France, Summer 2010: Week 4

Sunday 20 June - Saturday 26 June

Services at the Anglican church based at Conas, a hamlet next to Pézenas, are on the third Sunday in the month and this Sunday was the first opportunity we had ever had to go.  The priest is an American Episcopalian, called Val, married to Linda.  They live at Florensac.  Going meant getting up at 8 am after a late night (for us) at the Vignes et Tradition dinner but we made the effort.  It was OK and the people seem nice.  Otherwise we stayed in, having an afternoon nap to catch up on sleep.  The weather was bright but very windy and rather cold.  John phoned.

Next day I (Roger) felt a bit poorly by late morning (sick/headache) so didn't do anything really all day, no lunch but did manage dinner.  The weather was sunny but very windy.  Delia had been invited to "tea" by Tania (she's Belgian) last week and so she went.  Tania lives on the Chemin de Vailhan, next to John and Helen, whom we met at the supper on Saturday.  Tania's house is let as a gîte and she has an apartment on the side of the house, where she lives when the main house is let.

On the Tuesday Roger was still not quite better and so stayed in all day, although we did get a little sun on the terrace as it was sunny and still quite windy.  Delia went to the French lesson at Sheila's on the Caux road at 4.15 pm.

On Wednesday the proper hot weather arrived and went to the beach at Serignan Plage in the afternoon.  The route there and back was via Pézenas, as Delia had seen on a newspaper placard that the A75 now reaches Béziers.  Actually, there's a short stretch on the old road in the middle but generally it makes the route much better and there weren't the traffic jams on the Béziers bypass that we've come to expect.  We later found out that this was the first day that the A9/A75 junction was open.

We got some fruit from a stall by the road on the way and also stopped at the Intermarché on the way back.

After the effort of beach-going, Thursday was a do-not-much day.  I (Roger) updated the instructions about the Neffiès house, so it's now called "Useful Information about House V6".  This was partly because of the A75 now going to Béziers.  I also added one revised photo.  Talked to Pam, who is now a granny (the baby is called Max) about giving me a lift to Luton Airport when I return from Wales, and also Mum.

On the Friday we decided that, despite the heat, we should try to do some walking. Also we had been looking at what property is available in Neffiès at a price we can afford and so we went past one of the houses currently for sale, at the end of Chemin de Moussalou.  Nice location and looks like it has good accommodation etc, but could we afford €400?  After that we went past the settling pond, up the hill to the pylon and back down to the village past the mine shaft.  Very hot, even in the late afternoon.  Met Ted and Jenny in the village, who asked if we were going to the "spectacle" in the evening.  So we had dinner early and went to the show in the new square (Place de la Chapelle).  The posters said 8.30 pm, but it was actually 9.00 pm when it started.  So we bought drinks and talked to Marie, our neighbour and her sister from Bordeaux.  Also Natalie, Jenny and two of our neighbours over the road were there and said hello.  The show was a very talented woman, talking and singing and using shoes as props.  All in French, of course; Delia understood some and Roger hardly anything.  Never mind, a good effort and a great setting.

Saturday was shopping by herself in Pézenas for Delia, buying plants amongst other things, which she potted afterwards in the courtyard.  Roger stayed at home and did things like e-mail Simon and Christine Ward.

France, Summer 2010: Week 3

Sunday 13 June - Saturday 19 June

On Sunday we did not very much except sunbathe on the terrace until it was time to go to Pézenas to the pictures for 5 pm.  The film was "An Education", in English with French subtitles, at the cinéma le Molière.  Great film and a good experience.  There were not many people there, we wondered how they finance it.

Dinner was aperitifs, then fishy salad to start, then more of the cassoulet we started yesterday, then a bought strawberry tart for me.

Monday  was yet another day of poor weather and I (Roger) just stayed in and read my book and played with Picasa.  Delia went to the reading group at the library (l'après midi de lecture) in the afternoon.  And another day of miserable weather on Tuesday.  Morning at home as usual, then a nice new walk after lunch, mostly on the flat, in the direction of Roujan, easy walking on farmers' tracks.  Started raining properly just as we got back.  Delia then went to her French class at 4:15 and then the only entertainment left was dinner.

We booked for the coming Saturday's festivities (Vignes et Tradition), for our paella lunch (from l'Escampette) and our dinner of "un repas accompagné de chants occitans  (entrée, cuisse de bœuf à la broche et ses légumes, dessert et café)".

