Drifting through to the end of September

 22nd - 30th September:

The rest of the month was much less active. Slotted back into the quieter life without difficulty. Gentle gym for oldies continues as does too much screen time and the treadmill less often than it should. Getting my two feet aboard has been a bit more challenging than reading the papers, doing a few puzzles and having a cuppa or apéritif with friends! 

As the time passes the vegetation in the square is becoming more and more established and there have been some splendid sunsets with hues of pink through red to orange to enjoy.

Goes without saying that meals have been on the agenda, too. Lunch at Jacques' twice; one time with JJ as well. Also had lunch with Michèle and Henri who cracked open a bottle of champagne. There was a dinner, at David and Laura's which was a lovely mix of Scots and ex Mairie friends.

A day out in Gruissan where we entertained by Jacques involved a coffee stop on the way there in Peyrac sur Mer where the young flamingoes were not yet pink,

swimming for the energetic and hardy ones among us, (ie, not Laura and myself), a paella lunch on the terrace of Jacques' chalet, a walk in the town and a visit to the salt flats which Jim and Mags had never been to.

Apart from that, there was a wasted trip to the clinic for a routine checkup which didn't happen as I'd booked my appointment at the wrong place. Don't bother asking "how?" because I don't know how it happened! More postively, Nicole S and I took the bus to Perpignan for a day's shopping with lunch at the VIP restaurant and a cup of fancy tea in a small square to round off what had been a pretty long day as my feet bore witness.

A Welcome Change

9th September - 21 September:

 Armed with my Senior's railcard, I set off suitcase and courage in hand to get myself up to Normandy. Negotiated the metro from the Gare de Lyon to the Gare St Lazare changing at République; can't you just imagine the clap on the back I'm giving myself. It was an all day affair only arriving at Valérie's in Le Havre at 20h. A glass or two of cava soon pepped me up.

The week was spent catching up with family and friends; the main event being Jean and Hugo's joint 20th birthdays which was the motivation for me making the effort to travel. A really good do and to my relief I didn't feel like a spare part. Several of us went back to the hall the next day to clear up and tuck into the copious leftovers.

Spent a whole day with Jojo whose husband, a colleague of Christian's had died a couple of weeks before.  A good drenching during our seafront walk in the morning was followed by lunch at hers, lots of chat, lots of shopping and a reviving refreshment al fresco (yes, even in Normandy) in the Peret neighbourhood which has a UNESCO classification. 

The day after I had lunch with Lydie and Bernard at their flat and the one after that with Janine and Yves by the sea. Lydie and Janine are Christian's cousins with whom he spent the first few years of his life but their calendars were such that we couldn't all meet together. Evenings Valérie and I stayed in relaxing and chatting.

 Next came a couple of nights with Christophe, Valérie and their family out in the countryside. An outing to the market, a long walk in the afternoon sun and evenings in completed this first part of the trip making it varied and enjoyable.

Pantin on the outskirts of Paris chez Frank and Stéphanie was the last stop on the itinerary. Family time, me time and lots of things to see and do. 

 Locally, I walked and sampled a couple of cafés along the Canal de L'Ourq, 2 minutes away from the house which is fast becoming gentrified with prices to match. The Commune kicked off its cultural season with an amazing tightrope walker who performed for 50 minutes without either a safety net or wire. Was just breathtaking and just like here, well, all over France, the evening ended with a a drink and petit fours. 

 Had Sunday brunch in a Turkish restaurant just along from the house and an apéritif on a converted barge with a friend of Frank and Stéphanie who is part of the "Green" opposition on the  Council. Needless to say, discussion was wall to wall politics. 

Going farther afield, I took myself off to Montmartre to play the tourist and enjoy the sunshine while the family went on a pre arranged trip to Parc Asterix. I had the best deal, methinks. 

Another solo visit, as the family were all either at work, school or Uni, to the Musée Marmottan which houses many of Monet's and other Impressionists' works. The temporary exhibition that had just opened was by Gustave Kronyer, a Danish painter. Top left, middle and bottom right are examples. Too many people, nowhere to sit and linger which was, of course, the object made it less than a satisfactory experience. Spent time sitting in a nearby park writing postcards, did some very stylish window shopping and had lunch in an Italian restaurant.

Another day, another exhibition. This time the venue was the Philamonia at the Parc de la Vilette and this time it was photos rather than paintings. The 15 minute walk along the canal did us good after the morning's copious brunch. Such a pleasure. There was room to wander and take time in front of the photos documenting "Amazonia", a project that took 7 years to realise, really showed the undoubted talent of Sebastiao Salgadao. The exhibition was accompanied by music written especially by Jean Michel Jarre. What a bonus!

Taking of bonuses ... after we'd finished the exhibition, we took the lift to the 9th floor to the roof top (a first for Frank & Stéphanie) for views of Paris (Eiffel Tower and Sacré Cœur) and Pantin (Grands Moulins former flour mills now offices).

