297. Once more unto the breach..

21st September. I was in town here earlier this week and there was a braderie in progress.. it was difficult to move through the narrow streets in Bayonne that were thronged with tourists plus those dazed-looking compulsive shoppers seeking bargains. It was mayhem. I couldn't finish my shopping quickly enough and head for home!

18th August. Although I put this short video together about the legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France (with Stéphane Grappelli) a good few years ago, I still like the look (and sound) of it. It might need a few seconds to load: 

    

16th August. A good friend of ours kindly offered us a bottle of the intriguingly-named Château Cabidos - red - from the Béarn. It's not one that I'd come across in all our time here. It's worth clicking on their website just to watch their very polished video (2½mins). 

One look at the Château makes me want to visit it.. (Best seen full size)

We opened it at lunchtime and it had a rich, velvety taste and that elusive "more-ish" quality. I think a visit is called for.

 

11th August. It's years since I heard this song - and it's one that reminds me so much of why I feel at home here:

    

30th July. We drove down to the beach at Anglet at lunchtime as there's a seafood shack - Anaiak - right on the beach there that overlooks the surf. Parking there is metered and as we tried to persuade the parking ticket machine to give us a ticket, it started to rain. When faced with an uncooperative machine, there's nothing quite like a heavy downpour to wind the frustration up into the red zone.. as we cursed the clown who designed its unfriendly user interface.

In the end, after 5-6 attempts to persuade the machine to give us a ticket (using both of our credit cards), we gave up. One of the problems with it was that it had been designed to have two functions - one for issuing parking tickets and, curiously, one for paying parking fines. For a country that prides itself on its logic, there was precious little of that commodity on display as far as the user interface was concerned.  

How does it work? (I thought you'd never ask!) If you don't use a smartphone parking app, you'll pay for parking at a horodateur (right). Look around for one in your parking area. You may see people standing in confusion before the machine, puzzling over its arcane instructions on a cracked or scratched, difficult-to-read sun-glared electronic screen. Meanwhile, other would-be parkers line up behind them, waiting impatiently.

It can be surprisingly complicated, so here's how NOT to be that puzzled person holding up all the others. This useful site explains it all - click here and scroll down.   

26th July. Where did July go? We headed for the hills for the duration of the Fétes de Bayonne.. large crowds and I don't mix very well and as well over a million fête-goers (or fêtards as they're known here) were believed to be heading for Bayonne (a town of 50,000) it seemed like a good idea to get out of Dodge!

We drove in a south easterly direction for 2 hours and arrived at Argelès-Gazost in the High Pyrenees. More of this later. Meanwhile, here's Planxty - a traditional Irish group - playing the Raggle Taggle Gypsy - it's a good while since I last featured this and it has aged very well. Paroles en français ici - lyrics in English here.   

  

This is another instrument that's worth listening to: it's Bill Whelan playing Caoineadh Cú Chulainn on the Uilleann pipes:

   

4th July. First of all, happy birthday America..👍 249 today!

Many of us bleed red, white and blue - especially those of us from the US, the UK and France (although for them, it's bleu, blanc rouge!) - and we don't need a flag the size of a tennis court to remind us of that. In my life, I was fortunate to have travelled widely in the US and to have experienced at first hand their legendary friendliness, generosity and hospitality for which they are rightly renowned. 

Now - a reflection of where we are in today's world. It should never be forgotten that the bonds that tie our countries together were not forged in the back office of a firm of accountants but rather in the shared experiences of generations of fighting men in wars and conflicts stretching back over a hundred years and more - plus the unbreakable bonds of personal relationships derived from countless encounters over the years. I'm sure that many of us find the current emphasis on international cooperation in terms of the bottom line of a profit and loss balance sheet to be completely out of place. (I'm being polite!) Instead, we should think of our relations in terms of an ocean - while storms and waves might be raging on the surface, deep down beneath the waves all is serene and still.. 

A few days ago, I mentioned the rich experiences that can be enjoyed away from the madding crowds that flock to the coast here in the summer months. Take a look at some of the wonders that you can visit further inland in this region. The video lasts for almost two hours, but it's well worth watching. 

