Showing posts with label Aviron Bayonnais. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aviron Bayonnais. Show all posts

Tuesday 2 April 2019

266. Hello Spring!

30th April. We had a quick raid in Spain yesterday - I topped up my whisky stocks with a 2 litre bottle (think Football Manager of the Month size!) of Sir Edward's at 18.95€* - a price I couldn't ignore! I defy anyone to categorise it as a rotgut product.. We've all been programmed to believe that high price = good and low price = bad.. I'd be interested to see how people would score this whisky in a blind tasting. 
* = £8.17/litre. 

Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen (right) is a Dane who came to the UK and worked as an NHS dentist for 20 years. His story refutes the tired old prejudiced stereotype of the Brexiteer as portrayed by the pro-Remain UK media and the Establishment. Playing to the gallery, Owen Smith, Labour MP for Pontypridd predictably falls back on a spot of name-calling - labelling Brexit a "racist, xenophobic, right-wing reactionary project". I'd be interested to find what evidence he has for that statement.

Here's an extract from a statement made by Henrik after the Referendum: "I am far from being one of the 17.4 million xenophobes whom Chuka Umunna has claimed are among his fellow citizens. Support for Brexit is not only to be found on the right of the political spectrum, it is across the board, and the Brexit Party is a perfect example of that. Far-right parties do not speak for me, nor do they speak for the majority of this country. Having come here as a European immigrant over twenty years ago, I can safely say that the rhetoric which comes from those on the far right does not represent what I have experienced; Britain has been open and welcoming to me."

"The Brexit Party brings together people from all backgrounds and challenges the dangerous stereotype which media outlets like the BBC push. We Brexiteers are not a monolithic group of ignorant and uneducated voters who blindly supported Brexit because they liked Boris Johnson. How will they marry up the idea of me – a socialist, NHS dentist and trade union representative, who used to live in a commune – with being a Brexiteer?"

Denmark seldom gets a mention here - so mange tak to Henrik - here's some Danish party music..

In something of a 'first' for me, I registered as a supporter of the Brexit Party a few days ago. (Edited to add in 2023: The Brexit Party is no longer the force it was since the departure of Nigel Farage.) 

Bleu Café
28th April. To Biarritz this morning with the pooch to have a walk along the sea front - and to watch the breakers rolling in with a crash at high tide. We stopped off first at the Bleu Café (right) for a coffee, ideally situated on the Grande Plage for a grandstand view of the Sunday morning crowd (photos).

We then headed into town only to find that a braderie was in progress - ie, a sale where the shops set out all their marked-down merchandise on racks in the street. Best avoided unless you have the shopping gene! There was a "start of season" feel to life this morning with quite a few foreigners (ie, people from outside the Pays Basque!) out and about.
27th April. Most visitors to the Pays Basque don't stray too far from the coast - and, for many reasons, that's completely understandable. However, the interior boasts some fine mountain scenery with stunning views that seem to go on for ever. I'd recommend that visitors spend at least a day or two in the Pyrenees National Park.
Here's a charming short video (below) that captures much that is admirable about Bayonne. And - unsurprisingly - I wouldn't argue with any of it! When we first came down to the Pays Basque, we were immediately seduced by the undoubted Basque charms of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and, to a lesser extent, Biarritz. However, forced by the reality of property prices to look elsewhere, we backed into Bayonne in a manner of speaking - and now not a day goes by that I don't thank our lucky stars!
It's a town for living in - as opposed to visiting. That's not to say that it's not set up for tourism - far from it - but that its appeal is not as immediately apparent as the other two towns, which are largely given over to meeting the needs of tourists. We still pinch ourselves when we visit Saint-Jean-de-Luz and walk along the spectacular sea front there - and we always get a buzz when visiting Biarritz, with its dazzling light and its fantastically eclectic range of properties dating back to its Belle Epoque days - but Bayonne exerts an undeniable pull on us - and I can't imagine a day when we'd ever want to move from here. Even now, when we leave to drive north towards Bordeaux or further afield, we still ask ourselves why on earth are we leaving?  