 

Yet another exhibition. This time the much talked about Botticelli exhibition at the Jacquemart André Museum on the Bvd Haussemann in the upmarket 8th Arrondissement. Stéphanie had taken a day off to accompany me and as it happens JJ was in Paris at the same time so we met up there for lunch before we all did the visit. 

 The other talking point of the moment was the wrapped Arc de Triomphe which was only 10 minutes walk or so from the Museum. It took 25,000sq m of material to do the job and had been the brainchild of the artist, Christo 60 years ago and only came to fruitition a year after his death. Left me cold but there have been over a 1m visitors and others have found it sensational. JJ came back with us to Pantin for a good dinner and over night stay.

 

JJ and I set off at 6h30 for the long drive home. Stopped for hot chocolate and pastries, for lunch which was awful, and at the Pont de Milhau for a walk up to the viewpoint and to have a quick visit to the exhibition. Another amazing piece of art. Arrived home in sunshine without a hitch at 17h. Glad to be back to an empty suitcase and big bed.

More Surprises

 1st - 8th September:

First off, I took my courage in my hands and told the hairdresser to cut my hair short. The jury is out about the result. A bit too short but I can live with it.

This first week of September has produced lots of last minute invitations. 

A surprise birthday apéro organised by Camille for Nicole K ( yes, another Nicole) out of sight, in the church square as we're not supposed to be drinking out in communal public spaces. The rain came on just as it was supposed to start so I did what Christian did when the same thing happened years ago at the first street get together; I invited everyone back to mine. This time though, there were only 10 of us rather than 30 odd.  Champagne, savoury eats, lots and lots of chat that went on until nearly 2am. 

 

Another impromptu apéritif; this time caution was thrown to the wind as Camille's birthday celebration was held in the square on the square. More champagne and plenty of food including king prawns and whelks. this time for 9 of us.

 

• Impromptu lunch with Jacques and Suzette in between the two previous get togethers. 
  

 A quick apéritif at the bar with Jean and Françoise and one the day before with a Irish couple with a second home here who I haven't seen for about 2 years.

There were some days out too, all of which involved a lunch!

Saturday Nicole S and I tried out the new bus service to Figueres. The stated aim of which is to facilitate inceased links between North and South Catalunya.
Had a curry lunch in an all but empty restaurant; still my chicken biryani was passable. Shame about the delivery moped sitting in a corner! Browsed a few clothes shops but didn't find anything. Had a cuppa out on the back terrace of "Konig". Nice bit of shade and greenery for the centre of town.

 

Sunday went off to Roses on the Costa Brava. Started  at Monique's flat with coffee and cake not to mention a fair bit of chat. Nice flat overlooking the sea; just a bit of a way out of town. Faffed around and eventually managed to get to the market for about an hour before lunch. Fell upon a skirt (12€), blouse (8€), red bag (20€) and a black bag (20€ beaten down from 22€). Lunch wasn't such a bargain, though. Put the waiter in a bad mood by asking to eat inside instead of out as there wasn't any shade and allowed the boss to order up a load of pica a pica for us. Every time he suggested something (mussels, clams, Iberique ham, tomato bread, anchovies on tomato bread) Jacques said "yes". He also said yes to cava sangria which I have to say was very palatable; not at all like the sweet, spiced red stuff. Tucked in and then moved on to the main course. Some of us even found room for a dessert. A small tiramisu in my case. Luckily, I hadn't spent all my money at the market. Bread and water for the next week? 

Monday, stayed this side of the border.  A day in Perpignan with Françoise to see some of the "Visa pour l'Image" photojournalism exposition. Physically and emotionally difficult to do them all. Misery in all its form was in abundance so it was such a relief to be able to linger over the Munier retrospective described as a "poetic journey through nature" and the large outdoor panels of whale societies. 

 

Had a late lunch at the Cafe de la Poste and made it home before school traffic created tedious snarl ups.

Tuesday there was a dinner with a difference at Jacques'. Suzette, Dominique and Michelle were there too to enjoy a 3 course meal prepared by the chef from the restaurant next door. Mushroom soup with croûtons; tempura king prawns on a tomato tartare; medallions of veal, squash purée, confit potatoes and roast onions; individual tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream. Stop, stop, stop!

Apart from that:

 There was only my neighbour, Gérard's vernissage followed by an apéritif. His paintings are not easy on the eye so, a glass of rosé was most welcome. 

 

And a quick(ish) glass of wine with Lone, my Danish friend. Our get-together should have been a coffee in the morning but she forgot so we rearranged for later. Best laid plans aren't always a sure thing, are they? Impromptu is good; not to mention that a glass of rosé beats a coffee any day.

Starting September with a Surprise

 

 1.9.21:  Guess who's feeling smug!

No sooner than September has arrived, August is up to date. Hope to check back in  after the weekend when hopefully there'll be something to talk about. Till then, make as much of life as you can. Rx