A Change in the Weather

Five weeks ago I was lying on the lounger in the warm spring sunshine, looking at the dull winter cover on the pool. The next day, we rang M. Herbert and asked him to open the pool ready for the summer. The day he arrived it started raining and since then there haven’t been many days it hasn’t rained since!

Yesterday was Lundi de Pâques and the Randonneurs celebrated it with the usual repas. This year it was held in the Village foyer. It began with the customary apéros. Everyone brought entrées which were shared around. Following that, a variety of omelettes were distributed which had been made by the ‘older ladies’ of the club. It was a very lively occasion. By the time we left at 5 o’clock the sun was beginning to shine.

Because I am a rather “fair weather” walker, today was the first walk I had been on for four weeks. The sun was shinning and there was very little wind. It was a lovely afternoon. The ballade began in Montolieu and walked past the Chapelle de St Roch and then for a further 8 kilometres around the town. As we set off I heard my first cuckoo of the season. The walk was lovely. We saw lots of spring flowers, sanglier tracks, a small herd of goats eating the garrigue. There were even black kites (merlin noir) and hen harriers (Busard Saint-Martin) soaring in the sky.

It was a lovely walk and I hope that the weather we have had today is the start of more sunny days to come but looking at the météo for the next week, I am not quite so sure.

Picnics

As we are getting a bit older and having picnics sitting on the ground are not as comfortable as they used to be, so we decided to buy a collapsible picnic table. We have had nearly two weeks of beautiful blue skies with some daytime temperatures reaching 20 degrees, (which isn’t bad for the end of March) we thought we would make the most of the weather and take a picnic up to the Minervois.

We found a most fantastic spot. We sat looking at the snow-capped Pyrenees with only the sound of birds and insects and not a car engine to be heard. It was beautiful. After our lunch, we had a lovely walk around the area. There were some pretty miniature daffodils and orchids growing amongst the stones and rocks.

One thing that did amaze us was the amount of “tent caterpillars” or Les chenilles processionaires we saw in the pine trees. These web-like cocoons swinging from the tree tops are in fact caterpillar nests, constructed by the ‘chenille processionnaire’ larva which live in large "tents" and march out at night in single file (hence the name) to feed on the pine needles, leaving behind them a pheromone trail (a kind of chemical message), which enables them to find their way back to the nest after feeding.

When we first moved into our house, we had a couple of nests in our pine trees and were quite intrigued by the lines of caterpillars we saw walking across our garden. We now realize the risks that that carry. Quite apart from the damage caused to the trees, the caterpillars have fine hairs on their back containing a poison which causes severe irritation and dermatitis, and in some cases an allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock) to both humans and animals. Even after the caterpillar is dead, the hairs remain toxic. Take care when walking your dog in areas where the caterpillars may be, or have been. Initial symptoms to watch out for in your pet may include vomiting and tongue swelling.

As we were heading home, we saw a signpost for Curiosité de Lauriole. As we were curious we decided to follow the directions. We drove the road looking out for a geological site or religious monument – nothing! We even passed a car driving in the opposite direction obviously looking as well. When we got home we searched on the internet and found the answer. Apparently the road is an optical illusion - balls, bottles and cars will seem to travel UPHILL!. Even water, poured onto the road surface flows the wrong way! This has got us intrigued and the next time we are in the Minervois we will have a closer look.

Spring

It is a big world out there my son!

Timber.........

We had 3 lovely pine trees in our garden which are typical of the French countryside but over the years we have been here have grown rather tall. With the wet winter and the tempêt 2 weeks ago, they have become unsafe so reluctantly we decided that they must be cut before they fall down and cause damage to the pool or its surrounds.

Many thanks to Jean-Yves Macron from Alairac for his professional work.

The garden is looking a little bare at the moment but once we have got the ground prepared, I think we will plant some cherry trees that will give us hopefully, blossom in the spring and fruit to eat later.

Work Completed

We have finally repaired all the damage after the tempêt that hit us on 24^th January. Maurice Bes, a local builder arrived with his team last Friday afternoon to repair the roof, which was the most important work. The boys arrived bang on 2:00 pm and worked hard all afternoon. Fortunately, apart from a load of broken tiles, only a small strut of wood had been broken in the attic. It could have been an awful lot worse.

