Another year, another fete! The local fete is always held on the weekend nearest the 14th July. On the Saturday evening our friend Helene invited us round for aperos before the evening's events along with Corinne, her daughter,Florian, her son, Gerry, a mutual English friend, and his daughter Eva. It was very hot so we were all able to have a swim in Helene's pool before relaxing in the garden. We then went to the village square where the evening's event was to take place. After a drink at the bar N decided that he was going to leave but I stayed as Helene woould take me back home. The highlight of the evening was an inter-village competiotion between 2 teams of young people, one from our village and one from a neighbouring village. An arena had been set up with tiers of seats around and the competiotion took place in the arena. If any of you can remember the old TV programme "It's a knockout" please try and imagine something similar but with the added attraction of "vaches landaises" - the large, horned cows that are used for the local "courses landaise" !!It was a hoot and I was sorry that I didn't have my camera with me. Try and envisage 2 teams of 4 trying to play football with a large cow trying to charge them! And that was only one of the "games" that was part of a couple of hours of the competition.
The next day there was a proper course landaise in the arena and I had intended to go along with Helene, Florian and Corinne but it was very hot (38C) and I chickened out at the thought of sitting in the sun for a couple of hours.
Monday was the last day of the fete and we were all going to the large meal which celebrates the end of the fete. Gerry and Eva called in here en route and we met up with Helene and family at the village hall. Helene had secured seats inside but we had found seats at a table outside as it was so hot in the hall. After some discussion, when we were adamant that we were staying outside, everyone decided to join us and relinquished their seats in the hall. It seemed, as the evning went on, that we would have been much better off if they had stayed inside as Gerry and Helene spent most of what should have been a pleasant relaxing evening jumping up and down searching for and screaming at their respective childres!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Long weekend in England.
Three days after Titch left I too was on my way to the airport at Bordeaux for a long weekend in England. As I was only going to be away for 4 days I took the car up to the airport. The purpose of the trip was to go to a party to celebrate the 50th birthday of Pam, one of my henhouse friends. The henhouse is a group of 20 or so ladies who met on line 6 years ago due to a shared interest in smallholding and horticulture. Pam, who lives in East Sussex, recently bought, with the help of Jo another henhouser, several acres of pasture and woodland to grow fruit, veg and flowers. Pam has spent a year clearing and planting and the party was to be held there.
I flew to Luton where Ali, another henhouser met me. I have met Ali before at a previous henhouse gathering at Jo’s in Yorkshire. Ali lives in Northampton and on the way to her home we stopped off at a garden centre to meet up with Ros, yet another henhouser, who I had not met before. It was good to meet her and sit and chat over a cup of tea. Then we said goodbye to Ros and drove up to Ali’s where I met her hens and had a look around her garden. I had put in a special request for fish and chips and her husband, Andy, arrived with them after he had finished work. What a treat!
Next morning Ali and Andy packed up as we were to be camping and they kindly lent me a tent. It took about 3 hours from Northampton to Pam’s via the M1 and M25. Quite a culture shock for me as I am not used to traffic jams and busy roads!
When we arrived at Smithlands there were lots of Pam’s family and friends already there as well as Jackie ( henhouse) and Phil who had come from Wales. I had never met Pam before but after all the years that we have been on the henhouse I felt that I knew her well. After a welcome cup of tea Ali and Andy put up our tents. Soon the rest of the henhousers arrived, Jo and Simon, Laura and Peter and lastly Holly with her adorable cocker spaniel puppy. We set up a table close to our tents and drank champagne and had lunch. There was just one glitch! Ali had forgotten to pack the adaptor which we needed to blow up the airbeds! Ah well, I’ve slept on hard ground before so I can again - I have plenty of padding!!
The afternoon was spent talking but despite the fact that it was mid June - the 21st- it was quite chilly. There was a campfire going but so many people around it that we decided to despatch the men folk to collect wood and make us a fire too. That done the rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly. There were a lot of non-henhousers there - Pam’s family and friends- and in the early evening we all gathered together to toast Pam’s birthday. We had a look around the garden that Pam had made, what a lot she had achieved in just a year. The most spectacular plantings were of Sweet Williams, lots of them and some stunning coulour too.
Back to our campfire and the BBQ’s and more food came out. Ali cooked us a beautiful steak that had come from a Highland cow raised by Sue another henhouser and it was delicious. Lots more talking before the evening ended. Jackie and Phil and Jo and Simon were staying in a local B and B, Laura and Peter were off to stay in Brighton and Holly back to her home.
I went to my tent and zipped myself in and crawled into my sleeping bag and soon was as warm as toast. It was good lying there listening to the other people chatting and laughing as well as the sound of someone playing a flute. I slept reasonably well despite the hard ground, the worst thing was having to disentangle myself from the sleeping bag and undo the tent zips in the middle of the night to attend to a call of nature. Luckily Jo had given Pam, for her birthday, the hire of portable toilets which were much appreciated by everyone!
I was awake by 7 the next morning and got dressed and made my way to the fire which had been kept going all night. The kettle over it was boiling so I made myself a welcome cup of coffee. Pam was there with Jack, her grandson, so it gave me the opportunity to sit and have a good natter with her before too many people appeared. Ali cooked a wonderful breakfast, bacon and eggs which was much appreciated. Jo and Simon called in to ay goodbye and Ali and Andy packed up the tents and the car and we said our goodbyes to everyone.
We drove back to Northampton and in the evening I took Ali and Andy for a meal at their local pub. They had both looked after me so well and I hope that they will come over here one day so that I can reciprocate their hospitality.
Monday morning was an early start and Ali dropped me at the airport at 8am on her way to work in Luton. I was back home by 3.30pm after a wonderful weekend with some very good friends.