It has a commentary in French but if you click on Captions, it should come up with English sub-titles. If not, click on the Captions button, then click on Settings - and select Auto Translate - and from the list of languages, select the language you want.

   

3rd July. I seldom comment on football (or soccer for US readers!) but I was greatly saddened today by the news that Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva had been killed in a car accident en route to Liverpool to start pre-season training. 

Obrigado por tudo, Diogo e André. Nunca andará sozinho. Descanse em paz.

   

The clock's ticking here as we await the tsunami of people who will soon be among us for the Fêtes de Bayonne which will run from 9th - 13th July. Bayonne is a town of a smidge over 50,000 people and the Fêtes de Bayonne attract something like 1.3 million (yes, million) visitors. In our first years, we'd stay here and dip in and out of the activities - but neither of us are great ones for crowds so now we always head for the hills - for some coolth (!) and peace and quiet.   

1st July. For the last few days, the airspace in the immediate neighbourhood has been occupied by a squadron of recently arrived swallows who have been twittering around the rooftops at high speed and low level in a non-stop display of sheer exuberance. I doubt if they're chasing airborne insects - no, to me it seems as though they're simply having fun at truly breakneck speeds.     

29th June. This is one of those 'calm before the storm' moments when we gird our loins in advance of the annual migration of summer visitors to the Côte Basque. For the next 2 months the roads along the coast from Bayonne to Hendaye will be home to thousands of cars, camper vans and every other conceivable form of motorised transportation as they sit in shimmering queues of slow-moving (on a good day) traffic. 

If you're planning a first time visit to the Basque Country, by all means visit the coastal towns and villages - but don't forget to explore the interior and the back country via the tangle of winding lanes. Some of the lanes are unsignposted but as many people now have access to GPS, there's no excuse not to explore the riches that lie inland - especially in the peak summer months of July and August. 

One suggestion would be to head for Dantcharia - averting your gaze as you pass the massed ranks of Ventas (supermarkets with, among other things, whisky at 20€ for a 2 litre bottle) on the Spanish side of the border, ignoring the cries to stop, and continue upwards to the Col d'Otxondò before descending into the beautiful Baztan valley. Even at the height of summer you will find that you'll have the roads more or less to yourself.

28th June. A family tale.. I remember my father buying a version of  "Desafinado" by Stan Getz & Charlie Byrds in or around 1962 - and shortly afterwards, it vanished / went AWOL aka permanently missing. For some unknown reason, the flying fickle finger of suspicion was pointed (unjustly) in my direction.. but it was a case of mistaken identity. How do I plead? "Not guilty your honour.." In the unlikely event that by some miracle of alchemy, he can access the blog, here at last is that favourite record of his.. 63 years later! I should have bought him a replacement copy - except that would have implied that I was guilty - and I wasn't!

It's still up in the high twenties  here - and the forecast for Monday is 35°C.. and I'll be heading down to the border country as two of us from the association we're involved with have been asked to explain what the WWII Comet Line was all about to a class of schoolchildren before leading them over a short section of the old route.   

24th June. It's been steaming here today - up in the mid 30s. Even at 8pm, it's still too hot for us out there.  

19th June. This morning I decided this was the day when I'd manhandle our plancha (right) out from its winter storage in the garage and put it where it belongs - on the terrace. When I took the cover off it, the usual suspects (spiders and other assorted creepy-crawlies) made their scurried dash for safety.. leaving me to clean off 2 years-worth of detritus. I gave the wood a quick wipe-down with a rag soaked in linseed oil and it soon looked like new again. (think we bought it in 2008) The black object is the cast iron cooking surface.. and I shudder to think what it weighs.    

I think there's a cold San Miguel with my name on it in the garage fridge. Who said, "I am just going outside and I may be some time.."? 

** Scroll down for the answer; 

We're having a few days away next month in the high Pyrenees to escape the heat and the crowds of the Fêtes de Bayonne (9-13th July).

11th June. Hot here today - around 30°C.. and I've just spotted the first few swallows of summer. Madame lived in the Congo as a teenager and the other day she suddenly said that it felt like Africa here. We'd had a sudden warm spell (mid 30s °C) with high humidity and being outside in the garden wasn't an option. We've also had some spectacular electrical storms with sheet lightning and heavy downpours. 

