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.

Gateway to Summer

1.6.19.

Took the bus to the market, bumped into Bridget and joined her for a coffee. Then met Jim and Mags with the Brits at another bar.

This afternoon I had a meeting with Béatrice about lodging our bagpipers and caught up with the blog.

Once more on my own, the evening followed the usual pattern of TV watching.

Weather:

27°, sunny

2.6.19:

The light morning woke me earlier than needed but no matter. I utilised the extra time to do some work on the computer before going for a coffee. Worked on the blog and photos after lunch when really I should have been out enjoying the fine weather.
Wandered over to see people dancing the Sardane in front of the Mairie, then wandered back again and did nothing in particular.
Weather:
26°, Sun, cloudy later

3.6.19:
Coffee with Nicole after a long lay off due to our various commitments. Rest of the day was spent on the bagpipe visit ending up with a meeting with the host families and then with Jacques to bring him up to speed.
Weather:
26°, sun, cloud later

4.6.19:

An early coffee with Françoise then hair in the morning, apéro at the bar with JJ and Nicole, dentist in the afternoon, tagine with les Anglaises this evening in Brian and Dani's pretty garden. Life promises to continue in busy mode so don't be surprised if I'm not checking in much.
Weather:
30°, sunny and blue skies

Mimosa street

As I don't have any photos for the posts below, I'm putting on the mimosa that's been decorating our street.


16.2.18: Lunch and Dinner Out
 Had to get on a move this morning as I was having my hair cut before meeting up with Penny and Pauline for our day out in Figueres. As usual we started with a coffee and this time I introduced them to "El Pau" a café/bookshop. The sales were still on and there were some bargains left to be had. I found a pair of jeans and a couple of tops. We had lunch at the 'Ous d'or" which, if your a regular reader, will know is a tried and trusted restaurant. Pauline was keen to leave no stone or should I say shop, unturned that a cuppa before leaving for home was a necessity.
No bowl of soup in front of the telly for me this evening as Gérard and Anna had invited Geneviève, Nicole K and myself for dinner. I had just enough time to drop off my bags before heading for theirs for dinner; a delicious couscous. Didn't get home until nearly 2am.
Weather:
Low cloud to start, drizzle on and off, lighter cloud later then a night time heavy mist

15.2.18: Putting the Brain into Gear
 Language exchange, tea with Beni and Sylvie (Franc/Swiss couple with a holiday home here) and a lot of pottering until it was time to go to the ciné club. Tonights offering was "Neruda" about the communist Chilean politician and poet. had to work pretty hard to make sense of the plot and had to come home to read up on him as it had been a bit difficult to sort fact from fiction. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4698584/
Weather:
16°, sun, cloud

14.2.18: Best Foot Forward?
Went to the local lab for an analysis of my problem toenail. Results take a month to come back; the woman wasn't sure that it had cleared up. Met Françoise for coffee and did nothing special for the rest of the day.
Weather:
10°, drizzle on and off

13.2.18: Coffee Out, Apéro Out

David , Laura and I set in good faith to do some cava shopping (no prosecco for us) but found the cellar closed as it was a fiesta day (Shrove Tuesday). Came back to the big shopping mall in La Jonquera for a coffee and wander around.
Started to archive a lot of articles on the association website; a long, tedious, methodical job. So glad to have made a start but there's a long way to go yet.
It wasn't all grind though as in the evening I was invited to JJ for an apéritif dinatoire and to catch up with his friends Dominique and Alain.
Weather:
10°, sun, blue sky

12.02.18: Dinner Out

Coffee with Nicole and a one course lunch at the bar. Meeting of "Project Bagpipes" which is moving very slowly after which Nany, Martine and I retired for a quick drink at the bar before it was time to be joined by André for dinner at Michel's.
Weather:
10°, sun, blue sky

Taking My Foot of the Pedal

30.12.17: Unseasonally Warm Wind Blowing

Managed to have a longish lie as there wasn't any need to get the bus to the market as Jacques phoned offering a lift. There were more people on the terraces than buying at the usual market stalls though there was quite a large crowd around the stall selling truffles. I didn't even try to get close to see the price as it was no doubt eyewatering. Made do instead with treating Jacques to a coffee and chatting in the sun.
End of the afternoon, I met Nicole for tea at the bar which I augmented with some Christmas cake. It's a big cake that will take ages to finish! What's not to like?
Weather:
19°, blue sky and a warm wind. Cloud later

29.12.17: Stay Home Day
Didn't set foot outside all day!
Weather:
16°, cloud and showers