I flew to Luton where Ali, another henhouser met me. I have met Ali before at a previous henhouse gathering at Jo’s in Yorkshire. Ali lives in Northampton and on the way to her home we stopped off at a garden centre to meet up with Ros, yet another henhouser, who I had not met before. It was good to meet her and sit and chat over a cup of tea. Then we said goodbye to Ros and drove up to Ali’s where I met her hens and had a look around her garden. I had put in a special request for fish and chips and her husband, Andy, arrived with them after he had finished work. What a treat!
Next morning Ali and Andy packed up as we were to be camping and they kindly lent me a tent. It took about 3 hours from Northampton to Pam’s via the M1 and M25. Quite a culture shock for me as I am not used to traffic jams and busy roads!
When we arrived at Smithlands there were lots of Pam’s family and friends already there as well as Jackie ( henhouse) and Phil who had come from Wales. I had never met Pam before but after all the years that we have been on the henhouse I felt that I knew her well. After a welcome cup of tea Ali and Andy put up our tents. Soon the rest of the henhousers arrived, Jo and Simon, Laura and Peter and lastly Holly with her adorable cocker spaniel puppy. We set up a table close to our tents and drank champagne and had lunch. There was just one glitch! Ali had forgotten to pack the adaptor which we needed to blow up the airbeds! Ah well, I’ve slept on hard ground before so I can again - I have plenty of padding!!
 |
| Laura, Jackie and birthday girl Pam |
I went to my tent and zipped myself in and crawled into my sleeping bag and soon was as warm as toast. It was good lying there listening to the other people chatting and laughing as well as the sound of someone playing a flute. I slept reasonably well despite the hard ground, the worst thing was having to disentangle myself from the sleeping bag and undo the tent zips in the middle of the night to attend to a call of nature. Luckily Jo had given Pam, for her birthday, the hire of portable toilets which were much appreciated by everyone!
I was awake by 7 the next morning and got dressed and made my way to the fire which had been kept going all night. The kettle over it was boiling so I made myself a welcome cup of coffee. Pam was there with Jack, her grandson, so it gave me the opportunity to sit and have a good natter with her before too many people appeared. Ali cooked a wonderful breakfast, bacon and eggs which was much appreciated. Jo and Simon called in to ay goodbye and Ali and Andy packed up the tents and the car and we said our goodbyes to everyone.
We drove back to Northampton and in the evening I took Ali and Andy for a meal at their local pub. They had both looked after me so well and I hope that they will come over here one day so that I can reciprocate their hospitality.
Monday morning was an early start and Ali dropped me at the airport at 8am on her way to work in Luton. I was back home by 3.30pm after a wonderful weekend with some very good friends.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
When Titch came to stay.
My friend Titch came over for a week in early June. We are good friends having known each other for 20 years or so, so it is always good to spend time with her. She has a very busy life and I always like to try and make her relax whilst she is here, not easy! Sadly this year the weather wasn't very good so she didn't have much chance to lie in the garden and "sosk up some rays" However, I think that she found the calm and comfort of our spare room quite relaxing particularly in the afternoon around siesta time.
The plan was that I would meet her, off the airport shuttle bus, in the centre of Bordeaux as we were spending the night in Bordeaux. However, my friend Helene, had to go into Bordeaux in the morning so I got a lift in from her. We had lunch together and she dropped me off at the airport. Titch was quite surprised to find me lurking in arrivals! We csught the shuttle into the town centre and checked into our hotel. I had booked us a room at the hotel de l'opera which is right in the centre. It was not expensive but, thankfully, clean and adequate with a rather shabby charm!
We went out and had a drink at one of the many cafes in the square and then had a look around the nearby restaurants to see where we would eat later in the evening. I had done a search on the web so we were off to a good start as there are so many restaurants in the area. We decided to eat at the Mabley which was not too far from our hotel and I popped in to make a reservation. Back at our hotel we showered and changed in readiness for our night on the town!! Titch wore a dress and high heels, I hate the fact that she can still spend most of her day in heels, not something that I can do anymore.
A short stroll and we were soon seated at our table. The restaurant was empty when we arrived but it soon filled up and our waiter was very jolly and helpful. Four courses and a bottle of wine later we went back to the square and had coffee whilst watching the world go by before returning to our hotel.
Next morning we bought ourselves some patisserie and decided to walk down to the banks of the Garonne and find a place to have a coffee. Whilst we were walking down there a young woman was walking the other way and when she was almost in front of us she appeared to bend down and pick something up off the floor. She approached us and showed us what she had picked up which seemed to be a man's wedding ring. She asked us if it was gold and I took it off her and had a look, it appeared to be hall marked and I said so and handed it back to her. She then said that she hadnt time to do anything about it and started to walk off. We looked at each other and thought that we ought to hand it in somewhere and she then came back and asked us for money for food. What a scam!! I was so angry that I just threw it at her and it rolled off down the pavement. We carried on our way without a backward glance. After a welcome cup of coffee at a small cafe we went and sat by the banks of the river to eat our pain aux raisins and croissant.
We then strolled along for a while before crossing a wooden bridge over the busy main road and into the Place de Qinconces with its magnificient fountain and statue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_des_Quinconces
We spent quite some time there marvelling at the wonderful sight before walking on to the tourist office and buying cards and souvenirs before going for another coffee and watching the world go by and then back to the hotel to check out and leave our luggage to collect later
Then it was time to hit the shops in the rue Ste Catherine which is the longest pedestrianised street in Europe. We had a very pleasant break for lunch in a small restaurant situated in a small square where we were seranaded by three men of a certain age who were very entertaining. Another look around the shops on our way back to pick up our luggage and leave for the station to catch the train to Mont de Marsan.
