June: Already halfway through the year

 

How annoying is that? No indication as to where the photo has been taken. An internet search tells me that the columns are Greek but as we all aware the Empire was sizable, so who knows. My travels in Greece have been limited to Corfu, several times in the late 70's - 80's on a limited budget and Crete in 1995 on a cheap, last minute package deal. Memories of moussaka and cold chips of the former and a room without AC of the later.

 

Found these photos of Corfu; sorry they've faded with age but don't we all?

 These of Crete are a bit better.

Anyway, . . . every time I say this word I'm reminded of JJ remarking during our visit to Scotland that he heard it all the time and wanted to know what it meant. For those of you who are interested,  "WordReference", my trusty linguistic helpmate says:

• in any case, regardless = quand même, de toute façon
• informal for resuming previous topic = quoi qu'il en soit, enfin

 but I digress . . . back to 2023 and life in the village

1st - 14th: First day of the month and straight back into the swing of things with my usual English conversation hour with Lisa, a fresh food shop for a least two weeks with Jacques and in the evening an apéro chez Jean & Françoise. JJ, of course, was the chauffer for Linde, moi and Teddy, an exuberant, 5 month old retriever that she doesn't like leaving. He's cute but not my idea of an appropriate pet for an 80+ year old and even more it's a headache to find alternative care for him when she can't be there. I'm not the only one who has made it clear that dog minding is not on the agenda. 

Maybe it seems mean but I learnt my lesson early on that a pet isn't a fit with my lifestyle. Mr Bones (a border/Jack Russel cross full of character) being the case in question. Luckily Mum took him in and gave him a better life than I could. Crickey, here I am reminiscing again . . .

 The village came alive  at the weekend starting with a vernissage on Friday evening, a series of fun/educational/interactive events about water, craft and healthy food stands on Saturday during the day.

In the evening, the square took off with a fiesta on a flower theme. The bar was celebrating 25 years of ownership under the tlc of Jean-Louis . . . and it was some fiesta!

Music was provided by two bandas, Gadjo Lolo and a disco; there   was also a screen showing USAP's crunch match against Grenoble, which by the way, they won.

 The two schools had painted banners, Philippe had done others, Anna and Nicole had made sunflowers with cork centres, a nod to the name of the bar which is cork in Catalan; foodwise tapas and sandwiches were on offer; beer and wine flowed served by the owners of the restaurant who’d closed in order to help out. Lot's of people more than willing to have a good time made for a great atmosphere.

Next day came a trip down to Argelès with Jean, Françoise and JJ. 

Walked along the prom with a backdrop of stunning cloud formations, looked at the colourful outdoor exhibition,

watched the tourist boat "Baracuda" dock and unload its passengers and had lunch at N° 16 overlooking the marina. Being la Fête des Mères (Mother's Day), business was good. All very sedate; what a contrast. Variety is good, n'est-ce pas?

 D(eclaration) Day  arrived. All set and ready to go with JJ coming to make sure that I put the right amounts in the right boxes on my tax form. As usual we had a bit of going round in circles but after 2 hours, with a sigh of relief, all was done and dusted and there are still 3 days in hand. What better way to celebrate than to go to Jacques' for dessert and a couple of bottles of cava. And ... there were plans to get together again tomorrow for lunch in Spain at a restaurant that Dali had found. 

Dali's lunch place lunch turned out to be " JR " in Castello d'Empuries; it was cheap, 12€50 for 3 courses, bread, water, a bottle of red, rosé and water but not one for the must-go-back list. Had a quick walk around the town, not doing it justice asthe rain came on.

Nothing else to do but beat a retreat to the car and head for home via Capmany where we stocked up on cava.

In another category altogether, lunch at Tartana, which I'd discovered in February, came a couple of days later. Started off with a coffee and a wander around the market in Figueres until it was time for food. The others (Carmen, Martine and JJ) were well impressed with the whole experience. In case you're wondering if JJ and Carmen were set to work to pay the bill by turning the olive mill, be reassured; it was just too much of a temptation to resist . Another must was the nearby centennial oak; just look at those roots.