28.12.17: Christmas Cake and Lady Grey
All was very quiet in the square when I went along to have my hair colour done this morning. after lunch did some association admin until Terry and Ann came to pick up the logs that I don't have any use for anymore. There visit coincided with teatime so it was all the excuse I needed to cut into my Christmas cake. Ooooh, I do love afternoon tea.
Rest of the day was spent doing the usual. No need to tell you what.
Weather:
10°, showers on and off

27.12.17: Saving the Day with a Packet of Smoked Salmon

Despite having an irritating cough, Nicole didn't cancel our lunch date chez moi. I'd looked out a really interesting quail recipe but when I read the label after I'd defrosted them, I found that they were rather too much out of date to safely serve up to a guest! Scrabbled around in the fridge for a last minute substitute. Luckily, Nicole's a friend who likes smoked salmon with pasta. And there was a tasty homemade beetroot and parsnip soup to start and small mincemeat cakes and cream for dessert. So what with a bottle of cava and chocolates as well, my honour was saved.
Weather:
11°, cloud some blue sky and rain on and off

26.12.17: Not a Public Holiday here

Another late start then, with the café being closed over the holiday, it was coffee at the other bar with Nicole. Rest of the day was spent with my feet up in front of the telly.
Weather:
13°, sun and cloud

Developing Square Eyes

24.11.17: At last, a Bit of Fun
Was spared sorting and other chores today as my time was taken up with organising the apéritif after the association's boules competition and then joining the players for lunch at the bar. Nico, the chef is on holiday so Eve was cooking for 22 of us and very well she did too. There was a good atmosphere and no complaints.
Later on I went for a long over due hair cut which was a boost. Whilst there, I was able to reassure Jennifer that I'd be staying loyal and not going to the new salon that's opening soon in the old mini mart. Honestly, it doesn't seem to make much sense because as well as Jennifer, there are two mobile hairdressers and Spain where prices are much cheaper close by.
Spent the evening as I spend every other evening these days.
Weather:
16°, cloudy start, sun later

23.11.17: Unexciting or what?
Language exchange, tea and a glass of wine at the bar, more accessory sorting, more tv.
Weather:
17°, blue sky

22.11.17: People in Glass Houses ....
More leaves to collect, a bit of cooking, and a bit of sorting. If you've seel the post of 17th October, you'll remember that we laughed at Mum's open bottle of dry ginger dated 2002. Apparently there's a hoarding gene that runs in the family; cleaning out the top cupboard I came across flavoured oils and vinegars dating from the same time!
Spent the afternoon  more sorting the accessories that we've been given for our Téléthon stand. A few nice bits and pieces along with some absolute .... that went straight into the rubbish pile. It never ceases to amaze what people think others would be happy to buy.
Finished off the "Acquitted" box set this evening. A Norwegian crime drama portraying dysfunctional characters from dysfunctional families living in a dysfunctional town where surprisingly for Norway, it didn't seem to rain very much! https://crimefictionlover.com/2016/12/norways-acquitted-crime-drama-comes-to-walter-presents/
Weather:
17°, sun and blue sky

21.11.17: Passing Time

Cleaning, a welcome coffee with Nicole and so passed the morning.
Supermarket shopping, pansy buying at a local nursery with Maggie, planting up, association admin and so passed the afternoon.
TV watching and so passed the evening. Nothing new there!
Weather:
20°, cloudless blue sky

Ouch!!

Morning:
Wrote the bagpipe proposal for David to take to Scotland tomorrow. Always was a last minuter.
Afternoon:
Had my hair coloured.
Evening:
Went to Racou for tapas with Diana, Robin and Martine, who had just been stung by a wasp. You wouldn't know from this photo how much she was suffering. Came back to the bar for a nightcap and for me to get some bicarbonate of soda from the house to put on Martine's sting. It brought almost immediate relief. So, that's worth noting.
Weather:
31°, sun

Looking after Mind, Body and Soul

22.6.17: Life's Trivia
The language exchange was more trying than usual; it was too hot to think. Went afterwards to the bar, so nothing new there. worked on the blog in the afternoon before wandering around to Gilbert and Suzanne's to pick up the Spanish books that Paul had used for the workshops. I know, I know; you neither need or want to know such trivial details but this blog also serves as an "aide memoire" for me so I can remember what I've been up to and why. I'd be obliged therefore, if you'd make allowances and bear with me! Muchas gracias!
Weather:
31°, blue skies, rumbles of thunder 

21.6.17: Mostly in Good Voice

Took advantage of Colin and Lynn's regular trip to Perpignan to go with them to look at computer desks and deep freezes. The top of my desk is pretty tatty and the freezer is way too big. Came back without buying anything other than coffee for the three of us. If you've bought a desk recently, you may have noticed that there's very rarely either a pull-out leaf for a keyboard or a space to house a tower. Desktop computers are apparently on their way out.
Home for lunch, tea with Nicole P and got back on track with the website.
This evening I put in an appearance at the Fête de la Musique in the square mainly because I wanted to listen to Terry and Roger croaking out "I was born under a Wandering Star". They were joined by a couple of musicians and a women's backing group, which I had flatly refused to join, in a rendition of  "With a little help from My Friends". Terry assured me that they were very much more in tune during rehearsals but if they'd been better on the night, we all wouldn't have laughed so much.
I imagine that the other acts were a lot better but I didn't stay around to listen.
Weather:
Sunny

20.6.17: Pampering my old Bones

This morning, I made an earlyish start to get to my appointment with the osteopath on the bus. There's no problem, just an annual bit of maintenance.
I should have been at the Spanish lunch but as the date had changed several times, I had already booked something else in the meantime. Gilles and Martine had asked me to take them to buy cava and to have lunch. Took them to La Plaça in Garriguella http://spahotelgarriguella.com/fr/restaurant/ which you'll know by now, is a favourite of mine. The food, was good as usual but there was a big party in and the service was not. As the party was out by the pool, we ate inside the restaurant where we suffered a bit from the heat. I was disappointed that it wasn't all exactly just right; after all, I've a reputation as an ace restaurant-finder to live up to!
In the evening there was our last apérobio of the season with Nicolas's special tapas, as he'll be far too busy cooking for hordes of hungry tourists.
Weather:
28°, slight breeze

Ready for the off again

31.5.17: Back on the Bus

6.30am with the blog in the post, I took myself down to the departure point where a bus was waiting to take 27 of us up to Normandy. Gosh, that was a short night.
The bus stopped every couple of hours which was welcome even though most of us had two seats to ourselves and could stretch our legs. Read and watched a couple of downloads. There was an overnight stay in Niort at the comfortable Hotel Moka http://www.mokahotelniort.com/ where I shared a room with Mme the General.
We had a walk around this pleasant town and had a look in the church. dinner at "Le César" on a pedesrtianised boulevard opposite the park, was included inthe deal.
https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g196667-d1212703-Reviews-Le_Cesar-Niort_Deux_Sevres_Nouvelle_Aquitaine.html
Obviously a well heeled town that gave the impression of being a laid back but animated place to live.
Weather:
Rain en route, overcast

30.5.17: Running out of Time

Michel called around quite early this morning bringing a present for having kept his car while he was away travelling for 3 months. Then JJ came to look over my tax return. It was so good to press the send button on the computer.
Walked once more to Viv and Pepe's for lunch and yippee, it was the right day. Terry and Ann managed to get it right first time. It was a rather longer affair than I'd expected, especially as we'd seen each other last Thursday so I had to leave straight after dessert as I had an appointment at the beautician's.
Caught up with the blog until the end of April so I could get a written copy off to Mum before I go on the twinning trip to Normandy. Of course there were a load of other things to do including packing which meant that it was 1.30am before I got to bed.
Weather:
24°, overcast all day, light rain at the end of the afternoon

A Welcome Midweek Break

14.4.17: Clean Sweep

Coffee with Nicole P, then a delicious lunch at the restaurant with Margaret. In the meantime Thérèse more than earnt her money dealing with the dusty footprints resulting from all the coming and goings in the house.
Association website in the afternoon and telly in the evening
Weather:
24°, blue skies

13.4.17: Pottering around the Village
Language Exchange, tea afterwards, hair appointment, tea with Nicole P and attendance at a long tedious council meeting at the Mairie.
Weather:
26°, blue skies

12.4.17: Game of Patience
Tided up the garden; a long over due task. Had the handrails installed in the afternoon and spent ages untangling and sorting cables that have been lying around for ages. It's hard to know what belongs to what and even harder to know what it's supposed to do. Bet you've a drawerful too. Doesn't everyone?
Weather:
23° blue skies

11.4.17: Out of Bounds

Margaret, Anne, Nicole and I went off for a different sort of shopping today; this time for cava and so, altogether more interesting. And there was no one taking charge! Had lunch at "La Plaça" in Garriguella which you'll know from previous posts, serves good food with a bit of style.
Had hoped to look at the impressive standing stone on the way to the monestery at St Quirze but the access had all been cordoned off by the landowner. How many other gems are we denied? An old photo just aint the same.
Weather:
22°, blue sky and some cloud

