Bad news, good news

Just imagine waking up to hear that your bank had been defrauded of/lost millions of euro....... let's hope that we won't experience any repercussions! By the way, did you know that the plural of euro is euro? Euros is Greek for urine!
On the other hand, what a great victory for Wilfried-Jo Tsonga against Nadal in the Australian (tennis) Open. What a physique and doesn't he resemble his hero, Mohammed Ali?

Home Sweet Home

It's good to be back and to wake up to blue skies and no need to wear a jacket. The fridge has been restocked and Christian and a friend are shaving off part of the wall going into the garage in the hope of fewer scrapes to the car. Hooray, I hear some of you say! Otherwise, all is calm as we pick up the threads of daily life and whatsmore, we've only gained 1lb each! Don't know why it isn't worse, that really is a mystery!

Busy old time

Started to update the blog on the 16th but didn't get very far so have finished it today at home; that's why the dates might seem a bit out of sync.
22nd Jan:
On the road for 9am to head for home. Traffic was needless to say, slow around Paris but once passed Orléans the motorway emptied and at last we had glimpses of the sun. With lunch in a (Total)motorway service station which surprisingly wasn't bad and a stop for a cuppa in the afternoon, the 600 miles sped by. The countryside, passing first through cheese country (St Nectaire, Roquefort) and then through vineyards is grandiose especially as we took the stunning viaduct at Millau. Arrived home to 15° at 7pm. How good it is to sleep in your own bed!

21st Jan:
Set the gps and set off for Nono (ex-wife's cousin!) and Evelyn's in Picardie. The drive took us through the poor areas to the north of Paris and the rich, horseracing town of Chantilly with it's beautiful stone houses and daffodils in flower. Arrived in time for lunch after which we went to see Joël (Nono's brother) in the bar he's in the process of selling and then to Tante/Aunt Christiane who lives in sheltered housing. Pierre, the other brother was there and the afternoon passed quickly.

In the evening we went out to dinner in Chantilly at the 'Ferme de Condé'. None of us was able to finish our meals though we didn't have the same problem with the wine. Returned home by the château which was all lit up and looked like something out of a fairy tale.
20th Jan:
A lazy morning before we were joined for lunch and our 3rd galette by Leo and Elsa, Frank's 2 oldest they left to go back to their Mum's we went to an early evening showing of the Ken Loach film 'It's a free world'. Typically hard hitting, about the exploitation of E.European workers. Depressing to think about it.
19th Jan:

A cloudy morning for a trip to the local market with the family after a walk by the canal. Lots of good looking produce and the usual bargain basement clothing. After lunch we took the metro down to the Place de la République and had a wander around. The shops were busy with the sales so we contented ourselves with a cuppa ( ouch-type prices) before heading home. In the evening we were treated to dinner in the city as our Christmas present. A typical type of bistro with the tables set closely together, the service stopped for an hour while we were entertained by Véronique Pestel, who sang, recited poetry and passed the hat around.
18th Jan:
More rain for the journey to Pantin, just at the limit of Paris, to stay with Frank and Stéphanie. The little box which allows us to pass the tolls without paying (billed at the end of the month) is a great wee gadget which means that we don't have to queue thus gaining time. Traffic wasn't too bad but the péripherique (ring road) is always a bit of a trial and it's not me driving. As there was no one home, we wandered around Pantin, a multiracial area, and had a cuppa. Many of the shops and food outlets are Turkish but there are also Vietnamese/Chinese and Africans.After the quiet of the Normandy countryside the noise of the traffic really registered. Fortunalely we managed to find a parking space just by Frank's and the rain had stopped. Frank who has a journey of 1h.15 each way to work didn't get back until 7.45pm so we ate late and went to bed early.
17th Jan:
Set off to Christian's godmother in Calvados with rain and 8°. Once passed the refineries of Le Havre we crossed the Seine by the elegant Pont de Normandie. Waterlogged fields, apple orchards and brown timbered houses marked the route. The godmother (87) and her husband (91) were in good spirits and their son was over from Bayeux with his labrador who was due to deliver pups at any moment. We had our 2nd galette and Christian was 'king'. Another fix? In the afternoon we went to visit another (2nd) cousin (86) and she brought out some old photos though sadly, the only one of Christian's mother showed only the bottom half of her face. After a cuppa we continued our journey to our B&B. Strange, rustic sort of place with a host who was 'down to earth' and his wife who was a bit 'strange'. We later learnt that she'd undergone brain surgery, so that explained things, about her anyway. The evening meal at 25€ was definitely overpriced, there wasn't any soap provided and the breakfast was skimpy. Not the best stop we've ever had!
16th Jan:
Lunch with Bernard and Lydie along with Janine, followed by a good walk from which we were back just before the heavens opened. Over a cup of tea we looked at old photos and read scraps of Lydie and Janine's father's diary written during the war. Was interesting as he wrote of the price of food, being in the trenches and waiting for the withdrawl of the Germans as the Allies bombarded. Our last night with Christophe and Valérie.

