A Monstrous Regiment ....

Friday was International Women's Day and for the 5th time the association organised its tearoom out in the village square. For the 5th time Christian put on his pinny and helped serve tea, coffee and homemade (usually by the women of the house) cakes. The restaurant lent us their terrace and all went well apart from about 6 cars that remained on the square which we had to work around, fortunately without too much difficulty. 

I think that there were more women (of French, Catalan, Irish, British, American, Belgian, Spanish and American origin) than usual and with lovely warm sunshine, they lingered long. By the time we'd cleared up we were both ready to sit on the terrace and give our lunch custom to the restaurant. Felt it was the least that we could do. Pity that other members of the committee didn't share the same sentiment but there again, the President and the Treasurer having sat on their bums all morning don't really function as you would expect. I won't start or we'll be here for ages yet.
The afternoon slipped by infront of the telly and it was an early night on the agenda for both of us.

It's All in the Preparation

Lovely sunshine, nice and warm and what could be better than a trip to the market not for the shopping but to meet up with friends and have a glass of wine on the terrace of a bar. For once we didn't get side-tracked into going out for lunch, going home instead to eat our cassoulet, a traditional dish of haricot beans, sausage and bits of pork. Very tasty but it fair sticks to yer ribs! Dread to think how many calories are in every mouthful.

This afternoon the rain came on again, something of a weather pattern is beginning to evolve. Sun in the morning, cloud and rain later on.
Later on, after Christian's siesta and I'd baked a cake for tomorrow (mocha cake squares*) we went over to see Gaby who's been in hospital and then onto Daniel and Maud's to collect things again for tomorrow. Stayed for apéritifs which was all very convivial but meant that I had to stay up late to prepare displays and other stuff, for yes, tomorrow. Bet you can't wait to find out what tomorrow will bring, can you?
*( http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/569/mocha-cake-squares.aspx Give them a go, they're pretty good)

Another Lunch and a New Expo

No Spanish as it's half term so pottered around until it was time to drive up to Rowena's. Christian, of course put in a couple of hours at the Mairie and it was warm, sunny  and spring-like when we set off. By the time we arrived (at the same time as the other guests Jean-Noël and Christiane), being at a much higher altitude, it was cooler. The birds were singing and there was still some sun though not enough to have apéritifs out on the terrace. Lunch as we had expected was good and the other two were excellent company. Jean-Noël comes along to the language exchange but as he doesn't come from the village and we've never been in the same group, I didn't really know him. To be honest, he always seemed so formal and serious which just goes to show! Christiane, on the other hand was informal and full of beans .... a couple rather like us in reverse!

By the time we left, the sun had disappeared so there's no photo of the stunning scenery, I'm afraid. You'll have to make do with this one of the tree just outside Rowena's house. Still, even though it has been danaged by the heavy rain, it's remains pretty enough.
This evening the 2013 season at the museum kicked off with the opening of an expo about the history of the wine growers of the Albères. On International Women's Day, it was a timely reminder  to see several photos depicting women involved in the back-breaking task of grape picking. Couldn't snap away as my battery was flat. Anyway, I'll bo back another time to take some photos as they really were superb.

3rd Birthday Celebration in 5 Days

This morning ... same ol', same ol' .... committee meeting and then the language exchange. I'm starting to get just a bit fed up of feeling obliged to do things and am wondering if I can bow out gracefully at the next AGM in October. Still, there's time to mull it over as that's a long time from now.

Lunch time we were invited along with about 20 others to help celebrate Nicole's birthday. A good buffet meal and even live music provided by Bente and Lizzie. We're now home with finally a quiet night in front of us.

2nd Hand Ark Wanted

Breakfast was ok though nothing to write home about and it was still pouring with rain. Outside, the river was a raging torrent and just a few yards from the hotel, it had burst it's banks. We were finally able to leave at 1pm.

In the hope of finding a more special meal to make up for our disappointment yesterday we went down to a nice restaurant overlooking the river but yes, you've guessed it ........ it was closed for the holidays. Christian then had the bright idea of going to Can Xiquet where we'd eaten once before for his birthday. A really nice 4 star hotel with great views and it was open!!! The service was pleasant, nice table and glassware and more to the point really good food.
Called in to see Joséphine on the way home and had tea with her and her Mum who is here for a while before going home to Sicily.
Finally, the rain stopped but the ford near Joséphine's was impassable so we took the long way home to spend a quiet night in. In the end, it wasn't so quiet as Jean and Françoise turned up with a gift for Christian ad stayed for a couple of drinks.

Just a Young Thing!

It's Christian's birthday today and we'd planned to spend a night in a hotel/spa the other side of the frontier. It was somewhere we'd thought of going to for a while as we'd heard good things about it. In the middle of nowhere, this converted hydroelectric station stands on a river surrounded by woods. Idyllic. Today, the scene was impressive as the river was well swollen with water coming down from the mountains and of course the torrential rain. Our room was a good size, modern and comfortable but when we opened the blind, we found a view of lichen covered rocks and to one side an ugly metal evacuation pipe coming from the kitchen. We asked to change the room as it kinda did for the romance but the other room that they offered was smaller so we stayed put. Dinner was no great shakes but the bed was comfortable and we slept well.

Two Lads and a Cake

A meal was ready and waiting in the fridge so there was no problem when Christian telephoned to say that Michel was coming for lunch. There was no dessert apart from yoghurt and fruit so we had a great excuse to go to the baker's to buy a cake. A "Saint Honoré " made from choux pastry and filled with cream.It wasn't very big so, there was  no need to feel guilty, was there?
The weather was pretty miserable and the thought of going up into the mountains for Christian's surgery in the evening with no restaurant at the end as they're closed for holidays, was not very appealing. Still, duty calls and while Christian and Michel waited in vain for "clients", I went up to see Annette. She lives at about 800m and her place was shrouded in cloud which made the drive up pretty stressful. Drops on one side, rocks on the other and visibility down to 10m. Of course we survived.

Another Birthday and More Beef

It's been over a year since we've seen Philippe so it was a real surprise when he phoned earlier this week to invite us for lunch to celebrate his 60th birthday. Went over with Marilyse and Dominique, picking up Josette on the way. Wound our way up through the vines growing on well kept terraces held up by small dry stone walls. The sky was more overcast than yesterday but it wasn't cold and the scenery was magnificent. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the house and Philippe and Paula pulled up behind us with several bags of shopping. No, come to think of it, knowing Philippe of old we weren't really surprised. Champagne as an apéritif with among other nibbles, smoky bacon flavoured almonds! Oysters, shrimps and large prawns to start, followed by a fillet of his own beef and seaweed which had a very delicate taste. Cheese of course, two scrummy cakes and more champagne. A short stroll and then it was time to head for home for a quite evening in front of the telly.

Hooray for the Sun

After two days of rain, how good it was to see the sun. Strolled around the market and had an apéritif out on a terrace where we were entertained by a talented accordianist. We were joined by Chantal and Martine and then all ended up coming back to the village to have lunch at the bar. Lingered until about 3pm in the sun; such a bonus for the beginning of March. Long may it continue but that's a bit of a forlorn hope according to the weather forecast.

"Iechyd Da!"

More aware of St David's Day as my brother is about to leave the rural Warwickshire of his birth to spend his retirement in rural Wales. Here's hoping that these pastures new will be as good to him as mine have been to me. What a surprise when I googled "yaki da" and found the spelling was completely different but that's Welsh for you.