Wednesday was a fairly nice day but not desperately hot, so we did another new "flat" walk.  This was an extended loop, again on farmers' tracks, starting out going more or less mid-way between Roujan and Caux, looping almost to Caux and then back.  We discovered a "monastery", actually we think a convent, with an interesting restored church, called Mougères.  A lovely walk, great views from near Caux:

On Thursday we did very little, just stayed at home, because I (Roger) thought it not a good idea to push my "housemaid's knee" any more.  It still doesn't hurt.  But on Friday we went to the beach!  We chose the one at Vic la Gardiole because the weather forecast said the wind wouldn't be so strong there.

In the evening before dinner we went to the private viewing of the art exhibition by Bérénice, Bo, Jenny and Jocelyne, at Jocelyne's house literally at the bottom of our street.  Lots of English people there from the village, surprising to find so many.  Then home to dinner a bit late-ish.

Saturday was a big day, the day of the village all-day event, "Vignes et Traditions".  The stalls etc were a bit like a cross between a village fête and a normal French market.  There were demonstration of things like horse shoeing (horses from the Camargue), stone carving and eau de vie making.  We had paella for lunch at Place Jean Jaurès, paella because saffron is grown locally, and chatted to various people, French and English.

At 5 pm we were due to go on a "balade vigneronne" but around about then it rained heavily and the wind blew hard and all the stalls were soaked and quickly dismantled.  The balade vigneronne did take place eventually, we learned later, but we missed it.  The evening meal at the Salle Polyvalente (should have been outside but too wet and cold!) was fun, with an excellent meal: moules, melon & charcuterie & snails & pâté, beef & flageolets, cheese & tarte au pommes.  There was music in between courses and at the end and people danced.  The "band" was one man with a guitar & mike and karaoke machine, but he could sing and play the guitar.  It was a bit too loud.  We sat with John & Helen, who share their time between the UK and their house in Chemin de Vailhan; and Chris & Jo, who have a house just around the corner from us at 8 Place Paul Gauffre.

France, Summer 2010: Week 2

Sunday 6 June - Saturday 12 June

On Sunday the weather was overcast but no precipitation was expected so after lunch we went for a walk.  Chose to go along the side of the hill towards Fontès and back through the vineyards on the plain because of my housemaid's knee (which started just before we left the UK) just in case.  When we got back, Delia discovered something had got into her boot that was a little more disconcerting than a stone:

  
On Monday we stayed in mostly, because Delia was going to see whether the reading group was going to happen. Nice hot day. Delia went to the library to see Bérénice, joined the library again and got some books out. But the reading group is next week, even though it's normally on the 1st Monday. Time will doubtless clarify this. I put some screws in the kitchen drawer to stop the cutlery getting underneath the dividers. Salade, Merguez sausages & apple or apricot tart for dinner. Then we went for a walk up to the crossroads, along the road towards Vailhan and down past the mine shaft. 

Tuesday was a miserable day generally, raining a lot of the time even if getting gradually better.  It was cold enough to be fully dressed in the house, even in the top room.  Delia to French lesson chez Sheila in Avenue de Caux at 4:15 pm.  Wednesday was the same, another day with miserable weather with more forecast to come!  So we stayed in and read books.  And the forecast was correct because on Thursday it was raining again.  Read books, and tried a cold flannel from freezer on my knee.  It doesn't hurt, just looks a bit strange having such a knobbly knee.  Then went for a walk mostly on the flat, Caylus Road, water mill, Caux road, the lotissement.  Skyped Mum, she has water retention in her legs and the heart nurse told her to take 3 water tablets.  But she thought thery weren't doing anything so has gone back to 2!  Tried Skyping sister Christine as she was showing as on line, no reply, but did Skype Maurnreen successfully this time. 

The day started better on Friday and we thought we'd go to Auberge du Presbytère at Vailhan for lunch, without booking.  This time they were open and had room.  The presentation was superb, especially starters and puddings.  The main course was a bit meat-heavy for us and my (Roger's) pig was a bit too rare for my taste.  But there was a mis-en-bouche, an avant-dessert and home made biscuits with the coffee.

After that (Delia driving because I'd had an apero and wine) we went to Pézenas (it was raining by then) to get a knee support for me and have a mooch around the arty-farty shops for something for the house to buy with our gift from Rothwell church.  Then to the Intermarché for some shopping and home.  Dinner was a Delia "Salade Campagnade" as we'd had quite a lot for lunch.  We opened a bottle of fizzy wine from Alignan du Vent, which we bought at the Neffiès cave.  Very nice and we saved half for tomorrow using the magic fizzy stopper. 

