Wednesday

We went down today to take some stuff to the Parchemin..and then to the Quillan marche for the last time this trip...had frites at Angela's..chatted with"the boys" and came on home to finish up.
The city workers came around today to pick up unwanted Large items...we had a stove and some stuff from the sheds that Michael has been tearing out. We had been unable to get the large oil tank up the stairs, but when Sissy heard the men outside she raced up the steps and asked them if they could come down to look..which they did...and were glad to help.
That is something that is different here, if you have things to go to the dump AKA Dechettrie..call the mayor and it is a done deal...also  you can offer any city worker a beer or wine and it is well recieved!!
The trick or treaters came on Halloween..very cute..about a dozen of them of all ages plus one mom..They all used their best English...

 the hill above the house..after the fire     Couisa is the town in the distance..A town along the Med.. just below Perpignan...on the way to Barcelona...the long way!!!yea!!!

A hotel in Funchal Portugal

It has been rainy/cloudy here for the last few days..Gone are the sunny warm days..

though tonight Michael and I took a long walk down the Antugnac road and it was warm enough to get a little sweaty in my sweater...I hope that tomorrow will be warm as they have been saying all week would be.. we will be saying so long to our friends here and getting ready to go early on Friday.  Paulo and Didier will come for us at 9 o'clock and it will take a while to load the car then on to Barcelona..

At the fete...toooo hot around 105 degrees...everyone collected bottles "splashed " the crowd!!

Paris   what can I say....I loved it..

..

It has been great, I hope that all of you can come for a visit , take a good long time  there is soooo much to see and do.. see you soon

coming home

well the time is drawing neigh...the bags are pretty much packed, some with clothes, some with gifts that we purchased while here. That is the good thing about taking a boat back..we are not too limited to what we bring. I will give the house a good clean on Thursday, do the remaining laundry. We have had the friends over for dinner almost every night for the last week..not all at the same time.. Jo and Stewart came for pancakes on Friday, Paulo and Didier came for Chicken chili, Marion and the American couple from the Gite came for potato soup and ham biscuits, and Tuesday Jean-Louis will come for pork roast.. I think I am done LOL
Jo brought me about 4 kilos of figs from her tree so I felt compelled to make yet another batch of jam...no more!!!! I am out of jars and energy. we have about 11 jars on the shelf, 6 in the kitchen and about a dozen packed for America..ginger/plum,white grape,purple grape, pear/kiwi and fig..
I am sad to go, but glad to see all my family and friends.
The weather here has turned cool, well actually cold..last year it was cool when we left so we missed the fall color.. this year it is amazing..I hope that we will be able to go down the Pierre lyse and do a filming of the color. It looks like someone put a multicolored quilt across the top of the mountain in blazing colors..
My French improves, at least in understanding, I can write it very well, but lack the courage to speak..LOL...with time I am sure to improve.. I have so many nice neighbors that I would like to converse with.
I hope to sneak up in the Chateau before we leave. someone has pushed down the fence so that I can get in...when it stops raining...
We will be finishing up the loose ends..going to the chocolate shop, the hat museum looking for some shelves for the towels now that we have gotten rid of the cabinet..putting out the things for the city workers to take away on Wed.. we have an oil stove and tank and a lot of bamboo that we cut..No more major projects this year.. the man was supposed to come to till the garden so that I could put in clover for the winter but alas he did not show...awww well.. Michael said that he would hand turn it, but the point was to have it done deep, and we don't need any injuries this late in the game...
While I was away a dear friend from grade school, Nancy Brown passed, July 27. Her husband passed last year, he was much older than she, but she was lost without him..Sad to have her go.
I got word this week that my friend Donna's husband has been sent home from the hospital with hospice care. He is a distant cousin on Dads side. He has suffered for several years with brain tumors, with little peace.
It makes you think, How fortunate I am to be able to put my feet on the floor when I get up each morning. Creaking down the stairs to go to the lu..not really such a big problem. Over the last 5 months I have learned that I can go down the mountain and COME back up, under my own steam..and not too much huffing and puffing!!
I have climbed many mountains, go figure... me at my age lol.
I have had great adventures on back roads and climbing around ruins of castles long forgotten.
I have eaten some wonderful foods, with great friends of many nationalities.
and lost 20 lbs..I am sure I will find them on the ship on the way home...
I have relaxed in my little garden down the path, and by the little garden on the side of the terrace. They both have brought me great joy.
I have used "solar" clothes drying methods that work great! I will miss that for sure.
I have lived without TV and loved it.
AND I lived without airconditioning!!!! and loved it.
I do look forward to sitting by the fire in the winter, talking to friends and family up close and personal,
real milk that has not been so pasteurized that it does not need refrigeration..The Mexico restaurant...and Pierces BBQ... We hope that Jo and Stewart will come to visit in the winter when business is not too good..then we can show them  all our favorite places and things...
well part of the message disappeared, but what can I say...  More later

up the stairs..to the street..from the front of the house...always up up up.and then up the street to the car park...that is the hardest climb..so straight up..lol

In the Resistance museum, a cool place..a must see when you come..

Dinner with Didier, Opening night, I hope he finds success in this venture.. we had   fish chowder... fish fried in butter , ratatouille, and crepe susette...yummmmmm and of course the wines that go with that sort of food...awww well.

"Boogie Rock" AKA Bugarach..it is where the bubba cools live and the space ships land...really...just ask my neighbor....there are some cool caves there to explore..

The Resistance

After we left the fair we went up the the Resistance camp, I can't remember how to spell it but it sounds like Maquee de Pecosell..I will look it up and let you know..it is so interesting..absolute silence except for the sound of  the aircraft that was pulling the gliders up today..after he unhooked it was silent..It is amazing to stand there where the original shepards hut was, where the young men met to plan the next step of their resistance to the Germans..It is even more so to look at the faces of the young men, ful of spit and vinegar, thinking that they could change the world, and willing to put their lives on the line to do so. Unfortunately they did not have the support that was needed and the struggle was difficult.

the tin in the middle has a spiral notebook, it is for people who visit to sign in.. I wrote in the book today that my Dad was there in Normandy , a young man doing what they did in those days...the two tins on the side of it have bullet casings that were evidently found at the site when they rebuilt, they are all melted, the Germans bombed the site when they took over the area...

This is a cool place to visit and Iwill take you there when you come..I think you all will enjoy seeing it..

More later...

Autumn Fest

We went out to Espezel for the fest today. Michael loves Espezel, it is up on a ridge that runs for quite a good distance about 20 minutes from us..but in the heat of the summer it is usually cool in Espezel, so that is where we head to cool off.. Today was Autunm fest there, very like the state fair..animals and farm equipment and food...not at all like the state fair..fresh made cheeses, sausages, aligot(mashed potatos with cheese), breads of every kind, pastries, jams and comfitures, ice cream and fruit...especially apples now..yummmmm.  We met Paulo and Didier there and had a lunch of sausages and aligot and fresh fruit juice

we then went to see the farm animals and farm machines..and the kids riding donkeys...they almost ran over me..

Didier  3 years older than  Jamie.....................................................................................................

Paulo 1 year older than my sister..................

great friends and such fun and both great cooks...good listners..

We all had fun and left at about 3 oclock...more on the next go round.. after the fair we went up to the resistance camp to take pics  then I came home and made MORE grape jam..this time it is a rich purple color  hope to bring some home..

 this one is for you Declan...tractors everywhere!!

More later...

Friday

We went to Carcassone with Pat and Mike,  Michael and I got new shoes, hikers for me and sneakers for him...only 12 E for him and 16 for me..and new red fleece gloves..1 euro  then we went downtown to a Tronc...consignment store..I saw an awesome table there that we could have bought with the money left from the sale of the cabinet..but did not get it...oh well...
We then went to the square and Mike went to buy us BIG Cookies and coffee...good coffee..and cookie.
Then we came home to Montazels..it was a good day and I am sitting down to plan out the next two weeks as activities are getting hectic and we want to do the things that we have planned and the things that folks have planned for us.. Didier is having cooking class on Wed..evening and I get to choose the menu..sure to be fish..he works wonders with fish...and who knows what else..
We want to make one more trip up to the resistance camp so that I can take some pictures, maybe film, Monday is market day a Mirapoix one more time...Jo and Stewart invited us to lunch on Sunday and the farmers fair is Saturday in Espizel...and we are to have a French lesson at home...hummmmm
I will miss my friends here and the activities that keep us busy all the time..I will miss my lovely garden that is still blooming with zinnias, and lavender and something else that I can't remember the name and roses, with the return of the rain the roses are in profusion...and in the big garden the last of the crocus are blooming and the last of the figs are on the vine..we trimmed one of the figs this AM to hopefully bring it down to a level that we can reach next year..the man is to come by and till the garden, he will do it for 10 euro..I am delighted. It is not a huge space but has not been properly turned for a while and I think it would be a lot for Michael to do by hand..though he worked at it in the spring...I am going to try to lay down the leaves from the fig that we cut today under the grape arbor to keep weeds under control next spring..
I will miss the trips out into the vast surroundings and place that we have yet to see...I will miss pizza on the plaza, and Angela's moms shepards pie and frites..though I did get some of the sauce Andalous to bring back to the States with me...
I will not miss French class!!!
I will not miss French drivers!!
I will miss the weather..though it is getting cool here now and seems much like Virginia..
I look forward to seeing my kids, and the hugs of my grandkids, and Pierces BBQ...
I look forward to seeing Sian
I look forward to being in front of my fireplace...and the holidays coming up.
I do not look forward to hauling all the Christmas presents that I have bought along the way, accross the ocean LOL
I have one whole BIG suitcase full of presents...I do have for each family an Advent calendar from Germany...the chocolate kind...
Oh yeah,, I look forward to more than one bathroom...oh yeah...of course I am grateful to have at least one...but more is better when it comes to bathrooms...LOL

Well I guess that is all for now...see you all soon...my pink rose...


Paris...hummmmm

Mirapoix market day

If it's Wednesday....

