Contents of article "October 2008"
Friday 10th October
Tuesday 14th October
Thursday 23rd October
Monday 27th October
Wednesday 29th October
Friday 31st October
Friday 10th October
There’s snow on the Canigou ! Only a teensy weensy little smattering but it’s there! I love autumn here. The mountains and forests are slowly changing to a thousand shades of green, brown, red, russet and gold, the days are still warm and dry with cooler nights and early mornings – definitely T shirt weather until the sun goes in – and the air is pure and fresh and sweet.
I spent part of this week up in the mountains taking P-O Life round to the masses (well, quite small masses, more like little mounds but I was born to exaggerate) and having rather too much fun for a giddy little lady to take! Up in Les Angles, they were trying out the snow cannons which was great fun to watch – the first snow of the season for moi although apparently the first real snow fell a couple of weeks ago at altitude, and everything looks good for a good snowy season this year to make up for a rather poor one last year.
We discovered a rather nice ski shop called Le Chalet des Skis in Les Angles on the main road, who promised that anyone mentioning P-O Life would get 20% discount on their ski hire, and also boasted a couple of rather cute salesmen!
We also went to Formiguères for the first time – what a fabulous village! Not particularly beautiful in the aesthetic sense, but calm and friendly and perfect for families. We popped into the small hotel called Hotel Picheyre – immaculately clean, and bright and warm in its decoration of Catalan reds and golds, and met the owner who told us a little about the area, the fantastic walks and caves, the superb scenery….
Carmen, in charge of the ski area took us around the facilities (the slopes are quite a way out from the village but there is a regular ’navette’ to transport skiers up there) and pointed out the shepherd who follows his sheep around the pistes, playing his flute in the early morning, echoing around the valleys. Wow ! It was like entering another world!
On the way down, we watched a whole family sorting out their potatoes to sell at the market and potato festival. Sorting, chatting, laughing together - lovely to see.
We also went to the park animalier at Les Angles at an altitude of 1,800m. I must admit I’m not a fan of zoos but this is as natural as you can get - a great day out with the family, and a recommended excursion into the mountain, particularly at this time of year when it is still warm in
the sunshine. Two marked out walking circuits take you through local wildlife such as wild boar, bears, bison, wolves........ The longer circuit is 3,500m and the shorter 1,500m and there are picnic areas and plenty of easy parking. Dogs are not allowed by the way and do take a pair of decent walking shoes unless you wish to totter along the trail as I did!.
On Tuesday, a massive fire broke out in Perpignan at the Loge. The building opposite the town hall, with parfumerie and residential appartements, next to the Café de la Bourse, was completely burnt out, the fire started by a Perpignan man and captured on the town hall videa surveillance cameras. What makes people do this kind of thing I wonder?
Tuesday 14th October
It’s mid-October and I’m sweating like a little porker. In fact, it is so warm that my head had to reason with my body for a minute or two about whether to take a dip in the pool!! Head won – body still in sitting position contemplating other options. If my best friend Rosy had been here, I know she would have spent the day in the pool, frolicking about like the sweet young thing that she (nearly) still is, (and certainly once was) whilst the rest of us stand around making the kind of noises that always have several exclamation marks after them. “You’re crazy!!” “It’s nearly November!!” “She’s lost it!!” (this last one aside to others with a worried shake of the head) but she ‘aint, so the pool remains covered and will remain an October virgin unless brave friends decide to take the plunge.
A ’strange but true’ event took place in my bedroom yesterday and like it or not, I’m going to share it with you! You know when you notice something out of the corner of your eye and you’re not quite sure whether you want to look because you have a feeling that it isn’t something that you want to see? Well, I was sitting on the bed peeling the dry skin off my right heel when I thought I saw something move on the white wall on Olivier’s side of the bed. Our bedroom isn’t decorated yet – we’re going to ‘get round to it’ in the very near future as we’ve only lived in this house for four years and mustn’t hurry genius, so the whole room is white with no etchings (which means it would be pointless to invite a good looking man to my room to look at my etchings). Anyway, back to the point – it was a great big green lizard – and I mean a big bugga even by my exaggeratory standards – just staring goggle eyed in my direction! The photo isn’t very good as it was difficult to take against the white wall and there is nothing there to compare it with size wise, but trust me! It was a big chap! I don’t dislike lizards – they have a certain charm – but have never really fancied one as a bed fellow, so with the help of a large Tupperware and a spatula, I arranged its removal – meaning I called for Olivier and supervised the gentle placing of the little green chappie in a safe place in the garden. Another life saved! The problem is that I have absolutely no idea how it got in as the doors and windows were closed. Yet another mystery in life’s rich tapestry for the intrepid Kate to investigate.
And talking of gardens…. Ours has become a building site again! Olivier is crazy paving the pool area so the garden has become a melange of sand, stone and cement – but I’m sure that it will be worth it in the end. He is very lucky as he had a foreman to direct him in this intricate task. Yep. I stood over him helpfully and offered "a little to the left... a smaller piece there would look better.....that bit’s not straight......you havent done that bit very well...." Not sure how much it was appreciated though. He didn’t look too grateful.
Yesterday we headed off into the Hauts de Céret on a conkering mission. Olivier got hit on the bott by a big hairy beastie of a conker as it fell from the tree and has one cheek covered in little red dots - I really felt for him. (Snigger) Never bend over under a chestnut tree in autumn.
