Cake and fine wine

Well at least we had the cake!

A brief trip to the market for essentials such as sheep yoghurt from Nicole. No walnuts around yet. Then home to get the washing out before the rain comes. Still warm but we have ominous greyness marching towards us. Nicole will be glad of it - she says the ground is scorched and too hard to work. Poor sheep.

Roaix

We hadn't been yet so as today is baking hot we combined a walk in the Roaix vines with lunch at the As de Coeur. I went in to book as we passed and was greeted with hugs and trois bises from David. Nice to know one is remembered!

The hills were as lovely as ever. Turning autumnal in places but with some vines still to pick. Lots of butterflies. Here and there is a stand of olive trees that varies the palette and pattern, their greyish green toning down the vivid yellows and reds of the vines.

There's a few of those mystery trees we've seen near Malaucène. Leaves more like rowan but big round red fruit like large crabapples. I think we once worked out they were fermented by the Romans but can't recall the name.

After an hour we wended our way back down to the village and settled under the canopy of the mulberry trees, glad of the shade! The tattooed waitress in the basque was back! She just has to be a cabaret artiste.
You'll notice that on the menu every dish save one is marked with the Home Made casserole symbol...the black sheep is andouillette. No way this could be produced in a domestic environment.. there is a small outbuilding alongside the Michelin Tyre Factory in Clermond-Ferrand, where they fashion offcuts from the radials into these objects of the devil.

Replete, we settled back at home until tonight's repast. Meeting J and L at the bar for pizza. Oh dear, not sure I can manage pizza.

St Didier

Culture today of a sort. There's an exhibition on at St Didier that sounded interesting so we made it a morning out. St D is a lovely village near Carpentras with an old walled bit and the main village outside. Pretty smart in places and generally civilised!

We spent about half an hour looking dutifully at artwork and then took a stroll up and down the lanes and main street.

All very lively with cafés and shops and a photogenic hound. Actually I sat on his wall to let a lorry pass and was surprised by a snuffling behind me as he came to investigate. Luckily, not fierce!

St D seems to have been an artists' centre in the 19th century and one of them built himself a pseudo Renaissance villa. Now barred with metal gate behind which is a ghastly huge stone head - the ultimate yashmak. ( pic of whole visage on Google album).

On the way back we passed this odd vertical drainpipe thing that seems to be making some sort of statement! Actually I think it's a weather station outside a local producers' coop.

Hail and Farewell

Sunny and warm so how do we spend the morning? Well...Adrian spent it moving money from one account to another with me riding shotgun. By lunchtime we were drained by the stress of it all! So off to bar to slump in front of a beer and Perrier and sandwich. Mme Moulin was still open at 1.30 so we bought frangipane (including a free end bit) for coffee on the terrace. After which I fell asleep on the parapet in the sun - safely wedged between plant pots.

But we needed a bit of exercise so at 4 we drove up to Rasteau for The Walk. They've redone the info posters so I can now bring you a How To guide to making quality wines.

Along the way we found a newly planted olive tree with a slate board hanging from it bearing a name Ghislain and the date 13 August. I had a bad feeling that this was not to celebrate a birth.

We continued round the vines then on the road back into the village we spotted a couple with a border collie. Amazingly we recognised them  - we see them every week at Ste Cécile and know they are English. But we've never actually spoken. No escape this time. Nice couple, lovely dog. I mentioned the tree and my fears were confirmed. It was planted by the friends of a young (25) man, local fireman who died in a road accident last month. So terribly sad.

Dense fog over N. Ireland

no change there then! This was the sum total of the weather summary on R 4 this morning... here however though we had a cocoon of thick cloud part of the day, all is gentle and warm. I passed the time vacuuming and making soupe au pistou, hanging out washing and lifting pots of pansies onto the sunlight on the parapet.

Then in mid afternoon we felt we should make some sort of effort. So off to Gravillas for a bidon of AOC Sablet rouge. The man told me the harvest was pretty much finished for the Coop members and that it was a good, if not copious, year and that despite the great heat the alcohol percentage was in manageable figures,

We were out so continued down to the railway bridge over the Ouvèze to see what water there was. The Aigues, our other watercourse, had been totally dry when we crossed it in Cairanne. Ouvèze though was flowing freely, if a bit depleted.

There was some curious detritus - a television gazing folornly downstream.

And down the track a heap of discarded Persimmons. (Hardly surprising as they are pretty yukky by all accounts). But why anyone would have picked them green is a mystery. They look so fantastic on the tree as they ripen to vivid orange.

Beating the bounds

It really is hot. Totally overdressed! But notwithstanding, I braved the sun as we strolled round the vines to see how many were still there and not grubbed up for development. Number One. This is across the outer road just along the lane. They are putting 5 houses here. But first they have to dig a big pit that acts as a sump to collect water in heavy rains. Very sensible - all developments have one.

