Food sans Frontières

31.3.17: Spring is in the Air

 It was such a lovely day to go out and about in Figueres with friends. The sun burned off the early morning cloud, the sky was blue, flowers were out and the shops were full of clothes in pastel shades. Such a relief after all the blacks and greys of winter. Here's a photo of Yasmin and Nicole S looking as happy as I was feeling.
The simple pleasure of shopping and a good lunch with friends. What's not to like? However, don't know why we ended up in the "Café de Paris" on the ramblas for lunch as though the food is ok and very reasonably priced, it's nothing special. Still, we made the most of it and enjoyed sitting out.
Luckily, the menu wasn't too copious as I was invited to Jacques along with other neighbours for dinner with his son Pierre and girlfriend, Agnès. A good time was had by all needless to say. What did we eat? Mexican, of course; Jacques' speciality of pork cooked with chocolate. This recipe uses pulled pork; Jacques leaves his in cubes and he cheats by using a commercially produced mole paste. If you use real chocolate, it must be dark not sweet. Anyway, it never fails to please! Bon appétit!   
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/164608/pulled-pork-with-mexican-almond-mole-sauce
Weather:
20°, sunny and warm

30.3.17: Friends with Food, Bandits with Blunderbuses

Language exchange; how quickly this fun activity (not) comes around! Still, afterwards, Nicole S and I were invited to Yasmin's for lunch and it was warm enough to sit out to take our tea and dessert. Must invite her back but how can my efforts compare with Persian cuisine?
Then there was a carnival debriefing and a conference about the "Trabucayres", early 19th century bandits who used "trabucs", a musket/blunderbuss cross to rob and kill back and forth across the border. http://anglophone-direct.com/the-trabucayres/
Weather:
22°, sun, wind

Doesn't Feel as if Much has been Happening but it has

29.3.17: So Far, So Good.
 Made it for the blood test, paid the electrician (gulp, gulp) and started to teach myself how to use "excel" on the computer. I know it will be hard for those of you in UK to imagine but I was able to access and print out my test results this evening. Pleased to say that this girl has a strong constitution; everything was normal. Just two more to go.
Weather:
22°, blue skies

28.3.17: Brain not in Gear

Should have gone for my blood test to check that the antibiotics that I'm taking aren't doing more harm than good. I was half way through my porridge when I remembered I needed to be "nil by mouth"! Luckily, I hadn't had a wasted journey by bus only to look stupid in front of the lab staff. So, instead, as there was no other excuse to hand, I walked round to the church for a funeral. Had coffee afterwards with Nicole and stayed for a lunch of steak and chips, a French favourite.
Nick came in the afternoon to put the Association website onto the upstairs computer, then it was Bruno to finalise the order for my new windows and then JJ for an apéritif. So strange not to be sharing a bottle of cava with him.
Weather:
19°, sun

27.3.17: Committee, Coffee and Computer
Association committee meeting first thing, coffee with Loli and work on the computer. Not a very interesting day but how nice it is to have a longer day. An unoriginal day with an unoriginal post title.
Weather:
17°, sunny

26.3.17: You Win Some, You Lose Some

The clocks changed last night so there was less time to linger in bed. As usual, I went for a coffeee to the bar. All was pretty quiet and Françoise didn't even go on about our lack of discipline. Eve wasn't very happy as she only did 3 meals in the evening and "Tio, Tio" went by the other bar but not hers. Oops!
Had lunch outside with Nicole S and Patricia and in an effort to show some solidarity, I opted for the lasagne which had been on last night's menu even though I knew it wasn't going to be that good. How did I know? Well, I've had it before and it was very dry. Took the precaution of asking for ketchup to go with it which puzzled Eve. It helped a bit.
In the evening the three of us and Yasmin went to a Gospel Concert which wasn't very good either. Afterwards we went to a local bar where we joined, Liz (Hortense's friend), Helle and two other Norwegians. Helle is due to go into hospital next week for breast surgery so there was a lot of support current and promised.
Weather:
Sunny but feeling a bit chilly

25.3.17: Doing the Rounds

Didn't go to the market as I needed to save my energy for this afternoon's carnival. Yaneth and Lisa had come down from Paris especially for the event. Did lunch for them along with JJ. Kept it simple: pasta with a smoked salmon sauce, salad, cheese and strawberries.
Luckily for us, the cloud gave way to sun so twice around the village went well; well, that is apart for Martine. She fell over, landing on the hand that had recently been operated on but as if that wasn't enough, a large bloke who went to help her up, fell as well landing on top of her. End result, a wrist fractured in two places. Otherwise, the rest of us had a lot of fun on the way round even if RSM Françoise kept trying to lick us into shape! Like last year, we won 1st prize and just as the winners (in fact everyone received a prize) were being announced, the rain came on so Nicole and I went down to the bar for a tea.
Didn't do "Tio, Tio", a tradition where folk dress up like Wee Willie Winkies and process at dusk with candles to burn the King of the Carnival. This year, he bore a remarkable resemblance to Donald Trump. I just went up to the village hall to listen to the Banda and to have an apéritif. Settled for a coke which was absolutely awful. I'll stick to water until I can have a cava.
Weather:
Cloud, sun, rain

A Dip in Temperatures

24.3.17: Not Yet Ready for the Great Bake Off
Woke to a dull, miserable wet day; a coffee at the bar with the two Nicole's, Patricia, Yasmin was a quick way to lift the spirits.
In the afternoon, I was invited to Jackie's for tea for which she'd made a very plain cake that wasn't quite cooked in the middle; not that I'm one to complain where cake is concerned. Even came home with a piece. Cheered it up with some jam and cream and ate it as a dessert in front of a blazing fire.
Weather:
13°, heavy rain

23.3.17: Birthday Suit

Didn't go to the language exchange as Michaël had said he'd come about the computer. There's now a problem with the mouse and wouldn't you know, it's only been a couple of weeks since I gave a couple of spare ones away. Made a cake for this afternoon's tea with Anne and Nicole P.
This evening I went with the neighbours to see the German film "Toni Erdmann"; it was a long one, a bit strange but surprisingly funny. https://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2016/nov/25/toni-erdmann-exclusive-uk-trailer-for-oscar-favourite-german-comedy-video The scene where the lead female tried to pass off her answering the door to her collaegues who'd been invited to a birthday party without her clothes on as "team building" deserves 10/10 for creativity. Didn't see the time pass. Everone came back to mine for a beer and cake.
Weather:
16°

22.3.17: A Bit of This, a Bit of That and Not Much Else
No sign of either the electrician or the computer guy so a coffee with Hortense at the bar was most welcome. Did some paper flower repairs as some were looking a bit jaded after the float's two outings. The float, too,  needed a bit of attention as the solemn-faced tractor driver had taken a corner too tightly.
Went and paid the carpenter's bill, fought with my "Chromecast" which keeps disconnecting and just foutered in general.
Weather:
16°, sunny but chilly

21.3.17: 1st day of Spring?

Genevièvre came to go over the translations I'd corrected and once we'd slogged our way through it all I went to the bar for lunch with JJ. It was as cold inside as it was outside. No sign of the guy who's trying to sort the spare computer but the carpenter has already been and left the bill for the door in my letterbox.
There were only 3 of us for this month's "apérobio" and glory did it feel cold in the bar. Didn't stay on too long preferring to go home and curl up under a blanket on the settee. Of course, I'd switched off the storage heaters when I went to Paris and this dip was something I'd not expected.
Weather:
17° cloud and chilly than the temperature would suggest. I can just hear those of you in UK saying "what's she complianing about?"

20.3.17: Equinox
Stayed home all day doing a translation while the electrician worked away and the carpenters came and fixed the door. you've no idea what an amazing thing it is to have work people turn up so quickly and whats more when they said they would. Watched "Suite Française" this evening. Sad.
Still, who could not be happy as we move into longer days?
Weather:
22°, sunny

Carnival, Carpentry and Chilling Out

19.3.17: Happy Birthday, Little Sis!
Had coffee then lunch at the bar with the two Nicole's. Came home, pottered and phoned my little Sis as today was her birthday.
Weather:
22°, blue sky.

18.3.17: A Pair Wins

Went into the market with Maggie and had coffee with Hortense and Saskia then another one back in the village. There was a chripy group of cyclists there taking a break before they tackled the slopes out of the village on the "Voie Verte". Had a quick lunch at home and then got ready for the carnival in Céret.
There didn't seem as many people as last year but the atmosphere was good and we won a prize which was encouraging. No comments about the get-up, please.
We all had tired legs after two circuits of merrymaking around the town so once back in the village we went for a welcome cuppa at the bar where we saw Wales lose in the dying minutes against France at rugby . Another evening of tv, this time with my feet up.
Weather:
29°, sun

17.3.17: A Bit of Bonding

Coffee with Nicole S and a walk up to the carpenter's to see if they could come and sort out the back door that normally opens onto the street but that has been stuck for a few months now. The need to water the pots on the other side has stirred me on to get it sorted. The photo is taken on the way back. Pristine snow on Canigou, a joy to behold.
The carnival group had organised a lasagne meal at lunch time for a last bit of bonding before its second outing. As usual it was an opportunity to eat far too much.
Went to a vernissage in the evening and then went home saying that I'd venture forth later for the St Patrick's night at the bar. It was all talk though. Stayed home quietly with a bowl of soup and the telly.
Weather:
22°, blue skies

16.3.17: Back in the Old Comfort Zone
Straight back into the swing (I actual think I mean the mundane rather than "swing") of things with a trip to the Language Exchange. There was a very pleasant French woman there who decided on the spot to become a member. Treated Jacques and Nicole P to lunch at the bar, went to the supermarket and had a drink with JJ in the evening.
Weather:
18° sun

Paris

15.3.17: Time to Go

Well, the time came to pack up ready to be picked up by Jacques, Pierre and Agnès for a  last bit of sightseeing. We headed off to Montmartre where we wandered around, went to look at the small patch of grapevines still growing there and had lunch at the "Au Clarion des Chasseurs". I'm glad that I hadn't read the Tripadvisor reviews before we went; it was a lot better than I would have thought and would have given it a miss. In fact it was simple but good for an honest price and the waiter was amusing and pleasant.
From here we went down to the Sorbonne, St Michel area and gazed on Notre Dame from the bridge over the Seine. Spotted a very tempting Art Nouveau restaurant, "Boullion de Racine" which will definitely be on my list of visits whenever I come back http://www.bouillonracine.com/fr/bienvenue/
Got to the station with plenty of time to spare so sat chatting over a cuppa until Pierre and Agnès had to head off. I bought a banana to have on the train and paid 1€ for it! Often you can get at least 500g for the same price in the supermarket!
Unsurprisingly, the train left on time for an uneventful journey. Jacques dozed and I watched the"Queen of Kitwe", the true story of a young Ugandan chess champion on my tablet. Another one to watch if you have the chance.
Jacques friend David was at the station to meet us when we arrived at 11.30pm. Once home, I had a quick look around and saw that the electrician hadn't been in to finish off and then it was off to bed for a good sleep.
Weather:
16°, overcast with a little sun a times

14.3.17:  Another day, Another Museum

Took the same metro route as I did yesterday albeit for a few stops more to the Monet Museum.
http://www.marmottan.fr/uk/
As an exhibition of Pissarro's work had newly opened, there was a bit of a queue of about 20 minutes to get in. The Monet stuff was a pleasure to look at, so tranquil and as most folkk were looking at the Pissarros, I could take my time. Sadly, I couldn't give his colleague so much attention; there were far too many people.
Came out of the expo and sat for a while in the park eating chocolate and writing postcards. Also in the 16th Arrondissement, the appartment buildings were the stuff of dreams and the restaurants a bit out of my price range. Came home and had a late sandwich lunch sitting out on the pavement up the road from the house. Once again finished the afternoon off on the patio.
Weather:
16°, sun and blue sky; 21°, cloudy in the south

13.3.17: Eastern Delight

Took the metro to the Museum of Asian art in the 16th Arrondissement as it was one of the few open on a Monday. http://www.guimet.fr/en/ Of course, there was far too much to take in but I did a quick trip around to get an idea of the place. I lingered longer over the temporary exhibition of kimonos and that of photos depicting the travels of Alexandra David-Néel in Tibet
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_David-N%C3%A9el
Had a quick pasta lunch and wandered around this upmarket area of Paris admiring the buildings and gasping at the price of the appartments in the Estate Agents' windows.
On the journey back, I was entertained by onboard buskers and a bit of theatre, forced to ignore the beggars and wonder at the proliferation of mobile devices, all the while taking care to pay attention to my bag.
Was home in time to catch the last of the sunshine on the patio with a pot of tea and "Bridge of Spies" on the tablet. A cold war thriller based on a true story, it starred the very talented Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall) which was well worth watching.
Weather:
16°, sun, a little cloud and light breeze; 19]in the south, rain


12.3.17: What a difference a day makes!

Sun yesterday and today it was a foggy and chilly start to the day. Christophe and Valérie put me on the train to Paris. I easily found a comfortable single seat then settled down to pass the 2 hour journey. Of course, it was too good to be true; I was in 1st class but luckily realised it before the conductor came along. No matter, the journey passed just as quickly in 2nd class if with less leg room.  Frank was at the station to meet me and lo and behold, the sun was shining.
It was warm enough to sit out for an apéritif but there were only two  rather than three sharing the cava they'd bought in for me. Had a pleasnt walk along the Canal St Martin not far from the house, with Stéphanie. The area is in the process of being gentrified with a renovated promenade, new appartments, offices  and soon-to-be bistros.
Had dinner at home and watched the film "Merci Patron" on the tv, a film about the outsourcing by the luxury goods group LVMH of  production to Polish workers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merci_patron!
Went to bed in Elsa's room under the eves and slept well
Weather:
16°/19°, foggy, sunny, rain at home

Norman Hospitality

11.3.17: Sun at last!
Spent last night at daughter Valérie's but even though it was Saturday, there was no lie-in. Maureen's college was having an open day so we all went to admire her art work. She's very talented indeed and I'm sorry that I didn't take a photo of it to show you.
From there I went on to have lunch with Christian's older cousins Janine and Lydie. Roast guinea fowl and surprisingly, only my first apple tart of the visit.
Lydie and Bernard dropped me back at Christophe and Valérie's and while Christophe watched Scotland getting hammered at rugby, I continued my trek through the "Borgias" boxset.
Weather:
17°sun almost cloudless day/18° cloudy. for once being better in the North than the South

10.3.17: Livening up a Grey Day with Good Food

Made a leisurely start before taking the bus down to the big commercial centre. Like most country buses, it was busy with people coming back from the local market and took the long, long  way round. All the way there was a buzz of chat overlain by a sythenised version of "How much is that doggie in the window?" playing somewhere behind my left ear. I can tell you that I was well fed up with it by the time I arrived. Did a bit of gift shopping and had a coffee before Christophe picked me up on his way back from work. The pair of us then went for a good lunch in a really nice restaurant with a huge fireplace and large grounds,  not too far away.  http://www.lhermiere-restaurant.fr/
The afternoon was spent infront of the tv before Valérie (daughter) stopped by to pick me up to go to Kathy and Sylvain's (Christian's younger cousins) for dinner. Luckily we didn't get to the table until after 9pm so lunch was but a memory.
Weather:
15°, overcast/24° sun 

9.3.17: Cooking for my Supper

Heavy rain and strong winds were the ideal excuse to stay in bed until late and not go out. At least here, there's no need to feel obliged to sightsee whatever the weather. Had lunch with Léonie who had finished college early and then I set to and made a lemon drizzle cake for dinner. https://cornercafe.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/fresh-lemon-syrup-cake/ I was pleased that it turned out to be delicious and light earning plenty of positive comments.
Weather:
11°/22°, rain, wind

8.3.17: No Sun, No Sand but Plenty of Sea

Travelled on the train into town with Valérie who was off to work and I to meet Didier (an ex colleague of Christian's) and Annie. They have a house up above Le Havre with fabulous views out to sea. We found plenty to chat about before getting back in the car to go down into the centre for lunch at "La Papiotte", a family run concern serving good food in a pleasant atmosphere. http://www.lapapillotte76.fr/
Daughter-in-law Valérie, came to pick me up and was also stunned by the views from the long patio windows. A cup of tea later and we went off to visit Valérie's parents who have now moved into a very comfortable care home.
The evening was spent quietly with  an apéritif (water!), dinner and a bit of tv.
Weather:
12° (Normandy), 19° (home) rain in both places

7.3.17: Heading North
Today would have been 30 years since Christian and I met. Even though I didn't know it at the time, it was a meeting that was going to change my life. My only regret is that it was too short. Still as the saying goes "better quality than quantity". Still, enough  ... back to my daily narrative.
Nicole K drove Jacques and I to catch the 7am bus to Perpignan in order to catch our train to Paris. Jacques had managed to get a good deal on the tickets; just 19€ each way.
Jacques and Yaneth were at the Gare de Lyon to meet me as were Pierre (the other Jacques' son) and Agnès, his girlfriend. My two guardian angels saw me to the Gare St Lazare while the others headed off in the opposite direction.
Had a bit of time to hang around until my connection to Normandy. It was a shame that Jacques and Yaneth couldn't stay on as they were catching the train to Perpignan a couple of hours later. The time passed quickly enough as I sat in Starbucks and read my crime novel over a very expensive coffee. Paris and "captive audience" means prices are eye watering.
Started correcting Geneviève's English translation of her poems which I'd been putting off for a while. Was hard not to fall into putting them into "good" English rather than letting poetic licence prevail. And so before I knew it, I was arriving in Le Havre where Valérie and Maureen were waiting.
Spent the night with them and having been up at 5.30am, I had my earliest night for ages.
Weather:
8°, watery sun

Dodging the Rain

6.3.17: Somewhere over the Rainbow
I'm such a sucker! Ended up doing a translation (fortunately only a page) for someone who needed it within 48 hours even though I'd not packed or organised my departure tomorrow. Luckily, I'd already been out for my coffee. Took this photo on the way back as yes, the rain is back. There's always something magical about rainbows even when they're not the most colourful. if you look hard enough, you'll see this one.
Weather:
Cloud and rain

5.3.17: "Are you being served?

As usual, the weather gods shone (literally) on us during our al fresco tearoom where the men donned their aprons and served the women tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cake. Of course, several men accompanied the women in their lives and also benefited from waiter service and homemade cake. Think next year I'll insist that the men get up and serve themselves. The other annoyance was a solitary car left where we set up despite police notices prohibiting parking. There's always one but at least the owner was very apologetic when he realised what a nuisance he'd been.
Had many a thought for Christian as normally he'd have been there serving and today would have been his birthday.
For a change from eating at the bar, Nicole S invited Jacques and myself for lunch at "Can Nadal" as it's her birthday tomorrow. https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g652131-d2436206-Reviews-Els_Fogons_de_Canadal-La_Jonquera_Province_of_Girona_Catalonia.html Nice setting and a good meal.
Weather:
16°, Sun, with just a couple of spots of rain

4.3.17: Preparing for "tomorrow"

There was overnight rain so there was no point in hurrying to get out to go to the market.
Instead:

• Helped Maggie load her van with all we need for tomorrow, 
• Came home and made a cake for tomorrow 
• Fumed over a computer glitch
• Overdosed on the "Borgia" box set infront of the fire.

Weather:
13°, overnight rain, cloud, sun, cloud, heavy rain.

Taking Care of Mind and Body

3.3.17:

Twenty of us set of for a car rally that took us to Le Boulou where people come to take the waters (paid for on the National Health Service) and where there was a famous battle between the French and the Spanish. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_le_boulou.html Such a shame that the winds coming in from the sea were blowing fiercely and the low lying cloud meant that the views which are normally fantastic were masked. Still, it was both educative and good fun even though the team I was in didn't win.
Had lunch at a local auberge and then came back and made a few flowers. This evening there was dinner for no reason in particular, at Gérard and Anna's at the end of the street . Couldn't really do justice to it though I did find room for the lemon drizzle cake that I took for dessert.
Weather:
14°, chilly in the strong winds
  
2.3.17:
Went to an interessing talk this morning organised by Jean and Françoise for older school students and as many of the public who could find a seat. It's a yearly event and provides quality speakers with national/international reputations. Somehow they agree to come for just their expenses. Quite a coup for the town. This time it was a paleontologist Pierre - Olivier Antoine who has worked primarily in the Amazon. http://www.futura-sciences.com/planete/personnalites/paleontologie-pierre-olivier-antoine-115/  who happens to be a friend of my neighbour, Jacques. He was excellent and really held the attention of his audience.
There was lunch afterwards for about 20 of us at Al Catala then it was back home for a hair appointment and a catch up on the blog.
Weather:
18°, sun but still feeling chilly

1.3.17:
Bumped into Maggie in the village and went for a coffee. Kindly, she offered me a lift to Amèlie for my well woman appointment as the buses weren't very convenient. That meant that I had a bit more time at home to try and put a bit of order back in the cave. Dominique came and sorted one door that wouldn't shut but didn't want to tackle the door leading onto the street that is impossible to open. Oh, it all comes at once, doesn't it? It's the same for everyone so there's no point in feeling sorry for myself.
Appointment was fine; well, as much as such an appointment could be. The gynaecologist  is retiring and unfortunately she has been unable to find a replacement so I'll need to go elsewhere next year. Perpignan probably.
Went to the twinning meeting this evening but decided against going on to the one on "smart meters" later on. There's quite a lot of suspicion about them here but I just couldn't be bothered. after missing the meeting on pesticides as well, the few environmental credentials I have are rapidly going down the drain!
Weather:
17], chilly in the morning but warmer in the sun later on