263. What will this year bring?

31st January. Still strong winds and rain here.. I took advantage of a pause in the rain to go out to the garage yesterday evening to bring in a sack of logs.. When I came out of the garage 15 seconds later (at most) there was a downpour that had come from nowhere.. (as someone once said, "like a cow peeing on a flat rock!") 

30th January. This short video ('De roc et d'eau' translates as 'Of rock and water') shot from a drone shows what spectacular landscapes await the intrepid traveller if he puts the pleasures of the Basque coast behind him and ventures inland - and yes, they are griffon vultures that make an appearance at 2:35. Here's a story to put you off your breakfast!
I occasionally watch televised live sessions of the UK Parliament (please don't laugh!) and I'm often struck by the arcane and, to my mind, archaic procedures in use. This document may help in decoding what's going on! (Having read that link, I still think they're archaic!) The unexpected referendum result in June 2016 threw a large rock into the UK political and establishment pond and it caused widespread mayhem in all directions - except in the media. For them, it was manna from heaven - the story that gives and keeps on giving - we've had 2½ years of 24 hour rolling media speculation ever since.

It's taken 2½ years for the aftershock waves to settle down enough for the nearest thing to a political consensus to emerge. However, the approach of 29th March (the date when the UK will leave the EU) has focused minds and - finally - it appears that there is a majority parliamentary view that supports the approach that Theresa May wishes to take with the EU negotiators.

However, I suspect though that the EU is prepared to resist any attempts to re-open the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) - and forego the UK's £39bn - to show that they can stand firm as a "27" to protect the integrity (as they see it) of the Single Market and, perhaps more importantly, to discourage any member state from emulating the UK. If the EU refuses to re-open the WA, the UK negotiators may request that a codicil is added that addresses the Irish border question. The danger for the EU is that if they were to give way on the Irish border issue - a difficulty that they themselves have created - then that could well trigger further dissension within the EU ranks - which could, with a bit of luck, bring the whole rotten edifice come crashing down.. One can but hope! I think the outcome will depend on how badly the EU needs the UK's £39bn.. It should be remembered that Germany made a 48bn€ budget surplus in the first 6 months of 2018 - so they will naturally be keen to preserve the status quo. 

To all those who take a jaundiced view of the unruly House of Commons, the challenges we've witnessed to the elected government are all the evidence we need that the UK's democratic traditions are alive and well -  this is real democracy in action. This cannot be said for the serried ranks of nodding dogs who populate the EU Parliament, let alone the unelected bureaucrats who sit astride the whole structure.

29th January. The weather forecast for this evening is for 80mph (130km/h) winds on the Basque coast. I've just spent an entertaining minute or two closing the shutters upstairs! I should add that our shutters aren't the lightweight louvre'd variety as seen in Provence - no, these are sturdy solid wooden doors, with z-bracing on the inside - and when the wind catches them as you try to close them in a howling gale - well, that's when the fun starts! Traditional Basque shutters are made solid to resist the storms such as we've been experiencing over the last few days. Meanwhile, the wind is starting to whistle and moan around the rooftops now. 

28th January. Wintry wet weather is upon us in the form of squally showers that are blown in at frequent intervals by blustery winds straight out of the bay of Biscay. The dog's ears were unusually horizontal this morning when I took him for a walk on the coast! Wood burner weather..

We were invited out for lunch yesterday at the home of a former choriste. She hails from Arzacq in the Béarn and she served us her native speciality - poule au pot. She'd spoiled us once before with this magnificent dish and I was delighted and honoured that she'd chosen to prepare it for us again yesterday. There were six of us around her table and after a home-made chicken noodle soup (made, I'd guarantee, with the carcass of the chicken) she brought out a huge serving platter laden with the plat principal - a delicious distraction from the rain and hail rattling on our hostess's windows. What a treat! 
I was seated next to a lady who'd lived in many countries in Africa for almost 40 years and during the inevitable passionate discussion of all things edible, she turned to me to ask (at the very moment I was having that very same thought) if I found it astonishing that French people habitually talked about the pleasures of the table. Once upon a time I would have agreed with her, but now I see this passion for good food for what it is - the driver in the endless search for perfection - as opposed to the merely adequate - and I'm used to it by now. So no complaints from me!