Very often I find that I have no idea what day of the week it is...but if it is Wednesday it is Market day in Quillan..
Today was cool and cloudy, but Paulo had coffee on and conversation to keep us entertained..
We took a quick trip to the Pachemin where I purchased some knitting needles..got another project to try...Oh help!  Then on to Limoux to the Lidl to get a lot of yummy junk to bring home, lebkuchen from Germany for a treat, tiny stollen, yummy .. It is Greek week so there were many Greek goodies as well..then on to the Pachemin in Limoux where I purchased a picture frame to put my Declans foot butterfly in and a few household goodies for little or nothing..then to L'clerc to get absolutely nothing...then to the super U for a few groceries...are you bored yet?  anyway then I came home to make dinner.Pizza and salad and little cheese and ham crepes...yummmm
Now I am making chicken chili for tomorrow night dinner with Paulo and Didier..Next week Mike and Marion are coming for Potato soup and Virginia ham biscuits...and pecan pie!!
Enough about food...
Friday we are going to Carrcassone with Mike and Pat to go to a Trok...a big second hand store..that should be fun... this week end is harvest festival and study with Joa, the French. LOL Sometime we are going to go back up to the resistance camp..to take pictures and I am going to write in the book about Dad...Monday we are going to Mirapoix for Market there...busy busy busy...
Note to self:  get a very short haircut next time...haircuts here are about $80...yuckkkkk
I look like a witch..long hair...and baggy pants
.  Last night we took a walk after dinner, down the Antugnac road and around to the tracks and up the very long steep hill... at one time it would have defeated me, but now I am the victor!!! I will need some type of activity to keep up the leg action in VA..
.I am going to get Michael to do a film of the house and neighborhood before we leave, maybe go to all our friends homes and get them on film so that you all can see and we will have to remember all by..
I am getting excited about returning and the cruise ahead...stopping off in Alicante to see Pete and Aury..
.I know that I have not done the Italy thing...willl try again tomorrow...needs time to copy pics and such..and I am tired now, going on 10pm...Thanks Bonnie for the school site! I will not let the language barrier defeat me either, though I always will speak French with a southern accent...but after all I am in the South of France!! More later

More more about Italy

You will note that More about Italy is quite blank...well after 45 minutes of catching you up on the travels and posting several pictures I was about to hit send, and the whole thing disappeared...the minute by minute save drafts were also gone...at that time I felt it prudent that I turned off the computer and moved on..so that I would have a computer the following day.. I have yet to have the heart to start over..I will try tomorrow..when I have recovered further...LOL
French class today..frustration...but have met a villiage woman that has offered to come and sit with us at the table and talk in French/English conversational...and teach from the beginning.. Unfortunately it comes at the end of my stay, but as she has been here 20 years, I imagine that she will be here in the spring as well!!
Very interesting person, built her own house on the mountain above us, not electricity, by choice..she lives simply, but has a cell phone..I look forward getting to know her.. many interesting characters here..
Yesterday we went to the hat museum in Esparaza..found out that the factory is just below us on the mountain and they still make the hats..very interesting will be sure to take you all when you come, well worth the visit and it is free.. I even saw some of my neighbors on the film about the factory..
Am tired now almost 11 so will sign off...More later...

more about Italy

Winding down

driving into Italy is  AWESOME, I am sure that if you look awsome up in the dictionary there will be a picture of the French Alps there. This is a little church by the road just as we came into the mountains. very sweet and there were a number like it along the way. This area is a feast for the eyes.

We stopped along the way, after about 8 hours at a little place by the lake in Sevines du Lac, it is a nice family run inn with food!! The views are wonderful and in the summer I bet it can't be beat. The price was right at  29 euro a room..they have a pool inside but none of us had a suit so...next time .

 

you will have to use your imagination on this one.. my photo shop will not let me flip at this time..we stayed at the same hotel on the way home and there were parachuters jumping from the mountain above..floated down to the lake and landed in front of the hotel..cool   really cool if he had hit the water!!

This photo was taken on day two at Mont Dauphin..google it..it is a fort that has been around for a long time...

There are still folks living and working there. There are a group of Artist working there and some nice shops to buy there work..and I did to some degree...Christmas is coming...oh my gosh...

There is so much to tell that I will continue tomorrow..I am beat. moved dishwasher into the kitchen and put the washing machine into the storage in place of the dishwasher..makes better sense to have the dishwasher next to the sink in the kitchen I think...and the washer works just as well in the back room...but all had to be removed from the cabinet surrounding the dishwasher which was also moved into the kitchen, much like a chineese puzzle..move A to slot c to get B next to A...and so on...so I have been moving stuff alllllll daly... so I will shower and get ready for bed..will take some time tomorrow afternoon to give the skinny on the rest of the trip..

Three weeks to go so have much to get ready..and get the house ready to leave..