3rd June. We watched "The Lake House" a few days back and one of the songs on the soundtrack was this catchy one by Paul McCartney - how does he keep coming up with them? While the premise of the story stretched all our belief (and then some), I wouldn't be at all surprised if, a few days later, you find yourself humming the song.. (blame me!)

    

31st May. I've been a fan of Tuba Skinny ever since I found them on YouTube a good few years ago. They're a traditional jazz street band based in New Orleans and they play the addictive kind of Dixieland/ragtime/blues jazz that I could listen to till the cows come home. Their line-up changes from time to time but Shaye Cohn (cornet) and Todd Burdick (tuba) are ever-presents. I was surprised to discover last night that they'd been playing close by at Anglet in July 2019. I wish I'd known.. Anyway, kick back and let that jumpy leg of yours beat the time while they play on this very corner next to the beach on a summer's evening some 6 years ago:

  

1st set here and 3rd & final set here. Just spotted on their website that they'll be playing at Biarritz around 23rd June. Don't know where yet. Here's their version of Happy Birthday! 😀

14th May. Here's one of those pieces that I, and I suspect many others, never tire of listening to. It's the Queensland Symphony Orchestra with Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations:

      

29th April. We were lucky enough to have been present when Gautier Capuçon gave a free (outdoor) concert at Anglet during the Covid lockdown a few years ago. I thought the full rich sound of his 300+ year old cello (made by Matteo Goffriller in 1701) was a revelation. (More here) Here he is again, this time with the London Symphony Orchestra playing the Adagio from Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85.. with that same very special instrument (filmed at the Barbican Centre, London):

      

25th April. It really feels like the first day of Spring here - cloudless blue skies, with a forecast of 22°C this afternoon - and the garden has a hustle on!

    

This cartoon becomes more relevant with every year that passes!😀

22nd April. On Easter Sunday we had lunch at the Auberge Hiribarren, situated in the heart of the beautiful Basque village of Biriatou, overlooking the Bidassoa, the river that separates Spain from France. All I'll say is that we're looking forward to our next visit.

Biriatou

My favourite of all Basque villages, Biriatou is unique in that its centre, comprising the four essential elements of Basque village life - the church of Saint Martin, the town hall, the Auberge and the fronton - could not be in closer proximity. Another plus is that there's no through traffic..     

12th April. Some may welcome a rift in the relationship between the peoples of Europe and those of the United States following the recent trade tariffs announced by President Trump, but, regardless of the current tensions, his presidency will end in 2029, and I believe any strain in transatlantic relations, such as they might be, will be short-lived.

We forget at our peril the turbulent years marked by honour, commitment, and courage that led us to victory in both World War II and the Cold War. Countless lives were lost in the defence and restoration of liberty and democracy. The deep bonds and shared values that unite us were forged in the fires of those battles — against fascism, communism, and global terror — and they will endure long after today’s political disputes fade into history.

What brings us together is far stronger than anything that might divide us — and long may it remain so. Reflect on this as you listen to the choir of the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis with their moving rendition of that great naval hymn "Eternal Father, strong to save":

  

1st April. Spring is on the move down here - the first blooms of wisteria are out, everything in the garden seems to be in bud, I've just mowed the lawn and put away the all-weather cover of the table on the terrace - and the sound of scurrying feet on garden walls tells me that the local lizards have woken up. 

Soon it will be time to alert those neighbours of a nervous disposition that my shorts are in imminent danger of making their first public appearance in 2025.

In other news, I had a final rendez-vous with a urologist at the hospital this morning to finish up the work of removing the 13mm (½") stone that had taken up residence in my r/h kidney. Phew - glad that's done and dusted.  