10.4.17: One Bitten Tongue
Mme le General rounded Marguerite and I up to shop for some kitchen units for the Association's new room. She was on a mission and there was no time to lose. Had a tea sitting the garden in the other bar with Nicole S and not much else.
Weather:
23°, blue skies

Brightening My Life with Colour

6.1.17:

Hairdressers in the afternoon; long overdue cut and colour

Vernissage in Christian’s room later and quite by chance I was dressed in red and black which caused a few comments. 

Participants were short on the ground which was a shame for the artist whose work merits more attention that it got.

Of course a couple of us retired to the bar next door at the end.

Feet, Friends, Food and Fundraising

18.11.16: Catching up over Lunch

Toddled down to the carpark to take photos of those members of the Association that were going off to Spain to play boules only to find there wasn't a soul there. In fact there had been a last minute change of plan and they arrived later to play in the village. I came back later to do my duty and then went off to La Jonquera with Michel to do a bit of shopping. On the way back, we called in to see Juste and Joséphine and were warmly received and invited to stay for lunch. Joséphine's brother Nico and his partner Beatrice were there on holiday, so there was a lot of catching up to do.
An appointment at the hairdressers and some admin catch up took care of the afternoon.
Weather:
17°, sun, cloud later

17.11.16: While I'm here....

Only had a short time at the language exchange because I had a couple come to give me an estimate for a pellet burning stove. I immediately felt at ease with them as they made a thorough survey of the house and took their time to show me the models to choose from. Not that there was a huge choice as most were modern and wouldn't suit the house. Settled on a cast iron affair which was of course expensive but it was the one that caught my eye straight off.
There was only Ann, Terry and Nicole who stayed on for a drink at the bar after the exchange but no matter. Oh yes, and the cat, who like us, enjoyed the sunshine. Came home for lunch and to do some work on the blog before going to see the GP.
Every two years we have the right to a colon cancer screening (affectionately known by the Brits as a "poo test") available from the GP. She was out of them so I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for the new stock. While there, the GP had a look at my big toe nail as I thought it was infected. Sure enough, there's a fungal infection and I've to go for an analysis which takes 4 weeks for the results to come through. In the meantime I've a powder to put into my socks daily (yes, folks, if you're going to have this sort of thing, its better to have it in the winter than the summer) and a varnish to use once a week. Sorry if there's been too much detail.
There were 13 members of the public at tonight's coucil meeting mostly from the opposition. What I didn't understand, JJ filled me in on when we went to the bar from a glass of red wine.
Weather:
17°, blue skies

16.11.16: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Did quite a bit of admin and like always, frustrations abounded as I tried to register to pay my local and income taxes on a monthly basis. Gave up and invited JJ to lunch at the restaurant to say thanks for all his help past, present and to come.
Back home I made two cakes, one for tonight's apéritif dinatoire with music from Gadjololo (aka Lolo nickname, Laurent real name), a Téléthon event. He sang his most recent You Tube offering of a poem by Jany's father (an aclaimed Catalan poet) that he's set to music. Have a look at this clip as the photography gives a glimpse of the magnificence of our area. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1wkBwgeBF But, I digress ...
back to the foyer where I ate, drank, danced and marvelled at Marie-Paul (who must be heading toward 70) and Lolo who à propos of nothing, did the splits! Here he is accompanying the Maire who's always game to sing.
Weather:
17°, sun and cloud

15.10.16: Moon

The moon that was visible early this morning was a bit more impressive. Only other thing of note was a costume try on for Saturday. Help, I'm getting more and more twitchy about it!
Weather:
14°, sun and blue skies




14.11.16: Energise your Crystals

A quick trip with Maggie to the tax office to find out why I hadn't had a rates bill and had a lovely surprise to know that this year I'm exonerated. We then went to the supermarket and then for a coffee where we met up with Nicole (yet another one) from the village.
Jacques called around and stayed for an apéro and after lunch I tried to do some work on the association web site but I couldn't settle so went and had a cuppa at the other café with Nicole P. We both went to the Mairie to write our positive comments about a new housing development that is being contentested.
There was a wonderful sunset but the full moon that was meant to be the biggest for 70 years was disappointing. Still, hopefully it will re-energise my rose quartz (meant to bring good health) anyway.
Weather:
14°, sun, afternoon wind