More later 

Off to Italy

this will be quick, it is after 1 am and we are off to Italy  at 6 am...we had Jo and Stewart over for a pancake supper tonight..I really like Jo, but we have not had time to spend this summer as we both have had guest and such.. I hope we can spend more time when I come back..
I am looking forward to Italy, but am not feeling so good right now.. maybe better tomorrow... more later

French Class

Note to self:  don't try doing your French homework on "translate this"...it could be a disaster!! Each word changes the translation....her barber became her hairdresser with just the addition of one simple word, then she worried that her hair was too long, because her clothes were too big and on and on...oh nooooo!
It does not help that I am starting out in a moyen(middle) class...no beginner...so when the teacher says "bla, bla blaaaa, comprendez"...it is all Greek to me!! but I am muddling along...it is very like sign language , you have to be careful of the use of words so as not to insult...interesting

Steve, I saw your comment about the back roads...I would not care if I never used an interstate, autovia,auto pista etc  ever again, and here there are back roads sometimes very tiny, but always the way to something spectacular...when Adam was here we took a road and went up into the clouds, couldn't see 2 feet in front of us for miles and miles and the road turned to dirt at one point, but we plodded along, hearing the cow bells on the side of the road as we passed the fields and came out of the clouds above Allet le Bains on the top of a big white chalk mountain...really cool...We will be taking the "road less traveled" on the way to Mandello de Lario this week end..the cost of the autovia one way was about $100. so we felt it would be less expensive to get rooms for the night and take an extra 2 days to go and come home...we will sure see a lot more...will send pics of the travel...probably won't go over the Alps this time as it will surely be snow. there was about 10 feet of snow when we went over in May...

This is a picture of the crocus blooming in the garden..bright yellow and lots of them under the grape vines...up at the chateau there are hundreds of them on the terraces..

Steve I thought you would like the still life with my telephone table  LOL      you always liked the Victorian furniture..and I had to put the fruit somewhere while we were eating dinner!!

Car is in the shop, Micael and the tiny bridge down at the bottom of the hill had a little meeting...bridge 1 Michael 0...we will be foot bound for another day or so...but that is ok too...great exercise...and I can pull that hill now like it was nothing...amazing..my shoes are too big, my jeans are a joke( yesterday I was helping Michael take some shelves out of the room in the back and as we made out way out the door, my jeans were sliding ever downward...oops almost mooned the total of Couisa below!), I have had to change rings as my fingers shrink...but where I would like to loose...do I? I think not...ugh...keep on walking!!

I hope you all will make it over next year...I will have to make arrangements to be back for August when Andrew and Raelynne tie the knot...but will be here from May til then...already have passage booked for May and Nov. of next year...I will have to fly home for the wedding...and back again in Sept...I reckon...

close for now....more later

Sunday

Wow, I am tired..didn't sleep last night..not til 3AM got up at 7:45. We went to the store to get some things as we will be without car for a couple of days while it is repaired.
Michael and I went to collect rose hips for rose hip oil. It is supposed to be great for your skin, and very expensive..I know now why..took about an hour to get a half gallon collected and many sticks!!  then we went down to La Serpant, a town not far from here, where the purple figs are plentiful...came home and I finished off the making of the last of the grape jam,and made fig preserves..
The cool fall day gave way quickly to a very hot afternoon!! but it is cooling now and looking like rain.  I have a pan of root veggies roasting in the oven and pork chops to cook for dinner.
We went out to the orchard and got a 5 kilo bag of Canada Grey apples...yummmm..and finally got the stuff from home...just in time to go back..ha ha
It sure is nice to have my good knives for cooking and the measuring cups and such with dual measuring. I have to do a lot of guessing when I am cooking..can't read the labels..if I ever get a handle on this language I am going to write a book about shopping in France and reading lables... who knew that a cuillere a soupe is a tablespoon?? a cuillere a cafe is a teaspoon...oh well, we are all thriving so no worse for the wear!  next Sunday at this time we will probably be stopping for the evening on the way to Italy...see you all soon...

Late Sept.

Here we are in late Sept.  where has it all gone? It was a beautiful sunny day today. I washed sheets and hung them in the Garden....oops where they still hang  Oh well...too late now..anyway it is almost 9 pm here so it has been dark for a while.. as I was saying, after hanging the sheets on the line in the garden, Michael said" I am going up to the cross to take some pictures, do you want to go along?", I thought about it, my legs were aching from a walk up to the cross and down to Antiaque yesterday, and I thought it might be good to push them a little and I had been cleaning in the AM so walk or clean...guess which I choose!  but as it turned out the cross that Michael was talking about and the cross that I was thinking of were not the same... the cross above is up a small dirt road from Montazels, no more than a mile, all up, a good walk, especially on a cool autumn day... the picture below is where Michael had in mind to climb and we did for the most part..until I asked what time it was since I had French class today at 3..OOPs  down we start, he did not get to take the movie of the top of the mountain...but we did see a lot of the burned area. but walked from noonish to 2:00.

 

I was late to French class, but they had just been talking about personal stuff so I did not miss too much.., then Pat and I walked back up the hill to the house.  Later we walked back down to Couisa and had dinner at the Tatanka...Pizza and Kabob..kabob is a strange contraption that they put turkey or chicken, or beef on and cook it from the inside and in front of a fire as it turns around and around...smells wonderful, and tastes even better..after it cooks they shave it with an electric knife so that it is very thin and serve it on a bread similar to pita.  Yummmmm

We walked back up the mountain...now does that tell you how much my legs have done today? about 6-8 miles...probably uppppp and down!!

this was sunrise yesterday...we were as glad to see the sun as we were to see the rain last week.. the garden is so happy..I got enough grapes to make jam and have been able to make the herb garden a bit neater since we have had some rain...the sage is huge and has had several "haircuts" this year, the basil is growing as well.. before I close I want to show you my washing machine

A strange looking contraption, but after a day or two I made peace with it and we are best friends now..it will hold about 6-8 kilos of clothes and sounds like a B52 on take off when it spins but does it do the job!! I wouldn't mind having one Stateside!!! And since a trip to the laundramat here costs about 25 dollars, I am loving this machine!!!

