170. Dark nights in the Pays Basque

23rd November 2011. This morning I was at the coiffeurs getting coiffed (that's a haircut to you and me..) by the coiffeuse when I asked her about a nice old house across the road that had clearly been standing empty for a long while. In the few years since I'd first noticed it, it had been looking increasingly forlorn and severely in need of major restoration. Apparently it had belonged to a notaire but, for some unfathomable reason, he'd allowed it to go to rack and ruin. However, over the past few months, it has been finally getting 'the treatment' from a small army of artisans who have been hard at work putting it back in order. The word is that it's going to be a bank and I was told that it had been sold 'à la bougie' (English translation here) at the Town Hall.
  

I had to look this up as it was a new term to me. It seems that this is an ancient method, dating from the 15th century, of controlling the sale of property at an auction. For voluntary sales, properties are commonly sold à la bougie. Whoever is running the auction lights a small candle to start the bidding. This burns until the last bid is made, at which point another candle is lit. Both candles must then burn out without another bid being made, then the final bid is considered as accepted.

There's another of these run-down properties, a large Basque house dating from the '20s, just around the corner from here which is receiving armloads of TLC.. I shudder to think what the final bill will be as there's been a constant to-ing and fro-ing of specialists of all kinds with their ubiquitous white vans outside for at least 4-5 months. The first thing to go was the roof: all the tiles came off, then the whole old wooden roof structure was junked, before a new roof was built and tiled. My guess is that the new owner won't see much change from a million euros. I remember the asking price wasn't far off half a million - unrestored.

With just over a month to go, you'd be hard-pressed to spot any sign of impending Christmas here - I haven't seen any Christmas lights up yet. It's far from the cash register churning event it's evolved into in the UK with the nature, trend and volume of retail sales being reported, analysed and talked to death by 'retail experts' in the main evening news. Here, I see that the Christmas village for kids is being set up in front of the Town Hall from 1st-24th December.

  

I had to resort to ordering some Christmas cards via the internet as greeting card shops are thin on the ground here. In the UK, greeting card shops are embedded in every High Street and there's a card for every occasion. A different story here - there's not much choice when it comes to Christmas cards as the custom is to send New Year cards rather than Christmas cards or, heaven forbid, Happy Winter Holiday cards - don't start me off!

Christmas is more of a family-orientated day here with practically none of the razzamatazz that seems part and parcel of it elsewhere. Christmas dinner takes place on Christmas Eve which is all well and good - until Christmas Day arrives.. It's absolutely no hardship at all for me to sit down to a groaning table on Christmas Eve - the difficulty comes when you're faced with relative abstinence the following day, particularly after a lifetime of being programmed to eat Christmas dinner on Christmas Day! Solution? A French Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and an English Christmas dinner on Christmas Day - followed by a call to DynoRod^®..!

One thing I do miss about Christmas in the UK is the annual showing on TV of "Where Eagles Dare" - without which no respectable senior programme editor would deem the Christmas period programming to be complete - though I've never quite seen the seasonal link between it and Christmas.. (PS One of the best openings of any film!)

I'm away in the south of France (near Aix) next week for a few days for a meeting with my customer. I've just dispatched an almighty wodge of work (technical term!) to him and so next week, I'm hopping on the TGV to Paris - yes, Paris! - before changing stations and catching another TGV to come all the way back down south again. While we're talking about TGVs, here's a reminder of the current world record holder at just shy of 360mph..(yes, miles per hour!) 

Having looked at all the options (air, road, train) it turned out that this was the optimum method of doing the journey.. It's only when faced with planning a trip like this that you realise just how Paris-centric the transport infrastructure is. (Note to self: need to brush up on how to knot a tie again!)

Looking out of the window in the last few minutes, it seemed to go dark suddenly in the space of a few minutes. As the sun is well over the yard arm I think the time could be ripe for an 'attitude adjuster'..

26th November 2011. A cold and misty outing on the river this morning in a coxless IV. There was a good turn-out and we managed to put out a couple of VIIIs and maybe 5-6 IVs. As we gained the upper reaches of the Nive we entered a monochrome world - not of black and white - with a weak sun breaking through the morning mist and lighting the scene in the palest of yellows. At one point we looked behind us and an VIII was silhouetted against the golden light as the crew turned it around and - as one - we all wished we'd had our cameras with us..  (14km)

Into Bayonne this afternoon with the dog looking for ideas for Christmas. Spotted a few likely candidates - such as these marrons glacés - and one or two other things.

Forgot to mention that SaxMan™ is back in town.. he was standing outside Galeries Lafayette playing another endlessly repeated riff.

