Armistice

Today is a holiday here but for us there was another early start, another ceremony in each village and another apéritif. 62 men from the commune died as a result of the 1stWW. Hearing their names read out and seeing children from the primary school place candles around the war memorial along with all the tv programmes marking the 90th anniversary really keeps the memory of that horror alive. In need of fortification we went with Alain and Monique to the Auberge for lunch before spending the rest of the day at home.

Another First!

Edofglasgow is a star! The first to comment way back when and now within a couple of days of enabling the "followers", widget, there he is again. Merci!

Nothing Much to Report

Didn't do anything much out of the ordinary on Sunday. Went to the bar for a pre-lunch drink to find that some other clients were roasting chestnuts on the fire. Jean-Louis contributed a couple of glasses of Banyuls all round so we went home with a rosy glow.
Monday we took a quick trip into Figueres to pick up the new suits that had to be altered. Lovely autumn sunshine and temperatures of 19°. The trip home was a bit of a drag as there were hold-ups on the frontier (sounds a bit like the wild west!), so taking the motorway wasn't such a clever move after all.

Saturday Again?

Can't believe how quickly our trip to the market comes around. Half of the village seemed to be there today. Caught up with Françoise who's just back from Sicily to find that Jean was admitted that morning to hospital. Went to the Auberge for lunch and ended up having coffee with a judge!

Today there is a demonstration in Perpignan against the Treaty of the Pyrénées which ceded this area to France in 1659. Catalanism is still alive and well. By the way, for those of you who don't know, the donkey is the Catalan symbol not one for a judge!

The Moment of Truth!

There's now the possiblity to tell it like it is. I've added comment boxes at the end of each post. Feel free to use them or not and I think I'm grounded enough to take a few "borings"!
Let me know if there is enough choice. Also on the sidebar there's now the possiblity to indicate that you are a follower. Come on all 4 of you, sign up!

After a busy day at the computer it was good to get for the opening of the new exhibition in the village. The artist has a style that we both liked and I think the you can see the influence of the Emerald Isle where he lived for many years. There was of course the usual apéritif to finish and an opportunity to meet new people and to catch up with old friends. The evening continued with dinner at Joëlle and Michel's. Delicious Tunisian soup, duck and lentils followed by cheese and chocolate mousse. Won't tell you how many helpings we had! On the way home we stopped off at the bar for a coffee but didn't stay too late.

At last!

Finally, the blog is up to date after being 2 months behind! Christian seems to be the Mairie, morning, noon and night these days so I've had some time in between my own meetings to get it done. Phew. Now all I have to do is not let it slip again.

Yes, we can!

Well, he did and millions of people are breathing a sigh of relief. We just have to hope that our euphoria will not be rewarded as we were in 1997 after Tony Blair's election. It was interesting to see Chrisitine Lagarde, Sarko's Minister of Finance who donated to Obama's senatorial campaign when she lived in Chicago on French tv. Then on the BBC there was an American journalist who writes for the Telegraph. Both obviously have right wing leanings and both are Obama supporters. Still, he was the best option so we'll have to see...

In the evening Linde came around with a bottle of fizz, we had one in the fridge so we toasted the dawn of a new era!

Apart from all that we spent the morning in Figueres shopping for wedding outfits. We were both successful so we went off to Can Renart for lunch. We'd never been before and had been told that it was good. Lovely stone building, 16€ menu, food well presented and service good. However, I do object to having to pay for bread, 1.50€ each. The wine was extra as well. It may seem a little churlish to complain about the prices but here there are other restaurants that are a better "rapport qualité/prix". After that we went to buy cava and had a look around the little museum that's attached to the celler. All in all, a good day.

Ordinary Days

Monday (3rd) and Tuesday (4th) Weather still overcast with rain on and off. Christian at the Mairie. Association meeting and ironing for me. Well, you can't go out dining everyday day.

Raining Cats and Dogs

Rain, rain and more rain all day long. Great for the garden. Nothing else to do but to go for lunch. First of all an apéritif at Juste and Joséphine's along with Alain, Joëlle, Michel, and Joséphine's Mum who is over on holiday from Scicily. We helped to finish off a very palatable champagne cocktail that they'd made for their daughter's birthday the day before. Then it was on to a nearby hotel for a much larger than necessary lunch - buffet starter, main course, cheese and dessert buffet.
Barely had time to turn around when we went off to José and Michelle's for an apéritif. All in all a bit of a marathon!

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Market as usual in the morning and then in the afternoon all systems go to prepare dinner for Michel, Alain and Joëlle. Something simple - chili con carne. The rain has started and looks as if might be here to stay a while.