I guess that is all for now, tomorrow I think that Michael and I are off for another adventure...who knows where, who cares..

Love to all , Unity study that French...I am studying possessif L'adjectif....ugh  Mon, ma mes...got that?

The kitchen table...I am sitting in the chair with my back to the cabinet waiting for the fig jam to finish. We went out before dinner and picked a basket full of figs some in our garden and some along side the road. The big brown figs are along the road everywhere. If the bush/tree/vine overhangs the road they are public property so you can pick what you can from the road.  There were some blackberries too but we would need snips to get them. They grow like grapes here but the crop has been not so good this year as we had little rain. I may go back tomorrow with my snippers and get those blackberries LOL

We went to marche today and picked up a few things.. I bought a beautiful reversable coat for 7 euro. It may come in handy when we go to Italy in a couple of weeks.

Michael made the corner on the bridge a little close yesterday and scraped the side of the car, that will be 700 euro to fix..and that seems a lot less than I expected as they may need to replace part of the door.. but maybe not.. It is a long scrape but not too deep..

They have been harvesting the grapes in the valley below us today. The picking machines have just stopped as it is too dark to see anymore. We harvested the last of our grapes..We had a lot but the heat and lack of water ruined most of them. We have both green and purple grapes in the garden. Before next year we will have some sort of hose set up. there is water to the garden, but no hose that works.

We are finding shopping very different here. You have to go to the specific location for the item that you need. NO Walmart!  You must go to the jardinier for your garden stuff, the eyeglass place for eye stuff, the pharmacy for most ointments and such and we just found a store that sells household stuff.

Now you can get some household stuff at the Carrefour,L'Clerk, Intermarche...grocery stores some somewhat like small walmarts...but the selection is small.  Now the Colorama(Lowes) wow I could spend the day there  LOL

We had sort of decided not to do too much to the house for now.. Tax bills came out and our friends Paulo and Didier got flogged for making improvements..the house was a complete gut..so anything is an improvement..and Paulo just finished a room that we had helped with. It went from a room full of rubble to a stunning bedroom...He has such vision, but do they ever have to pay for it...a 73% raise in taxes..ouch..

This house is quite comfortable, not fancy, just one WC, but 3 big bedrooms and a sleep sofa in the salon..a room downstairs that is now the storage room/cave..but could be emptied out, painted up and made into a nice sittling room for the time that it is too hot outside..it is always cool back there..It could even accomodate a futon and such to make a comfortable extra sleeping area...no window as it is built into the mountain, but when I am asleep I can's see out the window anyway..  but that is another time, and hopefully with no one noticing..HA HA

Well the figs are done, for now..I did not really have enough sugar so will finish tomorrow. While Kim and Billie were here I made
 two batches..Kim really loved it...and it just costs the sugar...

French lessons are progressing...ugh...  More later...

Castle adventure info

http://www.philipcoppens.com/perillos02.html   website about the castle that we found.

Monday

Wow, what a great day!  We went for an afternoon ride and ended up in castle...well it once was a castle..In the distance I saw a big round rock and said  hey look at that it looks like a giant round of brie...Michael said that it looked like a castle on one corner,  I could not see anything but we drove toward it and as we got closer you could see the shape better..then we were at a very narrow road going up the mountain and going up toward the castle. Up up up we went and finally there was a parking lot.. You could see for miles and miles and as we crested the hill you could see the Mediterranean  WOW it was beautiful..
Michael said  do you want to go up? and I said, we are here now so why not... It was well worth the climb..a huge space and the views magnificent.. there were a couple of rooms left and the well...what a find
We did not get home until almost eight...
It has gotten cool here and it is supposed to be dreary tomorrow.. right now I have to finish my homework, ha ha...got class tomorrow.. had to write something about myself..in French...She said it did not have to be true..ha ha... more later

Paris

It was a whirl wind trip, but I think Kim and Billie Kaye had a good time.. It started off a bit rough, our train was late making us miss the TGV so they had to put us on another train to meet with another TGV in Burgandy..but we had assigned seats on the origianal not so on the new one, so we did some seat hopping!
We got there and there was a LOT of walking, even to get to the Metro train..and Kim had to use a moving sidewalk, no easy trick for someone with one leg...but he did it fine...we got to the hotel that had advertised handicap accessable, but you had to go up one flight of stairs to the elevator(big enough for one person) and it only took him sort of to the third floor...after the first trip up he decided to use the stairs..it was easier LOL

this is the ridiculas to the sublime.....the KFC around the corner from us...and the pastry shop down the street!

anyway where was I?  It rained on the first day and I was so tired that I did not feel like eating...but Michael found an Indian restruant down the street and that was incentive for me to get out of the hotel....YUMMM

We went on a Battau Moouche...not spelled right but it is a boat on the Seine river, that serves dinner at night and you can see the lights of Paris...beautiful...I did not get any good pics from that but you can probably see them on facebook..

I am getting tired so will close now and complete tomorrow..
Unity I am glad that you like French class...keep in mind that it is good to take the class, but get your Mom or Dad to help you with the conversational part...that is important in everyday life...having someone to talk to is great! More later!!!

Monday

Today I spent the cool part of the morning in the kitchen. Potato salad, cole slaw, all home made..no such thing as store bought here...roasted the last pork roast for the barbecue..strange, there is no smoked pork shoulder, or boston butt here it would seem. If you ask for a pork shoulder you get a center cut roast...and the price is always right.  anyway..the barbecue was a great success, most here had never had it.. We had 14 in all, Marion(American) brought corn bread, Jo brought a greek salad, Val brought cruditeies, all brought wine...and Aurie(Spain) brought a wonderful cake, and for us figs, fig jam and blackberry syrup that she made while here. She and Pete will head back to Alicante Spain on Friday. Sad to see them go, but Michael and I will visit with them when we stop in Alicante in Nov. It is cool tonight with a hint of autumn in the air. The dinner went really well, and everyone got plenty to eat and the conversation was flowing everywhere. Our guests were Mike the American Jazz man been here 10 years, Marion the American who came for a month and didn't go home3 years ago, Jo and Stewart from Brighton, been here 2 years, Val and Martin ? British, Paulo and Didier, Jean Loui,Pete and Aurie, Alicante Spain,  cool lots of different experiences around the tables tonight. We ate on the terrace, it was wonderfully cool, I am tired... I made baked beans, something new and different to many here and what a hit..I had to go from scratch with the only bean in town  Harricott blanc..but a little brown sugar and molassas will make it work...LOL   tomorrow I will clean the house and get ready to go to Barcelona for Kim and Billie Kaye. can't wait...

Sunday August 28?

I never know what the date is, I am lucky that I know the day...oh well I had plenty of years that I had to mark the day so I am just going with the flow. This summer has flown by...it seems that it was just a few days ago that I arrived in France and now the summer has passed and Autumn is upon us.  On Wed. Sept. 1, Kim and Billie Kaye Robinette will arrive for a two week visit..I can hardly wait..on Sept. 8 we will take the train to Montpelier and there catch the TGV (fast train)to Paris. Exciting times..I am sure
Today our friends Gerard and Monique came for lunch...it was a lovely visit, even though I was the only one not talking...though Gerard trys to teach me Spanish, I am having enough trouble with the French thank you..LOL  Gerard is a jeweler in Quillan and Perpignan and all over the place really..he makes some wonderful pieces, especially with amber.  Monique brought an apricot tart and two hugh bouquets of lavender from her garden..the house smells great...I guess someone told her that Michael put the gas can for the scooter in the kitchen last night and it smelled to high heaven this morning..I does not anymore..
We went blackberry picking after they left, but the weather has been soooooo dry, no rain for weeks, so the berries have dried up..down the road there are some hanging like grapes, but up so high on the side of  the hill that noone can reach them..I want to take the "loppers" down and just cut the whole thing..they are all ripe, hundreds of them if we could just get to them..ughhhh..
We picked plums from the roadside last week and I made jam and plum cobbler...it was great..and didn't cost anything...you might find most any fruit or nut growing along side the road here...thought they did cut down alllll of the pomegranates on the Rue de Pomegranates making it now the Rue not of the Pomegranates!! disgusting...I will say..
Great weather , hot during the day and cool at night...loving it...
On a sad note, I found out that my friend Nancy Williams Brown passed away in late July, I am glad that I was able to meet with her before I left. We were friends since about the 4th grade, maybe even before...Nancy was born with a heart defect, she was not expected to live for 6 hours, then 6 days, and 6 months or 6 years..when we were in grade school, she was slender and willowy..huge blue eyes, but a lot of times dark circles under them due to here condition..Well Nancy made it well past the 6 hours into the 60s, Bravo...She was good and kind and will be missed by her family and friends.  Her death is a reminder to spend your life living not waiting to die...
Tomorrow whe have a crowd coming for barbecue...most probably have never had it...will be interesting... barbecue, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, a lot of work...ha ha...but fun
Yesterday I made zucchini bread...no one has ever heard of it here and wild about it..Didier said if I could make it he could sell 10 loaves a day...but in this tiny oven it would take all day to make 10 loaves..ha ha....very few ovens here large enough to cook a turkey in for sure...maybe a chicken...  anyway  that was cool...something new....squash here is translated to courgette. sounds so much nicer than squash..ha ha   I have been eating a lot of it since it is in season and plentiful...zucchini, tomatoes,onions in a little olive oil....a little garlic....ummmmmm.... off to bed now, tomorrow is a busy day...more later

Riding along

I like to just ride and see where the road takes me...so does Michael  so along we go..Monday we went to pick up the car from the safe spot in Couisa and he said "do you have somewhere to be?' and I said no...so off we went, through a couple of villages we had not visited and up the mountain,,,and up and up and up!!!
at one point we came to a curve on this road that was just wide enough for one car..and there on the other side of the road was  a bus stop!! Oh no I hope we don't meet a bus coming down....but we did not. Yeah.
We did meet several cars and at the top of the mountain way way way up there was a RV, how in the heck he got up is a mystery to me..we then went down the mountain and into another village with a beatiful stream and a castle and all the surrounding buildings...awwww for the money to buy...
Today was an exciting trip to the grocery store...Wow..  oh well some days are more exciting than others!!

Fete Lunch

         

Main Course                                                                    

Today we went to Renne le Chateau for the vide granier..I got some books and a Boggle game and Yahtzee game in French but those you play the same in any language so it doesn't matter.. when we got home we went up to the Community lunch for the fete..I had a ball..there were about 250 folks gathered there at noonish for aperitif( wine, soft drink, beer, etc..) then at about 2 the salad came..and it was delicious..and cold..it was over 100 degrees under the tents of nylon so anything cool was welcome. If you like wine all you want is included with the lunch, but great icey water was there too. It was so hot that our plates were all heated lol.. after salad was a local dish like Paellas( I hope I spelled that right)only it was made with noodles and not rice.. well I am not much on octopus or mussels, but the taste was good...just a bit heavy for the type of heat we were having.. then about 3 came the cheese and at 4:30 the dessert and the Blanquette..a local wine that I will drink in small portions.. we did not stay for coffee..it had reached about 107 degrees and we needed to move the car to safer grounds before the partying began so we left. Some time after the main course was served we began to feel water flying... the water fights had begun..and it felt good to get caught in the line of fire!  Also the "kids" were jumping in the fountain... and some newbys were being thrown in...a tradition that I escaped due to age and size I am sure LOL..It was so much fun to see all the families together, having fun.. most of the folks of all generations had grown up together, gone to school together and now gather once a year to have fun again...
After we left Michael and I went up in the mountains to find some cool...and came across a French resistance camp..way up in the mountains, on a trail that reminded me of Sherando before the hard surface road was put in...we drove up and up and up and I thought that surely there was no monument there and then in a clearing we saw a little house that had been reconstructed, as the Germans had destroyed the original one...

There were a lot of pictures of resistance members and such..there is an American soldier..Paul Swank buried along the road near us.. he was killed when he was acting as a decoy for the resistance and had asked to be buried where he fell, so after interment in the military cemetery in Arlington, his parents had him moved to the side of the road between Limoux and Couisa, where he fell. Last week they had a memorial for him here..There is so much interesting history here, it is hard to take it all in...I am going back and write in the book at the resistance museum about my Dad being in Normandy..there were so many pics of young men  just like him..

I was a great day even if it is hot as ..... and we had to park the car in Couisa and walk up the hill so that it will not be damaged by revelers...

Water fight                                  Girls in fountain

Kids in fountain

new stuff

No blogging for a while, was a little under the weather so did not do anything worth blogging..
Better now thank goodness.  This is the weekend of the Montazels Fete...much ado about nothing...we have taken in our pots of plants and the table and chairs from the terrace..battoned down the hatches so to speak. the bandstand is up in the square and the music began last night at 11pm..I am not sure how long it continued as it was not so loud that we could really hear it...That is what happens when there is an ancient church and two rows of stone houses between you and the music! The fete in Couisa was at the bottom of the hill and the music came right up the hill and into the house ughhhh...anyway the only "damage" was someone came down the alley and turned our downspout up..a kids prank...The fete is it would seem a giant family reunion for the villagers, their kids and grandkids return for the festivities and there is a big communal dinner on Sunday afternoon. Many of our friends will be there..We have met a couple from Alicante Spain that come up here for the summer to escape the heat..He is 80, quite active , American she is Spanish. She gave us a thyme plant and a bay tree for the garden and blackberry jam that she had gone into the hills to pick the berries that day...it was wonderful...they will be at the fete dinner as they live in the new Montazels...for the summer. We will pass through Alicante in the fall so maybe we will see them there..
Friday was a mad dash trip to Toulouse to Ikea..I would love to go sometime when we can spend the day!
We went to a vide grandnier today and I found a set of dishes with a lovely design so now we have matching dishes..yeah for me but Michael and Pat do not care if things match so they are not nearly so thrilled as me!
I also found a mirror and a nice big basket..the bargin of the day at 3 euro!
Tomorrow after lunch I think we will go to the vide grandnier at Renne le Chateau...last one was good, maybe a repeat!  Did I mention that the heat has finally arrived? I hope it does not stay..but the night does cool off after 10ish..so at least you can sleep.got a care package from Bonnie and Jamie and Unity this week, mayonise and baking soday, customs sent back the salad dressing, I guess you might blow something up with a bottle of Kens honey french!! The Brits still are holding our belongings hostage in the UK..Now Pat is trying to get it sent..so much red tape...over simple household goods..customs wants to charge another 20% of value for the goods, like we are going to sell the old sheets and towels and the used mixers..oh my...Hopefully we will get the stuff before we come home..
Pics of fete..in the square!

Life if interesting...  try to enjoy it while you are here...see you all soon..

I dont know what day it is....

