256. It is the month of June..*

30th June. The humidity grew heavier and heavier this afternoon and early evening until there were numerous rolls of thunder (just enough warning to take the chairs and the umbrella in) and then - sploosh! - the Mother Of All Downpours arrived like 1000 fire hoses pointing straight down.. 

We took Nutty along to another meeting of the "Naughty Boys Club" (aka Obedience Class) this morning. I think the centime is slowly starting to drop with him.. The best part of it takes place in the first 10 minutes or so when they're all let off their leads and after the introductions have been made - mutual sniffings etc - it ends up in a mass brawl / lick-a-thon / love in / battle for dominance.

For those planning on visiting France by car in the next few weeks, you should be aware that as from 1st July, the national speed limit on secondary roads (without a central separator - so dual carriageways should not be affected) will be 80km/h (50mph) instead of 90km/h (56mph). This change affects about 400,000 km of the nation's roads and as you may imagine, this traffic calming measure designed to reduce road fatalities has caused a storm of protest.

What do I think? To be honest, this new limit should make driving on these classic French D roads - like the one below - a far more pleasurable experience and it might just discourage any budding Romain Grosjeans out there from trying to overtake where perhaps they shouldn't.   Might...

29th June. We'll be celebrating another marital milestone today.. Where have the years gone? (Wish we could rewind and do it all again!) We went to one of our long-standing favourites - the traditional Basque Hotel Arraya (a former 16th century former hospice) at Sare - and enjoyed lunch on their shaded terrace. (Look at the photos here) 

 Here's a John Denver piece that fits the bill!
 *.. the month of leaves and roses, When pleasant sights salute the eyes and pleasant scents the noses.

Nathaniel Parker Willis

19th June. In a perfect world, the above quote would be true. However, read on, dear Reader!

Things have been hectic here in the Pays Basque this month. We were away at Lake Annecy (just to the west of Mont Blanc) for the first week (still haven't had time to download the photos) and then with only a day or two's break, we were honoured to host three generations of an American family who had come all the way from Columbus, Ga, on a sentimental journey. I'll explain later.. 

First though, to the pale green waters of Lake Annecy. Having deposited Nutty at the kennel (he's not to be trusted in company at the moment) we set off, aiming to break the journey at this hotel near Le Mont-Dore, about 6,000 feet up in the Auvergne. It was here that we made the mistake of ordering truffade.. a heavy cheesy potato dish (here's the description). If you'd spent the day digging ditches - or were planning on doing so - then this would provide the ideal way of replacing those lost calories. As it was, we both felt as if we'd been depth-charged and we lurched off to our room, both riding very low in the water for a disturbed night's sleep.  

The next day we headed east for Annecy. This involved a circumnavigation of Lyon - and it was here that I discovered (the hard way) that it might have been a good idea to have updated the car's GPS software prior to leaving home - as we found ourselves adrift on roads that, according to the GPS, didn't exist!

Once we put Lyon behind us, we soon arrived at Annecy - and I have to say that the lake looked stunningly beautiful, its impossibly pale green waters dotted with sailing boats against a backdrop of towering mountains. It was noticeably less humid there than in the Pays Basque. While I could dream of passing my days sailing/rowing on the sublime waters of Lac d'Annecy (I've included a selection of images here), the reality is that (in my opinion) the lake is all - the town has a very picturesque old centre that's aimed squarely at the tourist trade - and it's surrounded by a less picturesque and more modern town composed of anonymous looking blocks. We found that the prices were high for day-to-day items.. such as 2 coffees - 8.80€. These are Parisian prices. A quick look at property prices (old habits die hard!) nipped in the bud any thoughts we might have had for finding a house there. 

(Mar 2020. Edited to add: Annecy was recently voted the best town (>2,000 inhabitants) in which to live in France. (Bayonne was number 2)

Wondering how Nutty is? He's taken to stationing himself by open windows to survey 'his' territory.. This was him (above) yesterday evening..

The "Rocade"

All too soon it was time to head back to the south west. We had initially planned on doing the return journey in one go - but as Nutty's kennel closed at 6.30pm, it was too much of a risk to plan on a trouble-free and speedy passage around the Rocade - Bordeaux's notorious ring road that's prone to mammoth tailbacks. 

