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| Only Jennifer kept still |
7 pm. We are foregathered in a vigneron restaurant somewhere near Violès. A mêlée of people, some we know, others we sort of know, some total strangers. All there to celebrate our dear friend Gérard's 80th birthday. It was a good if occasionally chaotic event starting with a Provençal musician playing us in to Coupo Santo, the Provençal anthem - in your choice of language! Words were provided in Provençal and French.
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| Louise is serene, Keith rapt, Gudrun attentive |
Then courses of food dribbled onto the tables (not literally) during which lengthy, anecdotal introductions and speeches were given often twice or thrice in different languages , often hilariousy rambling and jumbled - first by Gérard, then by Dieter his old friend, Eliane, Gudrun, Ellen (G and J's eldest daughter). We are told that Germans like these sorts of speeches
Gudrun presented a painting of Sablet she had done. In fact the point of the evening was really this. The affection Jen and Gérard have for their adopted village, and the reciprocal affection we all have for them. A veritable United Nations of friendship. And we met some nice new people too.
Today, cloudless, sunny, warm so we redid last year's walk near Veaux. Colours not quite as vivid yet but it was lovely.
