Quiet Weekend

10.1.16:

The usual Sunday ritual of coffee with Nicole and Nicole and a couple of others. Lunch was a change from the usual steak/frites; we went instead for "tartiflette", better known  as cheese, lardons and potato gratin .  Washed down with a glass of red wine.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/feb/27/how-to-cook-perfect-tartiflette
And was it scrummy.  .... mmmmm!
Weather:
14°, sunshine and showers

9.1.16:

A quick coffee and then it was off to the market with Michel going our seperate ways once there. Met up with Nicole for another coffee, chat then a quick whizz around a much diminished market.
In the afternoon, the other Nicole came by for a cuppa and to help me order some visiting cards. Not as pompous as it sounds, most people are armed with them here. Have to say that it is a nicer idea than scraps of paper.
Weather:
15°, sunshine and cloud

How the Mighty are Fallen!

Forgotten was  yesterday's claim to grandeur as today started behind a broom, mop and bucket! Well, someone had to clean up after last night's bun fight. Coffee at the bar, supermarket with Michel who then came back with me for a quick lunch. This afternoon I joined the paper flower making team in their effort to make 4,000 of them to decorate this year's carnival float.Seems like no time at all since I was last doing the same thing. There was another galette to sweeten the task but I'm relieved to say that it wasn't made with frangipane but was brioche style.
Weather:
15° cloudy
News:
Research shows that there are credible links between alcohol consumption and various cancers, notably breast cancer. The advice is cut down. Oh dear!

Queen Bee

Today was devoted to the Association, starting at 9am with a committee meeting. Then there was the Language Exchange. Soup and cheese followed at the bar. Admin in the afternoon before going to help set up for the "Vœux de la Présidente". If you've been following "Chitchat" for a while and you've been paying attention, you'll know that it involves a speech from the boss lady, cider and galettes. So the second in two days and to my dismay, someone said that there were 500 calories in a slice! Enough said about that the better. The upside was that I found the charm in my piece and became "queen".
Came home and had a first video call to my "Little Sis". Sound wasn't that great but it was lovely to see her even if it was virtual. Have to say, finding the way through the process was a wee bit complicated for a non-savvy social media user. Someone, please, tell me it will get easier with practice.
Weather: 
It was said o be 17° but it was humid and didn't feel like it.

Listen Up There!

Had a good sleep and a lovely hot shower so was a little late arriving for the French conversation group. Françoise was in the process of organising the traditional "Galette des Rois" (Frangipane flaky pastry tart) traditional at this time of year. As you all know there's such thing as a free whatever; Françoise hardly paused for breath while "educating us about the history of religion in France and when she did our two Belgian members were in like a shot!
Lunch time, James, my Kiwi artist friend took me for a pizza after we'd collected some of his paintings that had been on show in a winery (as he'd say) in Trouillas. While in town I went with him to help pay a cheque into his local bank and I went to mine to try and sort out my new cheque book. Not sure if I mentioned that I was sent one to replace the one that had been in both our names by one in just Christian's. You can only despair!
Rest of the day was spent sorting out a room for the English conversation group that were facing a last minute eviction for this evening then calmly catching up with phone calls and admin stuff. And after all those calories there was no Xmas cake with my cuppa nor my usual rummage in the fridge supper.
Weather:
11° sunshine and cloud

Tradesmen and Musicians

The electrician arrived as promised and found that the problem was with the water heater which was leaking so, I needed a plumber. Much to my surprise, one arrived about 10 minutes after the electrician had gone having been called out by him. That's what I call service. A charming young man who had to go into Perpignan to get the necessary piece but by the end of the afternoon the element had dried out and the new flange fitted. There was a possibility that the damp that was still lingering might cause the system to trip but I left all and went to the "Soirée Guitares" at the bar trusting to luck. Glad I did; there was a great ambiance and I caught up with Jean-Jacques. There were new people to meet too; Australian friends of Ann and Terry and a women from another village who was interested in learning English with the association. Just look at the photo of Kevin playing blues/rock. How many bluesmen do you know who wear specs on the end of their nose? Anyway, he brought the house down.
As for the electricity, there was no need for
the torch that I'd left inside the front door. Result! I'm on the up.
Weather:
12° Rain for most of the day

Cold Comfort

4.1.16:

Needless to say, my first job was to find an electrician. I only have to wait until tomorrow for someone to come to the rescue.
It's really starting to feel cold in the house so with an evening in and plenty of logs ready to, I lit the fire. As I took the decorations down I even decided to flick a duster around and spray a bit of polish in an effort to cheer the place up.
It was a good job that I did as Terry and Ann called in for a cuppa and a piece of Christmas cake. Well, I can't eat it all myself; not that it would be much of a sacrifice as it's pretty moreish. It's all that booze that the fruit soaks  in for a week. Delia has come up trumps yet again!
Weather:
14°, chilly, light rain showers in the afternoon