At home last night we slit them, put them in the oven and ate them in front of the telly with a glass of wine. My life is one long uphill struggle!
Finally, guess what happened to me last Friday? I do all my shopping now at the new improved and extended Leclerc in Le Boulou. I find the standard far higher than the Intermarchés and other similar shops. The butcher department and fresh fish are better quality and the charcuterie is definitely superior on the fresh meat counter.
So I did my shopping, paid for it and they gave me a scratch card at the till. ‘Gagné’ it said when I scrubbed away at it. “Oooh” thought I “I’ve won a cake or a bottle” No! J’ai gagné un caddy – a shopping trolley full of shopping! Wow and double wow – I don’t usually win anything so this was the icing on the cake of a superb week. I really do recommend Leclerc – not just because they gave me a trolley of shopping but because I really do find the shop high quality.
Thursday 23rd October
Sometimes I feel quite tall even though I’m a whisker short of five feet! (Some may even say two whiskers!) This morning though, walking Her Royal Hairiness through the vineyards, I realised how small I am – not just close to the ground although that is indisputable, according to the length of my little plump legs, but also in relation to the world in general. The Canigou rising green and grey to my left and the Albères sporting a zillion different shades of green, gold, russet, red, brown…..and my bloody website and magazine into which I put my heart and soul. Disputes on the forum, phone calls and accusations about what I should say, and what I shouldn’t say, what I should do and what I shouldn’t do……Silly as it might seem to those who have never been part of a forum, it becomes a part of you. You feel defensive of its members and maybe (if I’m absolutely honest) a little special because it is you who has created the forum. So many people have met, become friends, both cyberspacially and physically, that it must be worth something – and yet there are times that I think I would be better to abandon the whole thing and leave it to someone who actually knows what they’re doing!!
The weather continues to be superb for this time of year – mild, an occasional night time shower, sunny days, light and bright and uplifting. The colours of the wild flowers, trees and distant mountains are stunning – breathtaking even. Life is so short – it is so important to squeeze out every single drop!
Monday 27th October
Well, contrary to what the naughty weather forecast is saying, it’s another beautiful day in the P-O, cool early morning but gearing up around now (1030ish) for another warm and sunny day !
Yesterday, we took a delicious Sunday morning walk in Argelès, parking at Racou beach, and walking through the port on a boat spotting mission. The beach was deserted - just us and a couple of guys playing volleyball - and we had to keep reminding ourselfves that it was late October by toe tests in the sea! Not quite swimming weather but great for a paddle. My big plan now is to buy a boat (if someone would lend me some money) and sail down the coast into Spain for weekend relaxation! Of course, we live in France and nothing is quite that simple.
Quite apart from the fact that we would have to PAY for the boat in the first place, then PAY for a mooring and PAY for its upkeep, we also have to have a qualified pilot in the family so I have volunteered my dear husband for the task, in the hope that by the time he achieves my goal, we will have won the lottery! In fact, you must be over 16 in France to pilot a boat over 6 CV (chevaux) and you must have a boat licence (permis bateau) unless your boat is British registered.
Under 6CV you will not get very far very fast, particularly if like me, you’re thinking of trotting down the coast into Spain.
There are 3 types of licence - La Carte Mer which covers power boats of up to 50CV but doesn’t allow you to go out further than 5 miles (9 klm) from the coast and only during the day, the Le Permis Cotier covering any boat, of any length or power, both day and night as long as you remain within 5 miles of the coast and the Permis Hauturier which allows as above but with no limit on distance from the coast. I think I will put Olivier in for the first one! I’m a very fair person!
And a little PD from Peter of the Languedoc Page who tells me "You can avoid mooring fees (and having to paint the bottom) by having a boat on a trailor.
You don’t need a permis for boats who have sail as the ’principle means of propulsion’. Naturally the French have a simple formula to determine ’principle means of propulsion’ !
I think the definition of distance from the coast (+ / - 5nm) is actually 6 nm from shelter. This is important where you have long stretches of coast without shelter. Near me, this would include Port Camargue to Stes Maries de la Mer."
Wednesday 29th October
And whoooooosh! The Indian summer has turned into the Wild West winter over night! Snow on the Canigou, a chilly wind bringing the temperature down into single figures, and low cloud hovering around the Albères.
And Lulu has his first suit!
Friday 31st October
Around 7a.m.
Around 7 30 a.m.
There are some very bad drivers around the P-O. I am one of them where parking or going backwards is concerned so I avoid doing either if I can, but I consider myself fairly expert at going forward. I’ve just come back from a food foray to Leclerc in Le Boulou, and was stuck behind a car (don’t do makes but know that it was silver) driven by a little old chappie in a back beret who was crunched over his steering wheel like Mr Road Hog. He trundled along at just under 20km/hour and veered over to the left on the couple of times I tried to overtake him. It took us nearly 20 minutes to get from Le Boulou to the Maureillas turn off – and I pity the queue behind me when I turned as he looked to be heading for Le Perthus….. Or Girona…. Or even Barcelona! But he seemed perfectly happy with himself so I suppose that in the great scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter!
Believe it or not, summer is back! Went out this morning in a jumper and was sweating cobbs by lunchtime (yes I am such a lady aren’t I?) This is my latest photo, taken of the Canigou from the end of our drive yesterday morning. What a land of contrast we live in!
