295. Bird-chirping weather

31st December. Sorry to have been so quiet lately but we had an unwelcome visitor  - a certain Mr Montezuma - and he outstayed his welcome. I think I've had no more than 4 glasses of wine in the last hour oops, week.. 

16th December. We made a visit to Grand Frais (near the airport at Biarritz) on Friday morning.. and they were fully stocked with 1001 delights, ready for the festive season (or Christmas as I like to call it!). The link above doesn't do justice to the mouth-watering displays of fresh produce there..   

Last Saturday should have seen another mass release of Chinese (or should that be Japanese?) lanterns from the centre of Bayonne. Here's a reminder of this event from last year:

 

Thousands of people crossed the border to come here and take part in another mass release, but we had a period of continuous heavy rain and the event was cancelled. Apparently many people then decided to visit Bayonne's indoor food market and the local TV news later reported that there had been an outbreak of mass shoplifting.. It is hoped that there will be another attempt to launch the thousands of lanterns this evening. The weather looks good so far. The Prefect of Pyrénées-Atlantiques has since decreed that tonight's event will be the last one ever due to "security reasons" and the "risk of fire posed by these lanterns".        

4th December. Earlier this afternoon we suddenly had a swirling strong wind that blew sheets of rain every which way. It was difficult to see across the road. All quiet now. 

3rd December. Beautiful crisp winter's day here today - a cloudless blue sky and 6°C - and ideal for a walk through the woods or down on the beach with Nutty (our cocker spaniel).  

2nd December. Walking by Mr Montauzer's shop in town (aka the Temple to the Pig) the other day, I spotted some boudins blancs (with truffles) in his chilled cabinet. Whooosh - I was in like Flynn.. For reasons known only to Mr Montauzer, his truffled boudins blancs only appear at the end of the year (and occasionally at Easter). And they never appear on his website. (How to make boudins blancs) Served with sauté'd apples (below), there's very little better on God's green earth: 

The other day I heard, and then saw, for the first time this year a great straggling vee-shaped formation of grues cendrées (common cranes) making their way towards the south west. Their raucous squawking is the first indication of their presence and then suddenly there they are - great wings flapping, the formation rippling in and out as they head towards warmer climes. It appears that they've been on the move for the last week or two (see here).  

1st December. Hard to believe that we're back in December again. It was raining on and off this morning and I eventually took the dog out for a much needed ease springs.. Just as we reached the gate, someone 'up there' cranked up the water pressure to max and we both got a drenching. 

30th November. It's become the norm to lavish praise on artists and performers these days but this recording of the 1st Movement of Elgar's Cello Concerto performed by cellist Jacqueline Du Pré with Daniel Barenboim conducting the London Philharmonic in 1967 fully justifies its description as 'the recording of the century'. I was lucky enough to hear French cellist Gautier Capuçon a year or two ago and I, being more accustomed to listening to music recorded on CDs - was transfixed by the richness and the breadth of sound that emerged from his 300+ year old instrument. 

(Goose pimple alert!) Prepare yourself to be amazed by the lyricism, the intensity and the colour of her playing:

         

NB If your goose remains unpimpled after listening to the above video, I strongly suggest that you make an appointment with your medical practitioner asap!

14th November. Here's Eddie Zheng, a talented 22 year old, and I'm sure his is a name that we'll be hearing plenty of in future. This video shows him playing Charles-Marie Widor's Toccata on the Cavaillé-Coll organ at nearby Saint-Palais. If this was boxing, it would have finished as a win on points for Eddie after 15 rounds. The Toccata hardly gave him a moment's respite as he produced an inspired and mature performance that was entirely fault-free. A name to watch..

          

8th November. To Saint-Jean-de-Luz this morning for a quick visit to our bank, and in walking back to the car, my eye was caught by the gleam of gold in a shop window. The shop specialised in the buying and selling of gold and I found myself looking at a one kilo gold bar. I looked up what the current value is and I must admit to being way off in my estimate. I'll stick to my day job!

(7 Aug 24. Edited to add: when I posted this comment, I remember that a 1kg gold bar was valued at something like 57,000 euros. Today sees it valued at 70,500 euros.)  

(24 Oct 24. Edited to add: Today that same 1kg gold bar is for sale at 83,500 euros..)     

There's a phrase I've heard once or twice that had me confused initially - bourrée de pognon. To my ear, it sounds like something I could easily be tempted into ordering in a restaurant without knowing what exactly it is. It actually means someone who is very comfortably off, full of money, loaded etc.   

7th November. As 45 year old songs go, 'Baker Street' still sounds remarkably fresh. Sadly, Gerry Rafferty (Fr translation) was unable to come to terms with the lifestyle that his fame had brought him and he died a lonely death at the age of 63.. This song, with its soaring alto sax (Raphael Ravenscroft) and equally good solo guitar (Hugh Burns), will serve as a lasting reminder of his talent: 

       

3rd November. Heavy rain was drumming on the roof all night - and it was still pouring down this morning. Looking out to the west, I could see patches of blue - and so during a break between showers, I got myself and the dog ready for a quick burst 'round the houses' and off we shot. The westerly wind was blowing hard - and the tall chestnuts and other arboreal entities (aka trees - not very good on names!) were swaying as the wind moaned and roared through the topmost branches. Of course, at the furthest point from home - by the bull ring - it started raining again.. and we arrived home like two drowned rats. This weather looks set for the day. We lit the woodburner last night as the temp had dropped to 11-12°C - and I've reset it for another cosy evening tonight. 

The Nive could well burst its banks in the centre of town this evening.   

2nd November. Reports about tempête Ciaran in the media this morning are saying that a peak wind speed of 207km/h (128mph) was reported at Pointe du Raz overnight with waves of 21m (68ft) high. I was downstairs at 4am to let Nutty out - he stepped out into the downpour, did a smart about turn and shot back indoors.  

1st November. This is getting serious now - yesterday I dismantled our plancha and I wrapped the cast iron cooking surface in an old sheet before lugging it downstairs into the cellar where it will stay dry until Spring. The rest of it I put away in the garage. I secured the all-weather cover over our outdoor table and just now I took down our garden umbrella, rolled it up and put that away in the garage too.

The heavy solid wooden shutters at the back of the house take a real pounding here - they bear the brunt of the winter storms and in summer they have the heat to contend with. I've painted them a few times but we've finally decided to replace them with some new ones - pre-finished in Basque rouge and of a composite construction - aluminium with (I believe) a polystyrene foam interior. They're due here any day now and once they've been fitted, I think we'll be in good shape for the winter.       

Those in northern France are being warned to brace themselves for the imminent arrival of storm Ciaran during this evening and tomorrow. The forecast for Brest in Finisterre is for winds of 170km/h (105mph). We had some strong warm winds from the south a few days ago and walking past the bull ring, the wind seemed to be coming from all directions as it whipped up leaves into rustling swirls.  

Sign of the times! I've just set the fire in the wood burner ready for lighting on that first cold winter evening (yes, we do have them here). Already, I see the first telltale signs of the approaching festive season (can't bring myself to type the word!) appearing in the streets. For some reason I find these preparations depressing. It only seems 6 months or so since last C*******s.         

31st October. I was down in the kitchen at early o'clock this morning after having let Nutty out for an unscripted 'wazz' - and I was wondering whether it was the 31st of October - or the 1st of November today. I found myself silently mouthing a fragment of a chant that had been embedded in my skull a loong time ago - 30 days hath September, April, June and November - all the rest have 31 except for February alone... and that's where my memory faded away. I can still just about recall my class chanting this and our "times tables". We learned - by rote - up to 12 x 12. Not sure what age I'd've been. I believe learning by rote has become unfashionable of late. 

Some years ago, educators in the US* determined to prove the old adage 'If it ain't broken, fix it until it is."      

* I believe that educators in the UK have followed similar paths.   

20th October. For the past few months, my attention has been drawn to the increasing number of people here who have adopted modes of transport on the roads more appropriate to a circus. For decades, the following vehicles could be found on roads here in western Europe: buses, trams, lorries, vans, cars, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and bicycles. So far - so good. You could be excused for thinking that one or more of these categories would cater for the overwhelming majority of us. 

The introduction of 4x4s threw a rock in the pond.. Women liked them because of the commanding view that they offered - and the notion that their sheer size conferred improved safety on the occupants - and these were normally children being driven to school. It didn't take long for the environmentalists to decide that alone of all other vehicles that 4x4s (known as Chelsea tractors in the UK) were uniquely responsible for global warning - and this was enough to trigger the development of electric vehicles to satisfy those of the hair shirt persuasion. There's now a constant barrage of advertising trying to foist electric vehicles on us all. 

The humble bicycle has not been left out of this race to madness - we now have electric cargo bikes like these for transporting the little darlings to school - ridden by virtue-signalling parents.

There's also been an exponential increase in the number of these slightly bizarre ebikes (below) - again, for transporting kids to school. Strangely, they're all finished in matt grey or matt pale blue. It's as though the owners feel that they have to apologise for owning such an expensive bike: 

Then there are these:

Not forgetting these:

Or these:

All of the above means of transport can be seen on roads around here. 

I think the world's gone mad!        

Decided not to have a post-lunch snooze today - and tell you something of what's been happening here. I heard the piece below on the radio earlier and it's long been on my list of favourites - set it running and enjoy:

    

I think it's now been 6 weeks since I caught Covid and the after-effects (mainly fatigue) have been slow to dissipate. What's been happening in the Pays Basque I hear you ask? Up until today, we've been enjoying the most prolonged Indian summer since we've been here - with temps in the mid to late 20s and beyond (think we saw 34° one day). Today though - it's been 'Hello Autumn' - with grey skies and sudden showers blowing in from the Bay of Biscay every few minutes. 

Events in the news are dominated by the happenings in Israel. I don't care what political cause was behind these atrocities - but the deliberate slaughter of babies, infants and toddlers by extremists in the Palestine community was beyond the pale and it brought the human race to an all-time low. I hope that those responsible will soon be be squashed like the vermin they are. No cause can ever justify those attacks. 

29th September. Went for a post-lunch snooze yesterday and woke up at 6pm. (it's called "Living the Dream - pensioner style!") It was only the telephone ringing at 6.30pm that woke up Madame..!

When walking into town, I pass a café that seems very popular with the local retired community.. They put about 3 tables together and there must about about 10-12 of them - all talking, no-one listening in the classic French style. I call it the Pensioners' Parliament..     

28th September. We've both had Covid during the last few weeks and it's left us very short of energy.. and I'm afraid that writing the blog just fell off the edge. By way of an apology, here are a few videos of some of our favourite places.. (never heard so many seagulls at Biarritz! It sounds to me as though they're an addition to the soundtrack)

 

 

 

27th August. Another sport I would gladly see the back of is handball.. There's an indefinable something about it that I find intensely irritating - and it could easily find a home with rap, skate-boarding, graffiti and la trottinette électrique.  

23rd August. A blanket of 40° heat has Pipérade Towers firmly in its warm embrace. We're reduced to lurking behind closed shutters. The dog is spread-eagled on the tiles somewhere and, in the interests of energy conservation, even his tail has stopped wagging. I might be joining him shortly.    

18th August. I've just realised that I haven't posted anything here for a while - sometimes 'Life' has a habit of getting in the way. It's been one of those months. However, something caught my eye yesterday in a newsletter for the neighbouring town of Tarnos that hit (& demolished) my funny bone. It was an advert for a forthcoming attraction that managed to combine in a single event many of the mindless elements of modern life that make me want to emulate Edvard Munch's "The Scream". 

Thè event is called "Rap 'n Skate" (Eng translation here) - which is fairly self-explanatory - that offers "other experiences combining sporting and cultural discoveries", one of which is a graffiti workshop. If there's one activity in the modern world that needs a 'workshop' like a hole in the head - it's graffiti. It would be hard to imagine three other activities that possess a comparable ability to annoy, irritate & frustrate more than rap, skate-boarding and graffiti. 

There's one more element of modern life that could and should be added to the list above - and it's the e-scooter or, as they're known here: la trottinette électrique. There's something instantly annoying about these toys and the eejits who ride them in and out of traffic on public roads where they really don't belong. I must confess that the urge to nudge one is compelling* - just as a way of driving home to the hapless individual riding the thing just how inherently unstable and vulnerable they are.  

* but of course I don't.   

Of course, you could probably put down the above three paragraphs as the rant of of an old person - and you'd be right. It's just that this nihilistic event lays bare the emptiness of the imagination of those benighted individuals behind it.  

If, having become enraged at the story above, you need to purge these negative thoughts from your brain - what better than this piece by Sergei Rachmaninoff that, although it's been played to death by the likes of Classic FM, still has the power to calm the troubled waters and sooth the savage breast (according to William Congreve). It's Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto, played by Klára Würtz, with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine, conducted by Vladimir Sirenko:

26th July. Just managed to redress the balance slightly - the score now stands at Mosquitoes 16 Me 1 (one). The Fêtes de Bayonne starts this evening (10pm French time).. you can follow the action here on a number of webcams.

19th July. No apologies for posting this video of a 1968 Porsche 912 with that timeless styling (yes, it's a 55 year old car!). To me, it's one of those cars that looks perfect from any angle. This particular model is not a fast car but for me it's just that it looks so right with that clean, understated elegance. The problem is other people have realised this too - with the result that the asking prices have soared in recent years. If I'm honest, there's never been a time when I could have afforded one. They've always been out of my reach. This is the closest I'm ever likely to get to one:

   

3rd July. The Tour de France whizzed in and out of town yesterday. I was talking to some neighbours as they returned from watching. They said they'd been in place since 3pm.. and they had to wait until 6pm to see the riders arrive - then whoooooosh! Each to their own I guess.      

This time of the year always provides the first hint of the arrival of the summer crowd.. after which parking in such hotspots as Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz requires either local knowledge or the skills of a Neapolitan taxi driver. I generally allow myself ½ hour of cruising the streets in ever-increasing circles before calling it a day and returning home. From memory, I've only had to do that on a couple of occasions though. Finding a parking space in the same post code as your desired destination in the summer months is the Holy Grail. Sometimes it seems as though you're in danger of straying into a different time zone.  

   

Latest scores: Mosquitoes 3 Me 0. 

I'm a little late with bringing out the plancha from its winter storage this year - so today's the day! 

The west-facing wooden shutters at the rear of the house are looking a bit weary as they bear the brunt of the winter gales. We've decided to have them replaced with ones of a similar style - but made of aluminium with a foam interior. I can't think of any other jobs that remain after this (he wrote hopefully!).