On Saturday at last the day was brighter with some sun.  But we thought it not quite enough to go to a beach so we went for a walk instead.  This was after lunch.  The walk included a path I'd noticed on Google Earth, the other side of the pylon at the top of the hill on the Roujan/Vailhan side of Neffiès.  It turned out to be an access path to the pylon, but we found a way down to the Vailhan road through the garrigue.  Here's the path just before we turned to the pylon path:

Then we took the farmers' road on the valley floor to the direct Vailhan-Neffiès road and walked along that and then back down the rocky path.  There was still a little sun left for Delia to lie in on the roof terrace afterwards.

The rest of the fizzy wine was still as nice as yesterday.  The swifts are around, as they have been since we arrived.  In the evening they zoom over our roof terrace, sometimes just over our heads in packs of four or five, excitedly cheaping away.  They go so fast you can hear the whoomph of the air.

France, Summer 2010: Week 1

Sunday 30 May - Saturday 5 June  

The week started off on Sunday in Rothwell, with the continuing visit of people from Droué.  We had a mother (Séverine) and her two children, Louis (9) and Rachel (7) staying with us.

On the Sunday morning we went to church as usual, but Roger had only one job to do, reading the Gospel, as Bishop John was taking the service.  Simon presented us with a card and a bundle of Euros on behalf of the congregation, to say "thank you but not goodbye" to us for our work for the church, especially during the interregnum.  When we counted it later it was €220.  Then we took our French visitors down into the bone crypt (they'd been on a tour during the morning in a vintage bus) and eventually home for lunch.  There was supposed to be an event at the Heritage Centre at 2 pm but as it was we had enough trouble finishing lunch to get them to the Blessing of the Fair by 3 pm.  After that the fair was open and they had a jolly time trying to make themselves sick.

After this we went with our guests to the Panters' house, where some of their relatives were staying, for a barbecue.

Next day we got up very, very early (clock set at 5 am) to go to the Proclamation, which started at 6 am.  This is a quite bizarre ceremony and it's really difficult to understand why so many go to it.  It was our first time in our 36 years in Rothwell.  But it was all very good natured, even the rather staged scuffles.  The best bit was when the Bailiff's horse did an enormous wee outside Rothwell House Hotel just as Bob was about to read the "whereas heretofore" bit.  Bob the Bailiff sounds like a character in a children's story, doesn't it?

We and our guests had "full English" breakfast at Rothwell House Hotel.  As you can see below, Rachel thought it great fun to have such a vast cooked meal for breakfast!

The visitors had to be at Montsaye for their coach back to Droué at 10 am, so after breakfast and before that we went back home and taught them how to play Beetle.  Rachel wasn't very keen on losing.

After seeing them off we went back to bed for an hour or two.  We were quite shattered.  There was one more job to do, apart from packing, before leaving for France on Wednesday.  That was reading the eulogy at David Rudkins' funeral, on Tuesdy morning.  The church was packed and the service was OK.

Delia's car had developed a fault the previous week with the heating fan, which made it run on maximum whatever the settings.  This was very noisy and distracting and I (Roger) needed the car to go to Wales in July.  The garage couldn't look at it until this Tuesday, so we took it in before the funeral.  As it was they did very well and managed to have it fixed just in time, around Wednesday lunch time, but it did make us late leaving for France.

We had intended to leave by 2:00 pm to catch the 5:20 pm crossing, but didn't leave until 2:30 so missed that.  Then Evreux was closed!  The autoroute out of Rouen had roadworks on it and the exit to Evreux was blocked.  We got off as soon as we could and went across country to Dreux, then to the F1 at Chartres, where we had booked for the night.  But that was around midnight French time, a bit late even if it was only 11:00 pm UK time.

On the Thursday we had a good journey from Chartres to Neffiès, arriving at around 6:30 pm.  We went to Pézenas on the way for Delia to ask our bank to sent letters etc to the Neffiès address and also to go to the Intermarché.  The weather was warm and sunny. 

On Friday we went to Béziers after lunch to take one of the Liveboxes back, because Orange had sent one by post the last time we were here.  We did some washing before going but not as much as we'd hoped.  We bought fuel in Béziers but otherwise just came home and spent the rest of the day getting the house tidy.  Had veal for dinner.

Next day we got lunch ready & dinner (lamb carbonnade Nîmoise) before doing the rest of the washing and having lunch.  Then to the beach at Serignan Plage until quite late.  Perfect day for it and a good start in our aim to do absolutely nothing for a while.