Here's something to take your minds off the cold weather.. this was the absolutely mesmerising intermission act during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin.. It took everyone by surprise - and went on to be a global sensation.
Warning: Don't try this at home! (especially not in your slippers!)
This next one launches into a series of Riverdance clips.. I've heard that many people on the internet are reputed to have the attention span of the average goldfish☺but if you haven't seen 'Riverdance' before - stick with it.. you'll be amazed! Step forward to around 1:15..

We saw the 'Riverdance' show in the UK and what an unforgettable experience that was..!

And finally, here's something I found earlier - a magnificent slow-motion clip (1,000 frames/sec) of an eagle owl about to rip to shreds that nice silk tie that Auntie Ethel gave you for Christmas last year - it's best in full screen!

Sweet dreams!

166. Cue "Season of mists etc.." but not just yet.

18th September 2011. Down to the river yesterday for the first outing in 2 weeks.. Went out in a double sculler and did 14km on a very humid and heavy morning.. (Running total: 971km)

19th September 2011. For some time I've been meaning to film Chibby, our golden English cocker spaniel, while he goes through his daily post-dog food work-out in the garden. Taking the weight off your feet has a whole new meaning for a dog! 

21st September 2011. Pleasant row yesterday evening on the river. Despite the imperceptible approach of autumn, the sun is noticeably lower in the sky. This isn't normally a problem but last night we were out in a coxless IV which meant that the person responsible for steering had to squint over their shoulders into the dazzling sun. It was still a warm evening out on the water and it usually stays so well into October.

We spotted a healthy-looking water vole at the water's edge.. looking to be the size of a domestic rabbit. Did 12km (Running total 983km).

Believe it or not, but I'm trying generate support for a Christmas dinner for us rowers - which is something I didn't expect to have to do. It seems that there's no tradition at the club for this but speaking to a few people yesterday they are definitely receptive to the idea but as usual it needs someone to do the organising. I know just the person.. We're extremely fortunate to have the Brasserie directly over the club.. so choosing a venue will not be a problem.

Christmas here is less hyped than in the UK - it's more of a family celebration - so the traditions of having the office/work/club Christmas party/lunch/dinner/whatever that are a feature of life across the Channel don't seem to exist in France - or at least in this particular part of it.

24th September 2011. 15km this morning in an VIII with a club crew that worked well together (Running total: 998km). Back to the clubhouse in time to see the closing minutes of the long awaited NZ All Blacks vs France game. Ouch!

27th September 2011. I've been doing some editing work for the last few weeks. Yesterday I completed the first large lump of work on this job and I put it all on a CD ROM. After posting it yesterday to my customer, I walked back home in the late afternoon heat (it was 28 yesterday) feeling quite carefree & pleased with myself. It's been a long month of sitting here in front of the screen with a stack of specialist dictionaries. It's an interesting subject though and I've learnt much about it. Before I get too carried away though, I've another 7,000 slides to laboriously wade through. The seats of my trousers are getting a good shine! Now back to work!

28th September 2011. Down to the river last night for a later than usual sortie in a coxless IV sculler. The river was as high as I've ever seen it and it was one of the very few occasions when the bridge that normally slopes down to the floating pontoon was level. Within minutes of setting off, I was dripping - it was exceptionally humid. This is one of the penalties of sculling as opposed to rowing - you don't have a hand free to swipe off the odd drop of perspiration that is driving you crazy! What a beautiful evening - it had been around 31 all afternoon and the river was looking its best under the slanting Kodachrome evening light. The water was static as the tide turned and it was another of those times when a camera would have been invaluable. At the turn round point the evening was closing in fast and the temperature dropped a few notches under the clear skies. We headed back to the clubhouse in the gathering dusk with the slightest of cool breezes on our backs. It was one of those evenings when you didn't want to stop. We were the last boat out on the water and by the time we approached the pontoon again, the river was running fast. Heaving the boat out of the water, washing it down and putting it away only took a few minutes but in that time darkness fell and I had to ride my bike home on the pavements - no lights! We did 14 of the most enjoyable km for a long time (Running total : 1012km).

The après-shower pastis tasted very good!

Here's something that I've been meaning to take a photo of for a long time - but  somehow I've never got around to doing so. My eye is always drawn to these platanes with their distinctive mottled bark and the strange rippled surface - it's almost as if the trunk had solidified from a plastic (in the sense it was once fluid) material. Every village square seems to be lined with them and no self-respecting café can call itself complete unless it has at least a couple outside. Generations of Frenchmen and -women have sat underneath them - and smoked, drank coffee, argued, kissed, flirted, read the morning paper and had one (or two) for the road. France would not be France if there were no platanes. They are truly an instantly recognisable visual symbol of France.  This is one that John Clinch (part of the Comète Line group) took in Saint-Jean-de-Luz by the look of it.

These trees are everywhere in France. They are pruned back very hard in autumn, and in the spring and summer they are quick to grow back a leafy green canopy that offers a welcome shade during the long hot days of summer. The supporting branches are pruned to such that they develop at right angles to the trunk and sometimes the branches even fuse together with those of a neighbouring tree.