As they didn’t have time to finish the chimney, they said they would be back Monday morning at 8:00am. Although we are not used to early starts like this, it was worth the effort to get the job completed. Unfortunately, it was wet and windy and so the builders didn’t turn up (I don’t blame them). As the weather cleared up in the afternoon Fabrice arrived at 2:00pm to repair the chimney.

As the job wasn’t completed we put the alarm on for another early rise on Tuesday morning. The morning was still a bit grey and drizzly and certainly not good weather for repairing chimneys, so no sign of Maurice or Fabrice. Fortunately, we had a phone call from Dave who was going to put up our satellite dish for us. I had really missed the TV, especially last week during the Australian Open Tennis when I had to listen to Australian Radio for the commentary of the Men’s Semis and Final. (It is amazing how cheaply you can buy prawns to throw on a BBQ.) By lunch time we had TV and radio. Two o’clock, on the dot, Fabrice arrived to finish the chimney and fix the aerial for French TV.

Thanks to everyone who have helped us. It is amazing how communities pull together during time of crisis.

They Walk Among Us!

These made me smile. Thanks you Viv for sending them. *Caution... They Walk Among Us!* *One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when someone shouted....'Look at that dead bird!' Someone looked up at the sky and said...'where???'* **They Walk among us!!* *** While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the north?' When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, 'Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff.' * **They Walk Among Us!!* **** My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but 'didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving'.* **They Walk Among Us!!!!* *** I told the girl at the steakhouse register that I wanted the half pound sirloin. She informed me they only had an 8 oz sirloin. Not wanting to make a scene, I told her I would take the 8 oz steak instead of the half pound.* **They walk among us! * **** My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it's designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped She keeps it in the trunk...* **They Walk Among Us!!!!!* *** My friends and I were on a Beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.... * **They Walk Among Us!!!!!!* *** I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, 'Wouldn't the chain rip out every time she turned her head?' I had to explain that a person's nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is turned...* **They Walk Among Us!!!!!!! * *** I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me, 'Has your plane arrived yet?'...* **They Walk Among Us!!!!!!!!* *** While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding. 'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces.* **Yep, They Walk Among Us, too.!!!!!!!!* *Sadly, not only do they walk among us, they also reproduce ! ! ! ! *

And Then There Was Light!

Gosh, what a weekend! We woke up on Saturday morning to strong winds, but that isn't surprising around here. Gradually as the morning went on, the wind got stronger causing the occasional trip in the electricity which took out the computer (very annoying). By 12 noon we had no power and the winds were very strong. Whilst we were having lunch there was an almighty crash on the roof and yes, the chimney had fallen down, smashing roof tiles. From the loft hatch we could see daylight! We called the insurance help line who asked us if we needed a hotel room.Fortunately that wasn't necessary so they gave us the phone number of a company who could provide a tarpaulin to cover the hole. As no one was there we left a message and went on to Plan B.

We decided to visit Jean-Jacques, a councillor who lives on our road and can speak English for some advice. He wasn't at home but at the Mairie with all the other councillors helping the villagers who had problems, cutting up fallen trees, clearing roads, organising builders to help with repairs. They even gave Richard a bâche, a cover, to go over the hole in the roof until someone could fix it. The team work in the village was amazing! Before Richard had even arrived home, word had got to a local builder who turned up to assess the situation. he went away and returned with the necessary equipment. Within 2 hours of the chimney collapsing, the hole had been covered securely. I was very impressed.

As the power was still off on Sunday morning, Jean-Jacques turned up and asked if we needed a generator to get the fridge and freezer cold again. We could borrow it for 2 hours before passing it on to the next person who needed it. This too was provided by the Mairie.

Power was finally restored on our road after 3 days! The rest of the village were back to normal after 1 day but unfortunately we have some very large trees that had taken down the power cables. Apparently at one point, 90% of the Aude department was without power.

Things are slowly getting back to normal but until we get our satellite dish up we will have to rely on the computer for the news and radio.