292. Next stop? Spring!

29th June. I thought I was pretty well-read - until new words started appearing in the 'meeja' in the last few years that I'd not heard of previously. Is it me or did these words catch everyone else by surprise too? I'm talking about words like these: avatar, meme and trope.. and there are more. Fortunately there aren't enough minutes left in the day for me to find time to look up what they actually mean. Are these real words - or is there a sub-editor at the uber-trendy Guardian hard at work dreaming up new ones as we speak? (and if I hear one more 'iconic', this PC is going out of the window - or through it)

28th June. While we have Gary Larson fresh in our minds, how about this one:

27th June. It was just over a week ago on Saturday, 18th June, that Bayonne lay sizzling under a stiflingly 42° heat with humidity to match. (A friend told me that at Tarnos - just the other side of the Adour - that temps of 47° were recorded on that same day). We closed all the shutters and still we sweltered indoors - only Nutty (our cocker spaniel) felt the occasional need to go out and, after doing the necessary, he would shoot straight back in again. I failed to keep myself adequately hydrated and this mistake led to a medical problem that hit me hard. I'll leave it there - but suffice to say I've learned the importance of drinking at least a litre and a half per day. 

26th June. Gary Larson with his Far Side cartoons has long been a favourite of mine. For reasons that will be obvious to those who know me, this one is a special favourite!

Here's a short guide (in English) to one of the most famous products of this area - jambon de Bayonne. As with all of these cured hams, ask for it to be sliced as thinly as possible so that it melts in the mouth.  

  

19th June. Apparently all records were broken for Bayonne yesterday with temps just shy of 43°. I'd taken the dog out earlier, walking him in the shadows. As for us, we couldn't do much else except close all the shutters and lurk indoors with a fan blowing warm air around. The humidity was off the clock and it really was unpleasant. 

 

Then at around 4pm, there was a sudden swirling wind and the temp dropped down to 26° in less than 30 mins. What a relief to open all the windows. Phew!

18th June. Just back from walking to the bakers and I'm perspiring like a porcus maximus. According to our thermometer in the west-facing garden, the shade temp at 10am local time is already 28° - and the forecast is for 40° today. We have all the shutters closed and a fan in the study is moving the air around..

I was at Hernani in the Spanish Basque country yesterday for a simple ceremony to celebrate one of its most famous sons - Florentino Goikoetxea. He was the legendary Comète guide and smuggler who led many evading Allied aviators out of occupied France over the Pyrenees into Spain. After the war, he was invited to Buckingham Palace to receive the Kings Medal. While waiting in an ante room to be received by King George VI, he was asked by an aide-de-camp what he did for a living. Florentino replied memorably - "I'm in import-export!".    

We had a musical interlude when Joxan Goikoetxea (Florentino's grand-nephew (?)) provided the accompaniment to a stirring rendition of this song. Joxan is an internationally recognised accordionist - here he is with Karl Jenkins' "Benedictus":

   

 16th June. Temperatures for the next 3 days are forecast to be: 35°, 38° and 41°..

15th June. As it was a fine warm day today, and we had a bottle of Listel rosé in the fridge, and the plancha was gleaming, it seemed a pity not to fire it up and throw some sardines on it.. 

Aah, that feels better!👍

14th June. What with the heat and the odd shower of rain, the garden has seen some stupendous growth recently, with some of the bushes that I've slowly been pruning into shape (Topiary 101) suddenly sprouting in all directions. I planted a wisteria 2-3 years ago and its tendrils were everywhere they shouldn't be. I couldn't put off the job any longer - so yesterday out came the stepladders, the extendable ladders and the long-handled shears  - and before long I was tempting fate again on the wobbly top step, reaching out into oblivion.   

We didn't use our plancha at all last year - as the weather had been too unpredictable and as a result, it stayed under wraps in a corner of the garage where it's been home to some frighteningly large spiders for the last two years - and I'd put the cast iron cooking surface (the part in black =>) down in the cellar, lightly oiled with olive oil and wrapped in an old sheet. Today, however, was the day of the 'Big Clean Up'. 

First up though, was the chariot that the cooking surface rests on. To spare you the thousand words, here's a picture. I heaved this out of the garage and up the steps to the terrace where I was going to clean off the grease I'd applied to all the metal surfaces prior to putting it away in 2020. I found some white spirit and boiled linseed oil (that miraculously appeared a year or two ago after being 'lost' for 13-odd years) and I set to wiping off the dried-on grease from the metal surfaces and then wiping down the wood surfaces with white spirit, before applying some linseed oil. If I say so myself, it soon looked like new again.

