Scottish Reunion

We were in the town earlier on in the day and a film set during the 2WW is being filmed there and took this photo as we wandered around.
The President of the Association invited all the group who went to Scotland chez elle to relive the experience with a couple of cds that had been made of the photos. She was the hostess but the association bought the drinks and we all took something to eat. I made a really wicked chocolate mint cake which was just jam-packed full of calories ..... the weight is creeping back on and with no early morning walks disater looms! Must get into the habit of using the treadmill; maybe next week ....

Norman Cuisine

Thanks to Valérie and Guillaume there were several local products sitting in our cupboard just waitng to be eaten. As one of them was a jar of tripe from Caen, it was decided that there would be a comparative meal chez Michel as Philippe was there on a visit. There were chips again, normandy pâté, cider, also from Normandy and an apple and calvados ice cream, home made in our new machine. After our long leisurely lunch, there wasn't much else to do apart from have a little siesta.

Helping the Local Economy

Stayed on at the bar after the language exchange as Christian had a strong desire for Moules-Frites and who am I to deny him?
Friday we managed to catch up with Rowena for lunch at a new restaurant where she lives. Simple but well cooked though overpriced for what it was. Zig-zagged down into Spain as far as Figureres where we had to pick up Christian's leather jacket which was in for repair. From there we headed off to Argelès for a "devernissage". There weren't many of us there but the artist appreciated our presence. we gave Juste and Joséphine a lift home but stopped off on the way for something to eat. Another thre course meal and goodness knows how many more kilos.

Sweltering Skies

The weather is hot and Christian's computer has been playing up but thanks to Michel it was sorted out. It took two days, mind you.
Wednesday afternoon a couple of the Association's members openned up their house to visitors. An old stone farmhouse it's just full of interesting things to see. Anne is particularly talented on the interior design front. as you wounld expect, the visit ended with an apéritif on the verandah

All That Jazz

Still very hot so we didn't hang around a long time at the market and came back to the bar for a drink (ie, Perrier). Didn't stay there very long either as 50 people (including screaming kids) turned up for a paella to celebrate a birthday. We settled for salad at home.
In the evening there was the last organised meal of the season: boules de picoulat. Not exactly summer food but they were good.
Sunday and it's still very hot but the ironing couldn't wait and it does feel good to have two empty baskets. The course of antibiotics has now fnished so it was a real pleasure to take a glass of cava when Jany came for an apéritif before we joined André, Jeannine and Marie-Louise for a meal at the bar. Rosie and Maurice were playing jazz and the terrace was full. A good buzz, music, fine weather and a better than usual meal under the stars all adds up to my idea of life in the south of France.

Behind Closed Doors

I did venture out behind sunglasses and a large hat to deliver Association massages on Tuesday morning but apart from that I stayed in until Thursday night. By that time the mark on my face was fading past and I needed a change of scene. There was an evening of sardane made even livlier with a raffle and bar selling soft drinks, muscat and beer. Nothing to tempt me away from "I'm-not-drinking-until-the-antibotics-are-finished"! Today the highlight was a trip to the supermarket and a Perrier at the bar.
Large parts of France are on a heatwave alert, not here though it is very hot. Shutters closed, fan on was the order of the day.

Ever Quieter

Had an early morning trip to the clinic rather than the GP, as today's a public holiday, to get some treatment for an inflammed and swollen ear. It's something that's happened before and while not painful spreads up the face and itches like hell! A course of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, pain killers and something to counteract the side effects of the antibiotics should sort it out. We gave the fiesta a miss, without a burkkha to hand, I prefered to hide away and sleep.

An Even Quieter Day

Today was even quieter. Just a drink at the bar this morning and the computer this afternoon.

Winding Down

After all the excess of yesterday, this weekend was a much quieter affair. No market, just a drink at the bar after two machines of washing and a bit of cleaning up. Yes, the family have moved on to their next holiday stop in Savoire. The day had been announced as "rouge" but in the end with 800km of traffic jams it was reclassified as "noir". Is it any wonder that we prefer to stay at home in the summer?
We couldn't even be bothered to put in an appearance at the "moules-frites" evening which was enlivened by a very loud disco that could be plainly heard from our terrace. Took me ages to get to sleep so got stuck into a book that Diana had lent me. "To the Island" by Meaghan Delahunt which is about a dancer teacher and lone mother who sets out from Australia to Greece to track down the biological father that she never knew and who had been arrested and tortured during the period when the Junta took power. According to a Guardian review "the novel is strongest in evoking Lena's struggle to feel at home on the island, out of season but ...... fails to think at all about her son's lack of connection to his own father, a friend with whom she had a one-night stand. I'll reserve judgement until I get to the end.

Three Apéritifs

This evening we progressed from one apéritif to another. First there was a vernissage of photos at the Mairie, then it was onto the camp site where there was sangria on offer. At home Valérie was in the kitchen .... pineapple cocktail to start off with on the terrace followed by cod in a creamy tomato sauce and cheese. The ice cream machine had been in action again. Vanilla ice cream and pineapple sorbet accompanied by meringues to finish off the meal. All delicious.