Here's another that focuses on some of the products that Bayonne is justifiably famous for:
25th April. I took the dawg down to the coast this morning for a good run - and after rain had swept through overnight, there was unlimited visibility (as in "gin clear") and I could clearly see hills on the far side of San Sebastian - and I suspect as far as Bilbao on the northern Spanish coast. An off-shore breeze was ripping the tops of waves off in continuous arcs of spindrift (right). A beautiful morning..

24th April. The British Embassy, Paris, has been publishing a series of newsletters for British expats resident in France. The latest newsletter (dated April 2019) starts:

"The British Government continues to seek a way in which the UK can leave the EU in an orderly manner and without undue delay. In the meantime, the French Government is publishing more information about what a no-deal would mean for British nationals in France. We want to share this information with you, so we will be emailing updates to you as and when we can. This update covers the French Ministry of Interior's decree about entry, residence, social rights and professional activity in France for British nationals in the event of a no-deal departure from the EU. The second part of this newsletter covers the recognition of UK driving licences in France in the event of no-deal."
Click here to continue reading. (To sign up to receive the Embassy's Newsletters, click here).

There has been much talk here in France lately of the marked increase in suicides by the nation's gendarmes and police. As if this wasn't bad enough, there have been some shocking scenes at demonstrations by the gilets jaunes (and/or aided by anarchists and others who have infiltrated their ranks) when masked or hooded demonstrators have chanted "Suicidez-vous" ("Kill yourselves") at the forces of law and order. There are some very sick people out there. This same message has been spray painted on several police stations throughout the country. Another piece of graffiti that I've noticed both here and across the border in Spain is a charming one imported from the UK - ACAB (All Coppers Are Bastards).

It's difficult to comment on the level of hatred that makes people chant slogans like these at the police. They don't know how lucky they are to live here. Yes, life can be difficult - but when has it not been? Poverty is relative.. just the other day I saw a young man sitting on the pavement in town begging - while at the same time talking on a smart phone. The generation who grew up with leather sofas and big screen TVs took them for granted - but now they are finding out the hard way just how difficult the acquisition of these consumer products can be. For many, taking part in a 'manif' (demo) is a rite of passage - and then there are those who like to see how far they can provoke the police. Finally, there are those (above right) who simply wish to take advantage of the opportunity to attack the police. Sadly, there's no shortage of provocateurs at these demos.

There are many retired people who joined the gilet jaunes movement in the hope that the Government would cave in to their demands. In my view, they have a legitimate case - as pensions have been frozen here for a number of years while at the same time utilities (electricty and gas) have announced price hikes in excess of inflation. For those in receipt of pensions, this is a particularly cruel outcome as they have no means of topping up their income.

I believe that there's an internationalist element to these nihilistic anarchists, enabled by the internet, mobile phones and social media, that allows them to coordinate their shameful actions and to act in numbers. 

There's long been a habit here for opportunist thieves or vandals (known as "casseurs" - literally 'breakers' - but 'wreckers' is closer) to join otherwise peaceful demonstrations to cause mayhem - like the one (right) who just happened to find a hammer in his pocket - and it seems that the coordination of these acts has ramped up. There are also those who come with weapons prepared to commit violent acts, like the 'peaceful' demonstrator (above left) armed with a powerful catapult that could really cause serious injury to someone. The real challenge to the government is how to respond to these disturbing urban events in ways that will not be interpreted by the ever-present media (who are invariably embedded with the demonstrators) as the use of excessive force by the State. Of course, the rolling news channels pay for and feed off shocking imagery (provided by phone videos etc) and so the whole thing becomes self-sustaining.

We're not immune to the effects of the gilets jaunes in this part of the world - there have been small encampments of them on the approaches to the Pont Henri Grenet over the Adour and elsewhere for some months now. In former times, French governments invariably acceded, at least in part, to the demands of street protesters - but this time I think that President Macron has very little room to manoeuvre so I anticipate a long drawn-out stand-off. In my view, the actions by the extremists mentioned above were designed to inflame matters and provoke a reaction in the hope that it will work to their advantage. We have a long way to go yet before this will be resolved. 