 I went down to the cellar and took hold of the cast iron top in a death grip - it weighs a ton* - and lurched back upstairs and out onto the terrace where I eased it back into position. Its last coating of olive oil had solidified and so I turned all the gas taps to 'on' and lit the burners. After 5 mins, I wiped off the surface and all the hardened oil came away. I turned off the gas, let it cool down, re-oiled the surface with olive oil and stood there admiring my handiwork (as you do!). All we need now is a fine day, some fresh sardines and an icy-cold bottle of Listel rosé Grain de Gris from the Camargue (worth searching one out). 

* I'm sure the metal was recycled from the Tirpitz..

13th June. This is a song I've always liked - it's Georges Moustaki with the aptly-named song Le Métèque.. (a 'métèque' is a pejorative word for a shifty-looking immigrant of Mediterranean origin!)

   

12th June. We voted in the Parliamentary elections this morning at a school a couple of minutes away. There can't be too many Brits here as they remembered me from the last time (is that a good or a bad thing - you decide). I was asked if I would like to come back this evening to assist in the count - I must have an honest face! The system is well organised and it runs like clockwork.  

10th June. I've just added a link to Impact FM's 1960s channel in the left hand column. (give the widget some time to wind up..) If you're anything like me, you'll be amused at some of their attempts to convert gen-u-ine rock 'n roll lyrics into French. I mean, where do you start with Be-Bop-A-Lula..?! There are some great French songs from the period though..   

   

2nd June. I tried a glass or two of Spain's Rueda Verdejo white wine the other day for the first time - dry, crisp, fruity and very more-ish. Worth looking to see if you can find a stockist wherever you are.. 

1st June. For any golfers out there who are thinking of visiting the Pays Basque, here's a list of the most beautiful golf courses in the area. 

It's hard to believe that the longest day of the year is only 3 weeks away.. Aarrgghh. 

24th May. We had a few days away up at St-Malo last week.. and fortunately we missed the wave of heat (32°C) that sat on Bayonne. 

We stayed in a hotel that if it had been any closer to the sea, we'd have had wet feet. This was the view from our window straight down one morning: 

The hotel was situated right on the sea wall a short walk from the old walled town of St-Malo -  - and for lovers of tidal action, the hotel is on the front line - as can be seen below. Our hotel shows up at 0.39 - it's the one with a flag on its roof: 

   

The tide at St-Malo, with its 12 metre range on average, is one of the highest in Europe - and when the Spring tides occur (6-10 times per year), the results can be seen above.  

Unsurprisingly, with all the water around, seafood plays a big part in the local diet. I enjoyed some of the best oysters I've ever had at the Café de l'Ouest. Yes, it's something of a tourist magnet - but the staff were friendly, efficient and on the ball - and the oysters (N° 4 size) that we started with were something special. After we got into our stride, we each had a seafood choucroute. There was a buzz and a hubbub reminiscent of those famed Parisian brasseries.    

We continued to eat seafood and oysters (this was taken at "Le Bout du Quai" at Cancale) until we left last Saturday.. (and I'm still peckish for another stack of those N° 4s from the Café de l'Ouest, Saint-Malo..!)  

15th May. I was having a haircut on Friday when suddenly the coiffeuse shrieked, dropped her comb,  followed by the satisfying sound of a splat as she dispatched what she said was a tiger mosquito. These pests are now to be found in France south of the Loire (map here) and I would urge tourists planning on visiting the south of France to make sure they equip themselves with mosquito repellent. There's nothing worse for a mosquito magnet (like me) than hearing the hum of a mosquito in a bedroom after turning out the light.    

14th May. Here's 'Tuba Skinny' - that great street jazz band playing here in the 'Big Easy' (aka New Orleans) - showing that 'jumpy leg syndrome' needn't necessarily disqualify you from a career in music! In case you're wondering, the trombone player is behind the box of CDs:

 

More here. 

13th May. I think it was yesterday that I heard and then saw the first swallows of summer.. (or were they house martins? I'm not sure what the difference is.) There was a formation of about 8 of them racing around the rooftops at breakneck speed skimming past chimneys screaming for all they're worth. 

11th May. This is the Hot Club du Nax with their very-listenable-to interpretation of 'Joseph Joseph'.. (Isobel Cope, the singer, has a great jazz voice.. is it me or is there not a touch of Amy Winehouse in the timbre of her voice - especially in the lower registers?) 

