What a long time it's been since I last sat in front of the computer to update Chitchat. Energised by a good long walk with Françoise yesterday and a message from Liz saying that she misses hearing about life here, I've been motivated to rectify things! Sorry it's in list form but here goes ......Here's another "sorry", haven't been able to change the font size or spacing. Stumped so am giving up
January 2020:
Looking back on what I've been up to in January has been a surprise. I've been convinced that I've been lethargic and not out and about much but I've done more than I thought I had. Admittedly, a lot of time has been spent foutering, trying to sort out computer problems, watching tv and eating chocolate interspered with coffees and electoral chat at the café, trips to the market and flower making for the carnival float. There are only 17,000 to do.
Other films this month were: * Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain_and_Glory. I invited our wee group back to mine for a drink and the last of the Christmas cake.
* "Who killed Lady Winsley", a film that despite being quirky and funny with a Turkish/Kurdish cultural overlay, I managed to fall asleep for a chunk of it! We ended the evening back at Jacques to eat the pancakes that Gérard had made.
* The Spanish film
"El Reino" subtitled in French, took serious rapid reading skills as
the dialogue raced along. The storyline was every bit as complicated. Only Jack and I
ended the evening with a cuppa and wind down.
In
my “must- be - more – hospitable” mode, I invited
* Martine to talk about creating closer links with Comrie in Scotland over lunch.
* Ken and Nicole, Nick and Lizzie for dinner. Guest
preferences/restrictions included, chocolate, citrus fruit, fish, meat that comes from
animals with 4 legs, so I ended up doing Chicken, Fig and Apricot Tray Bake with green beans
and wild rice, followed by Bavarian apple cake.
* Jean, Françoise and Jacques to finish up the rest of New Year's Eve's venison
* Michel, Nicole S, Nicole P and Dani for tête à têtes over afternoon tea and Jean-Jacques over an apéritif.
Needless to say there were invitations "chez mes amis"
* An impromptu lunch at Jacques. He's still feeling sorry for me with my empty fridge!
* Afternoon tea at Nicole S's along with Nick and Lizzie, Jacques and Joyce and Brian. A sedate affair.
* There are several women
with birthdays around this time so there was a coffee morning to celebrate at Jo's. Walked over with Raymonde under clear blue skies and sunshine.
* We neighbours were invited
for a “Pot au Feu” at Gérard and Anna’s https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pot-au-feu-367768
* Michel’s for
another “Pot au Feu”. The French are nothing if not loyal to seasonal eating
traditions. Maud, who’s standing for the Council in another town, and Daniel
were there so inevitably there was loads of political talk and chit chat. And Maud brought the most creamy calorific lemon dessert.
To counteract all
the good food, I got myself back on the treadmill to walk off all that
had been on offer.
Then of course there were some restaurant meals.
* Lunch at the bar with Nicole and two days later with Pat and Penny. The frequency is a measure of expediency rather than appreciation. The other restaurant being closed until the beginning of February.
* 9 Supreme for lunch after a morning at Figueres market with Michel.
* With the amber
alert lifted and the rain off. the plan had been that Ann, Lynn and I should go
to Perpignan on the bus. We only realised that morning that all servises had been
cancelled due to a strike so Ann drove.
Started with
coffee at the Café de la Paix, https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g187156-d2669310-Reviews-Le_Grand_Cafe_La_Paix-Perpignan_Pyrenees_Orientales_Occitanie.html wandered the shops and had lunch at Chez
Sébastien, a simple, local place off the tourist track dishing up tasty food. https://fr-fr.facebook.com/pages/category/Restaurant/Chez-S%C3%A9bastien-410766956018314/
More shopping followed and I found the exact boots that I've been looking for.
* Went as Michel's +1 for the last supper of the Council. A good meal despite the presence of future
electoral opposing sides. On a very personal level, it felt good to be included as Christian's representative in something that he worked so hard for.
January wasn't all eating drinking and being lazy. Health issues have been to the fore, too.
Mum fell and ended up in hospital, Maggie has had a knee replacement and JJ ended up in A and E suffering a period of amnesia. Lucky for him
people were alerted when he didn't appear for a meeting. Sped with Antoine to
the hospital and then spent 8 hours waiting before he was discharged. Nicole P arrived
after a couple of hours bringing us a most welcome picnic.
The monotony of
the wait was further livened up when 20 or so gypsies of all ages came in
accompanying a family member. The women were all in slippers but that is normal
for anytime of the day; some were in dressing gowns as we're the children.
Eventually we were
reunited with JJ and apart from a gap in his memory of about 4 hours it was
good to see him back to his usual self. Finally arrived home at 4.15am.
Oh yes, and there was a vernissage of a photographic exhibition.
Oh yes, and there was a vernissage of a photographic exhibition.
Weather:
On the whole the weather has been good. Clear blue skies with temperatures mostly between 14° - 17°. At one extreme there were a couple of days of sunshine when temperatures rose to 25° and five days when we were on an orange alert for heavy rain, wind and flooding. Temperatures dropped to 7°. Even made the national news