Beyond this we could see a couple of grander individual dwellings already constructed. They don't hang about here! When we left in mid May there weren't even any foundations. The vines have been ripped out in this field but I think they will be replaced. Well let's just say that as yet there is no planning notice...

Ah! The definitive view. Sablet with intact vines and bunches of dark grapes. The Spanish pickers are here but haven't yet done this patch. Everywhere reeks of fermented juice at the moment! And there are sticky trickles of red down the roads almost as if a serial killer has been on the loose.

We proceeded round the back of the village towards the Mairie to view the new facade. But en route just had to stop and gaze at the pomegranates. They are simple gorgeous and so exotic looking. Bet no one picks them. I bought a couple on the market yesterday but they weren't as perfect as these.

And finally, the new face of local administration. This is where our taxes go! It's an improvement certainly.

Ha ha...fooled you! There is one more. He's back. Be afraid, be very afraid!

Saturday

Well we are settled in. It is sunny. Last night a lovely apéro on The Library Terrace chez Louise. Most civilised!

Our terrace on the other hand had hosted a pigeon party in our absence and required extensive scrubbing. But now it's pristine and we've jollied it up,with some pansies. Alas, as expected, the marguerites did not make it through the scorching heat. 

But Perovskia, despite appearances, has survived. He is lightly pruned and watered and is showing signs of life.

(Plus evidence of pigeons!)

Lost in France

I had this brilliant idea...avoid Cahors rush hour by taking the river road on the other side past the end of the Pont Valentré. It almost worked but we got disorientated and found outselves heading South to Villeneuve sur Lot instead of East to Villefranche de Rouergue! A bit of fancy footwork and cross country mapreading soon had us back on track and in time for breakfast in Limogne en Quercy as planned. Indifferent croissants but reasonable coffee. It's a familiar road from there to Millau Viaduct across the plateau, now garlanded with lines of wind turbines. More pastoral than arable.

The plan was to go down to Marseillan for lunch at la Pacheline restaurant but we now wondered if we'd make it.

Crunch time came at the bottom of the helter skelter descent towards Lodève. Definitely Midi here. Bare rock, sparse vegetation, vivid light. Yeah..we ploughed on and got into Marseillan at 12.45, parked up by the wine barracks and hotfooted it across the port to our dear resto.

Plenty of tables in the sun. Formule at 19 euros. Bliss.

Marseillan was looking jolly as always and it was a perfect temperature. We never want to leave but Sablet called, so after the obligatory wander down to the end of the quay it was Vaucluse bound. We got in at about 5. Unpacked and went to get bread and a drink in the bar. Nice and warm and bustling. Good to be back. But sad to learn that our dear neighbour Mme Vrastor has died.










PS you can now see all my photos of the trip on Google photos by clicking the link on the top right of any post.

Speeding through Périgord

Off at 8 as usual. The hotel was fully booked so just as well we'd prepaid. Breakfast in Melle in a PMU bar devoted to gambling but with caveats and dire warnings about addiction and debt flashing up on the screen before every draw! Good coffee.

Then down through Charente and into Dordogne first on the arrow straight N10 and then via twisty lanes and pretty landscape. Fields of standing dry maize, dessicated sunflowers all waiting for the oil mill no doubt. And some rebel erratic sunflowers blooming late in fallow fields. A far cry from the glistening leathery cauliflowers and feathered artichokes of Roscoff. Stone houses and bastide villages - all very picturesque.

And before we knew it we were on the banks of the Dordogne and it was lunchtime!

We were once again too close to the destination so we made for Villefranche du Périgord, a delicious little bastide (the oldest in Périgord) where we had a misty breakfast last November. Today it was all sun drenched and bedecked with floral bunting.

It seems to have been a Chestnut Festival.

I bet you never knew you needed one of these - chance would be a fine thing!

And a lovely coffee in the market square looking at the buildings.

Niort or bust

After F and C in North Tawton it was ho for The Hoe! The Armorique was wonderful. Comfy bunks, spacious cabin, smooth crossing. About time they changed the wake up music though. It used to be Shostokovitch jazz dances, then it became Celtic harp. I reckon M. Hulot music would be good - put one in the holiday mood!

We hammered down the dual carriageways a touch too much this morning and found ourselves within spitting distance of Niort far too soon. So a detour through the marshes and Venise Verte was undertaken. Very lovely it is - a cross between the Lancashire moss and Somerset Levels. But nothing was open. Tuesday too! We reckon that September is a bad time because all the commerçants take their hols now.

Anyway having got so close to our goal we then proceeded to get lost in the hinterland but eventually wove our way through lanes and villages to Ibis Budget. Isolated with a couple of other budget chain hotels...we won't be venturing into town in case we never find our way back. So Campanile all you can eat buffet is it for tonight. We know how to live.

Once more...

We're away again on 18 September after a summer off. It is with some trepidation that we set out - the value of the pound has slumped so dramatically that we are having to consider our position.
Anyway, the route is Plymouth to Roscoff, then Niort, Cahors and Sablet via Marseillan. Should arrive on 21 September.