Here's the link to the latest photos to make this marathonn easier going. Hope you cope with reading it better than I have writing it. There's a lesson there for me some where!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BhfZUUPjQhZa8D1r5
It was a varied couple of weeks so, let's start on a positive note. Lots of blossoms, vibrant green leaves, alot of sunshine and International Happiness Day on the 20th. Anyone do anything to mark it or are you all happy every day?Still on a fun theme, St Patrick's (17th) was celebrated at the bar. Didn't stay too long though and I was pretty half hearted about the village carnival, too (30th). Joined Nicole for the lunch at Can Pepe. Less people there than I'd expected. Music from a banda and a fideua on the plate didn't really take away the feeling that what we were really involved in was an act of solidarity to help owners to keep afloat. Didn't join the parade and wimped out of helping behind the bar in favour of taking some pretty mediocre photos. Skipped away with Jean and Françoise for a drink at the bar.
Gosh, my positive note didn't last long, did it? Still, there were some highlights along the way, in eveitably around meals with friends.
Made a chicken tajine for Viv and Pepe, Terry and Ann. The former have just sold their holiday house in the village so it was an "au revoir" meal as who knows if we'll see them again. It was nearly 6pm when they all left, so I had to scurry to get to a "vernissage" of Mandalas in
Christian's room. Oh dear, colourful but .... Heavens, here I am again wandering into negative territory
Michel and JJ came one evening for cheese and wine after a council meeting (26th). A no effort get-together from which JJ went home in better spirits than he came. Now, that's more like it. See, it's true .... red wine is good for your health .... in moderation , of course.
Came home via the
cava wine shop which, with only two bottles left in the "cave", was a
life saver! Phew!
Gathered with
Lynn, Ann and Dani to belatedly celebrate Lynn's "special" birthday (20th; the date not her age!). The menu
of the day was excellent. Started with a beetroot and walnut salad topped with goat's
cheese mousse garnished with fine shreds of veg, followed by lamb. Washed it all down with a
bottle of red.
On the 24th, there was no Sunday lie-in.
Well, everyday is a Sunday when you're retired. The treadmill called and I
responded.Undid all the good
at the café. Nany appeared and ordered some fizz to celebrate her new
grandchild, an apéro came later and then lunch with Philippe, Françoise, JJ,
Nany, André, Martine, Gilles and Martine. Finally arrived home at 5pm after
coffee and cognac at Gilles and Martine's.
Apart from
finishing off the chocolates that Viv had brought, the rest of the day was more reasonable.
This day out with Lynn, Marie and Béatrice had been on the cards for at least a month
but on the way I had to stop and deliver a letter, on the way back too. Then to
cap it all, André in his official capacity as
Mayor and Nany in her capacity as the person responsible for the pipers'
day in Figueres asked me at the last moment to accompany them to a meeting at
the town hall with the deputy responsible for culture. Not that I was much help
as the meeting was conducted in Catalan. After a good 15 minutes of who knew
whom and making many connections, Quim Felip came up trumps and was
very helpful.
Found the team in
the vegetable market and I picked up my role as tour guide. Figueres is always
a pleasure and even more so when the sun is shining. We had a lunch of tapas at
the Lizerran and afterwards did some more strolling.
After such a
pleasant day, I decided to give "Ash is the Purest White" at the cinéclub a miss. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/11/ash-is-purest-white-review-chinese-gangsters-girlfriend-saga-burns-bright 2.5 hours of hard going
watching a difficult film, didn't appeal especially as it meant getting home after midnight. So
it was an Italian crime series on Netflix instead.
Food at friends' came by way of an unexpected invitation to Nany and André's.
Time travelled with Netflix from the Medicis to current day crime series throughout Europe. Does that count as culture? Yes, I hold my hands up, I watch a lot of tv.
It should have
been a day when I caught up with lots of admin stuff but hey ho, it wasn't to
be.
I did however, get
myself on the treadmill if not quite first thing, all but.
We ate "en famille"in the kitchen and as we knew it would be, everything was top notch. Eggs mimosa and prawns, pardon peppers, https://spanishsabores.com/2018/04/28/best-padron-peppers-recipe-how-to-prepare-spanish-pimientos-de-padron/, cream cheese balls; pork fillet wrapped
in serrano en croute; cheese; tiramisu; good white, red and sweet wine. Nany is such a talented cook and great hostess. Walked
there and back. Hope you're impressed ‘cos I am.
Then the day of the carnival, David and Laura hosted a curry meal for 8 of us. Jacques, the only French person, did well to cope with some of our inane conversations. If you're really observant, you'll have realised that I've eaten two pretty heavy meals today.
Where's the culture, I hear you ask. Can't count the mandalas don't count.
There was a night at the
ciné club with the neighbours to see the Iranian film "Three Faces".
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/13/three-faces-review-jafar-panahis-latest-is-calm-modest-and-inscrutable Some amusing interludes among the bleak countryside and in contrast to the hard
reality of life. A drink (fruit tea for me) back at Jacques’ rounded off the
evening.
After a hard slog over bagpipe stuff I settled down one evening with
"The Favourite" and a pot of tea in the hope of some light relief. Apparently, the rabbits, the
poisoning and the lesbian love triangle are cinematic licence and Olivia Coleman put on 2.5
stones for the role. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/30/the-favourite-review-olivia-colman-emma-stone-rachel-weisz-yorgos-lanthimos What a strange film it is though I suppose it's of the period being a bit Tom
Jonesish! Come to think of it, I didn't particularly like that book or the film
either. Please let me know if I've missed something
Time travelled with Netflix from the Medicis to current day crime series throughout Europe. Does that count as culture? Yes, I hold my hands up, I watch a lot of tv.
Then of course there was my own artistic self expression with oil crayons on paper. That's got you wanting to know more, hasn't it? Ok, maybe not!
The morning of the 31st was
spent outside of my comfort zone in art workshop with a Jungian interpretation.
The 7 participants were of a wide age range and were, French, South Catalan,
English/Israeli and me. Our artistic efforts and movement exercise were
centered on “The Giving Tree”, a poem by Shel Silverstein https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-giving-tree/ With
distance, I realise that it was a positive experience.
The workshop
overran so it was a real scrabble to phone Mum for Mother's Day, send out some
Cornemuse (bagpipes) emails and make something to take to Jacques' for the after Jazz mini
concert, apéritif dinatoire. A few glasses of
cava later, I made my way home and to bed.
Then there was all the usual stuff; coffees at one of the 3 pitstops in the village, an unreasonable amount of chocolate, bagpipes, website and the market most Saturdays.
As for "one offs":
I
attended a "Pissaladière" cookery workshop given by Gilles (18th). We shared
one he had made earlier, over a glass of white wine and came away with two small
tarts. These I shared with JJ for an impromptu lunch round at his place. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/01/nigel-slater-classic-pissaladiere-tart Nigel makes the traditional oblong tart.
It’s quicker to do and cut into small squares is ideal for apéritifs.
Took tea with Nicole S after a brisk walk up hers and work on some
correspondence for the bagpipe visit. With a meeting straight
afterwards, I had a brisk walk back down again; something like the Grand Old
Duke of York, I suppose.
The committee
meeting of the twinning association had been arranged to discuss the lack of
takers for the visit in a couple of months’ time. We decided to go ahead
anyway.
There was a conference about handling telephone cold calls and scams, a well woman appointment (all well), the clocks changed overnight on the 30th and time ran out on Brexit on 29th, so we're still European. Fingers crossed that it will be the same story the next time that I catch up with you.
Weather:
14° - 26°, sun, clear blue skies more or less everyday, several days of wind and no rain