10th May. The "Great Warming Up" seems to be underway at last. We had lunch out on the terrace a day or two ago and today the temperature here is set to be 23° - with Bordeaux to the north at 29°. Suddenly it's summer..😎    

8th May. We took our eyes off the garden over the last few weeks and it had a sudden growing spurt.. Yesterday, we were out there cutting, pruning and snipping - and filling bags ready for a trip or two to the décheterie (the recycling centre nearby). We have two palm trees out front and three in the back and when the blossom (doubt if that's the right word) emerges and blooms, everything (like the car!) within a radius of about 25-30 yards gets covered in a fine layer of yellow dust (pollen?). Elsewhere, the countryside is now freshly green and the skeletal tree forms of winter are but a distant memory. Yesterday evening we had our first apéro on the terrace. It won't be too long now before the shorts come out. I'd better warn the neighbours!        

28th April. A small group of us were out on the road yesterday briefing mayors in a couple of villages about the content of the programme of our association's commemorations this September. We had a break at midday at a restaurant known as Aldaburua in the über-Basque village of Larressore. Here we were - at a time when the cost of living is high up on the national agenda - walking in to find almost every table taken.. Without boring you with the details, we took the set 3 course lunch, including a carafe of rosé and red. It was far better than it had any reason to be - and when the bill landed on our table with a whisper - rather than with a thump - it came to 13 euros each..       

27th April. Who would have thought that the vote for both of the main political parties of the French Right and the Left combined would have collapsed to the extent it did in the first round of the presidential elections in the weekend before last - with the vote for the official candidates for the Right and Left totalling only some 6% of the total vote.. These two parties had previously provided all the presidents of the 5th Republic since 1958. In forming his La République En Marche party from scratch five years ago, President Macron had cleverly cherry-picked the brightest and best from France's main political parties from the Right (Les Républicains or LR) and the Left (Le Parti socialiste or PS) to join him. In doing so, he effectively left them both with a leadership vacuum in the centre of their ranks and they were forced to field two lack lustre candidates who achieved that mighty 6% total vote.   

Could a similar thing happen in the UK? In theory - yes - because neither of the main Parties in the UK have any inspirational people - and political debate has been reduced to the ritual name-calling during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons. In practice - no - because there are so few in Parliament who could qualify to be included in a category called the "brightest and best". On the other hand, there's no shortage of shiny-trouser'd dullards.     

25th April. There's no better way to start the week than with a burst on my banjo:

  

Are we having fun yet?

Last chance!

24th April. I voted this morning in the second round of the French presidential elections here.. It was one of those occasions when I had to remind myself which candidate I disliked the least. No prizes for guessing. 

I've said this before here I think but we're living in an age at a time when we don't seem able to produce statesmen or -women anymore. Is there one statesman on the world stage at the moment? Can anyone name one? Someone of genuine integrity, with impeccable judgement, a vision for the future and the ability to persuade us via his power of oratory that he or she is right? In other words - to lead us? There are one or two around who can tick some of these boxes - but not all four.    

In an attempt to slow down the speed at which Nutty, our English cocker spaniel (aka the 4 legged Dyson), devours the contents of his bowl - we've bought one of these - and it definitely has added a minute or two to his usual 50 seconds. In French, it's known as an "anti-glouton" bowl (no dictionary required to work that one out!  

10th April. We had a walk around Biarritz this morning - blue skies but with an onshore breeze that was two steps up from chilly. Many people out and about - so we found a seat at the Bleu Café at the Grande Plage to watch the world go by. 

A girl in her twenties had a shoulder bag that bore the message: Ctrl + Alt + Delete Last Night - that made me smile! - but not quite as much as when I read the result of the Australian F1 GP - this song sprung to mind.

5th April. I have to admit that the appeal of golf* has always been lost on me. Yes, I've got a bag of golf sticks/bats/whatever in the garage but to me, it's a 'sport' that requires an inordinate amount of preparation prior to playing. 

First of all, you have to find a club to join (ker-ching!), then there are the green fees (ker-ching!), then you need to spend oops, what am I saying, invest a large amount of folding in a set of clubs without any guarantee that you'll be able to hit a single ball with any of them (except perhaps the putter). When I served in the UK military, golf was known  by the unwashed, and even by some of the washed, as 'swish f***' - this being the sound that the club head made as it scythed at speed past the ball - that remained tantalisingly fixed on its tee - and the inevitable expletive that followed.  

I rest my case

Secondly, you need to outfit yourself with clothes that say 'golfer' - polo shirts with that 'must have' crocodile brand, chinos, a peaked cap and not forgetting the single golf glove dangling from the back pocket of your breeks (trousers). 

Finally (but there's probably much more), you have to draw a happy face on your golf balls to remind yourself that you're not trying to kill the thing - simply to hit it - and eventually sink it in a hole. 

