I'm back!

I came back to France this time determined to maintain the blog from time to time so here we go.

We started off spending a week with friends visiting us from England. We tried to warn them that the weather wasn't up to the usual South of France standard but I don't think they quite believed us. Fortunately we had clothes to lend them.............

Fredi and Seb suitably attired for the South of France

Of course we still got out and about and had a lovely time in spite of the weather,

Better weather for the cherry festival

 but saperlipopette  was it cold! (that's my latest and favourite French word, from the local newspaper and translates as Zounds or Struth)
Since they went back last Thursday we've been to dinner with Marie-Renee and Michel, our friends from Pennautier, and at the weekend visited two gardens taking part in the national Open Gardens Day. One was in the grounds of an old water-driven forge near Montolieu, the book village (like Hay-on-Wye)

and the other was the restored gardens of the Abbey of Fontfroide. It was actually sunny for the latter, this being Sunday, and not only were the gardens lovely, but there was a quintet playing classical music under the trees.  My customary detailed examination of the local papers (!) meant that we were able to time our visit to include one of their performances.

Quartet Dolmitia +1

Jon was more interested in the design of these chairs with seats and backs made from sprung steel.  When you sit on them they give and are almost bouncy. Amazingly comfortable.

This week we have started to follow up on our constant feeling that the house is over-large and the village not the most lively.  So we have approached two estate agents to request valuations.  We need to know how much we are going to lose by selling, and this is just part of trying to make things easier for the boys if we still own property out here when we die!  Cheerful subject? 

To be continued.................................

Springy seat

 

Knives in the kitchen and table tennis trauma.

Pretty thing!

What a year for accidents!  In late July I stabbed my hand with a kitchen knife, opening a cardboard box, and cut the nerve supplying sensation to the thumb. I had it surgically repaired but, the repair being delicate, was forbidden to use scissors or secateurs, to open bottles or jars or, worst of all, to play table tennis or badminton or ride my bike.  I managed a bit of left-handed gardening and started power-walking to make up for the lack of exercise then went to France in September.
By the time I came back on October 10th I was looking forward to being allowed to resume all my activities so I went eagerly to table tennis the next day. After 2 or 3 games I slipped in some water on the floor and did the splits at high speed. I would not recommend you try this for the first time at 67! Definitely best left to toddlers or gymnasts. The main muscle of my hamstrings tore away from the pelvic bone and the resulting internal bleeding caused the whole leg to swell and bruise alarmingly. Back to square one.

After weeks of limping or sitting around with my leg up and ice packs on, the swelling has almost gone and I am now able to get around reasonably well and use an exercise bike. The orthopaedic surgeon does not recommend surgery at my age (!) so it's lots of physiotherapy and hoping to regain about 80% function over the next 8 to 12 months. The muscle will remain detached.
I think my badminton days are probably over but will try table tennis again eventually, if I dare. I've been teasing Jon that at least my fall was a sports injury, unlike his. 

 This is how my foot looked when the blood and fluid finally ended up there.
 




























If you're wondering about the thumb, there are recent signs of nerve regrowth. It's not exactly sensation but I can feel a sort of tingling when it's touched. So I keep prodding it to see what it's up to. It will just take its own sweet time, but it does seem to be trying.

So that's me for the time being. I'm so glad I slipped in a wonderful week hiking with my French friends in September in the Cerdagne mountains near the Spanish border. The memories of that will have to sustain me over the winter. I'll post some pictures of that trip next

Old school friends

Cold drinks at the wine bar in Trebes

I just had my old school friends, Paddy and Bev and Bev's wife Elly staying with me here in France for a few days.  Four days is not long enough really to adequately show people the area, but I did my best. 

 

At LasTours

Queen Elly in the Tour Regine

Bev and Paddy in Cabaret

Some view



Courtyard supper - note tub of ice cream in front of Paddy!

 

Farewell photo. The old house will miss you.

The favourite trip was to Las Tours but we also walked along the canal at Trebes, visited the old walled city of Carcassonne,  looked at the climbing rocks at Notre Dame du Cros, picnicked, saw flamingoes at Bages, and rescued an injured dog at Peyriac sur Mer. Lots of eating and drinking too, of course. But still to come, for the next visit, the upper reaches of the Montagne Noire, the very different countryside of the garrigue, exploring the origins of the Canal du Midi, the amazing city of Minerve and ..................

Colourful last-minute shopping.

What, more peppers?

After they left I threw myself into the huge task of drastically pruning the fig tree which was taking over the courtyard, as the weather was expected to turn very stormy.  It didn't materialise in fact but it made me get on with the job.

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Recycling a la francaise

Our village is in the process of introducing kerbside recycling. It seems the French (or maybe this region particularly) does not perform well in recycling. So they're introducing an incentive scheme. New bins will be equipped with barcodes identifying their household and the landfill waste will be weighed as it is collected. The individual's council tax will be reduced according to the diminution of household waste. Great idea to incentivise recycling but they won't let us use it. I thought it would be great for us as we pay all year round for about three months services and it looked like we'd get something back. However, they've taken away our old bin and will only provide us with yellow bags. I protested vehemently at the Mairie but was told that we should examine our next council tax bill and if we felt we were being overcharged, there was a period during which we could challenge it. So that will be the next French Bureaucracy challenge!

Cherry picking

We tend to come out to France in May/June and September/October. These periods are marked by asparagus and cherries in the spring,  and mushrooms and nuts in the autumn. We've done the asparagus to death so now it was the turn of the cherries, and our friends kindly took us along to a PYO orchard. It was the first day it was open and the cherries were thick on the branches,

 so it was easy to (over)pick them.  We had nearly a bucketful
in about 20 minutes but couldn't stop.
It was a bargain for us at €1/kg (instead of €5 or more) but the owner was telling us that it was more profitable for him than paying pickers and selling the cherries on the market.

Afterwards we sat in the courtyard with a cold drink, stoning them for jam and pies.

Carpets and cupboards

The carpet saga is finally OVER.  We have a full stair carpet and it looks great.  So, if you can stand the wait, and have 18 months to spare, give it a go.
On the other hand, we put the microwave in for repair the day after we arrived, and it has only just been done.  At least that's what the website says.  It has apparently been sent from the workshop back to Darty's shop so with any luck we may have it back in time to go home! This year for the first time the house will be occupied in July and August so at least our tenants will reap the benefit. And the flower tubs will benefit from their presence, so I'm looking forward to seeing them in good condition when we return in September - they're usually practically dead by then.

The cite at night

There was a fascinating (bizarre?) art installation in the cité this week.  Images were projected onto the walls of the château at night. They were repeated patterns in strong colours which started off static and then moved. The pattern changed every 3 or 4 minutes and some sequences appeared to distort the walls of the building, giving the impression of perspective or of a distortion of the flat surface, which moved around. I can't say I found it very artistic but the experience was worth seeking out, sitting on the wooden decking in the courtyard in the darkness (and a warm evening - the first for over a week) watching this display moving in front of us.