15th Jan:
Weather even worse. Called in to see Alain and Pierette (old friends from college days) and caught up with news of their visit to Bukina Fasso. Their town is twinned with a village there and they go regularly to see how various projects are progressing. Then it was over to Valérie and Guillaume's to admire the baby again, be jumped upon by their enormous labrador, Chunky, (says it all), play with Maureen and Hugo, toast the baby's health and have dinner. 14th Jan:

Howling a gale. As we'd missed the Othon Friesz exhibition here, we caught up with it in Le Havre where he was born. Was well worth going out and braving the elements.
13th Jan:
Despite not feeling well, Valérie valiantly did Jean and Christophe's birthday lunch for 8 adults and 6 children. Fricassé de Veau and our first 'galette de roi'. Made from flaky pastry with a frangipane filling, this is a traditional dessert eaten from the 6th Jan. There is a 'fève' a little ceramic figure, hidden inside and who ever has it, is crowned king/queen. As luck would have it, it was Jean!

12th Jan:
Still miserable weather. Went to see Valérie's parents and then organised dinner for the evening. Seafood platter which was already prepared. Well, we are on holiday.
11th Jan:
A bit of shopping and time with Christophe, Valérie and the kids. Wet and windy!
10th Jan:
A more than leisurely start to the day meant that we were too late to go to the market so we went to see Bernard and Lydie (cousins) in their new apartement. Janine (another cousin) was there too and we ended up staying for lunch and then heading off to the sales. What a pleasure to see the benefit of the new diet when trying on clothes! Though I have to say that it's taking a bit of a battering at the moment. Another evening and another night out, this time with Sylvie and Christophe (cousins) with whom we stayed over and Irene and Alain (also cousins) with whom we all had dinner. It's raining again , by the way.
9th Jan:
A quick visit to wish Gilbert (Christian's childhood pal) 'happy birthday' and as he has a shoe shop, to buy some shoes. Being Wednesday the children were off school so we went for a walk in the afternoon, as there was no rain for a couple of hours. Then it was over to Marie Christine's and Pierre's for dinner and an overnight.
8th Jan:
Still raining and the start of eating our way around Normandy. A quick visit to Marie Christine with the photos, turned into a rendez-vous with Pierre in Fecamp for lunch. How much cheaper it is here - seafood menu for 13.50€. The evening was spent with Kathy and Sylvain (cousins) where we stayed overnight. Kathy has recently taken up painting and we came away with two of her pictures. Maybe one day....
7th Jan: Uneventful journey in the rain to Valérie's where we had our first meeting with little Emma. What a cute wee thing, lots of dark hair. Then it was over to Christophe and Valérie's to get installed for the next few days.
6th Jan:
Despite getting to bed at 3am we managed to pack and get on the road for 10am. Left with temperatures of 19° for the drive through vine country to the Pays des Cathares. For those of you who are interested in history, Simon de Montefort (links to the Midlands) did a lot of burning, pillaging and killing here during the Middle Ages. For those of you who enjoy reading, Kate Mosse's (no, not the model) "Labyrinth" is a good page turning, timeslip novel set during those troubled times, but I digress... this wasn't the most direct route north but we'd promised friends we'd photograph their new house which is being built near Limoux, where the French equivalent of cava comes from. By the time we arrived it was tipping down and even the Rav4 had difficulty in getting off the site. Lunch in Limoux and on to Limoges where we found a B & B. Had dinner in the city which had obviously a good budget for the Xmas lights. Restaurant was called 'la vache au platfond/ the cow on the ceiling' and despite the rustic agricultural decor, served creative modern food and so to bed....

Busy old day

Was just magic waking up to the sun on the mountain this morning. Market was quiet and with practically no shopping to do, we came back to the village for a drink before lunch. Well, we're off to a good start; the bar was smoke free which made it a much more pleasant atmosphere in which to talk politics. The third group has just 'thrown its hat into the ring' for the forthcoming elections so interesting days are ahead. Have been busy taking down the decorations, emptying the fridge etc. Have not yet packed and we're off in a few minutes to visit Philippe's Mum and are invited out to dinner at a neighbour's this evening. Sure to forget something.The blog may fall a little bit behind but I'm sure you'll manage to live without it but will I?!!

Was he or wasn't he?

I'm talking about Santa being drunk when he appeared in the square on 24th December. That's just one of the discussions raging on the village web site. I reckon next year he should schedule his visit to us earlier on so that he's been and gone before apéritif time! So you see folks, there's never a dull moment.
As for us, today we've been getting organised for our trip to Normandy, had friends pop in for a New Year drink and another political meeting for Christian. Oh yes,and it's been raining on and off. Hope it clears up for the market tomorrow.