A quiet couple of days followed with only a trip to the market taking me out of the village. But peace and quiet never lasts for long with two evenings of rather more wine than was necessay following. 

Kevin et al entertained us at the bar as the rain teemed down 

and Gadjo Lolo entertained us at our "Fête des Voisins". This time the thème was "Martes Trece". Tuesday 13th in Spain is meant to be a lucky day. In France, contary to British tradition, Friday 13th brings luck. Luckily for us, the heavy rain didn't put pay to the event as we were able to use the terrace of the restaurant which is closed on a Tuesday.There's always someone new to meet on these occasions, the food is varied and conversation ranging wide across several different languages. The table was decorated with 4 leaf clovers made by Anna saying "Good Luck" in different languages; Nicole organised a tombola with a book as a prize which was won by Sue. She's English and doesn't speak much French! Luck sometimes runs out. The lights went out at 1h30 so we cleared up and cleared off.

Weather: We've had rain most days becoming heavier with thunder as time went on. Temperatures betweed 26 - 31°. 

15th - 25th June: Shakespeareland and Back

Made my way to the airport going all the way on public transport without a hitch. It was all very sociable with lots of chitchat on the navette. Roy was at the airport to get me so, all in all, a good start to the holiday. 

The time  was a mix of out and about and taking it easy. Dinner at the Italian with Jill; at the tapas resto with Les Sœurs followed by a drink at the Black Horse. 

Went to Banbury with Mel and found the Mayor present at "Armed Forces Day and how the pair of them must have suffered in the warm weather. I had a much more appropriatte find in a charity shop; a cotton skirt with which I'm well pleased. 

 

 Lunch at The Church House along with a glass of cava and stroll along the canal. 

 

 A trip to Stratford provided another chance to do some shopping and to have lunch at the Deli. 

 

Just loved their definition of "Procaffination" 

 

and their rose lemonade (a first for me) was pretty chic and almost out of place.

 

 There was a brass band concert in the church as part of the Proms, coffees in The George,  a drink  at Thirst and a rerun of our covid walk. 

 Met up with Jean and John at The Bell after which they came back to Jill's for a cuppa.

 

 Spent the last afternoon and evening with Mary up in Sutton. I took the bus up to Solihul where we met in time for me to take her to lunch at "The Four Oaks". Trendy  but not extrordinary for the prices

Needless to say, it passed all too quickly and it was time for Mary to ferry me to the airport. The journey back was enlivened  by conversation with a children's lawyer; luckily we were on the same wavelength.

Arrived on time to find Ann and Terry waiting as was dinner at Jacques when I finally made it home. I know; as if I hadn't dome enough wining and dining in the previous 10 days.

Weather: Mostly fine just the odd spells of evening rain

 

26th -30th June: 

Straight back into the swing of things . . . 

• Dinner at Jim and Mag's: Drinks on the patio, then dinner, cooked by Jim around the table inside

• Up to Prats de Mollo by taking two buses only to find that Patt thought I was coming on Thursday not Tues and she was away in Spain food shopping! As there was nearly an hour and a haff before I could get down the valley, she was back for us to haveover two hours together. Ron and Dick, two guys I knew years and I do mean years ago, stopped by for a drink and catch up. They left with an invitation on their lips to go farther up the valley to theirs next time I'm up seeing Patt.
• Dinnr at mine for Bruno and Christine from ou Normandy twin town + JJ 
• Market in Figueres with Michel but unusually we didn' stay on for lunch. A sacher torte apiece which made a splendid dessert after eating last night's leftovers back at mine. 
   
  Jean & Françoise, again + JJ for an apéritif dinatoire chez moi. You would have though that there were 3x the number of guests from the amount of food I did! Temperature on this last day of June was 29° with clear blus skies and there are more to come.
  