Meanwhile, across the Channel, MPs have returned to Westminster after their 12 day break. Nigel Farage's newly formed Brexit Party has recruited an interesting candidate from the ranks of the Conservative Party - Annunziata Rees-Mogg (yes, Jacob's sister).

According to the media, the stage is being set for the centre ground of UK politics to be abandoned and of course, this would be an unwelcome turn of events - if it were to happen. Certainly, the Labour Party (backed by Momentum) has taken steps away from the centre ground.

However, as much as political pundits (including those of the BBC) will attempt to smear the Brexit Party by calling it a Far Right party, I don't believe that those involved at the heart of it would ever allow it to drift off to the fringes. Mr Farage has also been accused by the media of wanting a "hard" Brexit. To me, the UK is either in or out - there's no such thing as a hard or soft Brexit except in the minds of those who are scheming for the UK to remain.

Brexit was always a cross party issue - something that the media has consistently ignored since the UK electorate voted to leave the EU in June 2016 as it doesn't fit their narrative. I've said this before but we have too much media, too many talking heads, everyone's talking and no-one's listening. Now that the genie's out of the bottle, it's probably asking too much of MPs to STFU and put their country first - but that's what's needed..

23rd April. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch any of the news coverage about the fire at Notre-Dame, Paris. This painting of Notre-Dame looming dark and heavy against the evening sky says it all to me:


Just back from lunch outside at a trattoria on the banks of the Adour. We had to ask for an umbrella as the sun was so hot - the car registered 24½°C (76°F) on the way home.

Bryan Gould, a former Labour minister, now returned to his native New Zealand has written: The Remainers' constant theme is the admonition of those who voted for Brexit and who are, as they see it, foolish enough to think that we can extricate ourselves painlessly from our entanglement with the European Union. What is remarkable about this stance is that there is no hint of any apology from them, or acceptance of any responsibility on their part, for this dilemma. It was after all today’s Remainers who urged us on in the first place and led to our being embroiled in an arrangement which, as I and others warned at the time, was contrary to our interests and from which it is proving so difficult to free ourselves. 

22nd April. Here's the late George Harrison (former mop-top!) with his catchy interpretation of Cab Calloway's 1931 hit - The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea..
19th April. The crush of people here continues.. The Foire au Jambon runs through until Sunday, so there's a crowd attached to that - then there are those in town who have come down for the Easter weekend.. then fold in the road works that have been going on for months now and you have all the ingredients in place for fun and games on the roads - not forgetting the entries for the creative parking competition (Pays Basque section). After all that talk of whisky, I think I might interview Dr Glenmorangie this evening. Here's something to put you in the mood.. 

I've recently become aware (subliminal marketing perhaps?) of "Monkey Shoulder" - a blended malt whisky. It's not a blended whisky but an 'undisclosed' combination of ‘different’ Speyside single malts.. and I've clearly taken my eye off the ball as I've yet to try one! Full list of blended malt whiskies here. It sounds interesting and I've seen it across the border in Spain. Thinking about it though, part of the pleasure of drinking a single malt for me comes from associating the taste with its place of origin in Speyside or the Highlands. With malt whisky, I like to know what I'm drinking - and by masking off that knowledge from us, I think William Grant and Sons are doing their product a disservice. I suspect they wish to make their product more "accessible" to a younger and, dare I say it, trendier demographic who couldn't care less where the whisky was distilled and matured. I detect a strong whiff of marketing here.

Want to know more about whisky? Look here. And then go out and buy one of these! Aka the gift that keeps on giving..
I remember once trying to buy a leg of lamb from the butcher's department in a UK supermarket. I asked the assistant where the lamb came from - to which she replied, "The fridge..". 