29th September 2011. There was a nondescript thorny old tree in the garden that had been allowed to grow wild and unchecked by the previous owner and finally I got around to tackling it today. Its gnarled and twisted branches were hanging over into our neighbour's and I started by pruning these. Not a very pleasant job but it had to be done. The more I pruned, the more I thought it would be a good idea if I took it down altogether.. (there's no-one more dangerous than your correspondent when he's armed with a pair of secateurs and a bow saw in his hand!) It wasn't long before the entire tree was lying on the green bit (aka the lawn) in large lumps.. A frenzied morning's work saw it all reduced to short lengths and I carted it all off down to the déchetterie (tip) which fortunately is only 5 minutes away. Phew..! 

Given the Indian Summer we all seem to be enjoying, no apologies for repeating this atmospheric song by the late Joe Dassin..

PS. Hi to GFH who's just joined that hardiest of groups - aka the Followers.. (They must know something I don't!) Welcome aboard..  

149. Phew...!

10th June 2011. Finally finished sorting out my PC after it was totally fried last Monday by a virus (a trojan really). It's now back to normal and I've followed advice to switch to Firefox, NoScript and WOT (Web of Trust) as well.

Had a pleasant sortie last night on the river with Y in a double sculler.. Came across a fishing rod floating in mid-stream with a live fish at one end of the line but curiously no-one at the other end. Did 12km (Running total 752km). The club was a hive of activity as preparations were well in hand for the "3 Rivières" this weekend.. when rowers from all over France converge at Bayonne to take part in a blisterfest™ - rowing 72km over the Gave, the Adour and the Nive during the course of 3 days.. Should be fun!

Someone sent me the news of the passing of one of America's great heroes.. Here's the message in full:

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A real hero - God bless him.

Shifty died June 17th, 2009..........Rest In Peace.

"Shifty" By Chuck Yeager *

Shifty Powers volunteered for the Airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on TV, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of The 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne. Or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945..." at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said, "I made the 5 training Jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy.. Do you know where Normandy is?"

At this point my heart stopped. I told him "Yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what D-Day was."

At that point he said, "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem.."

I was standing with a genuine war hero.. And then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes... And it's real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said, "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on 17th January 2009 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center. No wall to wall back to back 24/7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that's not right!!

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way.

Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

Chuck Yeager, Maj. Gen. [ret.]

P.S. I think that it is amazing how the "media" chooses our "heroes" these days... Michael Jackson & the like!

We owe no less to our REAL HEROES......

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* The story that Chuck Yeager wrote this tribute unfortunately appears to be an urban legend - nevertheless, the sentiment behind it still holds true.

143. Grey Saturday

14th May 2011. It was a dreich day out on the river this morning.. grey, cold and with a constant fine drizzle.. We went out in a coxless quad sculler but there was some kind of problem with the steering because we seemed to have a magnetic attraction to one of the banks! In the end, I suggested disconnecting the steering as I suspected it wasn't set up correctly and once we'd done that there was a marked improvement. Arriving back at the clubhouse, we were pretty much all wet through and cold and G (le responsable) suggested an impromptu apéro - he was going to get no argument from me! If the difference a little whisky makes to the world surprises you, then how much more surprised would you be at the difference a large one would make! Did 12km (Running total: 674km)

The pooch - unhappy at being told to sit still!

This afternoon should see Chibby, our cocker spaniel, in action for the first time. Some friends of ours have a black cocker spaniel bitch - Cerise - and yesterday they phoned us to say that she's come into heat.. Between us, we decided some time ago that the next time she came into heat, Chibby would be given the opportunity to do his best (lie back and think of England) to spread his genes. We'll be getting one of the pups if everything works out fine. Poor lad - he has no idea what's in store for him!

And just in case you were wondering:

I heard this 60s song on the radio earlier today and it brought back lots of memories.. it's full of that Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" excess - it has every instrument you can think of in it - including the kitchen sink - and a few you can't. I looked it up on Wiki and there it was in black and white - it was released in shhhh -  1963. This goes back to an earlier comment I made that we're scarred by the music that was popular when we were 17. It's still a classic though after all those years (especially after an hour or so wasted watching the latest Eurovision Song Contest this evening - don't ask!!) Crank up the volume, listen to it and then tell me that's not a great pop song.. 

I mentioned the Eurovision Song Contest - this is the entry from Moldova - complete with girl on unicycle - that drove me to despair:

15th May 2011. Went for a windy walk along the sea front at Biarritz this morning. Ended up in Dodin's café having one of their hot chocolates and watching the surfers. Chibby is still on alert in case the doorbell rings with his date..! He's not yet showing any signs of big match tension.. 

Today's special offer: there are various sites that play non-stop music for all tastes.. for example, there are links that play non-stop ABBA hits. Or non-stop 60s hits. But maybe you'd prefer to browse the blog with some classic French hits in the background.. Zut alors! In that case, look no further! Or if it's that time of day, here are the non-stop smoochy ones.. (what have I started!!?) Think you need Google Chrome set as your browser to access these links.. 

You'll find that links on the blog will open in a new window from now on - I found the code that allows that to happen - so you can click on the music channels above and carry on reading - that is, if there's no paint drying in the vicinity that needs watching!

16th May 2011. I must admit to being puzzled by the allegations levelled against Dominique Strauss-Kahn (or DSK as he's known here in France), the managing director of the IMF. He'd been positioning himself as a strong Socialist candidate for the 2012 Presidential campaign here in France - and, according to many political commentators here, he would have been very electable versus the unpopular incumbent. He had a lot to lose. I'm not alone in finding the situation that unravelled over the weekend in New York a little bizarre. Without going into details, the claim is that a man staying at a major New York hotel allegedly forced his attentions on a chambermaid - in his hotel room! He's hardly an anonymous figure and hence he stood no chance of the incident passing unnoticed or that he could escape identification.

I started wondering if it might have been a case of entrapment.. Perhaps the chambermaid thought, "This guy's loaded.. I could squeeze him for a few bucks or I'll tell the cops he assaulted me." It wouldn't be the first time. I'm never a great believer in conspiracy theories such as Elvis is alive and living in Essex, or Hitler's U-boat was found on the dark side of the moon, etc etc but DSK is/was probably the only credible candidate the Left could have fielded with a chance of beating Sarko.. (Martine Aubry? No chance. Ségolène Royale? Likewise..) By the time these allegations have been proved/disproved, months will have passed and even if DSK is found to be innocent, the smear will linger. And, in case you're wondering, I don't share DSK's political views.

The Telegraph has more on this unhappy saga. It appears that DSK has an Achilles d--k. (fill in the blanks yourself!) Maybe he was so jaded by everyday life that he needed the rush that an adventure like this could provide.  

In the context of DSK's trousers, I'm reminded of Spike Milligan's alternative version of the traditional nursery rhyme about the Grand Old Duke of York : 

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,

He had ten thousand men;

He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only half way up,
He was arrested.

Anyway, that's enough of that.. here's a web site to browse when you have a spare moment. It looks suitably dull, as befits a product of the EU (sponsors of the world's dullest looking currency below). I hadn't thought it possible to reduce half a millennia of European cultural heritage to something akin to base metal but with this site they've managed the impossible - and in spades (I'm not mentioning that mindless disco beat..). I'm not a euro-sceptic by the way. This clip may throw some light on what they're about:

On the other hand..

141. The empire strikes back!

5th May 2011. I encountered the same lady in town again yesterday - she of the cryptic comment about "dogs being for sentimental people" - mentioned here in March. As our paths crossed anew, she came out with the same phrase again but this time I was ready for her with a pithy phrase of my own. It was a heart-warming moment to watch her jaw drop in amazement! Another minor victory!

The weather forecasters here keep warning of a long hot summer and certainly if the temps in April and May in these parts are anything to go by, they may well be right. Today, the forecast is for 24°C which will get no complaints from us. I must admit though that once temps rise much above 30° then it's starting to be outside my own comfort zone. In Spain a few weeks ago, we had a dry 36° in Seville and it was very pleasant indeed. For me, I start to struggle with high temps when they're coupled with high humidity. I have memories of being in Naples once when it was 43° with the humidity up at ~90%.. Ouf!

A beautiful evening out on the river - had an excellent outing in an VIII sculler (3 nenettes & 5 mecs). There was a warm breeze blowing and we rowed up the Nive non-stop to the turn-round point under blue skies and a hot evening sun. The boat was well balanced (not always the case) and felt solid as we cut through the pollen-dusted olive green water, and we made satisfyingly swift progress upstream with only the rhythmic whoosh-whoosh of the seats for company.

It's outings like this when it all goes well that makes rowing so rewarding. After a while, I found I'd 'zoned out' as I focussed totally on all the technical aspects of the stroke. If you think your last stroke was OK, the challenge is always to make the next one even better. And the one after that. You can't be talking, wondering what colour to paint the spare bedroom or any other trivia - and that's another reason why I enjoy it.. it's a great exercise in clearing the mind. Did 14km (Running total: 644km).

Now doesn't this beat a 10 mile tailback on the M25..?

6th May 2011. There's an article in today's Guardian that caught my eye.. the headline was "Coffee, vigorous exercise and nose-blowing may trigger a stroke. Doctors have identified eight everyday activities, including drinking coffee, that often precede a haemorrhagic stroke.."

These eight triggers include: "...drinking coffee within the past hour was most strongly linked with ruptured aneurysms, accounting for an estimated 10.6%, with vigorous exercise at 7.9% and nose blowing at 5.4%. These were followed by sex (4.3%), straining on the toilet (3.6%), drinking cola (3.5%), being startled (2.7%) and being angry (1.3%). Both cola and coffee contain caffeine, which can raise blood pressure."

It didn't mention combinations of the above factors but being startled while indulging in vigorous sex in the toilet/rest room in Starbucks must clearly be something to avoid..! As Basil Fawlty would say: "That's another avenue of pleasure closed off!"

A comment under the article made me laugh!

"Basically confirms a theory I have had for some time... that statistically speaking the most dangerous activity a human being can indulge in is 'living'. It should be stopped IMMEDIATELY. I'm off to bed now with my Hi-Vis pyjamas on. Just in case."

Don't say you don't learn anything here!

7th May 2011. Minor setback out on the river this morning.. Went out in an VIII sculler and things were shaping up nicely for a good sortie when there was an ominous dull thud that seem to ripple through the boat followed a second or two later by another. My first thought was U boat (!) - but then I saw what caused it as it surfaced behind us - a large straight log a good 12" in diameter was bobbing in our wake. After the excitement died down, we set off again only to find the boat wasn't answering to the rudder (aka the Bismarck syndrome!). So we did a quick about turn and returned to the clubhouse. On lifting the boat out of the water, we saw that the rudder had been completely torn off. Only 7km this morning (Running total: 651km).

I somehow forgot to mention that the other day we had some new asparagus for lunch.. Thick as my index finger, tender and white, Madame served them with a crispy fresh baguette to mop up the vinaigrette - they were so tender I ate all of mine. 

And yesterday, as a total surprise, she prepared some scallops in saffron with tagliatelles.. with a glass of cold rosé..   She followed this up with some pistache ice cream with a splash of Amaretto.. If you haven't tried Amaretto over your ice cream, try it.. That's all I'm saying! (I know - I'm spoiled!)

On the lunchtime national news, there was a clip about the coast just to the north of us and they played Sacha Distel's The Good Life over it. I couldn't find his version in English on YouTube so here he is with La Belle Vie en français.. (well he did write it!)

While I'm here, one of my favourite Edith Piaf songs - Milord:

  

How does that old expression go..? They don't write them like that anymore.. What a voice! I love the sound of that tinkling piano as well.

139. Plan for tomorrow

22nd April 2011. I can still feel last night's outing on the river..! Went out in a mixed VIII sculler with an unfamiliar face at stroke. A powerfully built oarswoman, she took us way up the river and it wasn't long before the usual chatter emanating from the fairer sex in the boat dried up (I'll get shot for that!) as the pace quickened. After a long sortie consisting of firm rowing interspersed with short sprints, we returned in one piece from the turn-around before completing the last 2km at racing pace. Afterwards I needed 2 hands to turn the ignition key in the car! 17km (Running total: 590km).

Unwinding on the terrace last night with a glass of cold rosé, I could hear the first unmistakeable sounds of a Basque band practising for the Fêtes de Bayonne later in the year. The drum section were rattling through what sounded like those classic slow drum rolls that were played (if you believe the movies!) when the tumbrils rolled towards the guillotine. Spooky sound.

The plan for attacking Urt tomorrow via the up-river route has been shelved due to the tidal conditions that will prevail. We'll still be heading up the Adour but only as far as Lahonce. The bottles are in the fridge already for my return.. (one each of rosé and oxygen!)

23rd April 2011. Plan A changed into Plan B and this morning, on the riverbank, it morphed effortlessly into Plan C..! We set off downstream for a change - through the centre of Bayonne (which is currently celebrating la Foire au Jambon) which was decorated with a ginormous inflatable jambon de Bayonne! We rowed out past the Port de Plaisance before returning.. 12km (Running total: 602km)
24th April 2011. I forgot to mention that as we returned upriver to the town centre, we encountered several all-girl traînières (I think from the Association Ibaïalde, Anglet - tell me if I've got it wrong). They all had a mightily impressive swing - from way forward to way back it looked to be around 120°.
Yesterday the town centre was choc-a-bloc with activities relating to the Foire au Jambon. There was a hot air balloon tethered and traditional marching and then the main programme began at 10am with the championnat de France de cuisine à la plancha. (you don't need me to translate that do you?)

Then, from 10.30am-midday, there was a démonstration de jeu de paume par le club jeu de paume de Navarre, at the Trinquet Saint-André.

Also at 10.30am there was a démonstration de traînières sur la Nive avec Ibaïalde (course exclusivement féminine) - this is what we saw from our boat. Then, slacken off your belts a notch, at 11am there was a concours d’omelettes au jambon avec les associations bayonnaises. (A ham omelette competition!)

At the same time, Basque choirs were singing at the Market Hall with the final being held in the Cathedral cloisters.. (Baiona Kantuz aux Halles avec un final au Cloître).

And at 2.30pm, Aviron Bayonnais were kicking off against the darlings of Paris - Stade Français. The town could have held a creative parking competition in association with this match as cars were parked all over town with a verve, imagination and complete disregard for the the rules matched only by the Neapolitans - who don't so much park their cars as abandon them. Bayonne scored an avalanche of tries to emerge with a thumping 54-20 victory.. Well done AB!

Here's the programme for today:

9am: Intronisation des nouveaux membres de la Confrérie du Jambon de Bayonne à la Maison des associations.

10am: Défilé des confréries de la Maison des associations vers la cathédrale.

11am: Messe traditionnelle de Pâques en la cathédrale en présence des confréries et animée par la chorale Errobi Kanta.

12am: Défilé des confréries de la cathédrale vers la Maison des associations.

5.30pm: Bal des confréries, à la Maison des associations.

8.30pm: Vulcanalia, spectacle équestre de l’artiste Gilles Fortier aux arènes.

134. Where's my pith helmet?

26th March 2011. We're getting there..! For the first time this year, yesterday evening we sat outside on the terrace - around 7pm - for a few hands of rummy with an apéro! And it's lunch outside today as well.. However, my Google weather forecast for Bayonne insists we're in for rain for the next 4 days..

I was surprised to see a good turnout at the club this morning.. I thought there might have been a mass exodus over the border to watch the derby game.. (Bayonne v Biarritz) Down at the river, I stroked a coxed quad sculler and we did 12km. (Running total: 534km)

Here's the 2011 University Boat Race - it starts at 16:07..

After being written off by the pundits, commentators, the press and Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all, the dark blues of Oxford had a great row to win the University Boat Race by more than 4 lengths with a compelling display of power, determination and sheer will to win after last year's defeat. Well done!

Just checked the French rugby scores and it's all bad news from San Sebastian. Biarritz hammered Bayonne 40-10. They won't be dancing in the streets of Bayonne tonight..

So - in the interests of cheering up the Bayonne supporters - here's a George Dubya quote for you..

There.. now that feels better already doesn't it..?

132. Rowing

24th March 2011. If rowing 'floats your boat', then don't forget to switch on your TV on Saturday in time for the annual Oxford - Cambridge University boat race on the Thames. It starts at 5pm (British Summer Time); 6pm (French time) but check the times for wherever you are. This first clip will give you a flavour of what it's all about..

Hard to believe now but I once raced in an VIII over the same 4¼ mile (6.8km) course (but run in the opposite direction) on the river Thames during the London Head of the River Race in the 60s.. (and you're right, that's a worryingly long time ago!) This picture (with around 30 VIIIs in view) only hints at what 400+ VIIIs look like out on the river - you need a sharp cox at moments like this:

When I did the event, I think we started 147th and finished somewhere around 120th out of 200-odd VIIIs. Looking at the link above, it appears that 405 VIIIs are entered for this year's race.  Here's a view of the London 'Head' as seen by a French club and yes, the river can get quite choppy..

Just some of the VIIIs on the water at the London Head of the River Race

Who will I be supporting this year? The same as I've always done ever since I can remember - Oxford. Why? No idea!

While we're on sporting matters, Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone says there is growing support for using sprinkler systems to wet F1 tracks in order to make races more entertaining. I think he's completely off his head and retirement to a bus shelter on the sea front in Eastbourne surely beckons for him. Sat there with his Thermos flask of tea he could shout at passing traffic to his heart's content.

Finally, a very pleasant outing this evening in a double sculler with Y, one of the nenettes at the club! She's been rowing since last July and has made astonishing progress. She stroked the boat this evening with metronomic regularity leaving me to look after the steering..! We had one or two close shaves with the greenery but all in all, a very enjoyable outing. Did 12km. (Running total: 522km)

The inspirational figure of Perle Bouge was out on the river too in her single sculling boat this evening. She's a sculler in the Handicapped class and she won a Silver Medal in the Mixed Double Sculls at the recent World Championships in New Zealand. I heard this evening that she's only been rowing for a year! (Edited to add: Perle became World Champion in 2018! Well done Perle!)

25th March 2011. Tomorrow sees the big - no, let's make that the h-u-g-e local derby between Biarritz and Bayonne. It's taking place on "the other side" (ie, in Spain) at the 30,000 seater Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian. San Sebastian will be lively tomorrow evening! (Part 1 & Part 2)

131. The Basque beret

22nd March 2011. Another potent symbol of the Basque identity - perhaps second only to the Basque language - is the Basque beret. Totally different to the snug fitting military berets seen elsewhere, the Basque beret has an 'overhang' all the way around which provides a measure of protection against the sun and the rain - both of which are common in these parts. And for what is a simple item of headgear, it has many ways of being worn:

No two the same..!

Madame has been fighting a losing battle trying to persuade me to have one.. In my opinion, the Basque beret is for Basques - and Basques only. Here's a nice clip that explains much about the Basque beret - who wore them, how they are worn, how they are made etc..

And they get everywhere too - that chap on the right (below) looks like he's wearing one (hold on tight before clicking on the image!):  

This Citroën advert always makes me smile..! But - swipez-moi - is this how we sound to those of the Gallic persuasion?

Down to the river this evening under threatening skies.. there were some very dark clouds over the mountains but I thought we might escape the rain. Went out in a coxless quad sculler (no names, no pack drill!) and we set off. It was also the stroke's first outing in the stroke seat which, in that boat, was the one that coupled up to the rudder for steering. 

We decided it would be a good idea to steer via the oars - using simple commands like "Force Tribord" or "Force Babord" to be called by the person sitting in the bow seat. I won't go into the detail of what happened except to say that the person calling out for more effort on one side or the other did not understand the mechanics of how a boat is steered (despite the three of us explaining how it works in words of one syllable or less) with the result that, due to the wrong call being made, we spent quite a bit of time inspecting various trees and bushes at very close quarters! In fact, we gave up using such esoteric terms as Tribord (starboard) or Babord (port) and reverted to simpler commands like Force Rouge (red being the coloured bands painted on the port riggers) or Force Vert (green for starboard). 

In the end, we even gave that up and just used Force Gauche (left) or Force Droit (right) but amazingly that proved too complicated as well. And while all this was going on, the rain was coming down in sheets. I kept telling myself I was enjoying it! So I think, given that background, we can be proud of the fact that we managed to row 10kms (after a fashion). Running total: 510km.

That whisky and water tasted so good after my shower!

128. Water sports

15th March 2011. Down to the river this evening under grey skies and the smell of rain in the air.. Went out in a coxed quad sculler - I was the token 'stroke' bloke and the others were all female ladies of the opposite persuasion. Almost as soon as we were out on the water, the skies darkened and then it started pi**ing down! ("A technical term, m'lud.") We stopped under the motorway bridge 3km out, had a democratic vote and it was decided to return to the clubhouse. We were all completely drenched by the time we got back. After a quick shower and change at home, I was more than usually ready for a wee dram - that whisky & water tasted good! 6km. (Running total: 488km) 

Two more weeks to go then January, February & March (my least favourite time of the year) will be behind us for another year. I was tempted to bring the table out of the garage at lunch time yesterday.. the midday temperatures are warming up nicely. 

116. Six Nations

6th February 2011. Good result for the England XV in the opening match of the Six Nations on Friday night in a hyped-up Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. A very physical, aggressive and confrontational match with the Welsh was not helped IMHO by all the hype that went on before the game. I must admit to an intense dislike for all that pre-match hoop-la that we get these days. I think the worst two offenders for it are Wales and Scotland. On Friday night, we had complete overkill - with a Welsh male voice choir, sheets of flame that would do an oil rig proud, all the dry ice 'smoke' and lights at the players tunnel, Tom Jones hits belting out on the sound system, military goats, the announcer reading out the players names in the manner of a bingo caller et al.. To me it's all so unnecessary. I don't need to be pumped up artificially by all this nonsense. Don't mention warbling sopranos singing the anthems either.. aaagghh! At Twickenham, we get most, if not all, of this and the same announcer who reads out the players names in the manner of a bingo caller. Who on earth thinks this is a good idea?

It's the same in Scotland - a lone piper standing up on the roof somewhere, more fireworks, smoke and mirrors, overflights by the RAF, and then that awful maudling "Flower of Scotland" - great when sung by the Corries before a crowd of 'folkies' - but, at the risk of annoying those north of the border, as a national anthem it leaves a lot to be desired - "And send them homeward, tae think again.." - in your dreams. What's needed is the rambunctious "Scotland the Brave.." or the "Black Bear". Sing something positive and rousing that lifts the spirits - not some dreary folk song cocking an eye to the past. Accept no substitutes. Here's a clip that captures all that's best about Scotland.. and it makes me shiver listening to it even now..

 

In the interests of balance (been watching too much BBC) I have to say, and it might be viewed as heresy in some quarters, but "God Save the Queen" wouldn't inspire me to crush a paper cup.. Needless to say, the ones that get my vote are the Marseillaise, Fratelli d'Italia, Land of my Fathers (Wales) and both of the Irish ones.

As I made my way down to the river early yesterday morning it was marginally less cold than it's been over the last few weeks - I hope we've seen the last of that cold spell. I went out in an VIII set up for rowing (ie, with one oar each). It was one of those strange sorties that comes along every now and again when, with a club crew who have rowed together before, it didn't seem to matter what exercise we did or corrective action we took, the boat remained chronically unstable, without any of us being able to put a finger on what was going wrong. It made for an uncomfortable sortie. Did 12km (running total: 418km) 

89. Saturday row

16th October 2010. Great outing on a chilly morning in a competition VIII sculler - we did a quick and very enjoyable 20km. (running total: 268km) Made mainly from carbon fibre and fitted with wing riggers like these on a sculling boat (below), the VIII was very light and a pleasure to row.

Talking to the club president afterwards, he told me the boat was made in China.. (Is there nothing they don't make?) 

While rowing up and down rivers during the last 30 or 40 years, I've often mused over the possibility of rowing facing forward.. and other possible technical advances. Now it seems this too is possible:

And here's another technical advance that didn't catch on, for whatever reason:

And finally, a single sculler fitted with hydrofoils..

17th October 2010. The baker in the centre of town has a poster up in the window advertising a concert by Dorado Schmitt at the theatre here in Bayonne next Wednesday.. In case you don't know him, here he is playing Dark Eyes - a gypsy guitar favourite at a Django Reinhardt festival in New York. If you need a reminder of his virtuosity, take a look at this clip where he plays Gypsy Melody from the film "Latcho Drom"

:

And here he is again (except this time he's playing the violin) in another excerpt from the same film which looks like it was shot at the annual gypsy festival held at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue:

Time for your annual reminder about the health benefits of drinking red wine - specifically Madiran..

There - that felt better didn't it..!

84. Saturday frolics

3rd September 2010. Last night was very warm and there was a sound outside that we don't often hear..

4th September 2010. I had a good outing in an VIII this morning - instead of pointing up the Nive as usual though, we turned the other way and rowed through the town under 4 low bridges and out onto the much bigger Adour and headed downstream..

The Nive and the Adour.. (clubhouse is just above and left of the nearest bridge)

We then set off at a cracking pace down to the coast. The boat was well-balanced this morning and it was very satisfying listening to the sounds we were making - the whoosh whoosh as the thirty two wheels of the eight sliding seats ran forward and back on sixteen slides in unison, the solidity of the work in the water and the occasional scuddering of the blades across ripples in the water - it's moments like that that remind me why I row. Did 15 km this morning..  (running total = 137km) 

There's a lot of truth in this cartoon below (in my opinion!):

83. On Rowing and Life

1st September 2010. We went for a ride up the Nive again this morning. We caught the river on the turn and there was no discernible current. Another 20kms..

I'd always remembered an old French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest (without knowing what it was called) that sounded as if it had an Arabic influence. It's a song that, to me, should have done better. I had to do a trawl through France's Eurovision entries on YouTube for the last 25 years or so before I found it. It came from the 1991 Eurovision (don't say we're not up to date here!) and it finished 2nd - so maybe not all that bad after all. So, today's Song du Jour is: Amina (& here in English) and "Le dernier qui a parlé" (The last one who spoke):

An interesting clip here on the techniques used to select the "best" eight oarsmen for a racing VIII. The strongest or fittest aren't necessarily the ones that combine best to make the fastest boat. There's read-across into the business model too. Here's a taster:

"There is an interesting parallel to this in corporate life. When asking managers to choose between the most competent and the most likeable candidate for a job, they often opt for the most competent. They’d be thought as unprofessional if they didn’t. However, in practice, they do very much the opposite, provided of course the likeable individual is sufficiently competent."

A thought-provoking comment from the clip: Pick your best VIII, not your eight best..

We took Chibby for a run along the grassy open spaces at Anglet beach this evening. At 7.45pm, it was still 31C.. and the sea was flat calm with the hills behind St Jean de Luz and on into Spain showing blue in the evening light..

Don't mention it to Madame but this has caught my eye..!

  

Hmm...

2nd September 2010. Aah, that's better - life is back to normal.. The July/August mass of holidaymakers have returned home and school has re-started for all 12 million schoolkids today.

I forgot to mention that we had another interesting visitor moored at the bottom of the avenue a couple of weeks ago..

Belem

This was the three masted barque Belem which offers experience under sail to all-comers. She was in transit from Lorient, stopping at Bayonne before heading further south to St Jean de Luz. She reminded me of one of the greatest accounts of life under sail ever written - "The Last Grain Race" by Eric Newby.

In this, Eric Newby's first book, he captured brilliantly all the salty tang of the dialogue of the largely Scandinavian crew on a deep sea voyage in Moshulu, a Finnish registered 4 masted steel barque en route from Belfast to Port Lincoln in Australia in 1939 and the return voyage via Cape Horn, laden with innumerable sacks of wheat. He was just 18 years old. An unforgettable and highly recommended read.

Very nice sortie in an VIII this evening.. 15km.. (Running total 122km)

The late Miriam Makeba exploded onto the scene in 1967 with this memorable record - Pata Pata: