Nature is blooming!

May 2023:

Jordan. Yes, I've been! Back in 1994. What a treat to ride on horseback through the gorge and see Petra before your eyes. Great memories of a friendly people, discovering another culture and the kindness of Mohamed and his wife who showed us around. There was so much to see and take in.

1.5.23:

No first of May would be complete without a sprig or two of lily of the valley to bring good luck throughout the year and it's a public holiday so what's not to like?

1st - 7th May: The time rolled by without anything particularly exciting happening. Entertained Jacques to dinner and then Nicole and Ken (+ Dora, Ken's Yorkie) no other comment than to say if you see one, you see the other. There were 5 trips to the café; 3 for coffee with different folk, once for a mediocre lunch with Patt from an hour away up the valley, who seems keen to have contact. and once for a glass of wine and tapas with Martine after she came out of Mass.

Did the usual stuff:

• TV: Rough Diamonds and Queen Charlotte on Netflix and absolutely nothing on the Coronation
• Wordle: Failed miserably one day but I don't tire of it
  
• Duolingo: Couldn't face another lesson of Spanish and the subtle pressures to keep going that I deliberately stopped. Quite something after 180 days in a row but I do so hate feeling obliged
• Jigsaws: The new obsession is lasting but maybe this, too, will go the same way as Duolingo sooner or later

Hiccups:

• Thérèse didn't appear so the house is dusty than ever.
  
• After working perfectly for a while, the tv is on the blink again so it's been back to watching, or should I say perservering, on the laptop
• This month's vernissage was a disappointment and not even interesting enough to take a photo. The works looked as if they'd been done in an unwilling OT group!  Not a nice thing to say but that's how it was.

Achievement:

• Brought Chitchat up to date. Four month's worth!😇

Last but not least:

Weather: Temperatures from 24° - 27°, sunshine, wind, cloud and light rain that was hardly worth the name.

 8th - 16th May: The 8th is another public holiday (end of 2WW) and there was an early morning call from.Jacques to wish me " bonne fête"; no, nothing to do with my name or birthday; say it out loud in a French accent and you'll understand! However, I gave the commemoration a miss in favour of coffee with Françoise and Linde.  The day finished at Thérèse and Joan's for discussion (personal, local, national and international; yes the dreaded coronation) and crêpes, (sweet and savoury).

 With all the little annoyances that life throws at you, it's great to have a day without hiccups. One such was Thursday. Met Lisa for her English session to which she came bearing a bag full of presents from China. Even better I learnt the she and André were going to the supermarket to buy a new gas bottle so they got one for me, too. Yippee! another task done; since the butcher died, there's nowhere in the village to buy a refill. Yes, you did read it right! Colin came a round in the afternoon to see if he could get my phone to reconnect to the internet and with one simple question (have you powered off the phone completely?), it was up and running again. So another headache sorted. The evening's dinner was sorted, too, as I was invited to Ann and Terry's along with Sue and Harry (holday homers). The walk there and back helped 100g to disappear from the scales, too. Every little helps as they say!

All short lived though as the next day Jacques organised an apéro on the square to celebrate his 75th. Turned out to be very convivial evening. Some of us were still there when the lights went off at midnight (energy saving measure) so it was back to Jacques' where he and Lolo entertained Suzette, Celine and I on the guitar. I called it a day at about 2h30 and had to go home in the pitch dark without a torch. Overshot and had to feel my way back just as a few drops of rain fell.  Anyone would have thought that I'd over indulged! Who? Me?

 Jacques was playing at a jazz concert two days later and was still not on top form. The singer has a superb voice though. Shame Françoise found it all too melancholy. No comment. This was the last but one mini concert (free) for the season; the association has show cased village artists with a variety of styles which have been much appreciated. The following apéritif, too.

I did offer hospitality, as well. Jacques came by for supper and Lone (Danish) & Barbara (English), who used to have homes here and are on holiday, came for dinner. It was good to see them both looking well. Jean and Françoise arrived unexpectedly and stayed for the apéritif part of the evening.

And what do you know? we actually had a full day's rain bringing snow again to the top of Canigou. Of course it's not enough and even tighter restrictions have come in along with dire warnings of the severity of the situation. Meanwhile in other parts of France ... wellies, umbrellas and raincoats are the order of the day! Hey ho! Apart from the day it rained (18°) temperatures have been in the mid 20's though feeling cooler in the chill wind. Not casting a clout applies here, too.