18th April. Road space and parking was at a premium here in Bayonne today due to the ongoing road works in preparation for the introduction of the Tram'bus service (presented here by Laurent Irazusta - former president of my old rowing club). Perhaps more importantly, today was also the opening of the Foire au Jambon 2019.. This is a major annual event that celebrates the Jambon de Bayonne and it attracts visitors from far and wide to meet friends, have lunch together, share a bottle of wine - and yes, sample some Jambon de Bayonne! And with this being France, any time that gastronomy raises its head, it can be guaranteed that a Confrérie (only in France!) will make an appearance - and so (with a roll of drums) enter the Confrérie du Jambon de Bayonne! (by the way, that's Basque you can hear being spoken)
16th April. Here's some music to stare out of the window by: it's the second movement of Beethoven's Sonata "Pathetique" Op 13, played beautifully here by Matthew McAllister:

I'm not sure that this is quite what Beethoven had in mind for this wonderful piece of music. If you would prefer to listen to it played on a piano, here's Li Yundi with his equally beautiful  interpretation.

13th April. Have you been mystified by some/all of the rugby videos I've posted here? Have you asked yourself why this or that happened? Here's a short animation that outlines the main rules of the game and it should dispel some of the fog..

10th April. There was a flash of light early this morning - followed a second or two later by an explosive crack and rumble of nearby thunder (very nearby!) and since then the gutters have been running with water.

8th April. By the way, I must thank Heather (a friend's daughter) again for sending us this very accomplished watercolour - an extremely lifelike rendition of our English cocker spaniel.
 
We were delighted to receive this last Christmas - out of the blue - and we were both amazed at how she'd really managed to capture the little rascal as he is (sometimes!). I don't know how she did it. Many thanks! He was still a pup in the photograph - but since then he's morphed into a 17kg (if not more) adult dog..

Someone sent me a link to a video of a 'ground-up' restoration of a 1973 Porsche 911S. It would have been waay out of my league when new back in the early 1970s - and looking at the amount of effort and skill that has gone into this painstaking "back-to-bare-metal" restoration, it still is! (I shudder to think what the labour costs would have been) However, one can but dream.

My other dream car - a Bentley Mk VI (but minus the whitewall tyres) - is at the opposite end of the spectrum to the Porsche. Where the Porsche is minimalist - spartan even - the Bentley is like a Gentlemen's Club on wheels - all leather armchairs, Wilton carpeting, burr walnut dash and door cappings. I would hate to be put in the position of having to choose between one or the other (not that it will ever happen). An impossible choice - but I think I'd finally come down on the side of the Bentley - with that effortless straight six engine and the plush interior, it's got character and style in spades. I could see myself sitting in it in my pyjamas at 6am with a coffee. Sadly, I think the real reason would be that getting in and out of a Bentley Mk VI would be easier. More on Bentley Mk VIs here. The ultimate Bentley is surely this R-R Meteor-powered monster - yes, a development of the same engine that powered the immortal Spitfire and the Mustang - built by this company in Devon, UK. Ah well, back to the real world!

It's good to have a dream or two though - I think we need our dreams for life to be fully savoured. As you may have noticed, I'm more than happy with the life I have! Human nature being what it is though, we always want just that little bit more. (OK, in the case of a Porsche or a Bentley, it would be a lot more!)

7th April. Just watched the 2019 University Boat Race rowed under grey skies on the Thames - and Cambridge Ladies took a well-deserved win, driven on all the way by the inspirational Lily Lindsay, their dynamic stroke. I've always supported Oxford but it was clear from the start that it was going to be Cambridge's race. They looked as if they meant business whereas Oxford looked as if they were out on a Saturday morning club row. I just couldn't see how they thought they might win, rowing like that. The Ladies race starts at 13:50 in the video below..

The Mens boat race was far closer and there was only a length in it at the finish. Cambridge had a lightning quick start - and sat on their lead despite a praiseworthy attempt by the Dark Blue boat to get back on terms. The Mens race starts at 1:11:27:
 
I was disappointed to hear foul language from two of the four coxes in the races. I hope the clubs concerned take steps to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

April showers
Another soaking for me this morning! I'd taken the pooch for his Sunday morning gallop through the woods and fortunately I'd remembered to take an umbrella with me as the weather looked a bit iffy. We'd only got about 100 yards or so from the car when someone upstairs turned the rain on..