It's raining

Rain started this afternoon but in comparison to other parts of France (where there are weather alerts), we're getting off lightly. House is now straight; Christian took the numerous bottles off to the bottle bank while I had a chinwag with Nancy who's over from the States and has a holiday home here. Then it was round to other friends in the village, where instead of the expected coffee, a bottle of champagne was opened! Ah, the French good life.... Last night's meal with Barbara, Bee and Graham went well too. Tonight Christian is off to his political meeting so I'll have the house to myself and a chance to catch up with some of the last week's telly recordings. Ah, the simple life....

Back to normal

The tables are back in place, the wood stacked and I've surprised myself by managing to put the photo on. Now all there is to do is get dinner ready and enjoy the evening

Happy New Year!

Today we're recovering from a révillon celebrated with friends. Foie gras, oysters, venison and other goodies were on the menu accompanied by wine from Jean-Jacques brother-in-law's vineyard and of course, a few bottles of champagne. 16 of us altogether (French, Catalan, Danish, American, Austrian, Scicilian/French, Pied Noir and British) and everyone took responsibility for some part of the meal. Hope to put on a photo tomorrow when Christian gets time to do the technical stuff. Last guests left at 4am. Hard work but a much better option than El Tap, our local bar. Wonder what the response will be to the smoking ban which thankfully comes in tomorrow. Not sure though, how it will work out, the French can be an anarchic lot! Still, that's tomorrow and I haven't finished with today yet.
Went up to Rowena's, an hour away, lost in the mountains, right on the Spanish border for lunch outside in the sun and a log sawing session. Such a capable woman, she put us both to shame in the wheelbarrow handling department. Then it was home to face the debris we didn't have time to deal with this morning and a quiet evening in front of the telly. Tomorrow there are tables to move, logs to stack and dinner for friends to prepare.......

Bob Dylan concert with Chris and Rosie at the NEC in Birmingham. From our seats a long way back it took us a while to work out which musician was Bobbie Boy!! Sadly he didn't do much old stuff so it wasn't a trip down memory lane after all and those songs that he did do were rearranged. Ah well, a good topic of dinner table conversation to bandy around.

Nile Cruise 1989

25.4.89:

By way of a pat on the back for starting up the Ra's Gharib plant on time against expectations, Total offered the team an all expenses paid cruise on the Nile. For us it also included 3 nights in the Cairo Meridien, my flights from Glasgow and an overnight stay in the Skyway, a THF hotel. I booked my KLM flight out with Trailfinders which went via London, Amsterdam and Istanbul. Wanted to get Total the best deal!

26.4.89:

Christian at the airport to meet me with a car and driver; our room was spacious with fruit and flowers, a three person sized bed and a balcony overlooking the Nile.

 

Martine, Christian's colleague, who was based in Cairo, joined us for dinner. As the only communication from the site was ship to shore radio that was strictly controlled, she often acted as our go - between.

 

27.4.89:

 

There was a car to take us to the airport for our flight to Luxor where another car took us to the Sheraton cruise boat, "Anni" in time for lunch. 

Found ourselves at the same table as Lucy, a Belgian and Ada a French Canadian, here with our guide. 

 

In the afternoon we visited the Temples of Luxor

 

and Karnak with our Francophone guide. For once, being in the minority had its advantages; there were just 4 of us!

 28.4.89:

 

6am start for the Ferry to take us to the other side of the river to visit the Valley of the Kings and of the Queens. 

 

Visits to an alabaster and papyrus workshops followed. 

 

During the afternoon we sailed to Esna and dropped anchor for the night.

 

29.4.89:

 

 Walked to the Temple of Khartoum. 

 

Sailed to Edfu . . .

 

here we took a horse drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus . 

 

Relaxing sail . . .

to Kom Ombo.

30.4.89:

Visit to the temple of Horus and Scobele, the crocodile god. 

 

Time at a Nubian market 

 

Sailing to Aswan. 

 

 Visited the High Dam 

 

and the temple of Philae on Agilkia island.

1.5.89:

 

We left the group as we had a 40 minute flight to the awe inspiring world heritage site of Abu Simbel. It was a short visit but because of a problem with the flight schedule, we missed a sail in a felucca in Aswan. 

No regrets; we already had our heads and eyes full of the sights that our relaxed sail up the historic River Nile had brought. Sometimes I just can't believe my luck.

Transfers were laid on for our return to the Meridien. Christian was not best pleased to find that we had a twin room. " I've spent 4 nights in a cabin in a small bed and I am not going to do the same here!" Reception understood he wasn't kidding and we were given one with a huge bed again! 

2.5.89:

Had breakfast in our room, which came on a trolley complete with flowers and domed serving platters . A real touch of luxury. 

 

Putting aside the pollution (!) it was a pleasant day for having a wander around Cairo. Spent some time and money in the Sherezade Perfume house and had a beer at the Nile Hilton. Stayed at the hotel for dinner and had a great view from our balcony of the firework display laid on for the opening of  the Sheraton hotel across the river.

3.5.89:

An early morning, uneventful flight back home.

Merci Total for such a treat. Outstanding sights, great experience, faultless organisation that brought a touch of luxury and a far cry from work and everyday life.