There's no shortage of golf courses either in this part of the world.. looky here. 

* or, as golf is known in Scotland: a good walk ruined.  

4th April. The more news I read or watch, the more I am convinced by the sentiments expressed below by George Bernard Shaw:

1st April. We started off the morning with what looked like sleet - and just after lunch we had the MOADs (the Mother Of All Downpours). We're going to the cinema this afternoon to see "Seule la terre est éternelle".. (Only the land is eternal):

   

27th March. We had a sad accident in the house a couple of evenings ago. We have a 19th century spring-driven brass lantern clock very similar to this one and it's been sitting on a bookcase in the dining room out of the way. 

Or so I thought.. 

I was taking something through to the kitchen past the bookcase and just as I entered the kitchen there was an almighty crash behind me. On turning around I saw my beautiful old clock was lying in the floor in a state of disarray. I found the major parts of the clock where you'd expect to find them - directly underneath where it had been standing for 15 years - and after a careful search we managed to find the hands. However, the little cup washer that retains the hands in place had vanished. I now need to find a clock restorer to put it all back together. The clock hadn't been running for some years - it had slowly started gaining time to the point where the regulator could no longer restrain it. I'd taken it to a clock specialist in town about 3-4 years ago and in the end I had to go and retrieve it over a year later as he hadn't touched it. No apology from him either - so that's one place I won't be taking it to. I wish I could bring it here.

What caused it to make a sudden leap for freedom? I know I didn't touch it - the top of the bookcase is 4 feet off the ground. I think the clock must have been moving forward imperceptibly over the years due to vibrations caused by my footsteps (OK - who said elephantine?!) .   

The all-weather cover will be coming off the table out on the terrace today. It feels like Mother Nature has changed a gear - and we're on Summer time as of now. So goodbye string vests!😊

Here's the Man himself playing his own notoriously difficult Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30:

    

25th March. We took advantage of a sunny day yesterday to have lunch at Larralde at Ascain - an old favourite of ours. We had a table outside in the sheltered south-facing garden and once again I was reminded how lucky we are to be able to enjoy days like this - and in March too.  

24th March. We missed an innovative exhibition/celebration (22nd Feb 2019 to 5th Jan 2020) of Vincent van Gogh's paintings as they were brought to life in a magical swirling display at the Atelier des Lumières, Paris in a novel immersive experience: 

   

I've just realised that I'd forgotten to post the outcome of the 2022 Guinness 6 Nations rugby tournament. There was only ever going to be one winner (although before the first match was played I thought that Ireland might be in with an outside chance) and that was France. Enjoy the final day against an England team that just didn't have what it took on the day. (England won only 2 of their 5 matches - same as in 2021) France were clearly the team of the tournament - they were head and shoulders above the rest - and I fully expect that they'll go on to win the Rugby World Cup in Paris in 2023. They have quality running all through their side with at least seven world class players. I can't think of one English player - or any other player from the remaining 4 Nations - who would make it into the French XV on merit - and that says it all. Well done on a thoroughly deserved win and Grand Slam!

 

18th March. I came across this very atmospheric collection of photos of the landscape around here.. Well worth a look at.   

10th March. Out on my ebike on a bright afternoon for the first  time this year - good to get my legs pumping again. 

Walking back from the baker this morning, a BMW i3 went whirring by (impressively in my opinion) and it struck me that electric cars will become more popular if, like the BMW, they resemble normal cars (ie, with internal combustion engines) - and if the range can be extended to 500km and if there's a truly national recharging network. 

It was followed shortly afterwards by two examples of electric vehicles by French manufacturers - the Renault Twizy and the Citroën AMI.. As Citroën itself says in the link - without a trace of irony: "since making its debut in 2020, Citroën AMI has been turning heads around the world – not least here in the UK". 

I think the target market for both of these cars will be found in the ranks of the counter culture.. the visibly green, bearded with a penchant for hugging trees. I can't imagine a moment when I could seriously entertain the idea of owning either of these two vehicles: the Twizy looks like it's escaped from a fairground while the AMI looks like not much more than a motorised tea chest designed by a 10 year old. BMW has shown with its i3 that electric vehicles don't need to flaunt their green credentials so obviously as the two French offerings.   

9th March. We 're getting down to the nitty gritty in the Guinness 6 Nations Rugby Tournament. France travel to Cardiff to take on Wales at the Principality stadium on Friday evening - while on Saturday England welcome Ireland to their Twickenham headquarters. Earlier on Saturday, Scotland travel to Rome to take on an improved Italy. My predictions - and bear in mind I have a poor track record - are for France, Italy and Ireland to emerge victorious.    

