturday to soak up the atmosphere and eat tapas. Une belle vie, n'est-ce pas?
Weather:
12°, sun, strong winds cold night

Game of Chance

8.2.17:

Another day of strong winds, open doors and Sauveur busying himself switching the electricity on and off. Should say, however, he's very polite and considerate and never switches off without warning me.
Went to make paper flowers this afternoon where I was joined by Yaneth and Lisa. It's all hands on deck as there are still thousands to make. Think I told you that the theme is Casino Royale; here's a photo of the back of a face card.
I had thought to have a quiet night at home but Nicole S telephoned to say that her cat is not well and the vet isn't sure that he can save it. She is overly attached to her cat, so a major catastrophy is looming. I armed myself with a torch and walked over to hers to chat and listen. It was about 11pm when I made the 10 minute walk back but didn't meet a soul.
Weather:
12°, sun and very strong winds

Food and Friends Cure All Frustrations

7.2.17:

Getting dizzy with Sauveur running up and downstairs doing then checking the lights all day and feeling cold with the doors inevitably being left open. And while I'm in moaning mood ... why do workers never switch off lights and why is my computer still cutting out?
An invitation to JJ's for a drink with Yaneth, Jacques and Lisa who have just arrived from Paris was a most welcome pick-me-up but that's not all. There was a wee gift of herbs all the way from Colombia where Yaneth hails from and a place at the table for dinner as well. Nothing to moan about there.
Weather:
16°, sun, cloud, light showers

6.2.17:

Escaped the electrical work by having coffee with Nicole P over at the bar. In the afternoon, tried to do some work on the computer now that I've managed to plug it in but there's a new problem. The blessed thing keeps losing it's internet connection which means that I'm merrily typing away and the cursor goes on walkabout. I'm no touch typist so I don't reaslise that what I'm typing is not appearing on the page. 😒
The plumber coming to mend a leak, Dominic to fill the gaps under the eves to stop the wasps nesting as they did last year and Sauveur to do the electrics was a surprisingly welcome respite from my technology frustrations.
Jean and Françoise popped in for a quick drink with the flowers that Jean had been unable to give me on Saturday as I'd gone from the café by the time he came back.
It was then my turn to be waited on at the bar where I met Ann, Dani and Lynn for our monthly apérobio.
Weather:
12°, sun and very strong winds

5.2.17:

None of my usual friends were in the bar for coffee but there were other women to talk to while I waited for a lift over to Michelle and Henri's for their celebratory birthday lunch. There were 8 of us in total and we started with champagne at their house; then it was up to the restaurant for a very good lunch. I had scallops, followed by vension and we all had a dessert of "Baked Alaska" decorated by giant sparklers. Nany invited us back to their house at 7pm to help eat up one of those lovely dried ham joints that you see hanging up in delis. Tempting as it was, I was just too comfortable on the settee in the warm so I gave it a miss and stayed home to quietly watch tv. Even though I've been here a long time, it's still surprisingly tiring speaking, listening and trying to understand in French.
Weather:
12°, cloud, occasional showers and strong winds

4.2.17:

Went into the market with Michel and Brigitte, a friend he's not seen for 37 years, who's staying with him. Met Hortense and had coffee with Françoise then off to the supermarket before getting the bus back. Spent another afternoon in the kitchen preparing dinner for JJ, Jacques, Brigitte (Michel was playing at a gig) Hans (German) and Marie-Madeleine.
On the menu:
canapés in front of the open fire
fish pie (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/smokedhaddockfishpie_81401) adapted to use extra white fish and hard boiled eggs as in the Jamie Oliver recipe
cheese, of course
Bavarian apple cake and fromage frais
coffee and armagnac
Weather:
17°, warm and sunny

Computer Mania

3.2.17:

Stirred myself to get out for a bit of a walk in the sun followed by coffee at the bar. Foutered around during the afternoon and then met David and Laura in the bar before the vernissage to talk about the Scottish visit.
Another exhibition of paintings using red and black. Last time the theme was Japan; this time bulls and flamenco. Fortunately, there were a few more of us in attendance. Michel, who is the councillor responsible for culture, cited Christian's room and my presence in his speech. I'm such a sucker for a little bit of reflected glory! What was even better, he came back to check my computers. One hadn't been plugged in properly (felt a real numpty) but in my defence, it's a bit of a struggle to get the new plug in easily. He cleaned up the hard drive on the other one and suggested that it needs a bit more ventilation.
Michel went off for dinner with friends and I joined Patricia at the bar (3rd time in one day!) for a drink which was a pleasant way to round off the day.
Weather:
15°, blue skies

2.2.17:

Thursday has come around again so once more it was a not very exciting morning at the language exchange. Thank goodness for a wee recompense at the bar afterwards.
Into computer overload at the moment; one won't connect, another keeps freezing and I'm still getting to grips with the new tablet. That, however, is more fun; the rest is plain old tedious.
Weather:
15°, sun and strong winds

1.2.17:

The day started with an unwelcome surprise; bread has gone up by 10c. Then it was into the kitchen to prepare dinner (chicken couscous and warm dried fruit compote with vanilla ice cream) for JJ, David and Laura. Not too stressful especially as JJ is always happy to do the drinks.
Weather:
14°, cloudless sky