Restaurant des Chasseurs,
Ascain

Side view

Later on, she told me that the restaurant des Chasseurs, our erstwhile favourite hotel / restaurant at Ascain, a beautiful Basque village in the foothills of the Pyrenees, had changed ownership. We'd discovered this simple hotel / restaurant almost 30 years ago and we spent many happy summers there before we moved here 11 years ago. The original owners served country cooking of a very high standard that was beyond reproach. The prospect of another summer holiday there was always eagerly anticipated and the thought of our next visit there sustained us during the long dismal winter months in England - until the day came when they retired. The years that followed were sadly marked by a slow decline of everything - except the prices. We'd always had this dream of becoming regulars at the restaurant for Sunday lunch when we moved here but under the last ownership we regrettably had to set that idea aside. However, my neighbour at lunch yesterday told me that new management had taken over the restaurant a year ago (photos here), and so we are looking forward to a speedy return to the place where we spent so many happy times. Fingers crossed. (I'll update its entry in the restaurant map in the left hand column after our visit)

By the way, if anyone has visited "Des Chasseurs" under the new ownership, I'd be interested to hear your views. (Either use the 'comment' feature at the end of this post - or contact me via the email in the left hand column - just below the Translate widget. Thanks!)

Here's a montage of Ascain showing the pastoral life in and around the village at, I would say, around 1900 (turn the sound down!) - the restaurant appears at 2:42 tucked in besides the church:
 
24th January. It seems that we're in for some snow next week - according to Madame who believes the local forecasts! Since we've been here, I think we've only had snow twice - and then it only lasted a day.

We've been invited to an evening with the Mayor tomorrow evening to "receive his best wishes for the year" - but talking to someone who's already been to one, it seems that the occasion is one where we are told at length what the Mayor has done in the last 12 months. I'm tempted to plead a previous engagement involving tidying my sock drawer..

20th January. If, in an idle moment, you've ever wondered what the F1 - F12 keys do (on the top row of your keyboard), ponder no longer - look here. I realise that, in telling you this, I'm running the risk of getting dangerously close to proving the truth of the old adage that "life's too short to stuff a mushroom..". 

I took Nutty (aka "Bulldozaire" - our 17kg 4x4 cocker spaniel if you've just joined us) down to the beach this morning for a good morning run and a blow out. It was a blustery morning with broken cloud and showers blowing in periodically from the Bay of Biscay. I waited in the car for a couple of minutes while a shower blew through and then we set off. There's a jetty - although jetty's not the right word as ships can't moor up against it - they call it a digue in French - that sticks out (right - the nearest one of the three) and, as a small coaster was lining up to enter the river, it seemed like a good idea at the time to walk out to the end. There were quite a few surfers out there too. Just as I got out to the far end, a heavy shower made its presence known! I had to keep telling myself "It's only water..". It was a loong way back to the car. Nutty's a water-magnet - he took some drying off!

18th January. This is a well-known piano concerto that, despite being played to death on Classic music stations, can withstand repeated listening.. Here's Anna Fedorova and the North West German Philhamonic Orchestra conducted by Martin Panteleev at the Royal Concert Hall, Amsterdam with Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor:

(I confess that I'll never be able to understand how anyone can play this demanding and complex piece with the music in front of them - let alone from memory!)

16th January. Went down to the beach early this morning to give Nutty a good run. According to the car at 8.30am, it was 2°C.. and it felt like every bit of it. The sea was almost a flat calm except for some beautifully formed waves that were rearing up at the last moment. Looking south down towards Biarritz, there was a silver'd mist hanging over the beach lit by the early morning sun that had just made an appearance. My shadow was about 20 yards (or 18.3m if you insist!) long. It was c-o-l-d ! 

Here's the latest picture of Nutty - glaring at the camera, as he'd been left alone over lunchtime (we'd been invited out). The object that looks like a gift-wrapped parcel between his front paws is his new rubber 'squeak' - and he guards it jealously..!  

George & Janet,
Pyrenees 1955

Regular readers might remember references here to the Comet Line - the Belgian-run WWII network designed to repatriate shot-down Allied aircrew. Sadly, I have to report that George Duffee DFC, one of the more notable wartime RAF evaders, passed away peacefully on 21st December aged 94. His beloved wife Janet predeceased him by 2½ weeks - they'd shared 72 years of a very happy marriage together. They were a lovely couple and I was very fond of them both - they'll be greatly missed. Here's George up in the mountains (above) during their annual visit to the Pays Basque in 2012.

RIP George and Janet.

13th January. There was a feature on Penne-d'Agenais (Lot-et-Garonne) on the box a day or two ago - and a very charming village it looked too. Might try a short break there in the Spring.

Down to the beach this morning for the first time since the New Year.. a grey blustery morning with showers blowing through every few minutes. Very low stratus with the cloud down to the sea. Not a day to linger down there. It can only improve!

A former British Prime Minister (aka John Major) is pushing for a second Referendum (how on earth did he ever make Prime Minister?) Are we heading for best out of three? If our MPs and our brilliant Oxbridge-educated Civil Servants - with all the government facts and figures at their fingertips - can't agree on what's best for the UK, how on earth does Major expect the average 'Joe on the street' to be able to when 'Britain's brightest' can't? It begs the question why we are paying them.