I thought that I had left plenty of time and knew where to catch the tram but the best laid plans and all that!! The tram line that goes to the station was not running due to an accident, something which is almost an everyday occurence apparently. We were told to get the tram to the Place de la Victoire and then catch the bus from there to the station. The tram was crowded but we did manage to do the journey and arrived at the station with only 10 minutes to spare before our train left. We didn't have time to buy tickets and rushed to the platform where we had to find the station manager who would sort out the lack of tickets for us. One of his lackeys told us that he would be there shortly and that the train next to where we were standing was the one going to Mpnt de Marsan. What an idiot!! It was actually on the next platform and we saw it leave at that moment! Ah well, that's life. The next train was in an hour and half so we bought ourselves some sandwiches, rang Nigel to tell him of the delay, bought the tickets and went across to the cafe for a drink and to wait until the train was due.
I had a very daunting experience the next day when we played bridge together at the club in Mont de Marsan. Daunting because Titch teaches bridg and is a very good player. It was not helped by the fact that it wasn't just a normal afternoons friendly bridge but a nationwide competition. Not surprisingly we came last although Titch was kind enough to say that it wasn't all completely down to me but I didn't believe her!
On Friday Titch and I went to Dax for the day. Of course the first thing that we did was find a terrace on which to have a restorative coffee and watch the world go by. After a good look round the town we had a lazy lunch before another stroll around the town and a visit to the post office to buy stamps. Titch could not believe how long one has to wait in a French post office! A salutary experience for her. As we finally came out of the post office the heavens opened and the thunder cracked and of course our umbrellas were in the car. Luckily the downpour didn't last long and we made it to a cafe where I had a fruity, non-alcoholic cocktail and Titch had a disgustingly large ice cream confection before going back home.
On the Saturday Titch's son, Doug, wife Lucy and their 2 children called in. It was quite by coincidence that they were holidaying not far from here and I was so pleased to see them as I had not seen Doug for many years and had never met his family. After a chat and a look around the garden we all went out for lunch at a ferme auberge not far away, http://la.ferme.aux.cerfs.pagesperso-orange.fr/ where we had a very substantial meal before saying goodbye to them and returning home.
Sunday morning saw us visiting a car boot sale at Fargues and then another one on the way back home. On Monday I took Titch into Grenade to visit the museum of Rugby Titch had then hoped to have lunch at the hotel in Grenade where we had had such a memorable lunch during her last visit but sadly it was closed.
All too soon it was time for her to leave and I took her into Mont de Marsan to catch the train back to Bordeaux and thence to the airport. Thankfully we were well in time for the train this time and she already had her ticket! I was sure that she could have caught the later train but she was adamant that she wanted to get to the airport in good time. In the end it didn't matter as when she got to the airport she learned that her flight was cancelled due to a strike by air traffic control! I offered to go and get her as the next flight was 2 days later but, surprisingly, Easyjet paid for her to stay at the nearby Holiday Inn until the next flight.
There is a slideshow of our day in Bordeaux at the bottom of this page.
The plan was that I would meet her, off the airport shuttle bus, in the centre of Bordeaux as we were spending the night in Bordeaux. However, my friend Helene, had to go into Bordeaux in the morning so I got a lift in from her. We had lunch together and she dropped me off at the airport. Titch was quite surprised to find me lurking in arrivals! We csught the shuttle into the town centre and checked into our hotel. I had booked us a room at the hotel de l'opera which is right in the centre. It was not expensive but, thankfully, clean and adequate with a rather shabby charm!
We went out and had a drink at one of the many cafes in the square and then had a look around the nearby restaurants to see where we would eat later in the evening. I had done a search on the web so we were off to a good start as there are so many restaurants in the area. We decided to eat at the Mabley which was not too far from our hotel and I popped in to make a reservation. Back at our hotel we showered and changed in readiness for our night on the town!! Titch wore a dress and high heels, I hate the fact that she can still spend most of her day in heels, not something that I can do anymore.
A short stroll and we were soon seated at our table. The restaurant was empty when we arrived but it soon filled up and our waiter was very jolly and helpful. Four courses and a bottle of wine later we went back to the square and had coffee whilst watching the world go by before returning to our hotel.
 |
| Titch by the Garonne |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_des_Quinconces
We spent quite some time there marvelling at the wonderful sight before walking on to the tourist office and buying cards and souvenirs before going for another coffee and watching the world go by and then back to the hotel to check out and leave our luggage to collect later
Then it was time to hit the shops in the rue Ste Catherine which is the longest pedestrianised street in Europe. We had a very pleasant break for lunch in a small restaurant situated in a small square where we were seranaded by three men of a certain age who were very entertaining. Another look around the shops on our way back to pick up our luggage and leave for the station to catch the train to Mont de Marsan.
I thought that I had left plenty of time and knew where to catch the tram but the best laid plans and all that!! The tram line that goes to the station was not running due to an accident, something which is almost an everyday occurence apparently. We were told to get the tram to the Place de la Victoire and then catch the bus from there to the station. The tram was crowded but we did manage to do the journey and arrived at the station with only 10 minutes to spare before our train left. We didn't have time to buy tickets and rushed to the platform where we had to find the station manager who would sort out the lack of tickets for us. One of his lackeys told us that he would be there shortly and that the train next to where we were standing was the one going to Mpnt de Marsan. What an idiot!! It was actually on the next platform and we saw it leave at that moment! Ah well, that's life. The next train was in an hour and half so we bought ourselves some sandwiches, rang Nigel to tell him of the delay, bought the tickets and went across to the cafe for a drink and to wait until the train was due.
I had a very daunting experience the next day when we played bridge together at the club in Mont de Marsan. Daunting because Titch teaches bridg and is a very good player. It was not helped by the fact that it wasn't just a normal afternoons friendly bridge but a nationwide competition. Not surprisingly we came last although Titch was kind enough to say that it wasn't all completely down to me but I didn't believe her!