So it was that we decided to give ourselves a treat on the way home by having a stop-over at a Logis Hotel at Perrier, in the Auvergne (It was called la Cour Carrée). The owners had converted an old farm with a courtyard into a small "Designer" hotel with 3 bedrooms. Wherever we looked, there was evidence that someone with excellent taste and a keen eye for design had been at work. It was run by a couple - and the cooking was wonderful..(step through the photos here) If you ever find yourself south of Clermont-Ferrand and in need of a great place to stay, look no further. (Edited in 2023 to add: now permanently closed)

Long-suffering readers of this blog might recall that I'm involved with an association concerned with commemorating a WWII evasion network (the Comet Line) set up to repatriate Allied airmen shot-down in northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands. They were taken in charge, housed, fed, clothed, issued with false papers and guided down to the Pays Basque from where they would be led over the Pyrenees to freedom. Some 288 Allied airmen (and others) passed through the Pays Basque and only two lost their lives while in Comet's care.

On the night of 23rd December 1943, a 10-strong group of guides and evaders (four of whom were B-17 Flying Fortress aircrew) attempted to cross the river Bidassoa, the river that separates France from Spain. Due to a number of cumulative factors, 2nd Lt James F Burch, USAAF, and Count Antoine d'Ursel (former head of Comet in Belgium) were carried away by the strong current and were assumed drowned. Their bodies were recovered the following day but then the Germans took them away and their remains have never been found to this day.  

A memorial to Count d'Ursel had been put in place by his widow after the war but the site had become unstable and so we decided to relocate it to a new site in a peaceful glade (above) further downstream. We thought it fitting that Jim Burch should be commemorated as well and so a memorial to him was set up next to that of Count d'Ursel's high on the banks of the Bidassoa 2 years ago.  

2nd Lt Lloyd Stanford, USAAF

2nd Lt Lloyd Stanford's
photo taken for his false
ID card while he was
'on the run'

One evader who did manage to make a successful river crossing that night was 2nd Lt Lloyd Albert Stanford, USAAF (right).

Prior to the inauguration of the riverside memorial, I spent hours online in a nugatory search for any of his descendants in the hope that they might be able to attend the ceremony. Imagine my surprise when, out of the blue a few months ago, I was contacted by Martha, his daughter, 75 years after the events of that tragic night. After exchanging a few emails, I was delighted to hear that she had decided to bring a 10-strong group comprising three generations of family from Columbus, Georgia all the way to the Pays Basque to follow in the footsteps of the pater familias. (And, in the ultimate irony, she told me that she had actually been in France on holiday when we had the inauguration ceremony of the memorial in April 2016!).

We in the association put a programme together that would show the family as much as we could of the father's passage through the Pays Basque in the time available. Unfortunately, we hadn't counted on Mother Nature! (more of which later)

Mr Michel Hiriart,
Mayor of Biriatou

The Memorial site

We met the genial Mayor of Biriatou (right) for introductions at the Town Hall, after which we drove slowly along the 4 kilometers of winding track that wraps itself around the valley sides that became narrower and narrower and ran perilously close to steep drop-offs as it approached the well-hidden memorial site (left) - where we had a very moving ceremony of remembrance. There is always something about this location that speaks to me and the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner" and the "Marseillaise" there brought the goose bumps out in spades - I don't think I was the only one either!

The plan for the following two days was that we would walk over the same route across the mountains that the evaders had taken that fateful night and on the following day we would show them the inland route that was developed in 1943 following a wave of arrests.

Enter Mother Nature..! For the next 2 days we had rain in all its guises - from light showers through straightforward downpours to monsoon-like conditions. Plan B was quickly dusted off (code for 'made up on the spot'!) and away we went. At one point, the family found themselves standing in the cellar of the 'safe' house - in the very place where the father had hidden himself in 1943.. an emotional moment as can be imagined. Despite the wet weather, I think Martha and her family went away having seen as much as the conditions allowed. We had hoped to have them take part in a river crossing but the river Bidassoa was raging in full spate with standing waves and a strong current and so reluctantly it was not to be.

It was a wonderful few days, full of laughter, emotion, songs and memories and a powerful reminder, if one were needed, of the strong ties that unite our countries.

As they say in Scotland - haste ye back!

Meanwhile, back in today's world: I forgot to mention that Nutty's usual exercise area - the grassy area behind the Plage des Cavaliers at Anglet has been illegally occupied since 17th June by 120 caravans belonging to a group of travelling people (aka gypsies) - masquerading as an evangelical organisation. The local council has tried to have them evicted without any luck so far. 

255. Nuts in May

29th May. Apologies for letting the dust settle in here but I've been a bit busy lately. Here's a favourite organ piece to unwind to - it's "Nimrod" from Edward Elgar's Variations - and it's played beautifully here by Diane Meredith Belcher on the Quimby Pipe Organ at William Jewell College, Liberty, Missouri. I apologise for the hiss on the recording but I don't think it detracts too much from this fine interpretation. (Brass band version here)

This is one of the pieces the choir has been working up for a concert in October. It's "The Flight into Egypt, from The Childhood of Christ" by Hector Berlioz. It's a very expressive piece to sing and we're slowly getting there! (needless to say, the choir below is not us!) 

17th May. Villefranque is a picturesque Basque village that's situated on the slopes overlooking the beautiful river Nive.  It's 8-10km inland from Bayonne and we stayed in this gîte in the village for 5 months when we first arrived here in 2007.  (It's the big white farmhouse here in the centre).

If you're ever looking for a holiday in a peaceful gîte set in an idyllic location n the Pays Basque, run by a genuinely friendly and hospitable couple, I'd recommend it unreservedly. 

I regularly used to row on the olive green waters of the Nive from Bayonne as far as Villefranque and sometime beyond as far as the weir at Ustaritz.  

Here's a new picture of a dog who likes his comfort.  He decided to take early retirement at one year old and here he is taking a load off this afternoon:

13th May.  Against a background of dark clouds heavy with rain blowing in off the sea, I took the pooch for a quick walk down at the beach at Anglet this morning. As I left the house, I picked up a CD of Rock and Roll classics that I hadn't played for a long time. We only managed 10 minutes on the big field there during which he did the necessary before we had to dash back to the car as another heavy shower blew in - and so I listened to a few golden oldies (this one caught my ear - Eddie Cochrane's "Three Steps to Heaven" - released 58 years ago!) as the rain drummed on the car roof.

12th May. I watched Leinster play Racing 92 in the final of the European Champions Cup this afternoon and somehow, against a powerful Racing selection, the Irish side emerged 15-12 winners.  I thought that Racing had marginally enjoyed a slight edge in the wet conditions - conditions that pointed towards an attritional battle between the opposing forwards - and Racing had some big 'units'.  No-one was throwing the ball around and it became something of a dour match with all the points coming from penalties.  However, as the second half wore on, it looked as though the tide had at last turned as Leinster raised their game in the last few minutes and took the initiative - scoring twice in six minutes - to take the lead for the first time in the match.  In extra time, Racing missed a drop goal that would have leveled the scores.  Not a great match for those who like to see matches won by tries, but a win's a win. This is a golden era for Irish rugby - for both club and country!

11th May. By the way - the other day I dragged the plancha out of its winter storage in the garage - so, that means it's officially summer!  I'd covered all the metal parts in grease before putting it away last autumn so after I wiped all that off it, it was soon looking as good as new again.  I'm now waiting for the first opportunity to fire it up. Bring on the sardines, salad, a fresh baguette, a bottle of chilled rosé.. followed up with a contemplative Greek coffee and aaagh! At this point I always used to add: .. and a cigarillo.. I used to smoke the odd one but I stopped (voluntarily) about two years ago and as Basil Fawlty used to say: "That particular avenue of pleasure has been closed off." I still miss them. (Mar 2020. Edited to add: I no longer miss them..)

We went to Dancharia (just across the border in Spain) for some shopping yesterday and as we were leaving after our quick shop, coach-loads of pensioners were arriving from villages in Les Landes.  We've been caught up with these before - the aisles in the shops get blocked with confused old dears in charge of huge shopping trolleys and after they've finished shopping, they launch themselves out into the car park without looking left or right.  How there aren't more accidents I'll never know.

On the way home, we stopped at Ascain for lunch at one of our 'bankers' - the Restaurant Larralde (right) - a longtime favourite of ours.  We overdid things slightly (always the danger there!) - starting with the omelette aux cèpes, followed by a perfectly cooked steak with roquefort sauce, then an île flottante for Madame and a café/pistache ice cream for me.  They serve a very generous measure of wine by the glass.  I had a velvety Irouléguy Gorri d'Ansa for only 4.50€. As nice as that was, I still had to drive home. One glass of red at midday is enough for me these days - any more and I'd need an afternoon zizzzz! Needless to say, we didn't eat in the evening. If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Ascain, I'd have no hesitation in recommending the Restaurant Larralde. (The house red is Madiran) By the way, Ascain is a picture-perfect Basque village and if you are visiting the Pays Basque for the first time, make sure you drag yourself away from the pleasures of the coast to pay the village a visit - you won't regret it.   

