26th September. If you feel like dipping a toe gingerly into the music of the 1970s, try Nostalgie Best of 70s.
The new memorial up in the mountains to those of the WWII Comet Line is now complete - however, its official inauguration will take place at a future date to be specified - September 2021 would be the preferred option - but it all depends on COVID. Here it is with the descriptive plaque (in four languages: French, English, Spanish & Basque) fixed firmly in place:
If you're wondering why we chose a stone memorial in this format - it's because there are several wild cattle and horses (pottoks) loose up there in the hills and there's a shortage of trees and other suitable scratching posts.. This memorial should be safe from most of their depredations and also from those of today's souvenir hunters. (New for us: we put a QR code on the panel to link straight to our blog for more info)
25th September. Answers to questions that haven't been asked: What does "furlough" mean? Up until very recently, it was a word that wasn't in common usage in the UK. See here.
I came across this panorama of the Pyrenees in the vicinity of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry.. It gives a superb feel for the high country to be found only 45 minutes inland from the coast here - you should be able to zoom into the image. More panoramas from elsewhere in France here.
24th September. I think there must be a mouse in the house. The deliciously moist fruit and nut cake that arrived from the Gers a couple of days ago is steadily reducing in size by the hour. Despite me being careful to maintain the wrapping in its original state, Madame seems to know (as if by magic) exactly how much cake is left and what its current rate of consumption is.. She's working on the "and who by"..
22nd September. One of the great guitar solos in pop music came up on the radio earlier - remember this? (fast forward to 1:30 and 2:54 to enjoy the late Tony Peluso's virtuosity).
We had a very pleasant surprise this morning - the postman arrived with an unexpected parcel for us - a large tupperware container holding a well-wrapped fruit & nut cake made by J (our friend from the Gers).. I'll be interviewing it with a coffee later on this morning once I've found my elasticated waist pants. I don't know what I've done to deserve this, but as soon as I find out, I'll do more of it! It's really very kind of her - and it's greatly appreciated - especially so when its arrival was unexpected. Looking forward to mid-morning! 😋
20th September. Stepping outside this morning around 6am, for the first time I caught the first whiff of something that smelt of autumn.. a hint of decaying vegetation, leaves and wet grass.
18th September. C and J, our friends from the Gers, came over for a night stop at St-J-de-L on Wednesday evening. Yesterday, I took them high up into the hills via a favourite route - a tortuous single track lane that winds ever-higher and takes in some of the most spectacular views of the foothills of the near-Pyrenees. Yesterday, the country looked at its best with breathtaking views in all directions. September is a busy tourist month and sure enough, our meeting point - Espelette - was awash with 'silver' tourists and camping cars (camper vans in the UK).
We had a brief look at the centre of Espelette and, after a quick coffee, we took to the back country lanes. At one point, I stopped to show them a gem of a stone cottage (one that I've long admired) set in a wooded valley that would make for the perfect weekend retreat.
We continued climbing and eventually, after inching our way past groups of wild cattle and pottoks (wild horses) we broke out on top of a ridge (in Spain, just south of Gorospil Lepoa) and there we stopped. There were a couple of other cars there but considering this was still prime tourist season, it was refreshingly peaceful. C and J both remarked on the silence. This area sat astride one of the key routes used by evading Allied aircrew as they sought to cross into Spain in WWII - except they travelled by night in what must have been a nerve-jangling experience. We took a short walk via a narrow sheep track to a point of interest - the only point from where a legendary wartime 'safe house' (Xan Mihura sheltered 128 aircrew at Jauregiko Borda) in Spain could be seen far below (its small white end wall is just visible to the left of the base of the dead tree).This stone memorial to the men and women of Comète was erected a few weeks ago - and a descriptive plaque will be fixed in place next week.
We returned to the cars and drove to Esteben Borda where we enjoyed a real Basque country lunch - soup, omelette with farm ham and home-made pork sausages, then some Brébis (sheep's milk cheese) served with the traditional accompaniment - local black cherry jam, before finishing with coffee.. All that, plus vin compris, for 17€. Here are some future sausages taking a load off!
14th September. Normally, this weekend just gone would have seen me and many others up in the mountains walking over the exact same routes used by Comet Line guides and the evading Allied aircrews as they attempted to cross the Pyrenees into Spain during WWII (more here). Given the heat that has hung heavy over us over the past few days like a blanket, I think we dodged a bullet there!
After a long hot afternoon yesterday, I took the dog down to the Plage des Cavaliers at Anglet for a well-deserved run.. We didn't stay too long as the heat was oppressive and there was no sea breeze to provide any respite. On the way home at 7.15pm, I notived that the car indicated that the outside air temperature was a stifling 37°C (98.6°F in Ye Olde half-timbered Fahrenheit) - and it felt like every single degree of it.
11th September. This French song from the 1960s has been bugging me for a few weeks. I keep hearing it on the radio but it's difficult to identify a song without knowing the singer or the title. I mistakenly thought it was Gilbert Bécaud - and I suspected 'Alouette' was in the title somewhere. Fortunately, the phone rang a few minutes ago before I forgot the tune - it was a friend of mine - I sang him the tune and he came up with the title "Alouette, Alouette". Here's Gilles Dreu with his 1968 hit - a real 60s sound - and don't blame me if the tune stays in your head all day!
We went to the Grande Plage at Biarritz yesterday morning with the intention of having a coffee at the Bleu Café - it's ideally situated for watching the surfers and general people watching. However, we were surprised to see that all its tables and chairs had been cleared away - I wonder if they've been closed down* for ignoring the Covid sanitary regulations - because normally they are open till later in the season.
* I later heard that that is indeed the case - along with another old favourite - Bar Jean.
In the end, we "installed ourselves" (as they say here) at Le Georges in Biarritz's Place Clemenceau..
I can't believe how quickly September has suddenly arrived upon us. However, all is not lost.. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that September in the Pays Basque is the best month of the year - the summer crowds having largely dispersed, the weather is settled - usually at around 25°C - and parking is easier. The odd shower or two revives the greenery and the misty blue mountains look their best under cloudless skies.
"Do you remember how we danced that night away
Two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play
September morning still can make me feel that way."
- Neil Diamond and Gilbert Becaud