On Friday Titch and I went to Dax for the day. Of course the first thing that we did was find a terrace on which to have a restorative coffee and watch the world go by. After a good look round the town we had a lazy lunch before another stroll around the town and a visit to the post office to buy stamps. Titch could not believe how long one has to wait in a French post office! A salutary experience for her. As we finally came out of the post office the heavens opened and the thunder cracked and of course our umbrellas were in the car. Luckily the downpour didn't last long and we made it to a cafe where I had a fruity, non-alcoholic cocktail and Titch had a disgustingly large ice cream confection before going back home.
On the Saturday Titch's son, Doug, wife Lucy and their 2 children called in. It was quite by coincidence that they were holidaying not far from here and I was so pleased to see them as I had not seen Doug for many years and had never met his family. After a chat and a look around the garden we all went out for lunch at a ferme auberge not far away, http://la.ferme.aux.cerfs.pagesperso-orange.fr/ where we had a very substantial meal before saying goodbye to them and returning home.
Sunday morning saw us visiting a car boot sale at Fargues and then another one on the way back home. On Monday I took Titch into Grenade to visit the museum of Rugby Titch had then hoped to have lunch at the hotel in Grenade where we had had such a memorable lunch during her last visit but sadly it was closed.
All too soon it was time for her to leave and I took her into Mont de Marsan to catch the train back to Bordeaux and thence to the airport. Thankfully we were well in time for the train this time and she already had her ticket! I was sure that she could have caught the later train but she was adamant that she wanted to get to the airport in good time. In the end it didn't matter as when she got to the airport she learned that her flight was cancelled due to a strike by air traffic control! I offered to go and get her as the next flight was 2 days later but, surprisingly, Easyjet paid for her to stay at the nearby Holiday Inn until the next flight.
There is a slideshow of our day in Bordeaux at the bottom of this page.
Friday, May 14, 2010
May market.
I often go to market in a small town called Villeneuve de Marsan. It isn't a town that would be on a tourist itinerary just a typical French town. On a Wednesday, market day, it comes to life. There is still a small poultry (live) section and at certain times of year a foie gras market. In May the variety of plants on sale is astounding, vegetable plants, herb plants, annuals and perennials.
Due to the unseasonable weather this year, lots of rain and large variations in temperature I have lost most of my tomato plants which had been potted on for planting out this weekend. So, yesterday I set forth for Villeneuve to buy some replacements. When I got there it seemed that everyone else in the area was there for the same thing. The car park was crowded and the streets seemed to be full of elderly men driving elderly Renault 4s and equally elderly ladies treating the road as a pedestrian precinct! I did manage to negotiate these hazards and was lucky to find somewhere to park the car. Everywhere there were people carrying bags or boxes of plants. I managed to make my way through the crowds and join the queue at one of the vegetable stalls. The queuing was somewhat aggressive but I managed to hold my place. Patience is a virtue that I have learned since I came over here and whilst waiting my turn I looked around and watched the people.Where else but in France would someone say excuse me can I just get through to kiss my friend! The three people who were manning the stall were working at an amazing speed - no time to chat with so many people to serve. At the back of the stall were huge piles of boxes full of plants, mainly tomato plants - the French certainly love their tomatoes and even if they don't grow any other veg seem to find room for at least a couple of plants. Finally it was my turn to be served and I triumphantly bore away my plants. I was also tempted to buy a few annuals, I doubt if anyone could pass by such an amazing display of plants and not buy a few.
Due to the unseasonable weather this year, lots of rain and large variations in temperature I have lost most of my tomato plants which had been potted on for planting out this weekend. So, yesterday I set forth for Villeneuve to buy some replacements. When I got there it seemed that everyone else in the area was there for the same thing. The car park was crowded and the streets seemed to be full of elderly men driving elderly Renault 4s and equally elderly ladies treating the road as a pedestrian precinct! I did manage to negotiate these hazards and was lucky to find somewhere to park the car. Everywhere there were people carrying bags or boxes of plants. I managed to make my way through the crowds and join the queue at one of the vegetable stalls. The queuing was somewhat aggressive but I managed to hold my place. Patience is a virtue that I have learned since I came over here and whilst waiting my turn I looked around and watched the people.Where else but in France would someone say excuse me can I just get through to kiss my friend! The three people who were manning the stall were working at an amazing speed - no time to chat with so many people to serve. At the back of the stall were huge piles of boxes full of plants, mainly tomato plants - the French certainly love their tomatoes and even if they don't grow any other veg seem to find room for at least a couple of plants. Finally it was my turn to be served and I triumphantly bore away my plants. I was also tempted to buy a few annuals, I doubt if anyone could pass by such an amazing display of plants and not buy a few.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Holidays 2010
Holidays for three of us this year, me, N and Rambo! We left home on April 27th, mid afternoon, in glorious hot - 25C - weather. Cristel is going to be looking after the tomato plants that I potted on and will also water the garden if the hot weather keeps up. First stop was for 4 nights at Martin and Meike's in Ariege. Good to see them both again and to see Meike much better than we have seen her for a while. Ramo seemed to remember being there before and he and one of the dogs, Chai, must have remembered their previous "arguments" as they both kept well clear of each other! On Wednesday morning we went to Fossat to visit Ann and Mark a couple of Australians who are renting Jez's house and had coffee and a long chat with them. They are friends of Graham and Judy another couple of Australians who we knew well when they too were renting the same house. Then we went into Fossat and had a pleasant lunch on the terrace before N dropped me off in Artigat. There I met up with Meike and spent the afternoon at the Scrabble club, it was good to see my old Scrabbling friends and they too seemed pleased and surprised to see me again. On Thursday Meike and I went up to Andorra to do a shop and have lunch. We had good journeys there and back and were back at Landry by 3.15. In the evening I went with Martin to see the horses who were up at Janirou and then we met up with N and Meike at les Etoiles the old home of Sjef and Leonoor. It has been bought by Baas, Dutch and Julie, English and they are doing a lot of work there. They had a couple of Irish girls visiting them and we spent a couple of hours there drinking aperos and chatting. As we were sitting there I remembered that it was exactly a year ago since I was last there, with Leonoor, just after she and Sjef had split up and just before her return to Holland. I felt quite sad,
Thursday evening a couple of Martin and Meikes friends arrived, in camper van, to spend the night before continuing on to Spain. N and I went to Mike and Jik's for dinner and spent a very enjoyable evening with them. When we got back to Landry drinks were flowing! We both had a drink with the 4 of them and then made our excuses and went to bed whilst they continued well into the night.