This was monsoon-style rain - and the closest I can get to describing it is to say it sounded like someone pouring dried peas on the umbrella from a great height! It wasn't merely drumming - it was deafening - as I squelched through the empty woods - squelch squelch squelch - under my oversized umbrella. If the dog had looked only bedraggled, it would have been an improvement! He was soaked - and needed wringing out! He's still slightly damp even now in the late afternoon.

It's been uncharacteristically dry here these last few months so this morning's rainfall will benefit my "corner of a foreign field - that is for ever England". Couldn't resist that one!

4th April. The weather's a bit disturbed here at the moment - the horizon is black with squally showers blowing through now and again. I took the pooch for a run through the woods near the beach this morning and the hollows in the undergrowth were filled with hail..
Yesterday evening I parked my car in Saint-Jean-de-Luz (above) in good time for a meeting at the Town Hall - the skies were clear - when I suddenly had to dash back to the car to pick up something I'd forgotten. Returning to the Town Hall minutes later, the skies blackened ominously, the wind picked up and then I was hammered by hail.. Just what I needed before the meeting!

Here's a song that reminds me of a happy time in my life. (full details supplied on request - if accompanied by a cheque!☺) 
3rd April. I had a meeting at the Town Hall of Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the late afternoon - and when we emerged afterwards at about 6.30pm, the pavements were shiny following a recent shower. The sun was low in the south west over the distant mountains and the slanting evening light gilded the gleaming rooftops of Ciboure across the inner harbour, the surface of which dazzled and rippled like liquid gold. If ever there was a real Kodak moment, this was it! I pointed it out to a companion (a native of Ciboure) who was busy reviewing the key points of the meeting and it stopped him dead in his tracks too. Why didn't I have a camera with me..?!
  
The Nive with the cathedral
in the background
2nd April. I forgot to mention that on Saturday morning I went out on my ebike through the centre of town and out along the towpath along banks of the beautiful Nive. With it being a Saturday morning, there were quite a few boats out on the river - and it reminded me of those happy mornings when I used to row there with the section Loisir (leisure). We'd try and set ourselves into a long, sustainable, almost hypnotic rhythm and before long the outside world would cease to exist. I remember that sometimes I'd suddenly realise that I hadn't seen the last few kilometres pass by due to my being so absorbed in trying to perfect all of the elements of my stroke.

On the way back, I stopped off at the club and was pleased to see some old faces among the new ones who had joined since I'd left. As much as I'd like to go back there, I very much regret that I won't be. The problem was that, due to my creaky knees, I could no longer get out of the boat unaided after a sortie - instead, I needed to be pulled out! This for me runs counter to everything I believe about rowing. For me, the essence of rowing is that the crew should act together - on and off the water - and they should all do the same things at the same time. For example, when the cox gives the order to get out, all oarsmen should get out as one.. I couldn't come to terms with being the odd one out who needed assistance - so that was the end of that. I started rowing at 14 and I'd always hoped that it was a sport I could practice all my life. It's quite frustrating because from the strictly rowing point of view, I believe I could hold my own - it was just the business of getting out of the boat that was the issue. 

At choir practice last night, we continued working on another Mozart piece (Laudate Dominum from "Vesperae solennes de Confessore" KV 330 Nr 5) that we're including in our forthcoming concert in June. (and no, this isn't us below!) The "heavy mob" makes its entrance at 2:37..!

1st April. Always glad to see the first three months of the year behind me. Unlike previous years when we've been subjected to more or less continuous rain, we've enjoyed a fairly dry Spring. So, no complaints from me!  

Tuesday 31 August 2010

82. Clock's ticking..

31st August 2010. I can't believe I started this blog a year ago.. I've decided I'm going make space for a daily Song of the Day. (I might do requests too!) This is the first one:

The clock is ticking faster than ever as far as the forthcoming commemorative march (English translation here) over the Pyrenees is concerned - it's now only 10 days away. This is the annual event that re-traces the actual trail over the Pyrenees (from Urrugne to Renteria) used by the Comet Line in helping escaping Allied aircrew en route to Spain. Its purpose is to honour and celebrate the memory of those brave men & women who supported the Comet Line (English translation here) - many of whom lost their lives in the process. It's a three day event - with vins d'honneur at town halls various, dinners in the evenings and of course the little matter of the marches over the hills!