Can't leave you without having a rant. A luxury yacht came into Port Vendres for a couple of days. The 12 passengers had a crew of 26 to take care of them. Just obscene; especially when you know that the Pyrénées Orientales is the 4th poorest Département in France. 

17th - 20st May Twinning Visit: 

Mme "Last Minute" finally got her packing done after midnight but none the less she wasn't late for the departure to visit our "twins in Normandy. 

The bus stopped every two hours (obligatory pause for the driver) and by lunchtime we'd made it to a very well appointed service station in The Lot, where Nicole and I ate our picnic in the fresh air and had a short stroll afterwards to enjoy the lush scenery. No water shortage her and you wouldn't have known there was a motorway so close. Finally made it to our overnight stop just outside Tours in the early evening. A Brithotel, this chain was a new one to me; the room was comfortable, dinner was simple but good and the staff pleasant.

 After a varied buffet breakfast, we piled back into the bus for the short drive to the Villandry Château for (mercifully) a self guided visit.

In private ownership, it's well kept both inside and out with huge vases of fresh flowers, manicured gardens and woodland walks. The shop was a cut above the poorly stocked affairs you usually find; the French are at last catching on that there's money to be made from a captive audience. A coffee in the courtyard and then back in the bus to go into Tours for lunch. 

There was only a bit of time for a scamper round what looks like an interesting town as there was still a way to go. A warm welcome and an apéro was waiting for us when we arrived early evening. 

Next came a quick freshen up at Agnès's then it was off to Bruno and Christine's for dinner who were also hosting a couple from the village.

 Next day we had welcome free morning doing nothing special until lunch at the local bar/resto/pizzeria. A 3 course meal amid a lot of noise.

 Thus fortified, the bus took us to Bayeux for a guided tour of the cathedral, 

a round trip on the little tourist train 

and a audio tour of the tapestry. 

Evening dinner at the studio, celebrated 30 years of the twinning complete with sketches, 4 piece band for dancing and silly songs. Nicole and I ducked out just before 1am to walk home.

Another free morning and another morning spent pottering. Had unch at Agnès's with Bruno, Christine, Daniel and Dominique joining us. Didn't linger as we had to get to the bus for our afternoon excursion. A sail through the Marais de Cotentin with a commentary. Wildlife, history, a few funnies and a tasting of traditional treats: cider, thick rice pudding cooked for 5 hours, a fudge and a tiny cake kept us occupied without having to watch out for those with reduced mobility.

In the evening there was the "Official" dinner which meant speeches, an exchange of presents, and even richer fare. A line dance demonstration ended with Annie being taken off to hospital by the pompiers. Heart problem. Have never understood the interest in such regimented dancing.

Luckily there was a surprise skit a bit later on which lifted the mood. Antoine presided over a mock wedding ceremony between Odile (Bretteville) and Yves (village). Where to live needed a lengthy discussion before anything was signed. In the end it all boiled down to where the best care home was! Unscripted hilarity. Walked home and was in bed for just after midnight.

21st - 27th Changing Départments, Changing Beds: Sunday dawned chillier than other days and it was time to say our goodbyes. 32 came North and 30 left for an all day drive of 12.30h back to the village. Much to everyone's surprise Annie was among them. 

And then there were 2; Dominique headed towards Paris with her son who'd joined us for the visit and I took the train for a stopover with Jojo in Le Havre. Sparkling wine and scallops. How well she knows my tastes! 

 We spent the next day having a walk around the town after lunch at the Café Parisian. Have to say that the stark rectangular architecture of the town (classified by UNESCO) has grown on me. After a well deserved cuppa, I moved onto Valérie and Emma's for the rest of the week. My time was taken up while Valérie was at work with catching up with other members of the family. Christian's grandchildren: Maureen in her new flat (pretty smart) and Léonie, Nico and new baby Zoë (cute, of course) in their smart flat. Moving up a couple of generations to his cousins: 

there was Sylvie's birthday dinner along with her brother , sister and their partners and . . .

 lunch by the sea with Janine and Yves.

After a hard week at work, Valérie had time off so we took the Normandy bridge to Honfleur  

 

for lunch, a walk and an altogether good day out.

Preparations were underway for the weekend's "Festival of the Sea" so there were quite a few tourists already there but not so many to prevent us getting a free parking space. Pleasant place but oh so much bigger than when Christian and I went there. Have to say I fell in love with the place on the spot back then. Happy days, eh! 

At thd end of the afternoon, Valérie delivered me to my next lodgings at Christophe and Valérie's. Beginning to feel like an Amazon delivery! A cuppa and an apéro followed in quick succession with dinner en famille. Spent Saturday relaxing and catching up. Then it was off again to pastures new . . . 

28th-30th: Another Train, Another Département & Another Bed

A no hassle journey and Stéphanie was there to meet me and help negotiate the métro with my suitcase. BBQ lunch, a bit of a rest, then a walk along the canal to the "beach" bar, taking in a challenging expo, a defaced poster and look - alike snow on the way.

Up early (for a public holiday) to take the métro to "Bastille" to be immersed in Alphonse Mucha's work; Stéphanie's treat Czch by origin he was a prolificic painter of Art Nouveau. Posters, panels and the Slav Saga were projected onto the walls in the Grand Palais d'immersion. 

A kaleidoscope of colour and beautifly crafted images. Couldn't stop snapping. The spoiling didn't stop there, Frank treated us all to lunch at "Café Cosmos" in the 15th arrondisment.

And so, endeth my sojourn in the North with my suitcase and I making it to the Gare de Lyon in good time without mishap. A relief for a not very confident traveller nowadays. How time takes it's toll!  Journey takes 5 hours as it's not "TGV high speed" all the way. Even so compared to 10 hours+ by car, I can't complain. Nowadays, I treat myself to 1st class as it's not much more expensive with my seniors' card. It's worth it for larger seats, more legroom, more luggage space and less noise. Alighting from the train, the heat hit. Jacques, bless his little cotton socks, had done dinner for JJ and myself so there was plenty to catch up on and plenty of cava to help the vocal cords keep pace.

31st Last word: 

Plants had more or less survived though sadly the upstairs terrace had been colonised by some pigeons leaving a horrible clean up job to do. A task worse than the tax return which is looming. Nothing new in the village except the bar has a new sliding door to the restaurant. It's certainly different!

Weather: Temperatures were cool in Normandy, around 17° but there was sunshine and no rain! It was even hotter in Paris and even hotter again back home (28°) then on the last day of the month temperatures dropped to 22° and brought by a few drops of rain.

The Family Left as November Arrived

 November 2022

 

I'll start by saying thanks to Sheila for her comment last month about "Chitchat." Spent a bit of time, trying to work out how to reply . . . yes, it's been that long that I'd forgotten how to do it; well that and the excitement that someone had  actually made a comment.

This month was more liberally sprinkled with meals out than usual; in Céret at Jean & Françoise's and at Michel & Christiane's. JJ was chauffer, picking up Jean & Françoise en route. The evening was fun and instructive. Art, maths, politics + and I was winkled out of my comfort zone by Michel who wants me to take up drawing and painting. Much to my surprise I sketched a coffee cup and saucer which was actually recognisable. Even Françoise said it was good and better than she thought it would be! Umh, a compliment? But as usual, the most part were chez Jacques. The Mexican meal was particularly hilarious . . .

Eric brought a superb fruit tart, Flor and Babette dressed up on a S. American theme and Anita was Anita. We ate well, drank plenty (kicked off with Margarita's and finished with champagne) and laughed a lot! 

Americans opened their doors to me as well. There was a "we've - all - but - sold - our - house dinner at James and Beverley's along with Roger & Don. I 'm curious as to why we're always invited at the same time as I don't hang out with them otherwise. A Thansgiving meal at Daniel (cook) and Jeanne's (games organiser). The turkey was tasty and the games were fun. A round robin of stating what we were thankful for came more easily to some than to others.

Two days later I knew how the Thanksgiving turkey felt. Dinner at Martine and Robert's was a copious affair; Martine is not a woman who will take "no" for an answer; neither in English nor in French.  

Not to be left out, there was an English lunch at Ann & Terry's. 

And did anyone cross my threshold to be entertained? Yes, they did. There was a lunch for Jacques, dinner for Mark, JJ, Jacques and Lizzie (Nick was sick), tea and a showing of the film "The Duke" for Ann and Terry and tea for Nicole.

Restaurant meals included lunch at "Le Devil" with Nicole in Perpignan, lunch at the café with Yaneth (no comparison) and lunch at the "Bigotti" with James and Beverly.

It was lovely sitting in the sun, listening to the buskers playing jazz enjoying the food, talking and laughing. Only little niggle was the uptight, unsmiling woman server who didn't get a tip. Spent the afternoon on the terrace reading the papers. No need to say how I spent the evening but suffice it to say, it included Enola Holmes (2). A good old "feel good" romp. And to think I could have gone to a no fireworks, no bonfire, bring your own food, almost expat full house at Roger's!

Didn't body swerve Kevin's surprise 70th though but there again it was a good French/other nationalities mix and he does give a lot to the village with his music. It was lovely to see how touched he was by this show of affection and to watch him perform with his wee girl who obviously adores him.

Maybe now's the time to talk about exercise. I actually did several sessions on the treadmill and had a long walk with Françoise, Véro and Justine. 

We were out for 3h30, going up 500m/1,600 feet. Making a detour to see the remnants of talc mining. The route to the dolmen, dating from  sometime around 3,000 BC was longer and more wearisome than expected. Still, there were some great views and the weather was warm. 

A morning down in Argelès with Jean & Françoise provided a more leisurely affair; a stroll along the prom and a coffee overlooking the marina in the sunshine entailed no effort at all.

Village life ticks over but sadly the Saturday market that flourished during covid has all but disappeared; only one stall remains. The terrace of the café though has retained it's clientelle. Being the run up to the the Téléthon at the begginning of next month, raffle tickets were being sold, oriental pastries and mint tea were offered for a derisory sum and orders taken for wild boar stew. The other fundraising event was a karaoke for which I baked a cake and lent a hand to cut up and portion out sweet and savoury offerings that would be on sale. To my relief I didn't feel obliged to stay as another dinner out called.

There were two public holidays this month; 1st (Touissant when families visit the graves of their loved ones, traditionally with pots of chrysanthemums) and 11th (Armistice) complete with a parade, speeches, wreath laying and an apéro. 

The anniversary of the beheading by a young islamist, of Samuel Paty a secondary school teacher, was marked here with the inauguration of a small square through which the primary school children pass to go to the canteen. It will also be the site of the village library when the renovations to the earmarked building are done.

 You might be asking if there has also been anything on the cultural side of life . Yes, there was a vernissage at the beginning of the month, the last until February.

There were three life sized sculptures of women, whimsily clad and with animal heads (pig, dog and a cat) by Christophe and paintings, by Yannick Raffaelle, which unlike the sculptures, were very appealing.

The turnout was abysmal (still half term, dark nights, cold, windy weather?) but the artists took it in their stride. To add insult to injury, the artists had laid on a generous apéritif. 

Moving up several notches, Anita shared her knowledge of the Art World while guiding Jacques and I around the  around this year's summer exhibition in Céret. Chagall, Modigliani, Soutine and Friends. Many of Eastern European origin, their style became known as "the School of Paris" in the first half of the 20th century. I particularly like this one "Parisian with a Fan" by Henri Hayden (Polish) dated 1912.

Only one musical outing and that was "Music at Sunset" organised at treh bar every first Monday of the month by Kevin.

Have continued my mental gymnastics with a daily Wordle, a quick code cracker, crossword, wordsearch and now an online jigsaw. Duolingo Spanish takes a bit more time as there are the ads to sit through.

Once a week, I'm now meeting Lisa, a Japanese woman married to a Frenchman, for some English conversation. She's an absolute delight and makes a good change for me 

Thank goodness nothing has gone wrong in the house, the chimney has had its yearly sweep and I've taken steps towards a "let’s make cooking less onerous and economise electricity" project. My decision to buy a multicooker was confirmed when the in store price was 20€ less than the online price which already 70€ off. Brought my new Ninja home; all 11.5kg of it. Have to admit that like many new babies, it's pretty ugly! Unpacked it and skim read the documentation. Was just like reading the dos and don'ts that come with medication. Hope to goodness I'll be able to get my head around it. I'm getting cold feet already and wondering if it's going to solve my culinary shortcomings.

The weather has apart from one day been dry. Started with 23° but at the end of the month it was only 14° though with the prospect of higher temperatures to come. Skies have been mostly blue; this one was not typical but interesting.

And the best news is that I've kept free of bugs even though there is more covid around and flu hasn't yet to arrive here.