On Friday morning we went back to visit Dominique and Ines at Carol, Jean-Marc was working. They have done a lot of work since we were last there. Where the old pig sty was they have installed a huge boiler and hot water tank. The boiler works on wood of which they have plenty and radiators are installed throughout the house. They are now in the process of converting the rear of the house above what was N's workshop and bathroom. It will make another bedroom as well as dressing room and bathroom. Dominique is expecting another baby in November so they will need the extra room. Outside there is now a manege for schooling the horses although I am not sure how Dominique has time to do that as she is working full time again. The garden is still a mess but they are still finding the time to grow some vegetables.
After saying our farewells we went over to Sainte Suzanne to visit Tim and Tina - always good to see them and catch up with their news. Then back to Artiat where we had lunch at l'Escale. We did sit on the terrace as we had Rambo with us but the weather was definitely cooling down. Back to Landry for a lazy afternoon before packing most of our belongings ready for departure the next morning.
So, Saturday the first of May, we set off for Provence. Our first stop was in St Gilles, clost to Arles, where we had lunch with Phillip and Christine. Phillip was married to a childhood friend of mine who died a couple of years ago. He has recently met Christine and she is charming. It was nice to have a lazy lunch and a long chat before leaving for the last stage of our journey to Massanne. The weather was definitly getting cooler and rain was forecast.
We arrived at the camp site, just over the road from a small beach on the Etang de Berre, at 5.30. The mobile home was fine and we soon unpacked and made ourselves at home. There is a small bar and restaurant just over the road so that evening we went over there and had a pizza. We ordered one each and they were huge so we brought 2 large pieces back home with us. The meal was accompanied by "entertainment" from a Dutch lady who had imbibed rather too much of the local brew!
We awoke the next morning to the sound of rain! We had breakfast and soon the rain stopped. I had a look on the internet for any vide greniers (boot sales) and found one nearby. When the rain stopped we set off to find it and got ourselves mixed up in a cycle race! Luckily we were just going through before the cyclists and found ourselves waved through. After browsing around the vide grenier we went back to the mobile home and had, guess what, pizza for lunch! Later in the afternoon I decided that we ought to find a seaside resort to visit.After looking at the map we decided to go to Sausset les Pins. We set the sat nav and off we went, through the town of Martigues and down to Sausset. Just before arriving at Sausset we went through the village of St Julian where we found another vide grenier so we stopped there to have a browse. Sausset is a nice little town with a large pleasure boat marina. It was very busy as the weather had cleared up and I suspect it is a popular place for day trippers from Marseille and the surrounding area. We had a walk along the beach, watched some surfers, and then repaired to the terrace of a cafe by the marina for a beer. It was very pleasant sitting there watching the world go by and we may well have stayed there to eat later on but for the fact that the waitress"forgot" to bring me my 5 euros change! Once reminded she looked somewhat shamefaced to say the least. In he end we ate at a Buffalo Grill on the way back home, France's answer to American dining!
The area that we are staying in is very watery! The Étang de Berre is fed with fresh water by the rivers Arc, Touloubre and La Cadière-d'Azur and – since 1966 – by the Canal de la Durance. Two canals link it to the sea: the Canal de Caronte leading towards Port-de-Bouc and the Canal du Rove which leads towards L'Estaque. However the underground portion of the latter is blocked by a rock fall. In central Martigues the road goes over the Canal de Caronte giving the town a seaside appearance.
On Monday we made our first visit to Nadine and her mother which was the main reason for us holidaying in this part of the world. We met Nadine when she sold us Carol, our first French home, and we became very good friends. Sadly her mother had a stroke a couple of years ago and Nadine is now her full time carer, not an easy time for either of them. The journey there took about 40 minutes, most of it on dual carriageways similar to that of the Toulouse ringroad - that is to say extremely busy roads and some horrendous drivers! They live in les-Pennes-Mirabeau between Aix en Provence and Marseille. We were so pleased that we had the sat nav as it would have been very difficult to find. After leaving the town we got to large commercial centre, drove past that back into wooded landscape and then to the housing developement where they live.
http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/bouches/pennesmirabeau/pennesmirabeau.htm
Their house is on a corner plot,hidden by high hedges and in a quiet area.It was so good to see Nadine again and she was so pleased to see us and of course Rambo! It took a while before Rambo and Nadines 2 dogs, Tommy and Ouska, made friends but they were all right in the end! Mme was up and in a wheelchair in the sitting room. Nadine and N went out, down to the supermarket, and I chatted to Mme. She seemed very bright and mentally not as bad as I had expected. When Nadine and N returned we had an aperitif and then lunch. In the afternoon we chatted and I showed Nadine and Mme photos of Carol. The nurse came to put Mme to bed about 6 and I helped Nadine get acquainted with her laptop. It rained all day so we weren't able to go out for a walk with the dogs. We got back home before dark laden down with leftovers from lunch which was very good of Nadine as I didn't have much to do to serve them up.
We woke on Tuesday morning to torrential rain and high winds - wonderful!! Luckily we are well prepared for the weather, we have the laptop with internet connection, Scrabble and books! Later in the morning we went to Auchan on the outskirts of Martigues for a few essentials. I also bought a pair of rubber boots as I had not brought any wet weather gear with me! In fact I spent the week in one pair of jeans and one or other of the two sweatshirts that I had brought with me! All my summer clothing stayed in the wardrobe waiting for warm sunny weather that never arrived!