1st September 2010. We have been in the Pays Basque three years today. Here's a song (a perennial favourite at weddings) that was made for the day..

Thursday 26 August 2010

81. The heat kicks in..

24th August 2010. Had a good outing in a double sculler (first time for me) this evening and finished up racing the VIII over the final 2km back to the clubhouse.. (we won!) 12km (Running total 78km). I'm still steaming!

25th August 2010. Today promises to be a hot one - the forecast is for 32°.. which is on the high side for the Pays Basque. This is as hot as I ever want it. This morning we drove down to the south of St Jean de Luz to pick up some tiles following which we headed for St Jean de Luz for lunch. We'd planned to go to our favourite cafe outside the indoor market and have some sardines. However, with it being August the world and his dog were already cruising for parking spaces which were at a premium.. We visited all our usual 'bankers' to no avail but then the Parking Gods smiled at us and we found a space up by the beach. The lapis lazuli sea in the bay was limpid and flat calm. By the time we got to the cafe, the only free table was unshaded. Looking back, we should really have gone home to try another day but we sat down and within minutes we both felt as if we were being slowly grilled.

26th August 2010. The forecast today is for 35.. We're off to the beach early this morning for a couple of hours before it gets too hot. Rowing this evening could prove interesting..!

14km on the river in a coxless quad sculler this evening (including a head-on with a double sculler..!) 92km total. It was as forecast today - 35 in St Jean de Luz this morning.. and it's very warm and muggy this evening..

28th August 2010. Had a reasonably solid outing in an VIII this morning.. did 15km. (Running total: 107km) Think it would be a good idea and helpful to all if the club produced coaching notes (with pictures) so that we're all singing from the same hymn sheet. People would then know what's expected of them. I'll have to see if I can suggest it tactfully.

The things you find out - in addition to all the other facilities (like a Top 14 rugby club, an excellent restaurant, champagne bar et al) the club has its own TV channel..! Last weekend there was an Open Day on the Sunday for all those interested in taking up rowing. The boats used for this are known as yolettes and, being fairly heavy and beamy, are only really for beginners.

There will be those "out there" who'd say that a Welsh male voice choir is at least a match for the sonority and resonance of a Basque choir and this view will be amply supported by this clip of the Morriston Orpheus Choir and "Myfanwy":
I believe that the above images are from the Gower Peninsula in South Wales which provided the inspiration for many of the lyrical poems of Dylan Thomas.

29th August 2010. It's a long time since Chibby, our cocker spaniel, has featured and so here he is , in his favourite position yesterday, putting his feet up on a warm Sunday afternoon:
Think he deserves another shot at global fame (!) so here he is again in perhaps a more recognisable pose!
30th August 2010. We went for a bike ride up the Nive this morning. Perfect morning.. apart from my chain coming off again.. Did 20km up to the footbridge at Villefranque.    

Saturday 3 July 2010

68. Defecting to Aviron Bayonnais

3rd July 2010. Yesterday, I was aware all day that the date held some significance for me but for long enough I just couldn't make the connection. Until suddenly voilà!* I realised that it was 38 years ago to the day that I joined the RAF. It's no good asking myself where had the years gone because they've gone, and very enjoyable they were too for the most part. Pas de regrets

* Or viola as one of my friends used to spell it! "Until suddenly a stringed instrument..."? Naa, it doesn't work does it?

Setting the breakfast table this morning, I had another rare moment of lucidity! I remembered setting the table as a kid - it would be the cloth, then the cutlery and then the salt and pepper cruets. I suddenly realised that I no longer automatically set out the cruets. This is one of the ways in which living here has changed me. I can remember my father showering his food with salt and pepper (I think this was an old army habit from the war) and so we grew up doing likewise. Madame always used to flinch when I did it.. It's one of those habits which is very hard to break but somehow I've managed it.