3.1.16:
As the off peak had finished by the time I got up, I reset the trip switch and was back in business. Being Sunday, I went for coffee and met up with the two Nicole's. Stayed on for steak and chips and came home to make the most of functioning electricity. Another early night with a book and a torch; not since I was a teenager. What an image it conjures up!
Weather:
Sunny spells in the morning

2.1.16:

It was a chilly morning to make such an early start but the bus waits for no one. Still it got me all the way down to the market where I met up with Maggie to go for a coffee where by chance we met up with Hotense, Bridget and Liz. There weren't many traders at the market so it didn't take us long to get around even though we stopped to buy sweaters. Mine, a rather fetching  loose knitted cowl neck tunic has been a great success!
Arrived home to find that there wasn't any electricity - a good start to the new year, eh. My neighbour, came in and showed me how to put the trip switch back and lo and behold, there was light. Well, that is until 10pm when the off-peak kicked in to fire up the water and storage heaters and  I was plunged into darkness! Managed with a torch and retreated to bed.
Weather:
Chilly and cloudy

A Chilly Day but the Company and Food were Good

New Year's day dawned misty and chilly. I started it with cold feet and they didn't warm up until I was in bed tonight.
Laure took the wheel to take us to St Quirze over the border which Rowena didn't know. Before that, however, we'd hoped to find somewhere for a coffee but didn't. Our search also found us in a bit of a pickle as rather than go back to the main road, Laure took the very narrow streets of the village. The photo shows our predicament. After trying to negotiate the corner and getting stuck, help was at hand from a gallant young (well younger than us) Catalan bloke who got behind the wheel and did the necessary. Ah well, can't win 'em all.
The monestery at St Quirze was shrouded in mist and with the wind it felt really chilly. Surprisingly, there were a number of families strolling around. http://www.cbrava.com/en/magazine/sant-quirze-de-coleras-monastery/
From here we bumped our way up and over the Coll de Banyuls and on going down the other side we found sunshine and a restaurant still open at 2pm, ready to take us for lunch. https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g666792-d4267981-Reviews-Els_Amics-Banyuls_sur_mer_Pyrenees_Orientales_Languedoc_Roussillon.html The people were really charming and there were scallops on the menu which I treated myself to.
We managed back to Rowena's before it was dark; drew the curtains, made a pot of tea before the telly and a G and T later on. Another early night in readiness for an early start tomorrow.
Weather:
10°, misty with sun later

Happy New Year to One and All!

“Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'...” 

Retreat to the Mountains

What a good job I asked Maggie to give me a lift to get the bus up to Rowena's just in case the 5 minutes for my connection should go pear - shaped, 'cos it did. The bus from the village was just arriving as my bus pulled away. The driver obviously doesn't do waiting!
A gluten-free quiche and salad lunch at Rowena's and fortunately she seemed well pleased with her present. Forgot to mention, it's her official retirement date today.
We were sttled down in front of the fire having a catch up when the Maire and his wife called in to say "bon anniversaire". So, a bottle of champagne was cracked open and they'd not long left before Laure (a German friend, also on the Council) arrived for dinner. We had planed to go out to another village an hour away for the festivities but ended up just staying in and were in bed by 11.30pm!!  Can't say I was sorry to avoid the night mountain air with my cough. Not a good sign, is it?
Weather:
13° Sunshine and cloud

New Specs Working Overtime

30.12.15:

Didn't step foot outside the door. Caught up with the blog and not much else. Well, apart from finding the key that I "lost". It was zipped away in a pocket in my bag! Thank goodness that the mystery is solved as it's been driving me crazy since Saturday.
Weather:
14° light wind and cloud

29.12.15:

Muriel from the women's group came around for a herbal tea and a chat about how things were going. I learnt that she was into "Collective Intelligence" and developping communication skills. I can feel a wee workshop coming on should the group be interested!
Popped into the Mairie and winkled Martine and Michel out for a glass of wine at the bar where lo and behold Jean-Jacques appeared and was persuaded to join us.
In the afternoon, I met up with Annie for a pot of  tea and nearly two hours of chat. I came away having promised to find her some recipes for a Scottish meal. Think I'll just send an internet link; problem is apparently she doesn't do recipes with more than three steps. Umph!
Back home with just enough time to change and get off to artist James's  birthday apéro. Also present were Hélène and Bob who deal with letting the house for them while they're away and Debra and Alain who do the garden and some DIY. I had thought that James enjoyed good wine which was why I bought him a couple of different very good reds and suggested that he keep them to drink at his leisure. But no, they and three other different ones were all opened at the same time and served indiscriminately. I tried not to feel peeved by remembering that once a present is given it's for the recipient to do what they like with.

28.12.15:

Had a much appreciated lie - in either snoozing or reading. Finally got myself out to go for a coffee for 11.30am. Had only just ordered when Ann and Terry appeared so it was nice to have a bit of company. Home for lunch, some admin and a good dose of tv.
Weather:
15° windy and sunny spells