Still Warm and Sunny

 24 - 31 August: The last week of August was much like any other.

Coffee at the bar with Nicole catching up with the news; in other words going over her latest plans for her life. Saturday, Françoise came over for the market inspite of on/off rain showers and on Sunday with the usual crowd this time augmented by Michel and Jacques.

Of course there was the usual sprinkling of invitations to friends. Dinner at JJ's along with Jean and Françoise, Thérèse and Joan. Dinner at Michel's on the terrace once it was cool enough. David and Laura were there, too. I was there again the next day for an apéritif dinatoire with his visitors from the North of France and friends François and Babette from the village. Michel has boundless energy and loves company so is very generous with his invitations for food. Aren't I the lucky one to be on the list of invitees.

As you'll have realised, none of this has rubbed off on yours truly. My invitations tend to come from guilty conscience rather than spontaneous generosity and the love of cooking. The only person to benefit this week was Jacques who came for dinner; well, a cold buffet that fed me, too, for the rest of the week.

I did escape from the village, too. Monday for a routine appointment with the dermatologist in
Perpignan, one of the specialists for whom you don't need a Dr's referral and still be covered by the Health Service. All well. Had a couple of hours to wander masked around the town before taking the bus back to the village. Quite pleasant and not having been able to fire up the treadmill, I made my 10,000+ steps. The following Sunday, Jean and Françoise took me down to Argelès to see the annual outdoor exhibition. There was also a birthday to celebrate so what better way than to install ourselves overlooking the marina with its mountainous backdrop. A little bit of normality was just so welcome.

Weather: Temperatures dipped to 22° on Saturday with the rain but otherwise they hovered between 27° and 30°