This morning I went down to the Aviron Bayonnais - the other rowing club in town - for an outing. For the last couple of years I'd been sculling (although they call it rowing in French) and I don't really derive much satisfaction from it. Rowing - or "ramer en pointe" - is with one oar - and it's what I grew up with. It's easier if I let Wikipedia explain the difference!

There are two forms of rowing:

In sweep or sweep-oar rowing, each rower has one oar, held with both hands. This can be done in pairs, fours and eights. Each rower in a sweep boat is referred to either as port or starboard, depending on which side of the boat the rower's oar extends to. Usually the port side is referred to as stroke side, and the starboard side as bow side; this applies even if the stroke oarsman is rowing on bow side and/or the bow oarsman on stroke side.

In sculling each rower has two oars (or sculls), one in each hand. Sculling is usually done without a coxswain, in quads, doubles or singles. The oar in the sculler's right hand extends to port (stroke side)(babord in French), and the oar in the left hand extends to starboard (bow side)(tribord in French).

We took an eight out - it's so long since I've rowed I could hardly remember if I was bow side or stroke side - I guessed stroke side but after a while it didn't feel right so I guess I must have rowed bow side. What a pleasure it was to row again.. We had a good long hard outing - first up the Nive and then back down again and through town (as above) and then on until we reached the Adour where we rowed downriver as far as the "Skat", the stealth gin palace (mentioned in Post #67).
I came back to the clubhouse with my t-shirt wringing wet. We then had a quick apero! And blisters in different places on my hands with the change to rowing. I think I'm going to enjoy this club!

I've often wondered if hydrofoil technology could be applied to rowing and/or sculling and here it is:
4th July 2010. Happy birthday America! And, as a small tribute to that most American of art forms, here's a link to TSF Jazz, an FM station in Paris that plays nothing but cool jazz 24/7. I've just tried it this morning but there appears to be a minor snaggette with their streaming. If you can't get it to work, it's definitely worth coming back to to try again in a day or two's time. If not, this will give you a patriotic fix!

Meanwhile, for all the readers of this blog in the US - this is for you.. the band of the Coldstream Guards playing the Star Spangled Banner outside Buckingham Place in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 (sorry about the poor quality):
And if that doesn't do it for you, then this clip of 150+ kilted porridge wogs (as they were affectionately known in the RAF in those far-off non-politically correct days!) surely will: 

The Duke of Wellington said: "I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me."

 I love that little flourish at the end!

Wednesday 26 May 2010

63. Trois Rivières

25th May 2010. Yesterday morning I found my way down to the clubhouse of Aviron Bayonnais, the other rowing club situated in the heart of Bayonne on the Nive. I'd signed up to row on the final day of their annual Trois Rivières event during which rowers tackle the Gave, the Adour and the Nive over a 3 day period - starting with 22kms on the Saturday, then 32km (ouch!) on the Sunday, followed by the final 20km flog up and down the Nive on the Monday. Clubs from all over France were represented - the furthest having travelled from Metz, situated just a few km from the Franco-German border in the north east..! I'd only returned to rowing 2 days before with a short outing on the Saturday having had an enforced 6 month break due to a few knee problems so yesterday's outing was still by way of a refresher (ahem!).

The club was a hive of activity as the rowers gathered together and boats were prepared to be put in the water. There must have been 20 or 30 'fours' and the chaos at the start was in true anarchic French style! The two of us from my club were teamed up with a couple from Avignon and it worked quite well.
While I really enjoy rowing on the wide open spaces of the mighty Adour (above), it has to be said that the winding Nive (below) is far more picturesque.. The town of Bayonne is built around the confluence of the two rivers.