8th March. You can listen here to one of the most fascinating discussions on BBC Radio I've ever heard. The programme is called "The Life Scientific" and Shankar Balasubramanian outlines in 30 minutes how he and a colleague David Klenerman decoded DNA. Shankar Balasubramanian is an internationally recognised leader in the field of nucleic acids who is distinguished for pioneering contributions to chemistry and its application to the biological and medical sciences. He is a principal inventor of the leading next generation sequencing methodology, Solexa sequencing, that has made routine, accurate, low-cost sequencing of human genomes a reality and has revolutionised biology. More here. (Now to try and understand it!)

4th March. I've been aware of Wordle for some time now - and until a day or two ago, I'd not tried it. I didn't think it was particularly engaging - but then I don't do Sudoku either. Here's today's special offer - click here to launch Wordle. 

26th February. You'll be pleased to know that you'll not find 24/7 coverage (or speculation) here on the situation in the Ukraine. I'm already fed up with right-on presenters on the BBC's "Today" radio programme who have started pronouncing Kiev as - wait for it - Keeve. (Thwack!)

There's not much to smile about in the news today but this caught my eye:
  

18th February. No sign here of the high winds that are howling over the UK today.  

17th February. A few minutes ago I was standing idly watching some skating from the Olympics and at the end of one routine, the commentator on French TV mentioned Triple Salchows and Double Axels and for some unknown reason a snatch of music (from the fifties) sprang to mind. I think our memories may be interlinked and capable of being accessed and stimulated by a complex set of cues. I've got no idea of the connection between the music and the ice skating terms (never having ice skated). Is it me - or are others similarly afflicted? Anyway, here's that piece of music that will be familiar to readers 'of a certain age'.. It also brings to mind Sunday lunches at home decades ago..

    

14th February. Here's the late Cesária Évora with Cabo Verde Manda Mantenha - I find this very 'listenable' to: 

 

13th February. No more rugby predictions from me! Both Wales and France won their fixtures yesterday in two different matches that were both compelling. Of the two, the France-Ireland match had physicality and intensity in spades. With the score at 22-7, I thought Ireland were out of it - but they came back with 2 quick tries to bring the score tantalisingly close at 22-21.. France though had that little bit extra in the tank and they ran out 30-24 winners after one of the greatest 6 Nations matches in modern times!

 

12th February. We're all set here for two major confrontations this afternoon: the first will take place at the Principality stadium (formerly the Millennium stadium) at Cardiff between Wales and Scotland.. with the second - probably the match of the tournament - between France and Ireland in Paris. The winner of this encounter will probably go on to win the 2022 6 Nations rugby tournament. I'm going for wins by the 'away' sides in both cases.

9th February. As the lunchtime weather forecast pointed at Biarritz as being the warmest in France with an afternoon temperature hitting an unseasonal high of 20°C, we decided to drive over there to sit in the sun somewhere and shout at the traffic. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a café with the sun warming its terrace - so we eased into the Miremont - that grand old lady of cafés - or perhaps I should say salon de thé - that has seen it all (it's featured on page 143 of this guide). On the ground floor, the walls are lined with ancient mirrored tiles (ideal for discreet people-watching) that have clearly seen better days - but that's all part of its Belle Epoque charm. 

We were lucky to find a table right in front of its picture window that overlooked some of Biarritz's prime real estate and the sea. Once in place, we invested (invested being the operative word!) in some weapons-grade pâtisseries - an éclair chocolat for Madame and a russe pistache (right) for me. The cakes here exemplify the very best of the fine French art of the pâtissier. Be warned: there's a link here to photos that will make your mouth water if you have a sweet tooth. 

This magnificent old building below - the former Casino Bellevue dating from 1857 - dominated our view of the outside world. I've included a clunky guide (here*) to the Bellevue that gives a flavour of its former prominence in the town. Remember, it was built just a few short years ahead of the south westerly extension of the French railway network that opened up Biarritz to the rest of Europe. Biarritz then became a 'go to' destination for many of the crowned heads of Europe.

* Click on the play button at the bottom left. Note: it works fine on my Android tablet.. but it stutters on my PC. 

France's rail network expanded dramatically with Biarritz being connected to it in 1865.  

It's days like these that make up for the rainy ones - and yes, I still pinch myself.  

3rd February. The annual bright spot for me on the sporting calendar is fast-approaching - yes, the Guinness Six Nations rugby tournament kicks off this coming Saturday with some tasty fixtures programmed for the opening Saturday. Your weekends should be built around these matches (with kind permission of She Who Must Be Obeyed of course!):