Calm before the storm

31 July

The parapet comes on apace with our two stalwarts working hard all day. A delivery of extra bracing was made anonymously at 7 am. Clang and go! More shuttering was erected and a layer of reinforcing mesh inserted. Then it was whirring and squeaking of mixer and pulley as the buckets of concrete were hauled up and spread.
Our boys are obviously local heroes and everyone who passes either hoots or shouts to them with much bantering. But they are single- minded in their work and don't stop for so much as a tea-break until midday. It's the French way.







We all knock off for lunch. Treat day for us at the delightful Roaix bar/resto under the mulberry trees. Today was exceptional even for them- a hot gratinéed aioli for me (what a revelation of scrumptiousness) and bavette frites for monsieur with green pepper sauce. Plus starters and puds and inclusive wine - all for 14 euros. We had planned a river explore but decided to lie down instead! It's getting a bit humid and storms are forecast for tomorrow.

If these fail to materialise the workers will return. I don't think either of them believes the météo, but Fonzi was unusually languid this afternoon and slept under the window in shade. Fingers crossed it doesn't rain until the concrete has gone off.

This is how they left it at 6pm.

Demolition Derby

30 July

Cool and grey today. Only 23 degrees on the (somewhat suspect) municiple laser display board. Denim jacket was deployed to go for the bread.  Two men and their dog appeared at 7.30 and set to mixing mortar in the machine and then spraying it onto the wall with a pressure pump.

It was very noisy - Fonzi decided to come in and sit with us at the breakfast table rather than by the garage door as is his wont. But by 10 it was all done and the first layer of render was on. Impressive.

Sometime after lunch the trio reappeared with hammers and chisels and two of them proceeded to prise off the ghastly tiles and rotten concrete on top of the parapet. Really noisy! Lumps of Lafarge's finest were hurled into the abyss onto the doughty truck beneath.

No sign of Fonzi. When all was done he reappeared- it seems he'd been playing with Jaoud's jet washer, trying to bite the stream of water. We used to have a collie who did the same thing.

So now we are down to the layer of tiles known as Genoises - inverted half pipe style that sit under most French roofs in a pretty frill pattern.

Shuttering is being hauled up and put in place to act as a former for the new concrete top.

My beautiful façade

29 July

Yesterday the old render was jackhammered off and carted away. But how nice the wall looks without it- pity it can't stay that way but it would probably cost a fortune to repoint it rather than rerender. And it gets all the weather so... François and friend managed to reverse the truck into our garage! Adrian is keen to try similar with Berlingo. Oh dear. While they were doing that, Fonzi the dog (yes! named after Happy Days) went trotting into town to find a friend, whom he brought back to play with, much to the consternation of a passing lady. She apparently knows friend and says it is an accident waiting to happen "don't get yourself run over in front of me!"

The garage now houses much sand and cement in a mixing vat, complete with cement mixer.

So anyway while the work was going on we hightailed it up to Visan for wine supplies and then on to Richerenches for coffee and croissants. I may do a piece in Off Piste on Richerenches. For now, just a reminder that it is a former Templiers walled village that specialises in truffles.

There is usually an exhibition in the Tourist Office upstairs and this one is a winner. Totally non PC! A display celebrating 60 years of cinema posters designed by Leo Kouper for French films or French versions of films.

Many are Chaplin but just about all are verging on the burlesque or satirical. Iconic images are the Emmanuelle and Mon Oncle (Jacques Tati). Also Truffaut, Belmondo and Billy Wilder. And so imaginatively staged.

I thought this one was priceless.

The exhibition is part of Visan's outdoor cinema festival of classic films. They've even got lovely Claudia Cardinale coming to present one of hers.

Twas on a Monday morning

27 July
...the builder came to call.

François and mate plus mate's dog appeared with scaffolding and spent the day attaching it to our neighbour's wall in preparation for the repair of the North Face.
This is the view from our soon to be demolished parapet. Makes it easier for Jaouad to visit us! He can just climb out of his velux window onto the gantry.

And it did seem to be National Angle Grinder Day. Two men were standing in the second floor embrasure of the window above the bar producing clouds of dust as they fitted double glazed windows, completely unprotected from falls onto the unwary drinkers below! There was a hairy moment as one of them tripped on a pipe and almost defenestrated.










And now Apology Time. I seem to have insulted all the faithful readership by my R L Stevenson quote. It was only a joke - I didn't mean you lot. I love all the messages you send. Please don't be offended- write to me!

A day of two halves

25 July

Not so hot today, so after the early market we set off for a little explore down the Ouvèze below Gigondas. As soon as you are into the lanes the landscape becomes undulating and terraced with hamlets totally unsuspected from the main road. From time to time a track leads right down to the river. And the river is almost totally dry at the moment so you can walk across wide gravel banks and shallow greenish trickles. We saw heron, egret, and lots of bee-eaters with their gurgling whistles swooping over the vines, scoffing - well bees, of course!

Then an afternoon watching the final proper stage of Tour before Part Two. This was a bit of real Culture. We had tickets to a concert by The English Chamber Choir in the vat room of Mourchon wines in Séguret.