We had lunch in the Auchan complex and then came back home via St Mitre les Remparts. It had stopped raining so we were able to explore the old town.
Wednesday was Nadine's 60th birthday so went went over to see her again. I had framed some photos of Carol for a present for Nadine and she was very pleased with them. Mme was in bed this time and she stayed there whilst we went out for lunch with Nadine. After lunch we spent the afternoon and the early part of the evening with them. Mme came out of her bedroom, in the wheelchair, for a while until the nurse came in to put her to bed. Nadine said how much brighter she had been whilst we were there, we said was it not possible for her to go to a day centre sometimes, somewhere where she would meet more people but apparently she refuses to go anywhere, not even into the garden. It was very sad to say goodbye to them both, Mme said why did we have to go, why couldn't we stay, when would we go back again. Nadine just looked so sad and exhausted.
Thursday, no rain but dull and cold. Went to Arles, walked round had lunch there before driving through the Camargue to Ste Maries de la Mer.Beautiful area but so busy and so many tourists (like us !). I fancy that a lot more land on the Camargue has been given over to rice production since we were last there. In the evening we had a very pleasant and reasonable meal of quail and chips at the bar over the road.
Friday another dull cool day but with the odd sunny period this time. The best part of the day was, for the first time, being able to talk and to see my grandchildren on Skype!! I had persuaded Rob and Julie to set it up for me. What a joy it was. We then went to les Baux de Provence an ancient village perched on top of huge rock outcrop.
http://www.lesbauxdeprovence.com/
We had lunch on the terrace of one of the many restaurants and at times the sun even made an appearance! Then back to our holiday home to pack and prepare for our departure next day before a final meal at the bar over the road. On our return from the restaurant I had another chat with my NZ family it being Saturday morning there and Dannielle's birthday.
Saturday we were away by 10am and set off back to Ariege where we were to spend the night before the last leg of our journey back home. On arriving at Landry we were amazed to see piles of broken branches. Apparently it had snowed - snow in May!!- the previous Tuesday and the wet, heavy snow had settled on the trees and broken off many of the branches. We had a pleasant evening with Martin and Meike and left on Sunday morning. We called in at Mike and Yiks to pick up a half lamb for the freezer - one of theirs that had been killed the previous week - before heading off to call in and have llunch with Kate and Peter on the way home.
Finally back in our own home at 6pm. Good to go away but good to get back as well
Hopefully, you will find a slideshow of our time in Ariege and Provence at the bottom of the page.
Thursday evening a couple of Martin and Meikes friends arrived, in camper van, to spend the night before continuing on to Spain. N and I went to Mike and Jik's for dinner and spent a very enjoyable evening with them. When we got back to Landry drinks were flowing! We both had a drink with the 4 of them and then made our excuses and went to bed whilst they continued well into the night.
On Friday morning we went back to visit Dominique and Ines at Carol, Jean-Marc was working. They have done a lot of work since we were last there. Where the old pig sty was they have installed a huge boiler and hot water tank. The boiler works on wood of which they have plenty and radiators are installed throughout the house. They are now in the process of converting the rear of the house above what was N's workshop and bathroom. It will make another bedroom as well as dressing room and bathroom. Dominique is expecting another baby in November so they will need the extra room. Outside there is now a manege for schooling the horses although I am not sure how Dominique has time to do that as she is working full time again. The garden is still a mess but they are still finding the time to grow some vegetables.
After saying our farewells we went over to Sainte Suzanne to visit Tim and Tina - always good to see them and catch up with their news. Then back to Artiat where we had lunch at l'Escale. We did sit on the terrace as we had Rambo with us but the weather was definitely cooling down. Back to Landry for a lazy afternoon before packing most of our belongings ready for departure the next morning.
So, Saturday the first of May, we set off for Provence. Our first stop was in St Gilles, clost to Arles, where we had lunch with Phillip and Christine. Phillip was married to a childhood friend of mine who died a couple of years ago. He has recently met Christine and she is charming. It was nice to have a lazy lunch and a long chat before leaving for the last stage of our journey to Massanne. The weather was definitly getting cooler and rain was forecast.
We arrived at the camp site, just over the road from a small beach on the Etang de Berre, at 5.30. The mobile home was fine and we soon unpacked and made ourselves at home. There is a small bar and restaurant just over the road so that evening we went over there and had a pizza. We ordered one each and they were huge so we brought 2 large pieces back home with us. The meal was accompanied by "entertainment" from a Dutch lady who had imbibed rather too much of the local brew!
We awoke the next morning to the sound of rain! We had breakfast and soon the rain stopped. I had a look on the internet for any vide greniers (boot sales) and found one nearby. When the rain stopped we set off to find it and got ourselves mixed up in a cycle race! Luckily we were just going through before the cyclists and found ourselves waved through. After browsing around the vide grenier we went back to the mobile home and had, guess what, pizza for lunch! Later in the afternoon I decided that we ought to find a seaside resort to visit.After looking at the map we decided to go to Sausset les Pins. We set the sat nav and off we went, through the town of Martigues and down to Sausset. Just before arriving at Sausset we went through the village of St Julian where we found another vide grenier so we stopped there to have a browse. Sausset is a nice little town with a large pleasure boat marina. It was very busy as the weather had cleared up and I suspect it is a popular place for day trippers from Marseille and the surrounding area. We had a walk along the beach, watched some surfers, and then repaired to the terrace of a cafe by the marina for a beer. It was very pleasant sitting there watching the world go by and we may well have stayed there to eat later on but for the fact that the waitress"forgot" to bring me my 5 euros change! Once reminded she looked somewhat shamefaced to say the least. In he end we ate at a Buffalo Grill on the way back home, France's answer to American dining!
The area that we are staying in is very watery! The Étang de Berre is fed with fresh water by the rivers Arc, Touloubre and La Cadière-d'Azur and – since 1966 – by the Canal de la Durance. Two canals link it to the sea: the Canal de Caronte leading towards Port-de-Bouc and the Canal du Rove which leads towards L'Estaque. However the underground portion of the latter is blocked by a rock fall. In central Martigues the road goes over the Canal de Caronte giving the town a seaside appearance.
On Monday we made our first visit to Nadine and her mother which was the main reason for us holidaying in this part of the world. We met Nadine when she sold us Carol, our first French home, and we became very good friends. Sadly her mother had a stroke a couple of years ago and Nadine is now her full time carer, not an easy time for either of them. The journey there took about 40 minutes, most of it on dual carriageways similar to that of the Toulouse ringroad - that is to say extremely busy roads and some horrendous drivers! They live in les-Pennes-Mirabeau between Aix en Provence and Marseille. We were so pleased that we had the sat nav as it would have been very difficult to find. After leaving the town we got to large commercial centre, drove past that back into wooded landscape and then to the housing developement where they live.
http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/bouches/pennesmirabeau/pennesmirabeau.htm
Their house is on a corner plot,hidden by high hedges and in a quiet area.It was so good to see Nadine again and she was so pleased to see us and of course Rambo! It took a while before Rambo and Nadines 2 dogs, Tommy and Ouska, made friends but they were all right in the end! Mme was up and in a wheelchair in the sitting room. Nadine and N went out, down to the supermarket, and I chatted to Mme. She seemed very bright and mentally not as bad as I had expected. When Nadine and N returned we had an aperitif and then lunch. In the afternoon we chatted and I showed Nadine and Mme photos of Carol. The nurse came to put Mme to bed about 6 and I helped Nadine get acquainted with her laptop. It rained all day so we weren't able to go out for a walk with the dogs. We got back home before dark laden down with leftovers from lunch which was very good of Nadine as I didn't have much to do to serve them up.
We woke on Tuesday morning to torrential rain and high winds - wonderful!! Luckily we are well prepared for the weather, we have the laptop with internet connection, Scrabble and books! Later in the morning we went to Auchan on the outskirts of Martigues for a few essentials. I also bought a pair of rubber boots as I had not brought any wet weather gear with me! In fact I spent the week in one pair of jeans and one or other of the two sweatshirts that I had brought with me! All my summer clothing stayed in the wardrobe waiting for warm sunny weather that never arrived!
We had lunch in the Auchan complex and then came back home via St Mitre les Remparts. It had stopped raining so we were able to explore the old town.
Wednesday was Nadine's 60th birthday so went went over to see her again. I had framed some photos of Carol for a present for Nadine and she was very pleased with them. Mme was in bed this time and she stayed there whilst we went out for lunch with Nadine. After lunch we spent the afternoon and the early part of the evening with them. Mme came out of her bedroom, in the wheelchair, for a while until the nurse came in to put her to bed. Nadine said how much brighter she had been whilst we were there, we said was it not possible for her to go to a day centre sometimes, somewhere where she would meet more people but apparently she refuses to go anywhere, not even into the garden. It was very sad to say goodbye to them both, Mme said why did we have to go, why couldn't we stay, when would we go back again. Nadine just looked so sad and exhausted.
Thursday, no rain but dull and cold. Went to Arles, walked round had lunch there before driving through the Camargue to Ste Maries de la Mer.Beautiful area but so busy and so many tourists (like us !). I fancy that a lot more land on the Camargue has been given over to rice production since we were last there. In the evening we had a very pleasant and reasonable meal of quail and chips at the bar over the road.
Friday another dull cool day but with the odd sunny period this time. The best part of the day was, for the first time, being able to talk and to see my grandchildren on Skype!! I had persuaded Rob and Julie to set it up for me. What a joy it was. We then went to les Baux de Provence an ancient village perched on top of huge rock outcrop.
http://www.lesbauxdeprovence.com/
We had lunch on the terrace of one of the many restaurants and at times the sun even made an appearance! Then back to our holiday home to pack and prepare for our departure next day before a final meal at the bar over the road. On our return from the restaurant I had another chat with my NZ family it being Saturday morning there and Dannielle's birthday.
Saturday we were away by 10am and set off back to Ariege where we were to spend the night before the last leg of our journey back home. On arriving at Landry we were amazed to see piles of broken branches. Apparently it had snowed - snow in May!!- the previous Tuesday and the wet, heavy snow had settled on the trees and broken off many of the branches. We had a pleasant evening with Martin and Meike and left on Sunday morning. We called in at Mike and Yiks to pick up a half lamb for the freezer - one of theirs that had been killed the previous week - before heading off to call in and have llunch with Kate and Peter on the way home.
Finally back in our own home at 6pm. Good to go away but good to get back as well
Hopefully, you will find a slideshow of our time in Ariege and Provence at the bottom of the page.
Funeral.
One day in April I received a phone call from a lady in the village who I have only met a couple of times. She told me that the mayor's mother had died, that the wake (veillée) was that night and the funeral the next day. It was obvious that we were supposed to participate somehow and I asked her if it was necessary for us to go to the wake. Thankfully, as we had never met the deceased, she said that no that wouldn't be obligatory but left me with the impression that we should be at the funeral. The conversation then went on to all deaths in the village as I was asked if we would like to be notified each time there is a death. I asked, tactfully, if it would be OK if we were just notified of people in our part of the village, Perron, and was told yes that was OK and she will give me a call when any happen!
I confirmed this with Helene and asked her if N should really be there as well to which she replied that he should be. Helene asked if she could go with us and we arranged to pick her up and she said she would get a small floral tribute for us the next morning.
