2024: Not a Resolution in Sight
Happy New Year to One and All!
No long haul travel to exotic places this year. 2024 brings a reminder that beautiful places are within reach.
The Peak District shouldn't be overlooked as I found back in the 70's and more recently in 2020.
1.1.24:
Started the year with an invitation for lunch at Nicole's. also there was Brian and Joyce, an English couple from one of the villages on the way down to the coast and Martine and Patrick, her long standing friends from near Perpignan. The sun was shining so the much needed walk there and back was a pleasure as was the meal and the company.
Another treat came a couple of days later with a trip down to llança on the Costa Brava with Jean and Françoise to meet up with Thérèse and Joan for a walk and lunch. After walking through the little market we took the coastal path. It wasn't difficult though Françoise, who has a knee problem, had to stop sooner than Joan and I. There wasn't much open but we still managed to have lunch overlooking the sea. It wasn't Françoise's day (or ours, either!) as the limited menu didn't suit her.
Thought this photo of the town's Christmas tree made from crochet squares deserved to stand alone.
Yet another treat; a present from
Françoise of a concert ticket in front row seats compliments of her bad knee! Seats were unreserved but those unable to climb the steepish stairs without a handrail were given accessible places. Voilà a super view. The concert was given by 8 members
of the Toulouse National Orchestra accompanied by 2 ballet dancers (2 others were sick) and was just superb without any pretension.
At the other end of the cultural scale was inviting Anita who wants to practise her English, to come and watch "Barbie". What can I say; it was odd, but there again, I'm not so
good at suspending reality. I wasn't
sure of the "Planet of the Apes" parallels either. Nor did I like the
ending that Barbie in the real world went to see a gynaecologist after there
were flashes of women in different roles which started with several in
childcare mould. Umph! Anita thought Barbie was showing that she didn't need a
man to conceive but that still led back to babies. On 2nd thoughts, was it to
avoid babies? There were also some LoL moments in the film. It all needs more thought and analysis so I won't go on. Anyway, we enjoyed a bottle of pink cava, some rosewater cupcakes and pink(ish) biscuits. Jacques, JJ, Michel and Kob joined us later for a cuppa followed by an apéritif.
Of course January, as you may remember, is the month of "les galettes des Rois" to celebrate the arrival of the three kings. Frangipane stuffed flaky pastry tarts with a hidden ceramic charm which brings the dubious pleasure to the finder of wearing a paper crown, if your mind has gone a blank. The first one was chez Jacques with the neighbours; there were another two and two avoided.
Much more to my taste (forgive the pun) was the macaron workshop presented by Jean-Paul at his house for six of us. There were a lot of laughs as we all had a go at trying to pipe them out uniformly. Of course, much nicer than shop bought, there's too much work involved for me to try it at home. One day though I'll have a go at making choux pastry and make profiteroles with a piping bag.
The big news in our circle of friends was the arrival of Michel and his Thai wife Kob. We were all a bit worried how she would adapt to the lifestyle here, especially as she doesn't speak French. All communication is in English so she and I have been able to bond which is great . There are still trips to the market in Figueres, meals at home and at the "Orchidée Thai in Perpignan and 9 Suprem in Figueres, teas and coffees together. Kob's adapting very well and is a delight to be with; Michel takes good care of her and even the weather has been kind. As they invite me to spend time with them I've appreciated not being "dropped".
An invite to lunch at Al Catala in Céret came as a surprise as did a present from Jacques. So, who can guess what it is? * Answer at the end of this post.
There were a number of invites to eat at friends, too. This gathering was at Linde's new house along with her daughter and son-in-law who were over from the States to help with the removal.
Most people have losing some weight and doing more exercise on their resolutions list. To my detriment, I didn't make any as is evident by the few kg extras that have appeared; out of nowhere I might add! Did a few treadmill sessions though not enough and there was just one walk of only 1h30. On the plus side, I did have 16 alcohol free days.
Well, that was all the fun stuff butas everyone knows, life comes with ups and downs. I attended two funerals in one week and started a regime of tablets and injections (3x/wk) to try and combat hair loss. Nothing catastrophic but the evidence is there to be seen in my hairbrush.
On a wider front, the farmers and horticulturalist have been been staging protests on the frontier with their Catalan counterparts joining in causing considerable disruption.
Weather:
Rain has still been scarce with just a bit of drizzle and some overcast days. 15° at the start of the month, 18° at the end; dipped to 7° one day and went up to 25° at another point.January's Nature Notes:
* An eco friendly smart phone speaker. You can see the slot at the top