7th May.  The footage that's emerging from the eruption of the volcano known as Kilauea on the Big Island, Hawaii looks truly shocking.. and its impact is made worse by the slowness of the outpouring of lava (pyroclastic flow) as homeowners are forced to watch their houses being swallowed up.  Here's a disturbing clip filmed by someone on the roof of his house (starts at 1:48). All around is a verdant tropical normality - except at the bottom of his garden where a fiery vision of hell is erupting.

6th May.  Finally we were able to sit out on the terrace this evening in the sun (24° at 7pm) and have a game of cards with an apéro. OK, I was thrashed 6-2 (sob!) but it's only a game innit?! Let's hope this marks a beginning.

5th May.  We took Bulldozaire (aka our cocker anglais) along to his second dog training session this morning. It's held out in a field about 20 minutes from here. Last week, the ground was sodden and all three of us returned home covered in mud. After he'd been hosed down in the shower, he slept the rest of the afternoon away.

The session started this morning with all the dogs off their leads for about 15 minutes - I suppose it's done to dispel all, or perhaps some at least, mutual curiosity and as a bonus - it provides their owners with a good laugh! There must have been a dozen or more of them - all "bad lads" who haven't so far been able to respond to the usual incitements to good behaviour. They were all more or less of the same age with a few older recividists in the mix to add some spice to the proceedings! Only one - a young boxer - got a bit over-enthusiastic and she was exiled to a field next door to cool her heels for a while. Our dog proved himself to be more or less incapable of following simple instructions (I'll leave you to decide who he takes after!). He's coming up to one year old and he's very independent and likes doing things his way. We'll see!

Madame found this channel on the TV (in France it's on Ch 122).. and amazingly, our pooch watches it in rapt fascination. It's probably targeted at stay-at-home dogs - but he watches it with an unblinking stare!

4th May.  Surely this month will see the return of the sun on a more or less permanent basis.  Down here in the Pays Basque, we've had the Mother of all Wet Starts to the year - and yes, while part of me looks with some pleasure at how our lawn is looking (I never thought I'd hear myself say that!), a greater part of me wishes that it was shorts & t shirt weather every day.  I also want to get out there on my e-bike.

I had a letter from the Prefecture up at Bordeaux to acknowledge receipt of my application for French nationality and now I'm waiting for the call to go up there for a chat.  Hope there's not a 'practical' - like for example, "Finally, we'd like you to demonstrate your commitment to France by showing us how much you appreciate this..".  At this point a flunky steps forward and whips the domed cover off a steaming plate of 'Tête de veau' (calf's head).  That would be my personal Red Line..!

In case you're wondering, the title of this month's post comes from this..

254. Spring has sprung..

30th April. I've been aware, almost subconsciously, for some time that the most prevalent car colours here differ from those in the UK. When I was out earlier, I looked down a long line of some 30-40 parked cars and noticed that the colour of every last one lay somewhere on the monochrome spectrum between white and black. I'd say that most were various shades of grey.

When we used to come down here on holiday years ago, if we saw a red car coming towards us it could almost be guaranteed that it would be displaying a UK registration. Then when we were in England a couple of years ago, it was noticeable that electric blue was now the "couleur du mois"! (Or as they have it there - the colour of choice). I'm not sure what this proves - if anything. It's just an observation. Now we have "expert colour psychologists" who can decrypt our colour choices.. If you wish to lose the will to live, read this! You've been warned. (I'm not an Express reader by the way.. ☺)

28th April. For 4 years in the mid-1990s, I had the great good fortune to be working in the vicinity of Venice. At least once or twice a month throughout the year, I would manage to find the time to visit this most wonderful of cities, even during the chill month of January, when the bitingly cold wind off the sea had the ability to freeze one's face into a rictus. At times like that, Venice would be almost deserted and, looking out across the misty lagoon, it seemed that all an artist would need to render a faithful image of the view would be a thousand shades of grey. I would walk and walk until I had to seek refuge from the cold in the warmth of a café. There, I'd order a hot chocolate which was almost of a blancmange-like consistency and if it was really cold, I'd have a brandy with it. Once warmed up again, I'd set off once more. The intervals between stops would become shorter and shorter as the cold bit.

At the other extreme lay August. I was there once on 15th August (an Italian holiday) under a burning sun, with humidity to match. Groups of tourists were being marshalled through the narrow streets by guides - each holding a whip aerial with a distinctive object tied to the top of it - a pair of luscious red lips, a toy rabbit, an inflatable duck, the more bizarre the better. These groups of tourists appeared to arrive in waves - and the heat and the humidity combined with the jostling to make for a not very pleasant experience.

