272. Tiptoeing into Autumn

31st October. Even though our first visit to this region was back in 1991, and despite having lived here for 12 years, there are still many places we have yet to visit. The church of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is one such place. Perched high up on a rock just off the coast to the east of Bilbao, it has a most spectacular location, similar to this one in Greece..

30th October. I was outside in the garden in the wee small hours a couple of days ago as the dog had been agitating to be let out.. when suddenly I heard the raucous sounds of a large formation of grues cendrées (common cranes) as they flew directly overhead on their southern migratory route to their wintering grounds. 

As it wasn't a moonlit night, I couldn't see them. I was surprised that they were flying at night. Half an hour later, I heard that same distinctive sound as another formation flew overhead. 

29th October. I discovered at the dentists this morning that my Carte Vitale no longer works. It was suggested that I went along to a Pharmacie and asked them to re-initialise it. That failed as well, so later on in the afternoon I went alone to the strikingly modern Social Security (CPAM) building (above) on the banks of the Adour. A few years ago, I would not have been able to do this but now I feel reasonably confident of my ability to: a. explain what I want in French and b. to understand the reply. (Not as easy as you might think!) More on the Carte Vitale here.

Paëlla at chez Pantxua

We went to Socoa yesterday to see what our longtime favourite restaurant was offering for New Year's Eve. We were surprised to learn that they had no specific plans made for a set fixed price menu on that night - it would only be à la carte - nor was anything planned to perk up the ambiance. As prices there have slowly been creeping up over the years we reluctantly decided that we'd have to give it a miss - but, before we left, we decided to treat ourselves to a paëlla (left), one of their specialities, and as it was warm, we ate outside in the sun. An hour and a half later, we exited stage left, riding very low in the water.. 

We then set off under blue skies and temperatures in the mid-20s to Ascain via a tangle of country lanes lined with autumnal trees to talk to the owners of another old favourite establishment who have posted a mouth-watering set menu for 31st December on their site. 

After which, we headed off to Ustaritz for a 'shoppex' - and then, as driving through the country lanes resplendent in golds, russets and burnt oranges was so pleasant, we decided to make an impromptu visit to the owners of the gîte at nearby Villefranque where we stayed for 5 months when we arrived here in September 2007 (sounds a long time ago now). 

First though, we picked up a gâteau basque à la crême (left) - and a bottle of honey-coloured Jurançon doux (right) for our former hosts. As we drove up to their farmhouse, it was strange to think that 12 years had somehow elapsed since we arrived here in our rented van without a home to either move into - or to return to. We sat outside in the late afternoon sun - surrounded by yapping dogs (Nutty was hooligan-in-chief) - talking to two of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet. They'd sold all their livestock - their cattle (Blonde d'Acquitaine), their pigs, their rabbits and their ducks - their chickens had fallen victim to foxes - and now they live contentedly in retirement in their valley surrounded by family.    

Lac Marion

27th October. We went for a walk around Lac Marion this afternoon - it's a real haven of greenery with a lake - far enough from the madding crowd - and, surprisingly, it's set in the suburbs of Biarritz. You'd never guess. Worth a visit if you don't know it.

South Africa's Springboks earned the right to a place in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final by beating Wales this morning 19-16 in an attritional match that, let's be honest, was far from being easy on the eye. Wales will now take on New Zealand in a play-off for 3rd place on 1st November with the England - South Africa final taking place the following day. I'm taking nothing for granted - Eddie Jones' England side won through in their semi-final in grand style against the current world champions - but the real test - the only one that matters - comes next Saturday.

26th October. In watching the replay of the match, I noticed that Maro Itoje had been awarded Man of the Match.. While I'm a big fan of his, that award could have been given to at least half a dozen of the men in white, if not all of them. What a match, what a match though.. So - as a tribute to Maro Itoje's truly stand-out performance against top flight opposition, here are a few of his best moments from the match:
Down to the beach with the pooch for some fresh air this afternoon.. and with the temperature parked at 27°, it was no surprise to see the half term holiday crowds down there taking advantage of the last days of summer. What a great day in many respects!

England's riposte to the NZ Haka that cost them a £2,000 fine* (!) 

Wow! WOW! What an outstanding performance by a relentless England team who dominated New Zealand in every aspect of the game. Even before the whistle, they challenged New Zealand's legendary Haka (read here!) before following that up with an 80 minute monstering of the Kiwis. I think this will be remembered as England's greatest ever performance. It was worthy of a Final.

* Am I the only one who thinks a £2,000 is ludicrous? For what? 

Farrell facing the Haka

England deservedly went ahead at 1min 36secs via Manu Tuilagi's try (right). The final score 19-7 flattered the Kiwis - they were always on the back foot and their only try came from a gift-wrapped present from Jamie George (the result of an overthrow that was a few months early for Christmas!). England had two tries disallowed - the first was rightly chalked off for crossing but I thought the TMO decision to disallow the second 'try' by Youngs was debatable. The TMO claimed that the ball had gone forward in the preceding maul - I've seen the footage and I think it's open to interpretation. I think on another day that try might/would have stood. England also missed a drop goal and 1 or 2 penalties (can't remember now). Overall though, it was a magnificent performance by all involved.. and one that will be remembered - and replayed (in this house at least) - for many years to come. Impossible to pick a Man of the Match.
8am: Today's the day! The first of the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-finals - between New Zealand and England - kicks off in about 2 hours time. I think the current England squad represents the best chance we've had of winning against the All Blacks for some years. It's difficult to see weaknesses - except perhaps for a predilection for coughing up penalties and Ben Youngs' liking for box kicking - and against a team like New Zealand, these two aspects could prove costly. If England can keep the penalty count low, I think they're in with a good chance of winning. They have a powerful tight five, a devastating back row (Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola and Sam Underhill), quick powerful backs and two of the game's best tactical kickers in George Ford and Owen Farrell. Add in the talent from the bench and if that's not a winning team, I don't know what is. 

The other semi-final sees a heavyweight contest between South Africa's Springboks and Wales. This is another difficult match to predict but as I don't have a dog in this fight, I think South Africa will just shade it. As Wales squeaked home by 1 point against a 14 man French side last weekend, I think the Boks will prove too strong for them. 

23rd October. Here's another piece that our choir will be reprising in 2 concerts planned for late Spring next year to mark our leader's final season before he retires - it's Vivaldi's Magnificat RV610 - and this is a fine interpretation of it by the English Chamber Orchestra and the John Alldis Choir conducted by Vittorio Negri in 1979:

I'm not particularly a fan of sacred music - I never listen to it at home - but it's difficult to describe the tingle that comes during a concert when 60+ choristers combine to sing in four part harmony some demanding passages of music after a year's-worth of practising. When it goes well, it's very rewarding and the sense of achievement far outweighs the pain of endless practices.  

21st October. How is it that we've ended up with politicians like these - oozing insincerity from every pore? We are forever being told today by those who wish us to remain in the EU that we (the poor dumb electorate) were lied to repeatedly by the Leave campaign from 2016 onwards  - but this video shows the reality. Watch this and weep for the country..

I imagine that all those connected with French rugby will still be seething this morning at Sébastien Vahaamahina who committed an inexcusable foul - a 'red-cardable' offence - 8 minutes into the second half of their quarter final match with Wales and got himself sent off. No excuses. France are now on their way home. Wales squeaked home 20-19 courtesy of a Ross Moriarty try in the 74th minute against a 14 man France.

In the other quarter final, the South Africa's Springboks overcame Japan's Brave Blossoms by 26-3. Japan made a lot of friends around the world with their all-action style, coached by former All Black Jamie Joseph.

19th October. What a day for England rugby..! It was Day One of the RWC Quarter Finals and England faced Australia. (Reader(s) in Australia look away now!) It was probably their best performance ever against the Wallabies as it finished up 40-16, with England scoring 4 tries to Australia's one. In the semi-final, England will meet New Zealand (who won their match with Ireland 46-14) in what should be a cracking match.
Tomorrow morning, Wales take on France and South Africa play Japan. It hurts me to say this but I think Wales are capable of reaching the Final. (Edited to add: On reflection, I think Wales have two chances of beating the Springboks: fat chance and no chance)

18th October. A big weekend of World Cup rugby coming up: first, England v Australia tomorrow morning - followed by New Zealand v Ireland.. then on Sunday, it's Wales v France and South Africa v Japan.

We went to the Town Hall earlier today to pick up my new carte d'identité - but after having signed yet more paperwork I was told it should be ready to collect in the week before Christmas! Who said this: “Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.” Answer at the foot of this post.

17th October. Good to see that Ye Olde Pounde Sterling is creeping back up again from almost parity with the euro to more welcome rates of exchange (at least for me!). When we lived in the UK, the exchange rate was of passing interest - a footnote to the day's news just ahead of the weather - but since moving here, given that most of our pensions are in £ sterling, it's become of prime importance to us.

16th October. I was in Oloron-Sainte-Marie last week for a 2 day symposium on Trans-Pyrenean evasion networks during WWII. On the return I visited the wartime detention camp at Gurs. While little evidence remained of this shameful and tragic episode perpetrated by the Vichy government, it didn't need much imagination to realise the picture the horrors of life there for those judged to be "undesirables".

We were in Saint-Jean-de-Luz this morning for some shopping and there were quite a few people swimming - but what a pleasure to not have to circle around like a vulture looking for a parking space..!

Nutty, our larger-than-life cocker spaniel, is developing new habits. In addition to his obsession with lizards in our garden, he now checks under every car in the avenue as he trots by - in case there's a cat there. Neither of us have ever encouraged him to chase cats but he hasn't needed any prompting in that direction. What's next I wonder?! 

Here's the Tour de France route for 2020 - great graphics by the way - not much planned for the Pyrenees:

8th October. It was raining in Bayonne this evening when we went out to watch Woody Allen's "A Rainy Day in New York". It's billed as a romantic comedy but in my opinion, it's 99% free of both romance and comedy. In the interest of fairness, I should add that a chap a few seats away from me was laughing out loud in the exaggerated manner of a theatre audience in London's West End (ie, to encourage the cast) while my facial muscles remained unloved. It's probably the least engaging film Woody Allen has ever directed and I honestly felt that I could have got up and gone home at any moment during the screening and I'd have been in no danger of missing anything.

Top tip: still tempted to go and watch it? Resist the impulse at all costs. Tidy your sock drawer instead. Sweep out the garage. Put your CDs in order. Throw out all the books that you'll never read again. I should add I've been a longtime Woody Allen fan but this film is no more than a potboiler containing much recycled material. Apart from some good old American standards on the soundtrack, this gets my 37 carat dross alert!) 

I've got a better idea - draw the curtains / drapes / close the shutters / lower the blinds / whatever works wherever you are - light the fire - then pour a couple of Glenmorangies - one for your squeeze and one for yourself - and play this.

This is a piece we started learning last night for our choir leader's final season - Puccini's Requiem:

5th October. England had a bruising encounter with Argentina earlier today in the Japan RWC - and came away with a 39-10 win against a 14 man Argentine side after Tomás Lavanini had been red-carded for a high tackle on Owen Farrell in the 17th minute.

One to watch in next Saturday's Crunch match with France - scrum-half Baptiste Serin.. he's a quick-witted player with lots of tricks up his sleeve. I'm sure Messrs Underhill and Curry will keep a close eye on him.

4th October. I've been sparing you from having to read any more of the endless poisonous discussions involving Brexit - as they could, for the most part, be summed up by this quotation from "Macbeth":

it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

.. and there's no shortage of idiots! However, I came across this extract earlier from a very worthwhile article by Ben Knight, who worked as a civil servant at the Department for Exiting the European Union between 2017 and 2019. These two paragraphs neatly sums up my reasons for voting Leave. In my view, Brexit is not about immigration, the proposed EU army, the economy, the Euro or any of it - these elements all come under the heading of detail. The fundamental issue at stake is that the majority of the electorate wish to restore parliamentary sovereignty to the UK - because from that, everything else flows - and it's clearly stated below:

"Brexit means the end of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and of EU law, returning sovereignty to Britain. It is a fundamental principle of democracy that rulers should be chosen by the ruled; but no voter elects the Presidents of the European Parliament, Commission or Council, nor any one of the European Union’s 20 Vice Presidents. The only elected organ of the Union, the Parliament, has no powers to initiate legislation and only limited powers to scrutinise the Commission".

"The extension of Qualified Majority Voting means that Britain’s voice can be routinely overruled, and that the British people can be subject to laws for which not a single British individual has voted. This is plainly an aberration and an assault upon the core tenets of basic political rights. No: the only legitimate form of governance is one in which those with the power to make laws are directly accountable to every individual to whom those laws apply. The restoration of full parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom will mean that our 650 MPs, each of whom we directly elect, are solely responsible for deciding the laws of the land".

His words deserve to be carved in stone. Given the above, I'm at a total loss to understand how and why anyone could vote Remain. I know full well that many of the current crop of numpties and windbags-in-aspic we have using up valuable oxygen in the House of Commons are beyond redemption but I think the UK electorate will make their feelings known loud and clear at the upcoming General Election on Thursday, 12th December. I hope that those of them who have spent the last 2-3 years throwing up all kinds of procedural devices to block Brexit will soon be spending far more time with their families or shouting at the traffic from the nearest bus shelter.  

There's a grassed area (wouldn't call it a lawn) in front of the Palais de Justice (Law Courts) not far from here. There are two great horse chestnut trees on it and beneath them is a carpet of leaves the colour of burnt copper and enough conkers to supply the needs of at least a hundred schoolboys. Sadly, conkers can't be eaten.

There are some oddly-named houses on my dog-walking route as well - one in particular always has me wondering why would someone name their house "Malgré tout"? According to Google, this has a variety of meanings in French including: 'nevertheless', 'nonetheless', 'even so', 'notwithstanding', 'all the same', and 'despite everything'. I remembered from my schoolboy French that malgré tout means 'despite all' and it's the only one that makes any kind of sense to me - but even then, it's an odd name for a house. There's another house that's simply called 'Christmas'.

House names in the UK tending to be more descriptive (see here) although 'Dunroamin' and the pessimistic 'Journey's End' were once fashionable.

People sometimes have asked me if I miss certain things or tastes from England - and I always have told them that there was only one that sprang readily to mind - and that was Stone's Ginger Wine (essential for making a Whisky Mac). I wrote about it here back in 2012.

In the lead-up to the recent Comet Line weekend in the Pays Basque, an English friend who was planning to attend kindly asked me in advance if there was anything he could bring me. Well, what else could I say! I hoped he might be able to slip a bottle into his suitcase.. but when he arrived, I was bowled over to find that he'd brought me a box of six! What a star!

Then, a few months ago, we were invited round to a neighbours for drinks and I was asked the same question. I suddenly remembered one day that a favourite breakfast used to consist of cereal plus a few (canned) grapefruit segments plus cold milk.. Whenever I remembered to, I'd look in any supermarket I was in to see if I could find them anywhere before finally realising that canned grapefruit segments simply don't exist in France. So that was my answer to the question.

Yesterday, we invited them here for supper as they'd just returned from a month away in the north of France and the UK (and you can guess what's coming next!). They passed me a heavy carrier bag containing several big cans of you-know-what..

So now, all my needs have been met for the forseeable future! (I must have perfected my whining technique!)

3rd October. Some more from the "I don't believe it" Dept.. I was returning from taking the pooch for a run through the calm of the beautiful woods at nearby Pignada this morning when two things caught my eye.

Pignada

The first was a council truck with a high lift platform on the back and they were busy attaching the Christmas decorations - yes, the Christmas decorations! - high up on a lamp-post. This must be the earliest in Europe - but feel free to tell me if it's already happened to a lamp-post near you.

The second was a "For Sale" sign on a bakery that we've been using ever since we've been here. All I can say is that the owner must have a non-business reason for selling up, unconnected with his products - because while they were uniformly excellent, his crusty baguettes 'Tradition' were the best in the area. Generally speaking, the one thing that bakers in France are rarely short of is customers. The buying of fresh bread on a daily basis is ingrained in French life. Sorry to see him go.

2nd October. As the 'pneumatic road drill' treatment on my knee (as described in earlier posts) didn't appear to bring any lasting benefit, it's back to the tried and tested injection of a silicon-based gloop (technical term m'lud) into it. It's a two-part process: first, the doctor had to manoeuvre the needle alone into the heart of my knee (a wince-making exercise if truth be told - my stiff upper lip has never been stiffer!) - then he attached the cylinder containing the product to the needle - all the time while discussing France's win over the US in the Rugby World Cup in Japan; the  state of play of the Brexit negotiations and then England's chances of progressing to the RWC Final.. He seemed to think we (England) stood a good chance. Personally, I think he was trying to take my mind off what he was doing! 

1st October. Nutty's fascination with the lizards in our garden has morphed into a full-blown obsession! He now spends his time by the garden door in the kitchen itching to be let out - and as soon as he's out, he darts around to his favoured viewing place in front of the border where the lizards are. He stands there absolutely motionless, staring intently for any sign of movement, poised and desperate to catch one. I think the lizards are safe though!

Answer: It was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow..

253. Two down, one to go!

31st March. There's a Franco-Welsh couple a few doors away and we were talking over a drink a couple of months ago and comparing notes. In an astonishing coincidence, it turned out that we'd both lived in the same avenue in north west London at the same time in the mid sixties. Not only that, but they too used to stay at the same delightful hotel/restaurant in Ascain as us.

I had a similar experience during my first visit to the US in the early 1980s. I'd been invited to the Virginia Beach home of a retired US Navy captain one Sunday for a barbeque and to meet his wife and daughters (an invitation that was impossible to refuse!). We were relaxing with a cold beer and a hamburger with all the fixings (!) and talking about our origins when he suddenly said that I should meet his neighbour.

We walked down his garden and he called to Joe (his neighbour) over the garden fence. We shook hands and he asked where I was from in the UK. I named the city and he said "Me too..". It turned out that he'd grown up about 400 yards away from my childhood home.

29th March. Bulldozaire, aka Nutty, our 10 month old cocker spaniel, has an inventive turn of mind. To set the scene, I'd better explain that our downstairs hall is tiled and a small rug sits in the middle of it. Nutty's latest game is to hurl himself down the uncarpeted stairs, going around the 180° turn at breakneck pace in a confusion of paws scrabbling for grip, before finally springing off the third or fourth step up from the bottom and landing on the rug.. He then 'surfs' across the hall on it at speed before crashing into the far wall. This isn't a 'one-off' - he waits until one of us resets the rug where it should be and then he repeats it.. What have we got?!   

25th March. Here's one of those quintessential photos by Dorothea Lange of rural America taken in 1939. It's very close to being a Norman Rockwell painting. More details here (plus some interesting comments).  Click on it to see it full size.

'Bulldozaire' and I were down at the beach this morning in between rain showers - or so I thought. The decision whether or not to take him is a 'no brainer' - he has to go. Staying at home isn't an option.. We'd got about 10 minutes into our walk when the first spots of rain appeared. Seconds later, they morphed into a full-on downpour with winds to match. The 10 minutes back to the car seemed to take forever and we ended up back at the car totally drenched. This is one of the few downsides to dog ownership - the indoor facilities just don't work for him!

21st March. If you haven't seen someone flying precision glider aerobatics, leaving a trail of sparks in the night sky - in perfect synchronisation with classical music, then you haven't lived! This is Toronto's very own Manfred Radius showing how it should be done:
The music is the Intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana (or Rustic Chivalry).

We've just booked a break in early June at a small village high up in the mountains overlooking Lake Annecy. It's a part of France I've not visited before so I'm really looking forward to it. Looking at the video, it seems that rowing boats are available out on the lake.. it'll be good to get out on the water again. Watch in full screen!

20th March. There comes a moment during any prolonged grey, dank and gloomy period of the year - such as we have now - when drastic measures are called for to blow the dust away. Here's Jonathan Scott playing the finale from Saint-Saëns Symphony No 3 in C Minor, Op 78 - aka the "Organ" Symphony. Crank up the volume!
I was at the rhumatologue yesterday for the third and final injection of a silicon-based product into my knees. This should enable me to be relatively creak-free for another year (it says here). I'm not sure exactly how much good this technique actually does. Yesterday's session turned out to be one of those 'grit your teeth and bear it' treatments. It felt like the doc was using a sharpened knitting needle - it was one of those character-building moments!
 
18th March. We were up in Paris on Wednesday for the funeral of M, one of Madame's oldest friends. She studied at the Sorbonne with M and his wife C and we remained close friends with them for 40+ years. Very, very sad.

We travelled via the TGV. The southern extension of the special high speed track to Bordeaux was inaugurated in July 2017 and so the total journey time - Bayonne to Paris - is now only 4 hours. Between Bayonne and Bordeaux, the train travels at reduced speed over the standard track and thus it takes 2 hours to cover the 120 mile section. Once clear of Bordeaux however, the train really flies (300km/h, or 186mph) the rest of the way to Paris, taking just over 2 hours to travel the remaining 360 miles. 

It was a train composed of double-decker coaches (above) and it was state-of-the-art, spotlessly clean, air conditioned, quiet, spacious, comfortable, free WiFi, rock steady at speed - and affordable. So impressive. I think we paid 120€ each for the return Bayonne-Paris ticket (approx 480 miles each way). We took the first class option as there was very little difference in price between that and a standard ticket. It made me want to drag British politicians over here by the ear to experience a modern high speed rail service. The TGV entered service in France in 1980. 
Meanwhile, across the English Channel (in the country that invented the railway for Pete's sake!), it appears that, after decades of talking, a consensus has finally been reached between the main political parties and that the target date for implementing the first phase of the UK's High Speed train service - linking Birmingham with London is 2026. You couldn't make it up. Whatever happened to that optimistic surge of national self-confidence, dynamism and energy that created the Industrial Revolution and transformed Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries into the global powerhouse that it became? Powered by inventive engineers, risk-taking entrepreneurs and venture capitalism, the foundations of the world's first modern transport infrastructure were laid down - first, a canal network that served industry, then followed less than a century later by a national rail network  and then a global merchant shipping fleet (33% of the total global tonnage was British, even in 1939). And then we stopped.

12th March. I'm told this was a true story - but if it's not, it deserves to be.  

Two French deputies had an unseemly shouting match via their headphones in the European Parliament to the consternation of the assembly. The translators tackled words rarely used in civil society.

Another French MEP, attempting to protect the honour of France, made a moderating intervention:

"Messieurs, nous avons besoin de la sagesse normande". (la sagesse Normande is an old French expression recognising someone's common sense)

The English translation fired back: "What we need is Norman Wisdom".*

Every British MEP, for no apparent reason burst out laughing to the bewilderment of the French.

* memory jogger: Norman Wisdom was a British comedian in the 1950s.

Amid all the gloom that emerged on several fronts from a dismal sporting weekend, I forgot to mention that before the France - England match started, mein host offered me a Japanese whisky. I'm still trying to find the name - it came in an earthenware bottle - I've looked here but I don't see it.

Glentogouchi!

Edited to add: It was Togouchi.. (left) and according to this link it's a blend of Scottish single malt whisky and Canadian blended whisky.. That sound you can hear is the sound of Rabbie Burns rotating in his grave at 500rpm. (This is heresy on an industrial scale.. almost as bad as the French owners of Glenmorangie who now age that great Scottish single malt in Sauternes barrels. Words fail me..)

What was it like? Well, to me it tasted like a distant cousin (twice removed) of a Highland single malt.. It wasn't unpleasant - far from it - but it didn't have that distinctive whiff of the Highlands about it. (and why should it?) Unfortunately, having lived in Scotland for a few years, that taste is imprinted on me and it's one of the reasons I enjoy a whisky (blended or a malt) so much. I enjoy things that have a solid connection with where they are made. It's for that reason that I'm not interested in a Polish Burgundy - even if there was such a thing.. or a Mexican Rolex. I've worn US-made Florsheim shoes for many years but I was not happy to see that the last pair I bought online were made in India of all places. The first pair of Florsheim black brogues (I think these are known as wingtips in the US) I bought in the mid-90s are still like new (above). I think they'll be going strong long after I'm not!

As a drink, this Japanese whisky was enjoyable - but was it whisky as I understand it? I prefer my whisky to have originated from somewhere I can visualise in Scotland's blue misty hills. Speaking of which, I bought a bottle of 10 year old Talisker (from the Isle of Skye) a few months ago and unfortunately it had suffered the fate of being "tidied"! I found it lurking in the shadows down in the cellar and it's since been restored to its rightful place. I dusted off the bottle the other evening as I wanted to offer a dram to a neighbour. It had all the complexity you'd ever want from a Single Malt - it had taste in spades.. I learnt in Scotland to add a splash of water to my whisky to lengthen the taste.. According to Robert Louis Stevenson, Talisker is the "King o' Drinks". I've read that the 18 year old is the one.. (Note to self: add to Christmas list!)

9th March. It's the big one tomorrow..! France vs England at the Stade de France.. We'll be enjoying the match at the Biarritz home of a retired fighter pilot from the French Air Force. It's always a lively evening. (understatement of the year!☺)

4th March. I took Bulldozaire, aka Nutty, our cocker spaniel (who formerly did puppy impressions) down to the beach again this morning - it felt quite warm at 14°C. Here he is assessing the various options for a frictionless Irish Border.. It shouldn't take him long!

Brussels Got Talent...
aka Juncker, Tusk, Barnier, Verhofstadt 

2nd March. Listening to the noises coming out of Brussels in the lead-up to Theresa May's speech today it became increasingly clear that, with every utterance from Jean Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk, Michel Barnier and Guy Verhofstadt (right), that they have little genuine interest in negotiating with the UK. Dictating yes - but negotiating? No.

In my view, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the UK concluded that no deal was better than a bad deal and walked away from the negotiating table. The problem is that the EU appears to view the UK as supplicants in this process.. whereas the reality is that we are a partner nation of equal status. It seems that the EU wishes to punish the UK for having the temerity to want to leave a political construct that it joined of its own free will. The charge of 'cherry picking' has been levelled against the UK for its negotiating stance - but it is entirely reasonable for any head of state/prime minister of a country to seek to obtain the best deal possible for itself in any negotiations with a third party. I can't imagine any leader of a country doing otherwise.

It occurred to me that there's no effective opposition in the European Parliament that I can see. The serried ranks of MEPs in the European Parliament (below) are merely there as window-dressing or nodding dogs - to give the symbolic appearance of a parliamentary system while in reality being largely toothless. In effect, its only role is to rubber stamp the policies and legislation that cascade down from the unelected EU Commission. Question du jour: Do you know the name of your MEP?

No views contrary to the received wisdom can be accepted in Brussels. The EU's movers and shakers live in the Brussels bubble where their views are unchallenged and the idea of reforming the EU is heresy. They envisage a 'one size - fits all' Europe - a mindset that conveniently ignores the reality experienced by anyone who has ever travelled around Western Europe and enjoyed the diversity of its economic, cultural, geographic and historical riches - all of which combine to form each country's unique national identity - its DNA.

The UK has always been an outward-looking maritime trading nation, first exploring the globe and then settling vast areas of it and implanting the seeds of our democratic systems. Given that, it's therefore hardly surprising that our world view is significantly different to that of other countries within the EU, some of whom have markedly different histories. It was only when the political dimension of the EU's mantra of "ever-closer union" started to supplant its initial emphasis on economic integration (the EEC) that the UK decided that this was a step too far - and one that was incompatible with British concepts of its democratic values.

There are other tensions swirling around in the muddy waters of the EU. The question of language came up when the UK formally declared its intention to leave the EU. The immediate reaction of the ever-tactful Jean Claude Juncker was to point out gleefully that English would soon be of lesser importance as the EU's working language and that French would replace it. To him, the UK's exit didn't represent a catastrophic failure of the EU to represent and accommodate all its member nations - no, his instinctive reaction was to play the language card. His outbreak tells you all you need to know about him. You have to wonder at these people.

President Jacques Chirac

It reminded me of this astonishing incident when President Chirac (right) stormed out of an EU Summit in 2006 because a Frenchman had addressed the meeting in English..! When senior EU politicians act in this fashion, it raises serious questions about the mental stability of some of its leaders and the real aims of the EU.

I've always thought that the EU was designed to give France a voice on the world stage - in French. The EU was formed to create a Francophone geopolitical bloc. France had been marginalised during WWII and so in the post-war years it sought to leverage its influence to better effect by being actively instrumental in the formation of a succession of supra-national alliances - namely, the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, followed by the European Economic Community in 1957 and then the European Union in 1993. We are asked to believe that the current situation marks the end of the EU's expansionist ambitions; that the idea of a United States of Europe (USE) has been shelved. But as long as the phrase "ever-closer union" remains on the EU's statute books as its primary aim, then that desire for a USE is parked in the Commission's pending tray. It only needs only the arrival of a charismatic and ambitious European politician (where have we heard that before?) to trigger the process and if the UK remained in the EU, then following the introduction of Qualified Majority Voting in 2014, the UK would have been powerless to veto it. It's clear to any observer that there's a massive democratic deficit between the politics as practised in the EU and the more accountable democratic political structures of the US.

The only bright spot on the horizon today was the far more realistic and practical contribution from Hans-Olaf Henkel, a German MEP and former president of the Federation of German Industries - I don't agree with all that he says but it's refreshing to hear an influential German identify where the EU is going wrong. As he said in the video, the departure of the UK from the EU is equivalent to 19 countries leaving.

I'll shed no tears for the EU apparatchiks mentioned in the first paragraph - they need no outside assistance to demonstrate that they are political pygmies who are out of their depth in the shallow end of international politics. Because the UK questioned and challenged the onward blind rush to federalism, we were treated as pariahs - and, in an act of monumental pettiness, found ourselves relegated to the second rank in all official photographs. Our role was clearly to pay up and shut up. It's taken a while for the wheel to turn full circle but our day will come. 

Thought you'd seen it all? Thought that nothing could surprise you? Then think again, pilgrim! We discovered that we have a channel on our TV called DOG TV.. Monsieur (Nutty) sits on his bottom wedged in between Madame on one side and the arm of the couch on the other and he leans back and watches this channel.. In human terms, there's very little action but he becomes totally absorbed and if he'd been a bit wild, then this seems to calm him down. (I can't believe I'm writing this!)    

There's more here. It really works..

A rare sight!

Those of you with long memories may remember that in previous years I've had to visit a rhumatologue (a rheumatologist) to have my knees injected with a gloop-like substance to help with absorbing shocks (apart from the shock of losing to Scotland last weekend!). 

I was there again this morning to have another set of injections in my knees. For anyone contemplating the same thing, I'd say that while it's not especially pleasant, it's not that painful.  

1st March. It was only yesterday that I woke up to a snow storm at 6am that lasted most of the morning. This was our garden (right) yesterday..

Today - you would not believe it.. 18°C and the snows's all gone. I was just stowing some logs in the garage and when I came out, there was a warm wind blowing and it felt like early summer. Very odd.

The "Two down, one to go" title of this post refers to January and February.