81. The heat kicks in..

24th August 2010. Had a good outing in a double sculler (first time for me) this evening and finished up racing the VIII over the final 2km back to the clubhouse.. (we won!) 12km (Running total 78km). I'm still steaming!

25th August 2010. Today promises to be a hot one - the forecast is for 32°.. which is on the high side for the Pays Basque. This is as hot as I ever want it. This morning we drove down to the south of St Jean de Luz to pick up some tiles following which we headed for St Jean de Luz for lunch. We'd planned to go to our favourite cafe outside the indoor market and have some sardines. However, with it being August the world and his dog were already cruising for parking spaces which were at a premium.. We visited all our usual 'bankers' to no avail but then the Parking Gods smiled at us and we found a space up by the beach. The lapis lazuli sea in the bay was limpid and flat calm. By the time we got to the cafe, the only free table was unshaded. Looking back, we should really have gone home to try another day but we sat down and within minutes we both felt as if we were being slowly grilled.

26th August 2010. The forecast today is for 35.. We're off to the beach early this morning for a couple of hours before it gets too hot. Rowing this evening could prove interesting..!

14km on the river in a coxless quad sculler this evening (including a head-on with a double sculler..!) 92km total. It was as forecast today - 35 in St Jean de Luz this morning.. and it's very warm and muggy this evening..

28th August 2010. Had a reasonably solid outing in an VIII this morning.. did 15km. (Running total: 107km) Think it would be a good idea and helpful to all if the club produced coaching notes (with pictures) so that we're all singing from the same hymn sheet. People would then know what's expected of them. I'll have to see if I can suggest it tactfully.

The things you find out - in addition to all the other facilities (like a Top 14 rugby club, an excellent restaurant, champagne bar et al) the club has its own TV channel..! Last weekend there was an Open Day on the Sunday for all those interested in taking up rowing. The boats used for this are known as yolettes and, being fairly heavy and beamy, are only really for beginners.

There will be those "out there" who'd say that a Welsh male voice choir is at least a match for the sonority and resonance of a Basque choir and this view will be amply supported by this clip of the Morriston Orpheus Choir and "Myfanwy":

I believe that the above images are from the Gower Peninsula in South Wales which provided the inspiration for many of the lyrical poems of Dylan Thomas.

29th August 2010. It's a long time since Chibby, our cocker spaniel, has featured and so here he is , in his favourite position yesterday, putting his feet up on a warm Sunday afternoon:

Think he deserves another shot at global fame (!) so here he is again in perhaps a more recognisable pose!

30th August 2010. We went for a bike ride up the Nive this morning. Perfect morning.. apart from my chain coming off again.. Did 20km up to the footbridge at Villefranque.    

80. Biarritz behind the beaches

21st August 2010. Did 15km on the river this morning in a quad sculler.. (Running total: 66km)

Each time we make the short trip to Biarritz (10-15 mins away) we thank our lucky stars that we actually live down here. We were there just a couple of days ago and as we approached the sea front the light became dazzling as it reflected off the white painted Art Deco buildings. We tried to think of other towns that are similar but we weren't able to come up with one. It has its own unique distinctive style and atmosphere. Biarritz is alive and well all round the year..

To give you an idea of what the town behind the beaches looks like, I've raided the web to try and find some images that capture the life of the town.. I've also included some houses in Biarritz - just to look at as the prices there are wince-making. Ease the pain with this stirring Basque choir while you're looking at the pics. Now I don't know if you appreciate male voice choirs but if this singing doesn't send a shiver through you, I suggest you should check your pulse! (to make sure you've still got one!) Beautiful singing and harmonies.. 

The former station - la gare du Midi

Here's a familiar view of the town centre (from just above the Casino), showing the Galeries Lafayette department store (or Biarritz-Bonheur as it's known locally):

Avenue Edouard VII (for mega-bucks shopping!)

Rue Mazagran

Casino Municipal 

centre de congrès, la place Bellevue, Biarritz

22nd August 2010. We went for a bike ride up the Adour as far as Villefranque (~20km altogether) this morning before the sun climbed too high.. Lots of people out jogging, cycling, roller-blading, walking. At one point the chain on my bike came off and wedged itself firmly between the frame and the nearest gear-wheel. I was looking at it and trying to work out a way of freeing it that would minimise the transfer of oil & gunge to my hands when a French couple out on their bikes stopped. She asked if her husband could help? Quick as a flash, he reached down, took hold of the chain, heaved it out of the jam it was in and put it back where it should be.. Voilà! What a gent..!   

Some bijou residences..

This evening the thermometer on the terrace showed 33°C in the shade at 7.30pm.. Phew..!

The centre of Bayonne has been reverberating and echoing all weekend with the sound of multiple Ferrari V-12s running around town.. What magic do Ferrari work on their engines to make them sound so musical?

While I was waiting to cross the road by the Place des Basques, a young lad on a Solex moped next to me was looking wistfully at the pack of Ferraris across the road - none of them taller than a dining table - and he asked me what it was all about.

I told him it was 25€ for a ride in one.

He said, "How long do they let you drive it for..?"

He looked downcast when I explained it was a ride in the passenger seat only..  

79. The brown brown grass of home

16th August 2010. I've been trying to encourage the lawn in our garden to grow green and weed-free for the past few years but I'm starting to wonder if I'm flogging a dead horse. After a long hot rain-free summer, the 'lawn' is definitely bien cuite.. ie, burnt brown and patchy, despite raising the height of the cut on the lawn mower. After weeks of baking heat with no rain - just the odd shower - we had a torrential downpour at 6am on Sunday morning that was so loud it sounded as though the house was being driven through a car wash. But it was a case of too much too late - the damage had already been done. Needless to say, I'm going to have to try again. There must surely be a variety of grass that can tolerate the climate here.

This evening we walked over to the beautifully landscaped gardens that have been laid out in and around the old ramparts surrounding Bayonne. It was so pleasant to sit there on a warm evening (25C in the shade when we returned home) almost in the heart of Bayonne and yet be in such a peaceful setting.  There's clearly an enlightened council at work here.

17th August 2010. This morning I finally loaded up the car with all the junk from the cellar and took it to the nearby déchetterie on the banks of the Adour.

Whilst there, I spotted a nice wooden winebox that had contained Château Plantey 'Pauillac' that somehow jumped into the back of my car.. I must admit to collecting these (below) and it seems I'm not alone!

Rowed this evening.. had a good outing in an VIII. Did 15km.. (Running total: 41km)

18th August 2010. We went for a bike ride this morning along the Adour as far as Villefranque. It must be almost 20km there and back. It seems only a few months ago that the first shoots of corn started poking through and now the fields are a good 8 feet high with a rustling mass of corn stalks, and I believe the corn is destined for animal feed.

19th August 2010. Arriving at the rowing club this evening I spotted the team coach for the Agen rugby club who play Bayonne tomorrow parked outside the hotel nearby. And as I was walking away from the club after the outing, I noticed 5 massively built South Sea islanders with their Easter Island profiles in their Agen t-shirts strolling along the river bank.. It's not until you see the new generation of rugby players that you realise just how big they are. And as for trying to stop one with the ball running at you..

Very warm out on the river this evening.. went out in a quad sculler and did 10km (Running total: 51km)