I was there with a friend one day during one such occasion and we were walking along the waterfront with its row upon row of gondolas bobbing up and down on the choppy waters. We walked past the Hotel Danieli (highly recommended) and after a few yards, we came across a restaurant that overlooked the lagoon. A card in its window announced a seafood buffet lunch for 55,000 lira.. This worked out to something around £22.. It was "an offer I could not refuse"! One of those lunches that will live long in the memory. Some time later, we emerged blinking into the sunlight and waddled off in the direction of Harry's Bar*.. for one last attitude adjuster before heading back to the train station.

A visit to Venice has to be made at least once in a lifetime. There really is nowhere else quite like it anywhere in the world (including Las Vegas!). And no, in all my visits there I have yet to experience any of the smells that generations of hack writers ascribe to Venice.. (the video is best in full screen)
Seems like we've turned the clock back again.. as we've had rain, rain and more rain. We were out at a dog obedience class this morning - as Nutty's behaviour needs modification. It's almost as if he has a split personality. He's no longer allowed out in the garden unless he's on the lead as he constantly demonstrates destructive tendencies.

This year, our long-suffering lawn was finally looking as it should (especially as it's been well watered these last few months) - but Bulldozaire decided it could be improved with the addition of a large hole scraped in the middle of it. This was just one of his party tricks.. Others include rounding off the corners of a Persian carpet in the study; rounding off the corners of the bedspread; ripping holes in the pillowcases; retrieving savoury & unsavoury items from the laundry basket and chewing them. He seems to have a contrary nature: he will do things as required of him - but only if he wants to. Madame broached the surgical option with me but, as a card carrying male, I'm reluctant to consider that option until we've exhausted all the others. If only I could tell him!             

19th April. Spring came and went in a week.. yesterday we had some of Madame's relatives (from Andernos-les-Bains) for the afternoon. We ate outside and the temperature was a whisker under 30°.. I was down at the beach this morning (yes, in shorts and a t shirt!) with our 4x4 cocker spaniel at 9.30 and it was like summer. Cloudless blue sky, blue sea and white breakers. This weather changes everything. I think I'll be going for a ride on my ebike this evening along the Nive. 

11th April. "Allez, allez, allez!" (if you have to ask what this refers to, you wouldn't understand!)

4th April. I removed the cover from the table on the terrace yesterday - always a good sign - and we had lunch out there for the first time this year. Think it was about 20° - give or take a degree. It looks like a morning for a ride on my e-bike as well - as the forecast seems to indicate that rain could be on the agenda this afternoon.

The arrival of warmer weather changes everything here - my shorts (!) will soon be making their first public appearance of the year, our plancha (right) will be dragged out and then we tend to live outside until late October/early November (fingers crossed). I'm surprised that the plancha has still to make an impact in the UK as they really do lend themselves to impromptu eating outdoors. I'd've thought they'd be perfect for those unpredictable (polite term!) British summers. From the decision to eat outdoors to starting cooking takes no more than 5 minutes - that's as long as it takes to heat up the cooking surface - plus the cooking surface is far less messy, more versatile and much more convenient than that of a barbeque. They excel at cooking fish for example. Eating food cooked on a plancha is highly enjoyable compared to the forced smile of eating something part-cooked or overcooked (ie, burnt) on a barbeque. Here's someone showing how it's done in the US. There's a business opportunity here for someone.  

Hibiscus

2nd April. We've been busy in the garden tidying things up after the last wet three months. I noticed the wisteria (known as glycine in French - you'd never guess) is out. And after 10 years of effort, the lawn finally looks dense and green (with no burnt patches from you-know-who). The hydrangeas (hortensia in French) are off and running too.. and our small palm tree (left) in the front garden is pushing out these large buds and is poised to sprout its yellow blossom and shower everything with pollen. There's also a couple of hibiscus trees (with 5" trunks) that produce spectacularly blue flowers that have just started to bud. Everywhere we looked today, nature was in motion - at last.

Here's something I caught on the radio earlier today.. It was new to me and it sounded as if it could have been an old Irish air. But - it's called "The Ashokan Farewell" and surprisingly, it was written by Jay Ungar back in 1982. Well done to him! It was also used as the title track to the PBS series "The Civil War" (which I've just started watching.. really excellent so far).

If ever a tune was written for a 5 string banjo and guitar it was this one.. See here.