I have been off for a while as I have been a little UNDER the weather..I am feeling somewhat better today, but I seem to have picked up a flu bug somewhere..
We went down to Barcelona on Monday to pick up Pat.. We actually left at 3 am...Michael couldn't sleep so he said comeon we will get a head start...yeah..We arrived in Barcelona at about 7AM, so we had the rest of the day to hang around..we rode down the beach and found a little village and had coffee and croissant..then rode on toward Tarragonia..then we turned around and came back to the beach and he took a nap, while I read.  I woke him up, made some sandwiches and then we were off to the airport..the plane was delayed about an hour..what fun..

The beach was nice.                                        

I got sick almost immediately when we arrived home...so have been laying low..will be off to bed soon...feeling better and want to keep it that way.  More later!!

Sunday

On the ridge between the house and Limoux are a line of wind turbines..about 10 of them I think.

we went on the back road last week and came upon a rode that took us up to the ridge. it is quite beautiful there and no people there either...The wind was blowing hard that day and they were spinning!

We decided to go back up there on Friday night to see if we could see the stars..Unfortunately there are street lights everywhere in the towns so it is not so easy to see the stars even at our house..boy did it get dark up there...dark as the inside of a cow..dark...and when the sun went down it was spectacular..and when the stars came out it was awesome...the milky way went right over our heads..and we saw several shooting stars and one satellite!

Below is the view looking from the wind turbines..across the valley.

We went to the marionette fete, didn't see many marionettes..just places that sold them..I guess the festivities began at night!! took a couple of pics.

This picture was taken at a place called Palmier..we just happened upon this fete of farming..the lady in the picture is putting bread into a French army bread oven. It is a trailer that is an oven. cool

there were a lot of tractors and farm equipment, food and old cars..this village had a canal running through it and everyone had a little bridge to get to their home..cool looking..

heading for Barcleona tomorrow morning..to pick up Pat...

The Gorge of Galamus

The Gorge of Galamus is not too far from here. We rode out with Adam when he was here. At first I thought that there was not much to it.. but then we got to the place where traffic was stopped as they only let you go one way at a time..when we followed the lead car in WOW!! It is amazing..we got out on the other side and walked back so that we could see it all. The wind is soooooo strong that I had to move to the inside sometimes to make sure that I stayed upright. The pic below is of canyoners..you have to put on a wetsuit and go down in the gorge and go from pool to pool all down the canyon..it probably takes all day. There was an American girl about 11 there when we were. She was having fun.  Ok girls I expect to see you down there one day!Thats all for today  I am tired and will post about the Marionette Fete tomorrow. Left the camera in the car..LOL

Friday night

Today was cleaning day..I kind of like cleaning day  especially if Michael makes himself scarce.. For one I can get about what needs to be done without working around him, and 2 if he is here sitting at the computer as I clean the house I tend to get Cinderella syndrome..LOL anyway the house is clean from ground floor to 3rd , beds changed, wash done and floors scrubbed..and everything smells good too.. Oh yeah, I made chocolate chip cookies.. not heard of over here..but the chocolate is great..so you just make cookies..
Michael came home from a day with the guys, and we went to Limoux for a night market that was not there, so we came home and had dinner then went out to a place near the Windmills. on top of the mountain and waited for the stars.. The sun was setting behind the mountain and was beautiful..the red faded to royal blue and then to black and the stars came out brilliantly..along with a satellite a number of falling stars and many airplanes! (and a car load of teenagers probably looking for ....well you know)
Tomorrow we go to Mirepoix for the marionette fete, supposed to be fab! more pics I hope/

This is St. Martin's church on the main square in old Limoux. Limoux is called the flower city. There are pots of flowers on every fence,bridge rail,in all the round abouts and hanging from the air everywhere!

It is a sight to see.  We went to the square to show Adam a typical city square, and he wanted to take us to dinner so that took care of two things at once. There are restaurants and cafes all around the square and they post their menus for you to see so that you can make a choice before you sit. As we were walking around the square we saw that there was a free concert at St. Martins. Two trumpets and an organ, it said, so we went in to check it out..WoW..what an organ..and how beautiful was the church..The music was Baroque and beautiful and lasted about an hour and a half. Adam did not think that he would like it but was pleasantly surprised, but after he was starving, so we went onto the square for dinner.We all got cassolet, which is a regional dish..duck, sausage and white beans in a casserole..It was ok, Adam did not like it too much, but gave it a try..this pic was taken at about nine forty-five as the sun was striking the church tower

When we came to the house there was a small garden to the left of the terrace. It was over grown with weeds that fell over to the terrace. I did not want to offend anyone by weeding their garden so I just pulled back to where our terrace began and left it. The garden was about 4 feet wide at the widest part angling back to about 2 feet at the end of the wall. A large mock orange had been somewhat topiaried into a ball, but needed trimming and the roses were not looking too well...one day when our American friend came for coffee I asked him to whom it belonged. Harold had been friends with the previous owner so I thought he might know. He said, "why, you, this goes with the house...Well that day Michael went to work and got all the weeds out and clean..while he was clearing he found a small rustic bench that had been covered with vines..I have been at work on it ever since.. there are new flowers added about every week. We now have the roses, zinnias, a hydrangea, cleome, and a border of lavender that hopefully next year will be brilliant! A few herbs have been added and the yellow rose of Texas, yes that is Texas right here in Montazels...has been moved to a better location and hopefully that will flourish..