We've met the conductor Guy Prothero a number of times so it was good to see his choir in action and in such a wonderful setting. It was most enjoyable and a convivial occasion. Mourchon is British run winery of some decades and has a fine reputation. Lots of young people work there and they were all on hand giving out glasses of wine and trays of nibbles.  The music was good too.





More images on flickr album Off piste

Thursday's soo-oop

23 July

Seems like everybody in the wine world is throwing a Soupe au Pistou party tonight. It's much fresher this evening after last night's storm, and from the terrace we can see twinkling lights down at Gravillas Cave Cooperative. The strains of Volare and Dancing Queen are drifting up, mixed with laughter and chinking glasses. This is an annual jolly where you pay 26 euros for the soupe and all you can drink (so I understand). A similar event is taking place over in Rasteau but there it only costs 19 euros! Don't know why we didn't go- sounds fun.
I did actually make a soupe au pistou today but we have no appetite this evening- lunch out in Travaillan has filled us up for the day.

PS I DO know it should be Tuesday... But today is Thursday.

Rest Day

22 July
Actually the Tour rest day was yesterday but today is our turn. Northern Ireland have gone to St Tropez for a well earned break and we are on plant watering duties. I feel a bit like Scarlett O'Hara at the Twelve Oaks picnic! Locked away for the afternoon in darkened rooms to avoid the heat. From time to time I venture up to watch the Tour on telly but have to slope back to my cooler quarters after a while leaving Sherwen and Liggett to ramble on. Jet fighters are roaring ovehead. It's all a bit surreal.  I really come down to watch proper Tour coverage on France 3, via their website Pluzz, on ipad. Their ads are less frequent and more fun.

Other than that I have been keeping company with Robert Louis as he continues his canoe trip down the Oise and find myself more and more in tune with him.

No one should have any correspondence in a journey; it is bad enough to have to write, but the receipt of letters is the death of all holiday feeling....After my journey is over, I shall not fail to read your admirable letters with the attention they deserve. But I have paid all this money, look you, and paddled all these strokes, for no other purpose than to be abroad; and yet you keep me at home with your perpetual communications...You pursue me all over Europe with the little vexations that I came away to avoid.*
So take that, Facebook and Twitter! I know - pot and kettle. blogs and emails are included!

*An inland voyage R L Stevenson 1878

Stop press Thunderstorm- just before Archers! Dilemma...to unplug or not to unplug.

Altitude

21 July

We had to do it! It is just so hot that the only course of action was Ventoux, early morning. Turns out that it was not early enough! We were on the summit before 9, passing on the way up numerous keen types on bikes toiling up the road from Malaucène. Even a tandem. We stepped out into what we hoped would be coolth- I have on previous such trips taken a cardie just in case. But no. Today the air was sticky and warm. Undeterred we headed out onto the outcrop below the summit down slithery limestone scree paths to take in the views and get some fresh air.

On a clear day you can see the Alps. Today all was obscured  by a pall of particulate pollution sitting below the deep blue sky.

However, we did see an amazing sight down the slope. Chamois! Genuine Babychams, grazing between some clumps of trees.

I take no credit- it was eagle-eyed Smith who first got the sighting. My camera isn't up to the job so I include two from his superior zoom instead.

By the time we'd walked back to the summit for a drink, it was
heaving. The vast stalls of sweets, biscuits and charcuterie were set up. Hundreds of cyclists, cars, bus with school trip, motorbikes - you name it- were milling about causing traffic mayhem. Mostly Belgian/Dutch with the occasional German or Italian.

A quick visit to Bench and then we were off down the Bédoin side weaving in and out of yet more cycles and cars - and a quad bike.

Lunch in St Didier at the nice Franco-Japanese bistro we went to in the pouring rain in April. Then back home to sit out the afternoon furnace before apéritifs this evening at our lovely generous N. Irish friends. It is currently 37 degrees on the terrace IN THE SHADE.

Meet the artists

19 July

The main event of Journée de Livre. Early in the day vans unload books onto tressle tables under the marquees snd authors names are pinned along the awnings.

When we join the throng later, all is buzzing and money is changing hands - not least ours! The man is smiling because we have just hought two of his books

This year is a BD (sort of comic book but more serious) special. The BD artists were all busy drawing original illistrations in the copies of books anyone bought- nice touch.
Despite the heat it was great fun and there are plenty of places to take refreshment. We especially like our bajer,  Nathalie's pop up coffee shop, manned (or rather, infanted) by her young daughter and even younger grand-daughter!

Author, Author

18 July continued

The evening of the first day of the Book Fair there is a dinner for the authors on Place des Barrys. We have the great good fortune to have friends with a house overlooking the Place and they invited us to supper.  Sitting out on one of their many terraces is a great vantage point to look down on the festivities.

Journées du Livre

18 July

It's that time of the year again. Marquees and stands and railings have sprung up on the square and we await the influx of visitors. Here is the new municipal laser display board. That was the cool part of the day!
Off to Ste Cécile market betimes this morning in order to be back before anyone parks in front of the door! But where the market should have been there were funfair rides! Last year this floored us totally but we are wiser now and looked around to see where the market had moved to. This year, instead of in the School, it was strung out down a nearby street heading into the vines and relatively quiet so early in the day.

You recall the delightful live bunny display in the florist at Easter. The summer window is even more wild. The theme seems to be birds, with metal chickens and Guinea fowl in the windows (see flickr) complete with egg laying houses, and the ceiling strung with masses of wooden birds. Dear old Fred Bassett the resident hound still flops gloomily on the mat and raises his red eyes to you in resignation as you greet him.



We have just had eight Yorkshire retired folk next door. They certainly had a jolly, not to say raucous, time.  But of course left the place spotless and were very nice. Next group due this afternoon are Czechs - again eight! - according to Nelly, the manager. She and we await them with some trepidation...

Making progress

The valiant plants are responding to treatment. A long way from their former glory but putting a brave face on things!
It gets no cooler... This morning we walked along the river bed of the Ouvèze near Entrechaux to refresh our feet. It was very nice if somewhat slow going against the current. Lunch in our new favourite restaurant in Roaix.  Three course 14 euros including picher of decent local wine. And then back to the closed shutters to watch Tour. We emerge at dusk to sit on the terrace and contemplate the distant hills and the swifts squeaking overhead.

Fish and Chips

...comes to Sablet! We were 11 plus two infants. Nationalities ranging from Danish to Maltese via England and Northern Ireland. It was still over 30 as we ate - not at all bad though. even mushy peas and malt vinegar for those who liked it. Not me!

Melting

just looked at the two week forecast... 40 degrees for the foreseeable! The only thing for it is to go out in the morning for some exercise, preferably under trees,mandvtgen retreat to watch Tour,in the afternoon.

Today we limped as far as Ventoux Base Camp where  there is an ancient water source by the side of the road. Pretty enough and home to ducks. Note their Parliamentary standard Duck House.

From there we did a 3 km walk into the woods past a redundant cement works, soon to be renovated.. .more below. It wasn't the most interesting of walks but at least it was largely in shade. Going downhill on the stony track  was a touch precarious though- like walking on ballbearings.

The old works are soon to be transformed into a heritage and visitor centre plus business start up units. Grand Designs indeed.

Across the road is yet another former industrial complex- a paperworks. Nothing doing here but it is surrounded by buddleia bushes teeming with butterflies of many varieties- swallowtails, fritillaries, marbled white, tiny blue and yellow jobs - all drinking theselves stupid on the heady nectar.
Home via Crestet for ice-cream. A particularly successful pairing of mandarin and pistachio for me and lemon and raspberry for him.

14 juillet

It's odd to have a Bank Hol on the actual day rather than the nearest Monday! But Tuesday it is. Nothing much happening in Sablet but there are festivities elsewhere - in Caromb where they have moved the Fig Festival to coincide, Vacqueyras and Puyméras who both do their annual wine event etc. Too hot to go to any of these so we did the Rasteau walk this morning snd enjoyed the cooling wind up on the ridge. Zillions of cicadas crashing about in deafening chorus and a giant hare that ran behind me! I didn't see it but Adrian said it was as big as a labrador...Hmm? They had had some sort of communal bbq in Rasteau last night and as we sat at the bar with refreshment we were entertained by several discarded plastic cups disporting themselves in the gusts of wind like so many kittens. Until man from bar came and spoiled their fun by gathering them up.

À fleur de l'eau

13 July
Less hot and even a stiff breeze. So...to Beaumes piscine I repair after a stock up shop at Intermarché mixing it with the Benelux. Lunchtime is the best time to visit a French pool. For starters the water has had chance to warm up a fraction from the muscle cramping temperatures of first thing. And secondly, well the clue is in the name- lunchtime. Everyone is eating in the poolside café, apart from the occasional serious up and downer. This is what I seek in a pool- emptiness, no splashy crawlers or surface slapping back stokers. Smooth rippleless water involving no slaloming to avoid oncoming. So far so good. But then, upon arrival poolside, aforementioned stiff breeze got even stiffer. The surface of the water developed waves! No...! My serene mermaid-like progress became a battle against headwind and mouth-filling chlorine. But it was still most pleasant and I divvied up my efforts into bite-size chunks of lengths interspersed with a bask in the sun with Robert Louis on his journey down the northern waterways (An Inland Voyage).

Sablet news

12 July 2015

Sole survivor! This little viola seedling somehow survived despite no water and great heat. It has been lovingly repotted. The oleanders are hanging on but are greatly shrivelled. The perovskia is OK and has perked up following a long drink.
It is very hot. Temps last night fell no lower than 28 by the reckoning of our outside thermometer
The traffic calming is begun with a one-way system taking vehicles round the square.The butcher is delighted - more passing trade- but Bruno less than thrilled by the railings and painted pedestrian figures in front of the bar! Next thing will be the speed bumps...

slight change of direction

9 July 2015

We are off again but as well as  doing this diary type blog I am experimenting with a more general journal focussing on places and things of interest. It's called off piste and the link is www.mmfrance15.blogspot.co.uk

I will keep to le...blog for more personal doings!