Nutty*, our 4x4 English cocker spaniel, has also been in the wars. Unknown to us, he'd eaten one of Madame's sockettes/popsocks and it had caused the MOAJ (Mother of all Jams) in his plumbing. We had to take him to a 24hr vet in the wee small hours on two occasions as he was very distressed. I thought for a few days that we might lose him. The surgeon at the vets found a blockage in his intestines and he had to remove a 20cm section as it was impossible to extract the tangled mass. Nutty lost 2½kg (5½lbs) in a week and he was quite subdued when we brought him home again. Now, however, he seems to have rediscovered his former zest for life and he now sports a 15cm (6") scar on his tum. He's a lucky lad. He's been put on a new regime - his previous daily rations have been split into 8 mini portions that he receives at 1½ hourly intervals. He had to keep that plastic collar on for two weeks - and I think we were all glad when those two weeks were up! (He's now on a 4 small meals a day regime.. until he's fully healed)   

* aka Jimmy Sniff - which makes him sound like a Teamster or a Mob enforcer..

16th March. France emerged as winners of the 2025 6 Nations rugby tournament with a good win by over the 'Porridge Wogs' - as the Scots were affectionately known in the RAF a few decades ago. A resurgent England were a close second - one point behind France. Full results table here.

I make no apology for including this next video of yesterday's 6 Nations rugby match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. This was a result that was long overdue in my view. England has suffered over the years at the hands of the Welsh - so think of this result as payback with a vengeance!

 

4th March. Ireland welcomes France to Dublin this coming Saturday afternoon - and the encounter at the Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, promises to be the highlight of this year's 6 Nations Rugby tournament. Both sides are renowned for their quick thinking under pressure and the ability to raise their game and play with passion. Ireland has always been my second favourite team (after England) when it comes to rugby.. they've had some marvellous players over the years. However, in Antoine Dupont, France has the ultimate game changer - a mercurial player who seemingly can do it all - plus Thomas Ramos to kick the points. An impossible match to forecast. More here.   

For some reason, I was reminded a few minutes ago of an unplanned lunch stop we once made at a 13th century thatched pub/restaurant on Exmoor way back around 2003. The Masons Arms at Knowstone (above) was a real find - I explained to mine host that we hadn't booked - but the genial owner said that he had two sea bream left - and we could have the last vacant table on his sunlit terrace that overlooked the verdant Devonshire countryside. Whooosh! 

We had one of those lunches that linger long in the memory - and as we settled up later, I asked him for a card. His name on the card was followed by the post-nominals UAA and CRAFT. I had to ask what they stood for - he said "Unencumbered by Academic Achievement - and Can't Remember A Flipping Thing".. or near enough!😀. As is the way of things, he sold up shortly afterwards and it's now a Michelin starred restaurant. The memory lives on though.     

3rd March. I just noticed that Jack Vettriano has died.. I'm sure many of us will have admired his quirky and very commercial paintings of Thirties-era couples dancing on sea shores attended by a butler with an umbrella.. (I know, we've all been there!☺) If I show you one picture, you'll know exactly who I'm referring to.. (or should that be to whom I'm referring..?) 

More here.

1st March. I heard a piano piece on the radio a few days ago that rang a few bells with me. Unfortunately I was in the car at the time and due to my unfamiliarity with the touch screen menu, I was unable to find out its name in time - all I knew was that it was a piece that my father used to play. I convinced myself it was Schubert - so once back home, I started wading through endless compilations on YouTube - until I struck gold.. Here it is: Nikolay Lugansky with Schubert's 4 Impromptus, Op. 142, D. 935: No. 2 in A-Flat Major. Allegretto:    

 

9th February. Yesterday saw England and France collide (no other word for it) at Twickenham in the long-awaited/feared (delete as applicable) match in the 6 Nations rugby tournament. The last time this fixture was played at Twickenham in 2023, France demolished England 10-53. So it was with no little foreboding that we welcomed our French friends A and V to sit around the fire with us and watch the match. A used to play for Bordeaux-Bègles - so he has a good understanding of the rules. Without giving too much away, the match turned into one of the most enthralling 6N encounters of recent memory - and A and I are still on speaking terms! 

     

1st February. The 2025 6 Nations rugby tournament opened with a bang last night as Wales were put to the sword 43-0 by a rampant France. All I'll say is that the result was not unexpected as Wales are rebuilding. France are going to take some stopping this year.

      

Update on new driving licence: it appears that a replacement should be issued within 2 weeks.

Here's one to get your heart started on a cold February morning.. It starts off raunchily - before morphing into a spaghetti western soundtrack:

   

29th January. Just back from a visit to an outpost of the Town Hall across the river known as France Services to request a new driving licence. Prior to Covid, routine administrative requests were handled by the Sub-Prefecture.. where the large waiting room was probably ideal for the transmission of bugs. As can be seen from the above link, many of these functions have now been transferred from the Sub-Prefecture to this new office. 

My request was handled with great efficiency (and friendliness) and once my identity had been cross-checked, the request was launched into the great administrative system that runs France. In a sign of the times, not a single paper form had to be completed.. the whole process being carried out online. All that was needed was access to my Ameli account, my identity card, a recent bill showing my name and address, my old driving licence.. plus two colour photos. It seems that I will receive a provisional acknowledgement of my request in a week or two and this will enable me to take to the road again. Phew!   

28th January 2025. Back with you again.. We made it through Christmas, the New Year, the 'Burning of the Clavie'* and Burns Suppers (remember'd) - and here we are again with acres of white space in front of me gleaming in the gloaming - all ready to be filled in.

This next story will come as no surprise to some of you - but here goes. Back in 2016, I changed my UK driving licence for its French equivalent and I tucked the new card straight into my wallet - assuming (uh-oh) that it would run for 10 years. In 2019, I was granted French citizenship (there is a link). Over the last few days we've been test driving various cars as the time has come to replace our MINI Countryman. Before the test drive, I handed over a number of documents to the salesman for him to check - one of which was my French drivers' licence. This was followed by an audible sucking of teeth as he read out its expiry date.. 2021. It appears that I've been blithely driving around here for 4+ years without a valid licence. I think I'd only been given a 5 year licence (instead of the usual 10 years) because I was a foreigner. 

Long story short - I think it will be April before I'll have a replacement licence in my hands. This is going to take some managing.

In other news, I'm told that I have a stone squatting somewhere in one of my kidneys. I have to present myself at the hospital in a few weeks time to hear what will be the preferred method of removing it. I'll draw the line at using a Large Hadron Collider..   

* No help for you here with this - you'll have to find this one out for yourselves.  

More regarding the title of this post.

** Who said he was going outside and he may be some time? Answer here. 

247. September showers

30th September. I was down at the beach earlier today with the pup and to my surprise the sea was white with crashing foam and towering breakers. There was virtually no wind and it set me to wondering why this should be. Could there be any linkage with the recent Caribbean hurricanes? Or am I missing something blindingly obvious? And just now, when I opened our west-facing bedroom windows to close the shutters, I thought I could hear the soughing of the sea - and that must be 4-5km distant as the crow flies - I suppose it's possible. 

In a few days, Madame and I will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the momentous evening when our orbits intersected for the first time - little realising that we'd turn out to be lifetime soulmates. (I remember dancing to this - have no idea what's it's about though!) We've been casting around for places to go - but, with the arrival of SuperPup (9.2kgs and counting!), we've had to scale back our ideas.

We're now looking at paying La Tupina (in Bordeaux) a visit. La Tupina is arguably the temple to the cuisine of south west France - and that, for me, is unarguably the best cuisine of all. (carte) We've been there once before but, for whatever reason, we were never able to make it back there. I understand that there's been a change of management (uh-oh) since our last visit. Read this review and prepare to salivate! Foodie photos here..

Couldn't resist this:

Stairway to heaven..!

29th September. We were in Saint-Jean-de-Luz yesterday evening to meet some friends. When we left home at 5pm, the car was indicating 39½°C.. although it was probably more like 31°. And, leaving Saint-Jean to return home at around 8.30, it was still 25° and this was the sky looking out across the bay to the west:

25th September. The training of the pup is going in fits and starts.. I think what we have is the dominant dog from his litter. While he's gradually getting the hang of things, this particular exercise is taking longer than it should for him to master:

It's taken me 10 years to get around to explaining this - the names of the different cuts of meat in France. (There's an international guide to meat cuts here). The diagram below is a good starting point for those of us in France. (More on those French cuts here. More here.) If you're not sure you can remember any of this, a simple rule of thumb for choosing tender meat is to remember: the further away from the horns and the ground, the better. On the diagram below these cuts are numbered 1. Finally, don't ignore bavette (shown as a 2 below) or onglet (sometimes called hanger steak in the US). 

24th September.  Whizzed down to Socoa (near Saint-Jean-de-Luz) this morning to walk the dog along the sea wall before lunch. We'd booked a table at Chez Pantxua, one of our favourite restaurants. For seafood, it's incomparable. The warm weather had brought out shoals of people with the same idea.. but who hadn't booked. Our restaurant was soon 'complet' and the staff were having to turn people away.

We ordered the house speciality - the paella - and it was truly excellent. We exited the restaurant like a couple of stuffed ducks!

The photo below is exactly as it appeared on our table.. No photoshop or special enhancements required..

Needless to say, we didn't feel the need to eat this evening!

This is the view looking across the bay to Saint-Jean-de-Luz with the Pyrenees in the misty background:

And here's a view looking at Ciboure / Socoa with La Rhune behind:

Madame has a new name for the pup - "Bulldozaire"! He's discovered tugging.. and he's good at it. Once he has something clamped in his jaws, he defies us to take it off him. For a 4 month old pup, he has impressive strength..   

22nd September. Nutty, our black and white (tricolour really) all-action monster English cocker spaniel 4x4 pup, is 4 months old tomorrow - and I'm convinced that he's doubled in size in the few brief weeks that we've had him. He's a quick learner but walking on a lead still appears to be a bit of a mystery to him. Plus, he hasn't yet figured out what the purpose of a walk is.. He comes back home having sniffed at all the usual places - but that's as far as it goes.. he saves his donations for a greener earth until he's back home in his own garden.

The weekend before last saw me taking part in the annual commemoration of the WWII evasion network known as the Comet Line. Allied bomber crews who had been shot down in Holland, Belgium and northern France were collected by Comet helpers and fed, clothed, housed and provided with false papers before they were dispatched by train from Brussels to Paris, Bordeaux and the Pays Basque. During the course of two days, we walk over the same tracks up and over the Pyrenees that the aircrew took en route to their freedom.

We had another good turnout this year despite the unseasonal torrential rain that marked the weekend. We had participants from as far afield as Dubai, New Jersey and Toronto but the prize for the furthest travelled went to a couple of ardent Australian Basque-o-philes Sue and Barry, from near Brisbane. It was great to see you both again - well done you two - and I hope the experience didn't put you off. Next year we're tackling the inland route that was used later in the war and you'll be pleased to hear that there's no river crossing involved!

I just about reached my own personal limit on that first climb.. I'm sure the mountain has become steeper since the last time I did it.

These two picture sum up the weekend!☺

Yes, that's water rushing down the path you can see below:  

21st September. This is a beautiful Basque song I heard the other day - "Agur Jaunak" sung here by Oldarra:

  

Here's Oldarra again with "Maitia Nun Zira": 

More here.

7th September. It's our annual long weekend up in the mountains this weekend.. and the forecast is not good. Looks like being a wet Saturday and Sunday - which is a great shame because we have people coming from as far afield as New Jersey, Dubai and Brisbane - as well as from Spain, Belgium, the UK, Ireland and France. Still, as my old rowing master used to say "It's only water!"

I was prompted by this photo to think about wine.. and it struck me that even if I tried a different wine every day for the rest of my life, I'd never finish the job.

Sometimes it seems that I've been on an eternal quest for the Holy Grail -  for the wine one sip of which would have my eyeballs rotating and which would send my internal wine-o-meter into the red zone! There's something of the "grass is always greener" to it all. Why shouldn't I instead settle for the fact that life's just too short to taste them all? I think from now on, I'll stick to drinking and enjoying the ones I like. That way = more pleasure and fewer disappointments.

3rd September. When you have a quiet moment, go and make yourself a coffee/tea/whatever, and listen to this piece by Roger Scruton.. I'd be surprised if it didn't have you nodding in agreement:

I've always believed that in jazz, less is more.. Listen to that great trumpeter Chet Baker as he reminds us of those times when we felt blue: