150. River bank tales 2

11th June 2011. We went to Biarritz this evening to see a new film just out - "Midnight in Paris", written and directed by Woody Allen. Regular readers of this blog (yes, both of you!) might remember I'm a Woody fan and although he doesn't appear in the film you can hear his unmistakeable views of life, death, love, sex and marriage through one of the actors. Something of a fairy tale - without giving the plot away - it's a charming film set in one of the world's most photogenic cities. Carla Bruni (or Madame Sarkozy - take your pick!) does well in her cameo role. I think it's his best film for a good few years. Well worth putting your knitting down for one night and getting your fancy duds on for a night at the cinema!

13th June 2011.  I went down to the club late yesterday morning to lend a hand with the organisation of the "3 Rivières" event. We were going to drive the rowers (well over a hundred of them) up the Adour to Peyrehorade (try saying that while eating a Cornish pasty!) where the boats lay after Saturday's epic row on the Gave. But before that, however, there was the small question of lunch. We were all to have lunch in the brasserie (on the first floor above the club - more here). 

I squeezed into a gap on a very convivial table and I had to remind myself that once they'd finished their 3 course lunch everyone (apart from your correspondent) would soon be facing a 35km row (almost 22 miles). I think it's fair to say that, in the UK, sandwiches would have been the order of the day. Things are done differently in France however. Come what may, whatever else happens, France stops three times a day for meals. Lunch is sacrosanct. Sandwiches? Ah beh non! The main course was a delicious tagliatelle with chicken and mushrooms. Naturally, wine was served and so I, as a non-rower, had a couple of glasses. Towards the end of lunch, the word went around that a girl in one of the crews was suffering badly with blisters and I was surprised to see some idiot put his hand up to offer to take her place. Unfortunately that idiot turned out to be me! Yet again, I missed another golden opportunity to keep my mouth shut! I shot off home and quickly changed into my rowing kit before dashing back in time to leave for Peyrehorade. All the way there I was asking myself why I hadn't chosen to remain silent.. aaargghh! As it happened, once we arrived at the start, the girl in question had decided to carry on - so I was let off the hook. Phew! 

There was just the one smallish pontoon and somehow we had to get about 30 IVs down the narrow sloping ramp one at a time and into the water and away. I was there to see the last couple of IVs in the water before jumping in a small speedboat to act as security in case of problems.

Bec du Gave

Once we left the relatively narrow waters of the Gave, we joined the mighty Adour at the Bec du Gave (left). I would think that the Adour is not so well known back home, but, believe me, it makes any river in the UK look like a mere stream. The sky had been covered to start with and the air was heavy - not good rowing weather. The sun burnt off the haze and soon we were frying in that small boat as we slowly chuntered along behind the last two IVs. It was around 7.30pm when they finally arrived at the club in Bayonne. For those carrying on into the evening, there was just time for a quick shower and change before going on to a Cidrerie in Petit Bayonne. These evenings can get very lively and the whole weekend becomes a test of endurance - both in and out of the boats! 

For some reason I've been humming this tune (to myself!) for the last few hours without knowing what it was - I do this all the time! Finally, I went downstairs where Madame was slaving away in the front garden now that it's cool. Earlier I'd cut down a vast overgrown nondescript bush that the previous occupant had allowed to run wild and some of the branches had died. Extracting the roots with the aid of a sledge hammer, a pick and a spade in the mid-afternoon heat had just about finished me off so I was indoors cooling off with this tune playing over & over in my head. Once I'd hummed it to her she told me it was "Parlez-moi d'amour" and that it had been in the soundtrack of Woody Allen film we saw the other night (which is where I must have got it from). Anyway, to cut a long story short, and to implant it in your brain, here it is:

14th June 2011. Saw a story on the BBC News page this morning.. is this a blow for the few remaining beret makers in the Pays Basque? A quote from a soldier in the US Army was that it was like wearing a "wet sock" on his head. (we'll just have to take his word for that!) US Army spokesman Colonel Tom Collins told Agence France-Presse: "The beret does not have a visor and doesn't shield the sun, doesn't absorb sweat well." Well, I think the problem is that the military-style beret has lost its roots..

The Basque beret has clearly taken a styling cue from Basque houses as they both sport overhanging roofs to shield those beneath from the worst of the weather. Rain comes in only one size here - a downpour! - and the Basque beret provides a good measure of protection against the rain to the wearer. The Basque beret with its generous overhang also does a good job of providing shade for the eyes. And from what I can see as well, it doesn't appear to fit like a wet sock either! The military beret reflects the military mind - they have to look soldierly and providing the ordinary soldier with a Basque beret would be to invite even more opportunities for the ever-inventive soldiers to mould their berets into shapes that even the manufacturers could not imagine.

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.

148. Sunday morning in Biarritz

5th June 2011. We went for a walk in Biarritz this sunny morning and decided to have lunch at Casa Juan Pedro, one of the outdoor cafés (the one in the centre below) that border the old harbour in the Vieux Port. 

We arrived there before midday as these places fill up very quickly on a good day and luckily we found a table next to the harbour wall. Looking down at the sea, we watched patrols of good-sized grey mullet quartering the inlet above looking for scraps of food. There was an occasional flash of silver as one rolled over to take a choice morsel.

Biarritz was full of people (it was a long weekend) - we're only a few weeks away now from the start of the main holiday months of July, August & September.

The warm weather brought out some bizarre people too. Two strange-looking blokes (with something of the Gilbert & George about them) appeared in black business suits with their heads inside what looked like goldfish bowls. They were wearing goggles, nose clips and breathed via an external tube.. the goldfish bowls were full of water and indeed they had fish swimming around inside. Straight into the Seriously Weird category. Are these what are known as performance artists? Who cares! 

6th June 2011. Spare a thought today for the thousands of young men who, 67 years ago, lost their lives during the D-Day invasion of France. Of the 175,000 Allied soldiers who fought that day, some 9,100 died. If the European Union does nothing else, it will ensure that the destructive pattern of wars and conflicts that plagued the continent for hundreds of years are, and will remain, a thing of the past. I think that's a price well worth paying. 

Lucky Dip Dept: The internet is the most amazing resource for leading you off on a wild goose chase.. this morning I found myself listening to the sound of the BRM V16 racing car whilst 'googling' for something completely different. Designed during the immediate post war years, it first raced in 1950 under the formula that allowed unsupercharged engines of 4.5 litres or, in the case of the BRM, supercharged engines of 1½ litres (91 cu in). This beast produced a staggering 600hp at 12,000rpm.. petrolheads click here, here, here, here and here for a reminder of what was arguably the most spine-tingling sound ever heard on a post-war racetrack.. Probably best to wait until the Fun Police has gone to the shops before cranking the volume to max! (They just don't understand do they..)

8th June 2011. I've been plagued with a v clever virus on my PC since Monday.. I've managed to restore the basic functionality but 95% of the programs show as 'empty' and strange things are happening.. I'm getting there but it's been a long slow process. I was asleep this morning when I suddenly woke up at 1.30am with a fix for one of the problems so I nipped next door to the study and fired the thing up and managed to get somewhere with resolving the mess it's in. Back to bed at 4.15am. I can't understand the mentality of people who write these viruses. Make sure you have a good malware program running. Speaking of which, bookmark this site and be sure to read it. Full of good advice on how to keep your PC free from problems.

147. Living in the Pays Basque

2nd June 2011. If you've made it this far, you must surely be aware by now that living in the Pays Basque is to be highly recommended. And if, for whatever reason, you can't live here, then you should at least try and visit it. If you're unable to visit it, then read about it, soak up all the nuances of everyday life in the Pays Basque. Where can I do that I hear you wail..? Right here..! All this is by way of saying that when you stumbled across this blog, you landed on your feet!



Yesterday morning we set off for Irun, just across the border in Spain, for a spot of shopping. Well, 50% of us went shopping while the other 50% (the part that writes this) went for a long walk around Irun with the dog instead. After the shopping bug had been temporarily sated, we met up again and headed back towards home on the N10.

The sheltered harbour of St-Jean-de-Luz as seen from Ciboure 

Recently I've been exchanging emails with a London-based couple who are in the throes of deciding whether or not to buy a property that needs restoring in Ciboure. This is the small community that lies along the southern edge of the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. They've found a house up on the hill that rises up behind the riverfront. As we were passing by on the way home, I decided to take a look at it. I thought I knew approximately where it was but once we'd entered the rabbit warren of narrow lanes - some not much wider than the car - it wasn't long before my sense of direction let me down.

Fortunately, I'd remembered a key word in the address and I entered this in the GPS - bingo! It turned out that we were only a couple of minutes away - and suddenly there it was.. just as in the photos. In all the time we'd been visiting the Pays Basque, this was one part of the coastal settlements that we hadn't visited. From what I've been told, the house seems to have been neglected and hence there seems to be a daunting amount of work to be done. And "daunting" is not a word I ever want to hear in connection with house renovations.. as it's usually accompanied by this sound..

Ciboure

I liked the area very much - the steep hills, the smell of the sea, the tangled narrow streets, the views of the mighty La Rhune, the dazzling white-painted houses.. and all within a few minutes walk of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. My advice to the couple is to listen to the inner voice.. If it says this is for you, then go with it. If they ignore that voice, it will gnaw away at them for evermore.

2nd June 2011. We went to see "The Tree of Life" this evening which was showing in town in VO (= version originale). If you are intent on seeing it, don't read the reviews first - go and see it with an open mind - no preconceived ideas as to what it's all about.

I didn't offer a judgement on it when we came out - I thought I'd wait - I didn't want to colour Madame's opinion with mine. She said the exact word that I was thinking, "Pretentious..!" Some of it could have been clipped from a number of shampoo commercials.

I've just read the NY Times review and I start to wonder.. Quote: It is like Wordsworth's "Intimations of Immortality" transported into the world of "Leave it to Beaver", an inadequate and perhaps absurd formulation but one that I hope conveys the full measure of my astonishment and admiration.

The Daily Telegraph is less convinced. I still think pretentious. The Movieline summed up how we felt about it: "The “Tree of Life” is a gargantuan work of pretension". 

This is a spectacular shot from the beach at Anglet looking south towards the Trois Couronnes..

4th June 2011. Hot sortie in an octuple/VIII sculler (take your pick!) this morning. Virtually no current on the river.. did 16km (Running total: 740km).

This next clip - Smetana's Ma Vlast - was one of my father's favourite pieces, and it featured in the soundtrack of "The Tree of Life":