A Cold End to the Month

28.02.18: A "Stay in the Warm" Day
Treated myself to a late start and a day in doing nothing more strenuous than some catching up on the association web site.
Weather:
8°, snow in the rain

27.02.18: Braving the Cold
Took a trip with Martine to Figueres; her to find a devil's outfit for the carnival and me to try on the red shoes that I'd seen last week. Martine found what she wanted but sadly the shoes that were left were not in my size and as I'm too stubborn to look at other colours, my money stayed in my pocket.
Goodness, it was cold and unsurprisingly, there were fewer stall holders than usual. Even so, we braved the weather to have a walk around in order that Martine could discover some unknown nooks and cranies.
For the second time in a few days, lunch was taken at Lizzeran accompanied by a cheeky little glass of cava.
Stopped off at La Jonquera to have a quick look at shoes there but to no avail. Beat a retrait back home where I made some red pepper soup to share with JJ after his meeting at the Mairie.
Weather:
5°, blue sky

Back Home and Back to Normal

26.2.18: Temperatures are dropping
Association committee meeting, blog and tv.
Weather:
9°, blue skies

25.2.18: English Spoken Here
Coffee at the bar; both Martine and Nicole were there and Françoise came over too.
Worked on catching up on the blog this afternoon and then this evening had dinner at Roger's with Ann, Terry, Nick and Cathy. Had intended to walk there and back but was given a lift both ways so back to normal step wise.
Weather
14°, sun, blue sky

Three Widows' Club

24.2.18: A Day of Architectural Splendeur

Had a good buffet breakfast in the hotel and then took the subway to the Sagrada Familia. The cathederal never ceases to astound especially, the stain glass windows. Even though we'd spent a while having a good look around, by the time we'd found the restaurant that Kate had recommended for lunch there was still an hour to fill. The sun was shining so we lingered over a glass of cava just over the road. Lunch at "Tasca i Vins" was a rushed affair as our next visit was booked for 2pm. http://www.tascaivins.cat/?lang=es
The visit to the Sant Pau hospital was another one of architectural beauty. https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Attraction_Review-g187497-d12814706-Reviews-Hospital_de_Sa
Back on the Ramblas, we stopped for tea in "Escriba". Follow the link to drool over the cakes. https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d2314979-Reviews-Escriba-Barcelona_Catalonia.html#photos;geo=187497&detail=2314979&aggregationId=101 I went for the cheese cake. That's the one with a white chocolate casing. Delicious. Pity the snooty manager and the cramped table space spoilt the atmosphere.
It was time then to go and collect our baggage from the hotel and head off to the station.
Made it home for 8pm, luckily, not having been stopped at the border given that Martine's ID card had been stolen.
Weather:
14° sun, blue skies

23.2.18: Barcelona here we come!
9h30 and off we (Martine, Nicole and I) set for the first outing of the "3 Widows' Club"; an overnight stay in Barcelona. Took the high speed train from Figueres arriving without mishap an hour later. First problem: Martine had downloaded our 48 hour city travel pass but had not printed off our vouchers. Had to buy tickets to get us to our hotel, "The Condal" where the very helpful recepionist helped us sort it out. http://www.hotelcondal.es/en/
Conveniently situated just off the Ramblas, once we we're installed we headed off to the Boqueria market in search of food. Lots of stalls had appetising fare but it was too chilly to eat there so we went to a nearby restaurant for a tourist lunch of tapas and paella.
Walked up the Ramblas and over to the church of "Santa Maria del Mar", but not feeling inclined to pay an entry fee, we didn't go in and have made do with a virtual tour instead. http://www.santamariadelmarbarcelona.org/home/

Continued on instead to El Born which was a facinating (free) visit. In the 1870's a large covered market was built only to fall into disuse and disrepair. Luckily, the iron building was renovated at the beginning of 21st century in order to house a library but excavations turned up the remains of the medieval city.
Walking back to the hotel we stopped off at "El Fornet" for a hot chocolate. Somehow, without any of us noticing it, Martine's bag disappeared. Next stop was, of course, the Police station.
It was a rapid walk from there to where we were meeting Kate, Martine's friend who works in Barcelona. Had some lovely tasty tapas and a bottle of cava in a trendy place, the name of which, I've forgotten..
The walk home pushed our step total to over 20,000 so feeling tired, it was an early night for us all.
Weather:
13°, sun and blue sky

No Need to Cook

22.2.18: Encore au Restaurant
Slipped out of the language exchange early so that I could catch the bus to meet Madeleine for lunch. We'd settled on "Le Jardin" which I hadn't eaten in since it had changed hands. Have to say that the interior is now far more inviting and the food was excellent which with a sophisticated presentation at 14€ for two courses is great value. https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g196603-d12204552-Reviews-Le_Jardin_Rest
Spent an hour in the library before taking the bus back to the village and a carnival meeting.
Weather:
8°, sun, blue sky, cold wind

21.2.18: Au Restaurant

I've been talking about taking Dani and Brian for lunch for ages but getting a mutually suitable date hasn't proved easy. They've taken me out a couple of times so it was a thank you long over due. Settled on "Lizaran" in Figueres which is a favourite of theirs and well quoted by several others as well. https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g315921-d3205531-Reviews-LIZARRAN_Figu
There was a great choice of tapas on a serve yourself basis and then every so often, a bell would ring and a server would come around with hot tapas. Reasonably priced, it was a good experience and to be repeated. Underneath that huge ball of candyfloss, there's an egg custard. Mine and Brian's dessert was  covered with chocolate and far less elaborate.
After lunch Brian and Dani visited the toy museum which I gave a miss preferring to wander around in the sun; I spotted a couple of pairs of red shoes but of course, at 3pm the shop was still closed. Even after having a cuppa before heading back to the car, it wasn't open. Such a shame as I've been looking for a pair for a very long time. What's more, they were in the sale. Ah, well, my present ones will see me through until the better weather but I've been saying that for the last couple of years; no doubt they'll give up on me at some time in the none too far distant future. On the plus side, I upped the much needed number of daily steps taken after a few static days in front of various screens.
Weather:
10°, sun, blue sky, cold

20.2.18: Encore Chez des Amis

Lunch at Jean and Françoise's with JJ, Mohammed and Hélène. Rabbit and lively, diverse conversation were on the menu. Afternoon was spent in front of the computer and this evening I joined Lynn, Ann and Dani for our monthly apérobio.
Weather:
15°, cloud, sun, blue sky

19.2.18: Working for the Association
Met Sauria at the café to explain how the Association works. Obviously sold it well as she signed up straight away.  Spent all afternoon catching up with member administration and nothing much else.
Weather:
12°, sun and cloud

18.2.18: Chez des Amis
Coffee at the bar and this time I was able to linger. Even had an apéritif. Spent a lazy afternoon and joined Doug, Erika, Nicole, Nick and Lizzie for an apéritif dinatoire at Flo's which she organised for us to meet her English friends Graham and Carin who were there for the weekend.
Weather:
13°, cloud and rain

17.2.18: Chez Moi

For once Michel was on time to pick me up from the café to go to the market. Didn't even have time to drink my coffee. Met lots of people including Madeleine who's on her first visit back since selling her holiday home here. Had a coffee with Françoise, Henri and Michèle. Then Jean appeared with a bunch of flowers for me. Added them to the ones that Daniel brought me last week.
This afternoon Michel came around for tea and cake and this evening I had the telly for company.
Weather:
14°, sun

Mimosa street

As I don't have any photos for the posts below, I'm putting on the mimosa that's been decorating our street.


16.2.18: Lunch and Dinner Out
 Had to get on a move this morning as I was having my hair cut before meeting up with Penny and Pauline for our day out in Figueres. As usual we started with a coffee and this time I introduced them to "El Pau" a café/bookshop. The sales were still on and there were some bargains left to be had. I found a pair of jeans and a couple of tops. We had lunch at the 'Ous d'or" which, if your a regular reader, will know is a tried and trusted restaurant. Pauline was keen to leave no stone or should I say shop, unturned that a cuppa before leaving for home was a necessity.
No bowl of soup in front of the telly for me this evening as Gérard and Anna had invited Geneviève, Nicole K and myself for dinner. I had just enough time to drop off my bags before heading for theirs for dinner; a delicious couscous. Didn't get home until nearly 2am.
Weather:
Low cloud to start, drizzle on and off, lighter cloud later then a night time heavy mist

15.2.18: Putting the Brain into Gear
 Language exchange, tea with Beni and Sylvie (Franc/Swiss couple with a holiday home here) and a lot of pottering until it was time to go to the ciné club. Tonights offering was "Neruda" about the communist Chilean politician and poet. had to work pretty hard to make sense of the plot and had to come home to read up on him as it had been a bit difficult to sort fact from fiction. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4698584/
Weather:
16°, sun, cloud

14.2.18: Best Foot Forward?
Went to the local lab for an analysis of my problem toenail. Results take a month to come back; the woman wasn't sure that it had cleared up. Met Françoise for coffee and did nothing special for the rest of the day.
Weather:
10°, drizzle on and off

13.2.18: Coffee Out, Apéro Out

David , Laura and I set in good faith to do some cava shopping (no prosecco for us) but found the cellar closed as it was a fiesta day (Shrove Tuesday). Came back to the big shopping mall in La Jonquera for a coffee and wander around.
Started to archive a lot of articles on the association website; a long, tedious, methodical job. So glad to have made a start but there's a long way to go yet.
It wasn't all grind though as in the evening I was invited to JJ for an apéritif dinatoire and to catch up with his friends Dominique and Alain.
Weather:
10°, sun, blue sky

12.02.18: Dinner Out

Coffee with Nicole and a one course lunch at the bar. Meeting of "Project Bagpipes" which is moving very slowly after which Nany, Martine and I retired for a quick drink at the bar before it was time to be joined by André for dinner at Michel's.
Weather:
10°, sun, blue sky

Food: From the Simple to the Sophisticated

11.2.18: Back to School

Well, David and Laura really treated us well today. They invited 8 of us to lunch at the "Ancienne École" to celebrate them having sold their house and by way of a thank you for our support. Not that I did anything special. A minibus picked us up, so everyone could make the most  of the wine on offer. The meal was excellent and while always very good, it has gone seriously upmarket since Christian and I used to go. https://www.ancienne-ecole.fr/
Scallops to start, guinea fowl main and a café gourmand for dessert was my choice and it was absolutely delicious.
Some of us had thought to come back for the Scotland/France rugby match at the bar and I was all geared up to don my kilt and tartan bonnet. What a damp squib; the bar was closed. Went home instead to catch up with the family by phone and ineveiably to watch some tv.
Weather:
16°, rain

10.2.18: Bliss!
Abandoned the market in a favour of a very long lie. Skipped breakfast and went straight for lunch. Computer, settee, film and tv.
Weather:
9°, sun, strong winds

9.2.18: Tapas and Tarts

Did the wine shopping with Maggie for this evening. Being an electricity "red day" with the tarrif 10x the normal rate (won't bore you with the whys and wherefors), rather than make a cake to put on the table, I bought a tart which worked out a whole lot cheaper. Maggie did likewise.
Carnival flower making this afternoon, a quick change and then setting up the hall ready for the winter soirée tapas with "scarves or ties as the theme. There were around 80 folk present and by the time I got to sit down there was precious little savoury stuff left. The mayor who arrived late, fared even worse than me. On the other hand there was plenty of sweet things to eat with a proliferation of raspberry tarts the same as Maggie and I had bought! Yep, they were the "tart of the day" and on special offer at a very popular local bakery, So no surprise there.
It was good to get cleared up and back home for 10h45.
Weather:
7°, blue skies

8.2.18: A Usual Thursday

Did the apéritif shopping with Marguerite ready for tomorrow's "soirée tapas" then had a coffee with Mireille, another widow, before the language exchange. Tea afterwards at the bar, lunch at home followed by work on the computer and plenty of tv.
Weather:
6°, blue sky





7.2.18: Should have gone to Specsavers!

Whenever I meet Rowena, I always write that we've finally managed to put a date in the diary and today is no exception. The bus up to Arles was on time; so far so good but imagine my consternation when the driver told me that there was no connection up to Rowena's. Two other passengers, one of whom had a wheelchair, hadn't read the timetable properly either. The bus runs on Mondays, Tuesdays , Thursdays and Fridays but not Wednesdays. Umph! Luckily, we were permitted to take a school bus that was due along later. After a few moments of panic, our faith was rewarded and we arrived only about 10 minutes late.
It's so easy to forget that you don't have to travel far to have colder weather; there was snow on the verges, on the mountains and fields.
Rowena was there to meet me for the next leg down to a restaurant in Spain. We decided on El Fau, tucked away in a side street in Maçanet where neither of us had ever eaten.  Small bar, exposed stone walls, 12€ weekday menu in Catalan, pleasant and patient staff. There was a secluded garden behind which augers well for visits in the warmer weather. https://www.facebook.com/ElFauBarRestaurantBraseria/timeline?ref=page_internal
No trouble with the bus back as it came all the way to the village.
Martine came around in the evening for an apéro and to talk about a night away for "le club des trois veuves" (the three widows' club), destination Barcelona.
Weather:
7°, blue skies

Having Fun, Gaining Kilos

6.2.18: And then there were .... 3

Eating out with friends, eating at friends', finally, it was my turn to invite people to mine.
Spent a long time preparing an apéritif dinatoire for seven of us but during the day, Kathy, Jean, Françoise and Jean-Jacques dropped out which left just Daniel and Michel to eat the array of things that I'd made. Never mind; though I have to say it almost feels like the Agatha Christie that I'm listening to as I write!
Earlier I'd been listening to coverage of the 100th anniversary of some women obtaining the vote in 1918. What a long time it took but there again French women had to wait a darn sight longer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCtGkCg7trY
Weather:
6°, sun, cloud

5.2.18: Out with  Foodies
Another little lie in before heading off to Perpignan for a gastronomic tour with Michel, his cousin Daniel, here for a few days and Christian, a Belgian recently returned after nearly 40 years in Venezuela. Started with "la Maison Paré" a mouth watering butchers and chacuterie shop with a bistro attached. If you don't believe me just follow the link. http://www.maison-pare.com/index.php
Next came a stop for Michel to buy baba rums after which it was time for lunch at the "Orchidée Thai" where you eat cheaply in a corner of an Asian grocery shop surrounded by sacks of rice and exotic fruits. Christian obviously found it pretty downmarket to what he was used to but didn't complain. " https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g187156-d1076799-Reviews-L_Orchidee_Thai-Perpignan_Pyrenees_Orientales_Occitanie.html
Next there was coffee at Eric and Kathy Marsiam's beautiful flat in a listed Art Deco building. I'd never been before and was well impressed. Eric is an artist of some reknown and will be one of five painters chosen to represent France at a forthcoming exhibition in Shanghai or is it Kuala Lumpa?

Sadly, we were running late and couldn't linger.
Final stop was  for cheese near the Place de la République. I was tempted by a pice of Corsican sheep's cheese decorated with an imbedded fern. Eyes watered again but this time it was because of the  price! https://www.google.fr/search?tbm=lcl&ei=Np6JWsHsLIb1gQb206XgDw&q=hélène+colls+perpignan&oq=hélène+
Another telly night rounded off the day.
Weather:
10°, cloud, rain

4.2.18: Upping my Cultural Game
Slept in a bit, had coffee as usual and was joined today by Françoise. Lunch, ironing, computer and then a concert given by 11 cellists from the National Orchestra of Toulouse. Not a great fan of the instrument, I'd forced myself to go (a free ticket tipped the scales) and I was so glad I did.
On the programme:
Bela Bartok ~ Danses Roumaines
Kurt Veill ~ Alabama Song
David Popper ~ Polonaise
Maurice Ravel ~ Kaddish
Astor Piazzola ~ Adios Nonino
Heitor Villa-Lobos ~ Bachianas Brasilieras
Piotr Illitch Tchaïkovsky Mélodi
Astor Piazzolla ~ La meutrte del Angel
Johann Strauss ~ Le Beau Danube Bleu
Piotr Illitch Tchaïkovsky ~ Trépak
Weather:
11°, cloud, rain

3.2.18: Indulging my Sweet Tooth

Michel's back and Jacques is away so there was no contest to give me a lift to the market. Had coffee with David and Laura who are back for their winter break and a sprinkling of other folk from the village. Had lunch at Michel's with our deceased dentist's wife. She's getting her life together and luckily for us, has managed to sell the practice. All being well, the new dentist should be installed around the end of February. She brought the most delicious dessert from a nationally known patissier who has been winning awards since 1984.https://www.olivier-bajard.com/en/
Walked from Michel's over to Flo's for  pancakes and a trivial pursuits type game. Nicole S was there and was her usual competitive self, being miffed when she drew the card which automatically gave 1 point rather than having the chance to win 2 points by answering a question correctly.
Spent the night in front of the tv.
Weather:
10°, sun, cloud and cold wind

Big Screen Pleasure

2.2.18: A Good Film without leaving Home

Had a good sleep until the phone rang, that is. Went for coffee with Nicole and stayed on to join her for a bite to eat. Made some flowers along with Florence and then met Michel to look at some photos for a possible exhibition. Went back to his place to have a cuppa before meeting an English guy and his Bulgarian wife to tell them about the association. Very interesting and friendly people who want to get involved in village life.
Back home, I travelled far and wide and in time with the aid of the tv. From the Carribean to Lebanon, from 14th century France during the time of the Templars to 21st century Ireland to witness the struggles of a priest. If you haven't seen it, "Calvary" starring Brendan Gleeson, is another good, thought provoking watch. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/13/calvary-review-terrific-black-comedy
Weather:
8°, cloud with some sun at the end of the day. Cold wind

1.2.18: Health Ups and Downs
Feeling better and am shaking off the cold very well. Language exchange, followed as usual by a cuppa at the bar. Spent a couple of hours making paper flowers for the carnival before my GP appointment. Nothing serious; just wanted to get an update on my toe nail. I've to get another analysis done in a couple of week's time. It's already a year since I've been treating it. Also found that I have a verruca (goodness knows where that came from) and some red skin on the sole of my foot which I need to keep an eye on it in case it's another mycosis. I'm really getting fed up with it all.
Thank goodness, that there was a trip to the cine club in the evening to give me something else to think about. "The Nile Hilton Incident" is well worth seeing as it is indeed thought provoking.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5540188/
Weather:
10°, cloudy, showers