  Alignment's gone to pot and writing this on 23rd July, its  too hot to try and work out why
  

UK Visit

30th April - 13th  May 2019:
Follow the link for the photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/zsVMz89aY9U7w9sJ7

30.4.19:

Tied up loose ends right up until it was time to leave for the airport with Nicole P. Flight passed quickly and Mary was there to meet me. Would you believe an hour's parking just over from the terminal building costs £48!

It was about 9pm when we arrived home so a glass of cava was most welcome. Well, that was when we managed to get the cork out if the bottle. Ate a light but plentiful supper and headed to bed in the guest room of Mary's new apartment complex designed for older people. Spacious and all any guest would need especially as Mary had added several homely touches to compensate for the official notices (7of them).

Weather:

Perpignan 24°, sunny; Birmingham 15°, cloudy (on arrival)

1.5.19: May Day

No maypoles or May Queens, no public holiday in UK; no lily of the valley or workers' demonstrations; no newspapers in France.

We made a leisurely start and eventually got ourselves over to "Pesto". Met up with Annie and Graham for lunch. We reminisced about their time in France over tasty food and a glass of wine. 
http://pestorestaurants.co.uk/find-a-restaurant/pesto-sutton-coldfield-2/
From there we went back to theirs for a cuppa and more chat. Rounded off the afternoon with a trip to the lovely Sutton Park  where we checked out the newly opened Bracegridge restaurant. A pretty swish place with a large terrace overlooking the lake. https://thebracebridge.com/

Had a hot drink and came home for a cava but still couldn't open the bottle. Luckily, as last night, Mary had another one in reserve. Just see how our supper looks almost too pretty to eat. Despite a not very energetic day, with a relatively early start in view we made it to bed at a reasonable time.

Weather:

16°, overcast

2.5.19:

Made sure that the guest room was clean before handing back the keys. Don't know how we did it but we were out for 10am to go to M and S to exchange the bottle of cava that we couldn't get the cork out of, which they did without problem.

Did the scenic tour around Mere Green, a seriously upmarket (now) part of B'ham. Trendy bars, brasseries, restaurants and independent shops. Apparently even the hospice charity shop has a large selection of evening and cruise wear!

Arrived in good time to take Mum for lunch to the "Red Lion", the village local. Really nice landlord and the food wasn't too bad, either

A quiet afternoon then it was back to Jill's for the evening.

Weather:

15°. Sunny soon clouding over, a heavy downpour then drizzle.

3.5.19:

Leisurely start before collecting Si from Alison's to take him to the station. Stopped in Moreton long enough for a coffee and as Mum was away shopping, we had another at the community café.  A bite to eat and then tackled Mum's fridge. Suffice it to say a lot was binned.  Tomorrow the pantry and that's a daunting prospect, I can tell you. Feeling pretty weary, Jill and I abandoned the idea of braving the rain to go for a drink and instead stayed home  and watched tv

Weather:

14°, same as yesterday

5.5.19: On Safari/Pride of Lions

Popped round to the church, which is just next door, to say "hello" to Mum. Of course she was muddled up and thought we were going back with her.

Instead I had a date with Andy and Mary who, by chance, were up from Dorset for a week’s holiday. Was great to catch up in person rather than by email.

We had lunch at "The Red Lion" in Long Compton. That's the second Red Lion in four days! How many before to make it a pride? The place had loads of character, low ceilings, stone floors, nooks and crannies.

Back to Jill's for a cuppa and like a home from home, spent the evening in front of the box.

Weather:

12°, cloudy

4.5.19:

Leisurely start to the day followed by a walk around the town.

Took Mum to the community café to fortify ourselves for a clean up of her pantry. Threw out at least 8 jars of out of date tartar sauce! There was more besides but you don't need the gory details. 3 hours later we called it a day with still one more shelf and the freezer left to tackle.

Well, it was Saturday night so rather than watch tv, we hit the town! A Pinot Noir in "the George" and a Pinot Noir in "Thirst Impressions", a new micro pub. But there again, there's only so much Pinot that a girl can safely drink, so we headed home and ........ watched tv.

Weather:

12°, Sun, menacing cloud, chilly wind

6.5.19:

Who'd have thought that it would have been such a cold Bank Holiday. We were spared rain though which was a boon as Jean and John came down for a catch up.

