Michel and Lucas 'party.

So, Saturday the 22nd of August is the big day for Michel and Lucas. Earlier in the year Michel was 50 and Lucas was 18. Michel is divorced, lives in Perron and has two sons, Lucas and Rafael. We don't know them that well but they were all invited to our aperitif evening so we are invited to their celebrations in the village hall. We had been told that 107 people were expected for the day. It is the custom to take a present but we had been asked to make a financial contribution instead as they are hoping to take a trip to Spain. Something we were only too happy to do, much easier than buying a present!
The invitation stated that aperitifs started at 12pm but after conferring with Sophie we went down there at about 1pm as the aperitifs usually go on for quite some time. It was another hot day, the village hall doesn't have air conditioning but all the doors and windows were open. There were 3 long tables running down the hall with the top table joining them at the top end of the hall. The decorations were red and yellow, the colours of Spain in deference to Michel's ancestry.
There were already a lot of people there, most of them clustered around the bar, and we first went round everyone that we knew, shaking hands or kissing them. Drinks were free, I asked for a sangria, and people were circulating with beautifully presented "nibbles". Not long after we arrived Michel,Lucas and Rafael arrived all three of them on mopeds with their names as their number plates. We had another glass of sangria and carried on chatting. By 2 pm there was still no sign of people making their way to the tables so we had another drink, tonic water this time due to the fact that there will be wine served with the meal.
Finally, at about 2.30 people started making their way to the tables. Sophie had sorted out which table we from Perron were going to sit at so Nigel and I stood guard, repelling invaders, until the rest of our party was seated. Many at our table were helping with the service, the meal was catered but the service and clearing was undertaken by friends.
We started with melon, dried ham, pate, tomato and lettuce with a very nice dressing accompanied by rose wine. Next came the fish course, an unnamed fish with an extremely tasty sauce. The main course was a thick slice of rare roast beef accompanied by the eternal haricots (tinned of course!) and bottles of red Bordeaux. This was followed by a slice of sheep's cheese with black cherry jam and a green salad. Finally the dessert was birthday cake. It seems to be the custom that the cake has to be shown to everyone before it is sliced up and apportioned out. Lucas brought his cake round and Alain "paraded" Michel's cake. Then of course coffee and Armagnac was served. By the time we stood up from the table it was 6.30pm and we were all replete!
Many people then left to take a breather before the next round of festivies and we were only too happy to do the same. We went back again about 9pm and it seemed that most of the guests had been back home for a breather as well. The bar was, by this time, sadly lacking in soft drinks although there still seemed to be whiskey and pastis available. Opting for safety we shared a beer and a lemonade which combined to make a lukewarm, flat shandy!! Standing outside in the cool of the evening we could see the two huge pans of paella being prepared for the next round of eating. We chatted for an hour or so and then the karaoke started!!!!!!!! Oh dear!! We both decided that it would be good to make a quiet exit, too much noise and it looked as if it would be quite some time before the paella appeared, not that we were hungry anyway.
It was certainly a good time and another insight into life in Castandet (quartier Perron.)