So all spruced up and soberly dressed we picked Helene up at 1.45 the following day along with 2 small floral tributes. When we got to the church there were a lot of people there both inside and out. Following Helene's instructions N waited outside whilst Helene and I walked to the altar to place the flowers. Somewhat embarrassing as there were already so many people in there. Am not sure that the flowers were necessary as if everyone had taken some there would have been many more. We then collected N and seated ourselves at the rear of the church. It was the first time that we had been in the church in Castandet and I found it to be quite plain compared to many other catholic churches that I have been in. Soon the bells tolled and the coffin was wheeled (yes wheeled!) in followed by the family of the deceased. The parish priest, who we have met socially is in his 80's and a very pleasant chap, gave a long address and the service continued for about an hour. We left before the internment, Helene advising us that it wasn't necessary for us to be present. In a strange way the fact that we were almost ordered to attend gave me a feeling of belonging to the village. We must have done alright as we have recently received a card from the mayor and his family thanking us for our attendence and condolences.
I confirmed this with Helene and asked her if N should really be there as well to which she replied that he should be. Helene asked if she could go with us and we arranged to pick her up and she said she would get a small floral tribute for us the next morning.
So all spruced up and soberly dressed we picked Helene up at 1.45 the following day along with 2 small floral tributes. When we got to the church there were a lot of people there both inside and out. Following Helene's instructions N waited outside whilst Helene and I walked to the altar to place the flowers. Somewhat embarrassing as there were already so many people in there. Am not sure that the flowers were necessary as if everyone had taken some there would have been many more. We then collected N and seated ourselves at the rear of the church. It was the first time that we had been in the church in Castandet and I found it to be quite plain compared to many other catholic churches that I have been in. Soon the bells tolled and the coffin was wheeled (yes wheeled!) in followed by the family of the deceased. The parish priest, who we have met socially is in his 80's and a very pleasant chap, gave a long address and the service continued for about an hour. We left before the internment, Helene advising us that it wasn't necessary for us to be present. In a strange way the fact that we were almost ordered to attend gave me a feeling of belonging to the village. We must have done alright as we have recently received a card from the mayor and his family thanking us for our attendence and condolences.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
There is such a thing as a free lunch!
On Sunday the 11th of April the whole village was invited to a free lunch given by the fair commitee of Castandet. Apart from the pre lunch aperitifs everything was free. Aperos started at 11.30 but being used by now to the length of time that people will hang around the bar we didn't arrive until 12.30. Even then it was probably another hour before we sat down to eat. It did give us time though to chat to various people. Helene and her son Florian were there as well as Bernard and Pascal both neighbours of ours. Apart from them though and us we were the only ones representing our part of Perron. We met Nadine who is on the fair committee and she was verry chatty and pleasant, insisted that she bought us an aperitif.
We finally sat down to eat sitting with Helene and Florian. Florian was up and down like a yo yo and spent more of the meal time rushing about, outside with the other children,rather than eating. The meal as ever consisted of starter, entree, cheese, salad and pudding washed down with copious amounts of red or rose. As coffee and armagnac was served the singing started! One of the younger ladies had a microphone and she wandered around with it catching the sound, at one point she and a very elderly gentleman were smooching and singing. Then came the piece de resistance! One of the chaps started to sing
"Iam the music man and I come from down your way and I can play
What can you play?
Pia, pia, piano" etc etc this then goes on to include the miming of many musical instruments with the chorus being sung in between each one. Obviously he was singing it in French! Most people soon joined in myself included as ,amazingly, this is a song that I used to sing in the pub back in my youth!! By this time N was beginning to find the noise too much and decided that it was time to leave. I was enjoying myself and decided to stay as Helene would give me a lift back home.
It was perhaps as well that N left as soon afterwards Florian came rushing in screaming his head off. He had fallen, or been pushed, and had cut/grazed his leg. Helene immediately went into panic mode and asked me to look after him whilst she went home to get all the necessary first aid equipment! I am afraid, that hard mother as I was, I would have told him not to be such a baby and to get on with it! Anyway he sat next to me, sobbing, until she got back with a bag of stuff. She whised him off to the toilets to wash it, came back and sprayed his leg with antiseptc, at which he started screaming again. Then she dissolved an aspirin in water which he refused to drink and went off outside again to play with the other lads. So two outings with them which have ended in "injuries" and tears. What will happen the next time!!h
We finally sat down to eat sitting with Helene and Florian. Florian was up and down like a yo yo and spent more of the meal time rushing about, outside with the other children,rather than eating. The meal as ever consisted of starter, entree, cheese, salad and pudding washed down with copious amounts of red or rose. As coffee and armagnac was served the singing started! One of the younger ladies had a microphone and she wandered around with it catching the sound, at one point she and a very elderly gentleman were smooching and singing. Then came the piece de resistance! One of the chaps started to sing
"Iam the music man and I come from down your way and I can play
What can you play?
Pia, pia, piano" etc etc this then goes on to include the miming of many musical instruments with the chorus being sung in between each one. Obviously he was singing it in French! Most people soon joined in myself included as ,amazingly, this is a song that I used to sing in the pub back in my youth!! By this time N was beginning to find the noise too much and decided that it was time to leave. I was enjoying myself and decided to stay as Helene would give me a lift back home.
It was perhaps as well that N left as soon afterwards Florian came rushing in screaming his head off. He had fallen, or been pushed, and had cut/grazed his leg. Helene immediately went into panic mode and asked me to look after him whilst she went home to get all the necessary first aid equipment! I am afraid, that hard mother as I was, I would have told him not to be such a baby and to get on with it! Anyway he sat next to me, sobbing, until she got back with a bag of stuff. She whised him off to the toilets to wash it, came back and sprayed his leg with antiseptc, at which he started screaming again. Then she dissolved an aspirin in water which he refused to drink and went off outside again to play with the other lads. So two outings with them which have ended in "injuries" and tears. What will happen the next time!!h
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