Had a walk around Moreton then went off in search of lunch at the Batsford Arboretum. It was too cold to sit out on the patio so the dining room was pretty busy. Abandoned the idea of a walk given it was cold and went back to Moreton for tea and cake.

Arrived back at Jill's just in time to welcome Jen down from Yorkshire; so tonight there were three pairs of eyes fixed on some nondescript tv instead of two.

Weather:

12°, cloudy

7.5.19:

Went to the village café only to find that it was closed. In true community spirit, the manageress of the attached shop offered to make Jen and I a drink which we had sitting out on the terrace.

Took Mum out for lunch to the garden centre, had a walk around and then tea and cake.

More tea back at Mum's and then home to Jill's for another night in with telly, cava and for a change walnut whips.

Weather:

13°, sun and cloud with the odd spot of rain

8.5.18:

Met up with Irene and Margaret who came down from near Melton Mowbray.

Started off in the "Three Ewes" for coffee and then wandered over to "El Café" for a tapas lunch.

https://www.elcafe.co.uk/ We were served a great selection which was very tasty. Had a good laugh and had even more when we ended up back at Jill's for a cuppa.

Only had room for a very light supper whilst watching tv. My body is missing the treadmill and despite the lack of exercise, I'm nevertheless feeling tired from the overindulgence. Oh, for a stronger will.

Weather:

15°, rain

9.5.19:

Went to the village café with Jen. Route planning to the Dales for her and catching up with emails for me.

Up at Mum's she was in the starting blocks to go to do her grocery shopping. An added bonus was Rosie's lunch time stopover just before Mum had to leave. She and I had a quick catch up over tea and sandwiches.

Mum arrived home to find me stuck into dealing with the last shelf in the pantry. Of note this time were the ten out of date boxes of sweeteners.

This evening Mel and Boo took us to the Marina bistro for some serious tapas.  https://www.marinacafebistrostratford.co.uk/default.html

Afterward we carried on along the river to Tiddington to the Baraset House which will be on the agenda next time I'm over. Had a last drink, well I'd did. The others had hot chocolate! Well, next stop was home and bed. https://www.barasetbarn.co.uk/

Weather:

14°, rain

10.5.19:

Up in time to catch a bus to Stratford just after 9am but ****** I found that the timetable at the bus stop had not been updated by the Council; there were 30 minutes to wait during which time I grumbled about the lack of customer care and thanked my lucky stars that at least it wasn't raining.

Met Bernadette as arranged and the first item on the agenda was a coffee at "Coffee 1" where we started on our catch up.

Some shopping and a leisurely lunch at the theatre overlooking the river followed.

No prizes for guessing how Jill and I spent the evening.

Weather:

15°, sun, cloud, few spots of rain

 

11.5.19:

Toddled down into the town for a coffee at "The George" where met and chatted to a young family. Went over to Mum's and continued to attack her cupboards.

Then it was back home and up to Alison's where Mel and Paul were already ensconced for an evening en famille.

Weather:

17°, sun, cloud    

12.4.19. Best laid plans

Up and out to see Mum as she emerged from church. Then waited and waited and waited for Karen to arrive for lunch. Eventually found out that she was blocked in her house by a cycle race so it was a late sandwich lunch and a promise that we'd meet up in Autumn when I'm back again. It hadn't been a completely wasted morning as the weather was sunny and the bench in the garden beckoned.

Took a walk down town with Jill for a cuppa at the George and bumped into Mervyn with whom I was at school and haven't seen since.

This evening called around to Kim and Simon's for a drink which we enjoyed sitting in their back garden.

Supper, tv, bed

Weather:

19°, sun and light cloud.

13.5.19:

Last day in the ancestral stamping ground so I spent the best part of the time with Mum. We did a couple of crosswords, went for a walk and watched some tv. Took the bus back to Jill's for an evening of packing, eating up bits and pieces and finishing a stray bottle of cava in the fridge.

Weather:

19°, sun and light cloud