This chap has the right idea..!
We did about 20km in the scorching heat (three times the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race distance) - think it must have been about 25C or more - and I finished up ab-so-lute-ly whacked from the heat and with blisters all over my unhardened hands.. I think I may have been overly ambitious for my come-back row! But fortunately - France being France - things didn't stop there..!
After pulling all the boats back out of the water and rinsing them off, we returned to the clubhouse for a welcome shower and change and then it was upstairs to the stylish bar/restaurant (below) that overlooked the river.. for an 'apero'.. (that's Bayonne Cathedral in the background) This was the first time I'd been in a rowing club anywhere where there was a dedicated bar just for serving champagne.. in addition to the more usual bar.
The first cold beer was a life-saver.. so I had a couple more just to be on the safe side.. After a short speech by Gérard (le très génial responsable), who'd organised everything all so well, a Basque male voice choir sang some stirring Basque songs which had us all on our feet and then it was time for another apero which the club offered to all 120 of us - champagne..! (only in France!) Then the serious business of the day started - it was time to eat. Between courses, the choir kept us entertained with some more marvellous singing and all too soon it was 3.30 and time to disperse..

I'm still shattered.. I'm supposed to be rowing again this evening but I still haven't decided on that yet..

Sunday 23 May 2010

62. Summer's here

23rd May 2010. Up early (just after 6am) to savour the peace and quiet of a summer's morning. The window is wide open, the birds are tweeting, a church bell in town is calling the faithful to church and the early morning shadows are slowly sinking down the walls of the big white Basque house across the avenue as the sun climbs up. It's going to be a hot one today.  

I went down to the rowing club yesterday for an outing for the first time in 6 months. It wasn't a long outing - I'd guess only about 8-9k - but as far as my knees were concerned, it went fine. That is, apart from when we returned to the pontoon and I couldn't stand up in the boat to get out! I had to flop out in an undignified heap! We opened up the bar afterwards for an apéro to mark my return.. Some things don't change! It was good to see them all again. Tomorrow I'm signed up for the final day of the Trois Rivieres event organised by the other rowing club in Bayonne - Aviron Bayonnais.

Four of us from our club are going to take a 'yolette' for a 20k row up the Nive as far as Ustaritz. It's my old cycling route so at least I'll know where we are in terms of how much more pain to go.. And, of course, being France, all this will be followed by a 'pot' from midday to 1pm and then lunch till 3pm.. then a wobbly ride home on my bike..

Speaking of which, Madame and I went out this morning on our bikes up the Nive.. With it being such a beautiful morning, all of Bayonne was out there.. There were quite a few boats out on the slow moving green waters of the river too - single sculls, pair scullers, fours and a couple of eights.. in perfect weather. It wasn't all confined to the river - it was also happening on the towpath - there were trendy mamans on  inline skates swishing along at high speed with their babes in hi-tech push chairs, Mums & Dads & offspring various on bikes of all sizes.. walkers, power walkers, joggers, every variety of cyclist, fishermen, etc etc.

I've been reading up on Le Réseau Comète (known as the Comet Line in English) which was set up by Andrée De Jongh, a 24 year old Belgian woman. She established a network that helped hundreds of Allied soldiers and airmen to escape, evade and return safely to the UK. It stretched from Belgium in the north, down through occupied France, over the Pyrenees to Spain and hence to Gibraltar and home. By sheer coincidence, Villa Voisin, one of the safe houses at the south western end of the line in France, is in Anglet which is but a 5 minutes car ride from Piperade Towers and I'll be taking a look at it very shortly.. There were two other safe houses in Bayonne and I'll be looking at those too.

The safe houses in the Pays Basque at the south western end of the Comet Line are shown here:
It struck me forcibly this morning that I wouldn't be experiencing the pleasure of living down here in my retirement were it not for the heroism of those involved in the Comet Line. It would have been all too easy for them to have kept their heads down and just got on with daily life as many chose to. Choosing active participation in the Resistance was an extremely fraught occupation and the penalty for being caught was the absolute certainty of being subjected to barbaric methods of interrogation and punishment of the kind last seen in Europe in medieval times. I have the utmost respect and admiration for the courage of those unsung heroes who stepped forward to fight tyranny when it became a reality in their own country. To all those brave men and women of the Resistance who died lonely deaths in nameless cellars across Europe - we owe an eternal debt of gratitude.