Contents of article "14. June 2006"
Saturday 3rd June
Saturday 10th June
Tuesday 20th June
Monday 26th June
Tuesday 27th June
Saturday 3rd June
After several days of a Tramontane to blow your socks off, the wind seems to have more or less settled down, the sky is blue and cloudless and that distinctive smell of hot country is in the air - lavender and herbs - hmmmmm!
The barbary figs and cactii are in flower all around us and some are absolutely beautiful - take a look at this one which reminds me of an artist’s palette.
On a recent trip to the coast to take photographs for the front cover of PO Life, we happened upon this interesting little snack. Snails were all the way up these branches and it looks to me for all the world like something you would buy at the candyfloss stall.
Argelès port
snailstick snack
I decided not to take a lick but might go back tomorrow if I am feeling particularly peckish.
We have bought Lulu a scooter for his soon-to-happen fourteenth birthday! In France, the legal age for driving scooters and mobylettes is 14 and peer pressure amongst the young men is immense! Once you have your scooter, you are really cool and king of the road - even if you have no road sense and have never driven more than a bicycle in your life!
We decided to go ’with the flow’ and let him learn properly amongst the vineyards rather than injure himself one day whilst trying to ride somebody else’s bike on the road, but I must admit that fourteen still seems too young to me to have acquired the reflexes needed to play chicken in heavy traffic! There again, I’ve noticed that policemen look younger every day too so maybe it’s my age!
Lord and Lady Swallow seem to be quite contented, and Lady is spending more and more time on the nest while Lord gathers worms, slugs and other tasty titbits (only joking - I have no idea what swallows eat - maybe the time has come to consult the oracle! ROGER!) We had some uninvited guests yesterday - they didn’t stop for a drink and waddled straight off home after checking out the extension and traumatising the poor dog who did some long distance barking from behind the safety of my legs.
Saturday 10th June
Aie aie aie! Everything always happens at once! Dad’s here, I’ve got a cold, the wind’s up, the builders are taking over the garden, the pool man has come to check out the pool surround, Lulu has been stung by a wasp and the world cup has started! Actually, I just thought I’d have an ’on principle’ moan as the only negative thing amongst all that is my cold. The wind has calmed down this evening and the ’soirée’ has turned into a warm balmy night - delicious!
The extension is coming along nicely, or so I’m told through the dust, dirt and general grubbyness that reigns in our realm!
Have you noticed that I haven’t mentioned cherries this year? I have made it a point of honour not to become cherry bound, either physically or mentally, but I could really fancy a cherry right now! We nevertheless went to the cherry festival last weekend and had a great time. The bandas were playing (loudly) and we met up with friends and sat and watched the world go by! Take a look at the photo of the star attraction of one of the bandas, Les Canaillous This chap is in his nineties and danced his socks off - may he dance on for many years to come!
My Dad has turned into a Hell’s Grandad and has spent his time here zooming around on Lulu’s new scooter with a big grin on his face. Watch out Leeds. This could start a new trend amongst the older generation!
.... and finally .... the bugs are back in town! THIS was crawling around my computer screen with intent this afternoon.... and believe me, it was a big bug-ger. It’s time to batten down the hatches in the evening if you don’t want to find live raisins in your muesli in the morning! What is that Roger? It’s about two feet long and one foot wide! Exaggerate? Moi?
Tuesday 20th June
The days just seem to flash by - always filled with excitement, always something new to do or see, always crammed with promise for today, tomorrow...... The weather is warm and still, a little cloudy but very pleasant. Evenings are warm and nights are not quite hot and sticky yet but showing their potential for a few sleepless nights to come.
Lord and Lady swallow are the proud parents of a brood of baby swallows and our porch is covered in poo! Loads of good luck for us then in the future! We can’t really see much of the babies as they are quite high up but we can see their beaks popping out of the nest. I am so proud!
Fete de la musique tomorrow evening, wine tasting event and Feux de la Saint Jean on Friday - the Summer has begun here and all thought of diets and cutting back on the vino have had to be shelved until September. I just can’t go to a fete and sip a slimline tonic - I just dont have it in me!
Monday 26th June
Oh, the excitement of the beginning of summer in the PO and those first ’fetes’ when everybody gets together again. The warmth, glow, colour, sight, sound and atmosphere of these fetes (along with a generous alcohol allowance) is something not to be missed. We did though! Yes, we missed the lot as Lulu decided, most unreasonably on the day of the first fete, ’la fete de la musique’, to have a possible grumbling appendix! The doctor sent him for an ultrasound (saw Doc Wednesday morning, had scan Wednesday afternoon - slightly quicker than England non?) which was indecisive and he was pronounced a ’possible’; As he lay there wriggling in agony, I thought to myself "Would it be vaguely reasonable to go to the fete de la musique anyway and leave him here writhing?" The devil in me answered "Yes, go! He won’t even notice that you’ve gone" but the angel said "This would be quite a good chance to catch up with Coronation Street" (Ooo, that David has turned into a right nasty piece of work hasn’t he?)
By Friday and the Fete de la Saint Jean, he was fine but we were worn out with being nice to him! He actually went to the fete and we fell asleep in front of the France v Cuba match (they won!) and had to face friends’ and neighbours’ accusations the next day. Where were you? Is everything OK? Are you getting too old?
Anyway, Friday, we went to support Jonathan’s (our wine club expert) first wine tasting session. It was very well prepared and extremely interesting. There weren’t many people there as it was the first one and these things work best ’de bouche à oreille’ but I think it could become big. We learnt a great deal about wine that we didn’t know before (I’m a swigger, not a sniffer) but the hardest part was being directed to spit it out! WHAT A WASTE!
Yesterday, olivier was working in Canet so we had an afternoon on the beach. Bisou (just call me Robinson), who likes to keep up with current trends, practiced her World Cup goalie skills (in between the usual burrowing down to Australia). Canet is great for kids with loads of different fairs and rides - if you have small children I would thoroughly recommend it.
Tuesday 27th June
Erratum It was Lulu who told me that France had played Cuba! I received this e mail today "Kate... I ask you ? CUBA ? They weren’t even in the tournament !!!!!!!" OK, OK. I admit that I haven’t been following the cup quite as closely as I should. But what I would like to know is why were Cuba not in the tournament? Sounds like blatant racism to me. Give Cuba a chance. That’s what I say!
