Autumn is a coming!

 21.9.20 - 27.9.20: Equinox came and went

Did some entertaining chez moi this week. An apéritif for Jean and Françoise (23rd) and tea for Jeanne, the American who is immersed in the complications of buying a house in the village (25th). Involving rather more work was a farewell dinner for David and Laura. On the menu was Lemon Cinammon Pork served with couscous and toasted almonds followed by a seriously good "Torte Royale"; chocolate laced with strong coffee and Tia Maria. An adult cake that's rich and dark so, if that's your thing you won't be disappointed. Went even farther on the over-indulgence scale by serving it with marscapone pepped up with Tia Maria. If that's a step too far for you, no worries, the torte is very moist and doesn't actually need anything else. https://www.thatslife.com.au/torte-royal  Even though we were joined by Jacques and JJ (Michel couldn't come) I'm not ashamed to say that I was delighted that there was some left for me to have with my afternoon cuppa during the week!

Other coffee breaks were taken at the café with the folk who no

longer go to the Language exchange (24rd), Françoise on 25th and 26th and with Michel and his visitors, Claude and Françoise (27th). It became progressively windier and colder, so by the Sunday we were the only ones to brave the terrace. Sweaters, jackets and shoes have replaced tee shirts and sandals; smiles replaced by gritted teeth and hunched shoulders!

There was an escape from the village on 23rd with a trip down to Argeles with Lynne and though quite breezy, the sun was warm and a walk around the marina and along the sea front was enjoyable. Of course, there was a lunch stop overlooking the sea. We went with "Les Planches" where Lynne had already eaten. Shame the waiter was somewhat offhand. Even with a mask on, the feeling came through. https://www.les-planches-argeles.com/carte-restaurant-les-planches/

 Lunch at the village restaurant the next day with Hortense was so much better and cheaper. She was impressed with the  quality and ceativity of the food, the service and the relaxed atmosphere which lent itself to our long conversations.

The market on Saturday was less jovial than usual due to the strong wind and fewer folk going about their shopping. Still, the weekend was not without its pleasurable moments in the company of others. After - lunch coffee at Michel's and Sunday lunch of roast chicken back there meant that I had a break from organising my photos and watching tv. An added bonus was that there was no need to cook anything. A boiled egg sufficed.

Weather: Temperatures dropped from 25° on Monday to 16° on Sunday; the sky became more and more cloudy bringing some rain showers which even 3 days of very strong winds didn't blow away.

Making the most of the sunny days

 11.9.20 - 17.9.20: Making up for "lost time"

Luckily, my test came back negative as the next morning there was a trip to the Opthalmologist in preparation for my cataract operation. Jacques was kind enough to take me which was just as well as the bus times have changed and not for the better. Getting to Perpignan is going to be more of a hassle than usual.

Time drifts by at a leisurely pace with a few islands of activity along the way. The market on Saturday was lively as village Associations were also on the square recruiting new members accompanied by some music. Lunch time Jacques came to the rescue once again by treating Nicole and I to tapas at the restaurant. Back to the café on Sunday to meet Martine for coffee and later Jacques joined us for an apéro before giving us lunch at his place. Only just had enough time to knock up some flapjacks to take to my neighbour, Françoise's. She'd invited her neighbours for an apéritif dinatoir before her return to the North of France. Lots of nice things to eat and drink. The photo doesn't show all as 6 more adults and two children joined us. There's no rule of 6 here! 

My next trip past the front door was on Wednesday when I went for a routine blood test (all fine) and to meet Hortense for a catch up. Hadn't see her since the beginning of February so throats were dry by the end. Also managed to have a good chat with Henri on my way past another café so I'm back in the good books for not having been in touch. Out again this morning for a coffee with Nicole and was later joined by the Thursday group. Was busily tapping away updating Chitchat this afternoon when Françoise invited me to join her and Jean for an apéro down in Argelès. 20 minutes later we were on our way! See, I can do impromptu.

The rest of the time, I've kept up my treadmill sessions and am now up to an incline of 6 at a speed of 5.8 km/hr. Just imagine the smug smile. Less palatable as I can't watch an episode of my latest series fix while I work, was getting the middle cave cleared for David to take all the rubbish to the tip. Don't recognise myself!

Weather: Warm sunny days of 31°

18.9.20 -20.9.20: More like old times

A warm sunny weekend with plenty going on.  There was a vernissage on Friday with some easy on the eye paintings; watercolours , charcoal and oils by two different artists. Nicole, Martine, Carmen and I didn't linger too long, prefering to go down to the café for an apéritif. After a while we went off in search of something to eat and ended up in a pleasant square with a fountain. 

Saturday, there was music at the market which meant that more people lingered at the café to soak up the atmosphere. Well, all except JJ who'd invited some of us (Jean, Françoise, Martine and Carmen) for a fish dinner that evening.

An early start on Sunday meant that there wasn't any time to get on the treadmill but I well and truly bypassed the recommended 10,000 steps with all the walking during the day. Jacques had invited David, Laura and myself to Guissan where he has a chalet (on stilts) by the sea. En route we stopped off at the picturesque village of Peyriac for a coffee, some exploration and to see the flamingoes which disappointingly weren't pink but white. From there we carried on along the coast to Bages, another

pretty place with medieval streets and a view over the sea. By the time we arrived in Guissan, we could only look in at the house and set off for lunch at "Le Sarment". Spent a good part of the afternoon wandering through the village where there was a craft fair on and climbing up to Red Beard's tower. Back at the chalet Laura and I opted for deck chairs on the terrace while the blokes went off to swim. The only other thing to do before pointing the car in the direction of home was to stop off at the salt flats and contribute to the local eceonomy in the shop where salt came in a variety of flavours and packaging. Home with no need to eat and no need to feel guilty about flopping in front of the tv having had our fair share of fresh sea air and exercise. Good feelings all round. 

Weather: 27°, sunny

The Cost of a Glass of Rosé!

3rd  - 10th September 2020: 

Well, what a difference an email makes! One from Roger popped into my inbox informing me that the previous Saturday he and his son had been in contact with someone whose girlfriend had tested positive near Barcelona, where there are a number of Covid hotspots, . They'd also made several other stops in the area. If you've read the last post, you'll know that I had spent time with him and his son at the bar the other night. Dilemma .... what to do? Although the risk was probably minimal, I decided to take a test  and confine myself to barracks just in case. Wasn't worried overly but felt that I should be responsible viz-à-vis others. I got the impression though that most people thought I was a bit OTT. 

There was enough food in the house to see me through so there was no need to take up any of the offers of shopping that came my way. Time passed without any difficulty; did some of those domestic chores that have been in abeyance since I don't know when, read the papers and even cooked myself some food. Surprisingly, I did less tv watching and more listening to music, both cds and vinyl. Also took care to keep up my pre breakfast hour on the treadmill and to eat my meals on the terrace while reading "Killing Eve" to get a good dose of vitamin D from the sunshine. Had regular calls from friends to see that I was ok which gave me another human being to talk to. One from Maggie was to tell me that she'd just received the card I'd sent from UK postmarked 4th April!

Of course there were things that I missed out on; an appointment with the opthomologist, a concert at the bar, the Saturday market, Sunday morning coffee, a trip to the coast with Jean and Françoise, lunch at Lone's and helping out at a Cancer Support day. 

France doesn't claim to have a world beating testing service but I was able to have a test just 3 miles from here as soon as the 7 day wait was up. It was quick; didn't hurt, just a bit uncomfortable. Results were available online within 24 hours a    nd expected, was negative. In all honesty, the week's wait for the test was no hardship at all and I didn't even succumb to opening a bottle of cava or bar of chocolate!

Weather: Hot and sunny, 28° - 30° until Tuesday, 7th when it rained all day and for
the next morning made temperatures drop to 24°.

Rolling into Autumn

 1.9.20: Gosh, isn't the year going quickly? Here we are entering the last quarter with the sun lower in the sky, shorter days and the fledgling swallows getting ready to head off. Storks have been sighted making their way south. Life certainly doesn't stand still.

Another trip to Perpignan for another routine appointment and again, it was all clear. Ann kindly took me there so this time I didn't have to rely on public transport. It's always a relief to get an "all clear" which was all the excuse I needed, to join Lone, my Danish friend, at the bar for a glass of rosé. On arrival, she was there already in the company of Roger and 3 of his family. We stayed on for a couple more glasses after they had left to make the most of the time Lone has left here. Given the Danish Government had just brought in the need to quarantine, her husband had decided not to come and join her so she was cutting short her stay. Shame but that's the way that holiday plans are going for lots of people at the moment.

2.9.20: Back again to Perpignan; this time for pleasure and another exhibition. The anuual Visa exhibition of photo journalism despite the Covid restrictions, was taking place, albeit in a much reduced form. There were several live exhibitions, of course the "Off" in commercial pemises and a lot of online content.  https://www.visapourlimage.com/en https://www.visapourlimage.com/en   Needless to say there was a lot of walking involved and a head full of hard to see images and hard to read stories. The photo is from an exhibition about the Mohara people from the Indus Valley where their river based way of life is fast disappearing due to pollution destroying the ecosystem. We did, however, have a welcome and much needed break for lunch sitting in a small square where thankfully there was some shade. The little dining room was very kitch and retro. More like someone's front room. Food tasty, too. Will definitely return https://www.facebook.com/MartineCuisinePerpignan/

Weather: Very warm and sunny 28°

Still Warm and Sunny

 24 - 31 August: The last week of August was much like any other.

Coffee at the bar with Nicole catching up with the news; in other words going over her latest plans for her life. Saturday, Françoise came over for the market inspite of on/off rain showers and on Sunday with the usual crowd this time augmented by Michel and Jacques.

Of course there was the usual sprinkling of invitations to friends. Dinner at JJ's along with Jean and Françoise, Thérèse and Joan. Dinner at Michel's on the terrace once it was cool enough. David and Laura were there, too. I was there again the next day for an apéritif dinatoire with his visitors from the North of France and friends François and Babette from the village. Michel has boundless energy and loves company so is very generous with his invitations for food. Aren't I the lucky one to be on the list of invitees.

As you'll have realised, none of this has rubbed off on yours truly. My invitations tend to come from guilty conscience rather than spontaneous generosity and the love of cooking. The only person to benefit this week was Jacques who came for dinner; well, a cold buffet that fed me, too, for the rest of the week.

I did escape from the village, too. Monday for a routine appointment with the dermatologist in
Perpignan, one of the specialists for whom you don't need a Dr's referral and still be covered by the Health Service. All well. Had a couple of hours to wander masked around the town before taking the bus back to the village. Quite pleasant and not having been able to fire up the treadmill, I made my 10,000+ steps. The following Sunday, Jean and Françoise took me down to Argelès to see the annual outdoor exhibition. There was also a birthday to celebrate so what better way than to install ourselves overlooking the marina with its mountainous backdrop. A little bit of normality was just so welcome.

Weather: Temperatures dipped to 22° on Saturday with the rain but otherwise they hovered between 27° and 30°

Temperatures still High

 16 -23.6.20:

This week started with a nice surprise; Sylvie, Christian's younger cousin, who had spent a couple of days with her husband down on the coast, stopped by for lunch on their way back home via the Dordogne. No need to cook, salad was just what the heat of the day demanded. It was great to catch up with all their news and have a view of the world beyond this little corner.

We did have a couple of days of cooler weather and even a welcome rain shower but temperatures well into the 30's with warm winds led to a lot of inertia on the domestic front apart from a trip to the supermarket with Maggie, who's been supplying me with home grown tomatoes.

Kept my physical health going with my hourly session on the treadmill, everyday bar one and my intellectual health with the daily newspapers over breakfast. Not that all the reports of the Government's continued ineptude and favouritism were good for my either my blood pressure or mental health. Emotions pass through anger, fear and sadness for democracy and those who'll be finding themselves without a job as things unfold.

Much of my time has been taken up with technology ie, the new phone, tv reception and the hifi system which I rarely use. I suddenly took it into my head to try and record some of the cds onto the original "Brennen" cd ripper and storer (up to 5,000) that we bought having been seduced by the publicity at the time that our old one had packed up. Christian who loved gadgets loaded a fair few but even though the manual is in English and after untangling wires, I couldn't cope so gave up. Winter or the next lockdown will be a time to have another go. What I did realise though was that I could play my cds on the dvd player. Can't think why it's taken me over 5 years for this particular penny to drop! I can tell you, however, I was fair chuffed. Every little success ....  Bit between my teeth, I then turned my atention to the turntable only to discover that the belt drive had perished beyond recognition; the internet, the great provider that it is, came to the rescue and found a supplier. 

There's inevitably been some social activity, too. Not the full on merry-go-round of old but enough to stop us feeling isolated. Less than usual trips to the bar for coffee with Nicole joined by Justine and Rosie; the Thursday group, Saturday with Françoise and Nicole while watching the comings and goings of the market and the usual Sunday morning gathering.

Evenings weren't all spent in front of the tv. Monday I met up with JJ, Jean and Françoise for an apéro at the bar, Thursday had a BBQ dinner on Michel's terrace along with David and Laura; stopped off at the bar on my way home for the tail end of a Catalan rock concert. Friday went to a vernissage. The artist is from the village and apparently, her work pleased people as she sold six paintings. It was oh so hot in Christian's room especially wearing a mask that Nany and I didn't linger too long prefering to seek the cool of the terrace downstairs. As restrictions meant that there wasn't the usual apéro after the speeches, it was one way to get a wee refreshment!

Weather: Temperatures ranged from 26° - 35° though feeling hotter. Humid

Height of Summer

15.8.20: Even though today is a public holiday (Feast of the Assumption) sadly there was no music at the market. Joined Françoise from the village for a cuppa and stayed on chatting with Jo for a while after she'd left. Lunch on the terrace as it was not yet too hot and here I am now sitting in front of the computer catching up with Chitchat.

14.8.20: Françoise, Dominic and Maylise were coming for an apéritif dinatoire, so given that Thérèse has not been for a while, I had to do what I hate most ... some cleaning! Still a nice lunch at the restaurant followed before I returned to the kitchen to prepare for the evening. NB. I only had the first two courses; sorry, feeling too smug not to mention it!

 Again there was distant thunder and rain but fortunately it dried up and cooled down a bit in time for us to be on the terrace. Gosh, did I feel tired by the time I'd cleared up. As usual I'd done a larger array of food than need be. Collapsed onto the bed for 9.45pm; don't remember when I last made it upstairs so early.

13.8.20: Had a coffee with a good mix of French and British this morning before the thunder and rain arrived in the afternoon. Not fancying risking an open air concert with Françoise, I foutered at home and achieved absolutely nothing.

12.8.20: Coffee with Nicole, cooking and computer before going with Michel to have an apéro with David and Laura. They like cava, too!

11.8.20: Coffee with Jacques who's back for a couple of days and supermarket with Ann. Originally I'd said I'd go to Céret with Jacques to see friends of his in a clown troop perform. Ended up chickening out as it was far too hot outside to sit and watch for over an hour. I turned also down his invitation for him to collect me to join them for something to eat.

10.8.20: Coffee with Françoise and some time on the computer. Still too hot to do anything more energetic.

9.8.20: By the time I made it for Sunday morning coffee, Martine was just about to mount her bike and peddle off home. She tethered it once more and joined me for a cuppa which as we had plenty to talk about, became a glass of wine. There was an invitation to join her for a bite to eat in the evening so walking there and back took my step total up to over 14,000. A bit of a counter balance to what I'm sure any reasonable person would think is my excessive intake.

8.8.20: After two days swinging the lead, I got myself back on the treadmill. There was music in the square to enliven the market. Joined Penny and her husband for a tea and then JJ and his family who invited me for lunch. In the evening Nicole suggested that we meet for a drink and needless to say we ended up having a bite to eat. Don't laugh, I had egg, chips and salad.

7.8.20: An early morning call from Françoise to meet her as she was coming to the village to participate with her grandson in the treasure hunt organised by the Tourist Office. Every week during thesummer it's in a different village of the Community of Communes. Alas, 9h30 was too late; the "treasure had already been found even though the clue wasn't that easy. Françoise played the game anyway to keep her grandson occupied for the morning and as I'd left Agnès sleeping, I stayed on at the café to catch up with the papers. By the time I arrived home, Agnès was just about ready to join me, so back we went for a coffee and to wait for Bruno, Christine and Florence who'd gone off to Spain to do some supermarket shopping. Down to my last three bottles of cava, they came back with enough to keep me going for a little while more. The twitching can stop! After an apéritif we came back to mine for a salad lunch which with 40° on the terrace, we ate inside! Just flopped for the rest of the day.

6.8.20: These next two days I had the pleasure of the company of the the Normandy folk. An apéritif at mine and then dinner in their gîte before coming down to the square to hear the music close up. Only thing was, that the singer had just that minute finished his last song. Nothing else to do but give him a clap, find a table and have a cuppa. Rather than drive back to her Aunt's, Agnès stayed over.

5.8.20: These last couple of days have all been about ordering, collecting, signing on with a provider as as "Sod's Law" would have it, mobile reception with my internet provider is rubbish and then eventually setting up my new phone. Went with Michel to Perpignan to do the business. It was really too hot to queue outside the phone shop so no sooner than I paid my money over than we headed for a cup of tea in a shady courtyard with this elegant statue. Nothing else would do for me than a Lapsang Suchong. Agghhh! have just looked up the spelling and found conflicting information as to whether black teas and Lapsang in particular are good for you or not. Think I'm drinking too much. Need to stick to rosé!!! 

Couldn't linger too long though as Michel had to visit friends to help sort out a computer. The couple are well travelled and the appartment is like a museum with artefacts from all over and the appartment itself on the top floor of an early 20th century building is a fabulous. A huge terrace and only a stone's throw from the centre of the town. Eric, who's an internationally appreciated painter wasn't there. Couldn't help but feel a little jealous of such a lovely home as I settled down to feast my eyes on my surroundings while Michel worked.  Michel is the "go to person" for a number of people and as you can see is mine, too, coming the next day to get me up and running.

3.8.20: Spent a lovely. Full but relaxed. No treadmill this morning which was just as well as I needed time to revive myself before meeting Ann, Lynn and Dani who had bought cake and biscuits to go with our coffee. Michel stopped by too. Rounded off the morning with an apéritif and then it was onto Jacques' for lunch. He'd prepared all my favourite things; guacamole, duck breast, sauté potatoes and green salad, chocolate dessert and of course, a bottle of cava. Had thought that I'd spend a quite afternoon but Agnes, from our twinned town, was here staying with family nearby so came up for a cuppa and catch up. No sooner than she had left than it was time to meet Nicole at the café for apéritifs. More cava and a grazing board. all very simple, all very good. What better way to spend a birthday than with friends.

2.8.20: Usual Sunday morning coffee by the side of the fountain, a lazy afternoon and Michel at the house early evening to talk mobile phones with me. Yes, finally I'm going to ditch the one that's always lying in the bottom of my bag unloved and unanswered. He didn't fancy listening to music at the bar (Kevin singing and playing "light" blues) so it was just Jacques and I. It was busy but we were at one of the far tables and not eating so there was no table service. We decided to go along to the resrtaurant to see if we could get a drink there and lo and behold Jacques proposed a glass of champagne. He'd remembered that it was my birthday. As the restaurant would be closed for the next 2½ days, the patronne gave us a half full bottle to save her throwing it away. Imagine! Needless to say, we were happy to oblige. at midnight, Maud brought out a dessert with a candle out and sang "Happy Birthday". Mindful of people sleeping, we tried not to make too much noise and carried on chatting. Was surprised to arrive home and find that it was 2.30am!

1.8.20: Once again we ate tapas and drank rosé at the restaurant after the market so that we could sit and listen to Jacques and three friends provide this Saturday's entertainment. They had hoped to play last week which was why we went and ate tapas but the banda had beaten them to it and they couldn't play. Hence our action replay.

And the Socialising Continued!

19.7.20: Made a late arrival for Sunday morning coffee and turned down an invitation to join Philippe and Françoise for lunch. With a heavy day yesterday and dinner at Martine's on the cards tonight, it was the most reasonable course of (in) action. 

Walked over to Martine's with JJ for a very pleasant evening on her terrace with it's beautiful views. David and Laura were came to so not only did we have the pleasure of their company but also got to enjoy a berry fruit pavlova, Laura's speciality. Walking back went a little way to dealing with a few of the excess calories.

The next few days were quiet with just a couple of coffees with Nicole and a trip to the supermarket with Ann.

23.7.20: Joined the "rump" of the language exchange group for a chat and a cuppa. Dined out this evening at Jean-Jacques's where the chat was much more politically orientated. Well, it would be. He'd invited two of his colleagues who'd stood with Antoine in the municipal elections and their partners. One also works at the Mairie in Perpignan where she's having to get used to the new right wing++ Maire. JJ excelled himsalf with a veal and olive dish and I was on dessert.

Before the end of the month, there were invites for tea chez Monette with Nick and Lizzie on 24th. Monette (80) runs a painting club in the village and despite being ill is a larger than life character with a huge heart who has a soft spot for the English. We did actually start off with tea and biscuits (that I'd made as gift) but soon moved onto quiche, red wine and lemon mousse. Followed on 27th by coffee at Anne and Ian's in their garden served with every precaution as they're shielding . On the 28th it was tea at Nicole S's and didn't I deserve it after a walk up to her place under a sun that was beating down even at 4.30pm and the next day tea at Josettes's. Josette is an elderly woman (90) who looks on me as her "go to person" should she want to know something about village or association activities. She'd made a lovely, gooey chocolate cake, some of which came home with me. And of course there were meals to eat!

25.7.20: After the Saturday market in the village where the local "banda" was playing and an apéritif at the bar, six of us (David, Laura, Jacques, Nicole, Martine and moi) went to the restaurant for tapas and wine. Had just enough time to digest that before heading to Jeanie and Daniel's for a pool, cheese, wine and honey  party. Jeanie, an American had been to Italy recently where she discovered cheese being paired with honey, wanted to initiate us to it's delights. We were able to tell her that mel y mató is a popular Catalan dessert! Columbus "discovering" America springs to mind. Still, despite not going in the pool, it was a pleasant late afternoon sitting in the shade chatting and gently supping chilled rosé.

 28.7.20: Dinner chez Anna and Gérard on their roof terrace with some of the neighbours. It was a late night but so what. Don't think that we disturbed the neighbours.

 

31.7.20: The hottest day of the week and I took it into my head to give the "pub" a good clean. Dust and cobwebs are no more. It's once again a pleasant, cool space in which to take an apéritif. As you'll probably have realised, it was done with precisely that aim in mind. JJ, Jean and Françoise came for an apéritif, dinatoire before we went over to the bar to listen to music. JL is laying on music twice /week and is able to take advantage of putting tables on the square in order to cope with social distancing and were happy to park ourselves there. The baby swallows already sleeping were even farther away.

And so, the month has slipped by as quickly as ever, it's been very hot and sticky. Temperatures up to the 30°s and there have been interesting skies, too.....

How Quick it is to get back into the Swing of Things!

8.7.20 - 18.7.20: Catching Up

You'd think that with over 4 months just drifting along that I'd be raring to get into cleaning, sorting, organising and other worthwhile activities ...... ah, no! Frequent trips to the café for an internet connection were more of a priority; not that I managed to have an uninterrupted run at it as there was always someone to talk to. At least I managed to download the Guardian  and something to watch for later on. In my defence, I have been on the treadmill most days, so it's not all indolence.
There's been a lot of catching up going on during these last few days which I've found pass just as quickly here as they did in UK. Several sessions over coffee, mostly with Nicole but also once with Ann and Lynn and once with Carmen. As you can imagine there were times when food was involved too.
The village had 5 positive covid cases of which one person was hospitalised for a day. People are laid back about mask wearing and social distancing of 1m is fluid. The tables at the bar are reasonably spaced but people have a tendancy to come quite close to speak to you though the Brits are noticably more cautious than the French. So far, I've not kissed or hugged anyone.
Thursday, 9th:
It's our turn to receive our Normandy counterparts this year and the pressure is on to organise a visit at the beginning of October. I have my doubts it will happen but we're going ahead to show willing. After the meeting we ajourned for a drink and ended up staying for a bite to eat. Martine, Dominique and myself from the committee were joined by Antoine, the mayoral candidate that lost.
Friday, 10th:
Was invited to Rosie and Maurice's for an apéro and BBQ. Walked there and back and to my delight I found that the phone and internet were back on again. What will be my excuse now to go to the café. Come to think of it, I don't need one, do I?
Saturday, 11th:
During my absence a small local producers market has been established. There's a real buzz and the café and restaurant are doing a good trade. Whiled away the morning over some chilled rosé and then stayed on for a salad lunch with Martine and Carmen.
In the evening I joined Jacques and his friend Antony for dinner at the restaurant. Foie gras as a starter and steak to follow. No room for a pud.
Sunday, 12th:
Went with Jacques who was driving Anthony to the station in Figueres so that I could do a bit of shopping on the way back. Catalunya has had a rise in positive cases so masks are obligatory even in open spaces. The town of Lleida SW of Barcelona has returned to lockdown.
Monday, 13th:
Apart from a coffee with Nicole, I just pottered at home.
Tuesday, 14th:
The French national day was a low key affair with the fireworks cancelled and the apéritif after the

ceremony and parade was a sit down affair instead of the usual free for all. Fewer people were present and the Mayor's speech was lacklustre. He certainly lacks the flair, depth of reflection and vision of André. Official stuff over, I head over to the bar to meet Nicole and we were later joined by Martine, Antoine and Carmen. Rosé and a bowl of chips to share made for a pleasant end to the morning.
Wednesday, 15th:
JJ is back from a 3 week trip around France visiting friends and family and the pair of us were invited to Jean and Françoise's for an apéritif dinatoire along with Thérèse and her granddaughter. That meant that I spent time in the afternoon making a Peach and Sour Cream Ring Cake. It went down well thank goodness.
Thursday, 16th:

Had a coffee with Nicole, bought some farm cheese at the market and to my surprise and delight, the stall holder, who I know from years back but who has only just started coming to the Thursday
market gave me a generous piece of goat and sheeps' semi hard cheese. Oh, my god, is it delicious. I couldn't get over how kind she was.
Had lunch at the restaurant with 4 Brits (Ann, Terry, Angela, Paul) and Roland who is French. The two other tables on the terrace comprised of 14 Brits from the village. Couldn't believe it. It felt uncomfortable, for me anyway, especially as the table of 8 was loud mouthed. As the French would say it brought me out in a rash!!
Met Nicole this evening in the bar to listen to Joan (Catalan for John), a singer/composer from the village and sod's law wasn't the loudest mouth from lunch time there, along with 4 other blokes.
Friday, 17th:
Took the bus into Céret and met Jean and Françoise for a coffee before heading off to Henri and Michèle's for lunch en famille. Was great to catch up with them after so long and to find that they'd both come through the lockdown well. Both are 80. Michèle celebrated hers last year and it's on the cards that Henri and another pal will be celebrating theirs in September all being well.
Saturday, 18th:
Met folk at the bar while watching all the activity at the market and of course drank some chilled rosé. All very jolly with a mixture of Scots, French and me. Jacques, cooked dinner of pork chops and chips for the two of us. Not the best move on my part as I was due to have dinner with JJ at the restaurant in the evening. Couldn't be impolite and refuse, now could I?
Preceeded dinner with an apéritif at JJ's which was nice and relaxed. Dinner was on me by way of a thank you for his help from a distance with my tax. He certainly earnt it dealing with me and my anxieties. It was a pleasant and not too late an evening and there wasn't a Brit in sight!
Weather:
A bit of thunder last week and a couple of very light showers. Temperatures between 26° and 31°
Covid Update:
Figueres, just over the border has 45 cases and people there and in Barcelona are being asked to stay home. There are a handful here in the Departement; all seem to be following stays in Catalunya. Some speculaion that the border could be closed but nothing concrete.

Back Home

7.7.20: What a Welcome!
Took a taxi from Jill's to the airport and by the time we got there it was tipping down with rain. The carparks were empty, there were few people around and our flight had the lounge to itself. Only 5 flights went out.
The flight, about 2/3 full,  was fine; for once I booked a window seat so didn't have people passing by breathing down on me. Even though masks were to be worn through the flight, Ryanair served cold drinks and snacks! Landed ahead of time in warm sunshine. It was lovely to see Jean and Françoise there waiting for me.
Imagine my surprise when I rounded the corner of the square to find all the neighbours out, clapping. Jacques was playing bagpipe music from his telephone and there was a "welcome home" banner strung across the street. had to hold back a couple of tears, I can tell you.
I was then kidnapped for a soirée on Jacques roof top terrace though not before I'd taken off my gortex boots that I'd travelled to Scotland in back in Feburary. They caused a few laughs but wearing them was the best way to get them back. Jacques had even done duck breast which is my favourite meat; others had brought apéretif nibbles, salad, cheese, fruit salad and little cakes.
It was about midnight when I arrived home; the suitcase stayed downstairs where I'd dumped it, the phone and computer were plugged back in (neither of which was working!) and I just rolled into bed.
Weather:
Wet and windy in UK, warm with sunny blue skies on arrival