Churchill got it right: The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. I certainly wouldn't go for a second Referendum.

12th January. Watching a cracking game of rugby this afternoon between Leinster and Stade Toulousain.. (It finished 29-13) It reminded me that the Guinness 6 Nations starts in just under 3 weeks time.. with a mouth-watering clash on the Friday evening (terrible time to have a game of rugby) between France and Wales.

7th January. Biarritz staged another mass release of some 3,000 Chinese/Japanese lanterns from la Grande Plage last Thursday evening (3rd).. A pity we had to miss it - but I picked up a real winter cold the other day and it wouldn't have been a good idea to have gone. I'm wheezing like an old set of bellows! (aka Man Pain!)
2nd January. This beautifully restored Bentley straight six engine is from a Mark VI model (1950-ish). I could look at this for hours! Period review of the car here.
Looking ahead, the opening round of the Guinness 6 Nations Rugby Tournament is only a month away.. 
We spent the New Year at the home of Madame's sister-in-law on the bay of Arcachon.. where, on New Year's Eve, we and three generations of family enjoyed a wonderful feast of the freshest of fresh seafood - coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops) to start with; then gambas and crevettes (prawns or shrimp for English readers) of all sizes, followed by sea bream in a creamy sorrel sauce. We'd brought a crisp white Irouléguy. After that, it all gets a bit hazy - but I do remember having some magnificent cheeses (with a red Irouléguy) before we finished up with an assortment of decorated ice cream logs!

On New Year's day, we took the dog down to the sea-front and tried to walk some of the excess off. For lunch, we had a delicious veal stew (can't remember the correct term) - Madame's late brother knew his wine and with it we enjoyed a memorable 2001 Premières Côtes de Blaye from the dwindling reserve of his bottles. It struck me that drinking and enjoying a wine that he'd chosen - 5 years after his passing - was a touching way of remembering him - it brought him near to us all - and I silently toasted his memory. I hope you don't think this is a morbid thought but I think I'll lay down a few selected bottles in the cellar for friends to enjoy around our table one day, hopefully far in the future.

As always, the year stretches ahead as a series of blank pages. Who knows what the coming weeks and months will bring? All I know is that these are days to be filled with laughter and good times - and I'll try to share as many of them as possible with you. Madame and I hope that 2019 will bring much happiness to you and yours. 

262. Countdown to Christmas..

25th December. 

23rd December. In reading about the recent tsunami that killed many in the Sumatra and Java region, I came across this compelling video of Anak Krakatau volcano erupting during the night at the end of October (plus a close-up version, filmed from a drone in daylight, here):
It appears that the tsunami was caused by paroxysmal explosive activity.. more here. When too close is too close.

And here, filmed from the air, largely hidden by clouds of gases, steam, smoke and ejected material is Anak Krakatau in its death throes:

And here it is - as it was filmed 3 days ago - hard to believe that it's the same volcano:
22nd December. Saw an amazing spectacle this evening. We walked into Bayonne to watch the release of hundreds - what am I saying?! - thousands of Japanese lanterns into the night sky. It was just the night for a hot wine to kick start the system too.

I think in England the Fun Police would have slapped a banning order on it ('Elf 'n Safety mate). It was a stirring sight as thousands of the metre-high lanterns rose gracefully up into the heavens (fortunately there wasn't a breath of wind). I've never seen anything like it in my life.. There were so many families there with young children and I'm sure the magnificent spectacle created an unforgettable memory for them all as the lanterns, uneasily at first, lifted slowly up into the night sky. It seemed as though they represented all the hopes and dreams for Christmas and beyond of those present - very moving to watch:
This was followed by a firework display, accompanied by music. The last song was this one - and I'm convinced someone let all the remaining fireworks off at once! It starts at 0:36..

According to a police estimate, there were between 50,000 - 60,000 people present. Afterwards, we headed off into the centre and found a table at a restaurant (now closed) - where we chose the "all you can eat" beef option from the "dead but could still be resuscitated" menu. Excellent beef - tender as anything - and it could be cut with a butter knife. And for a change, we also put a bottle of Graves out of its misery!

It's always during the last few days before Christmas that doubts set in about the presents that you've chosen for your loved one. Was it a good idea to have bought her a pair of slippers with matching oven gloves*? How many times will she watch the DVD of the 2018 Six Nations rugby*? Will a new vacuum cleaner hit the spot*? ☺ While I think I'm pretty safe this year, there's always that lingering doubt. Too late to do anything about it now though.
* Just in case there's any doubt, I bought Madame none of the above! However, my brother once bought his wife (a stranger to the kitchen) a food processor. <ouch!> I believe he was seen wearing it not long after!

In the meantime, there's never a better moment than the shortest day of the year to enjoy the mountain scenery of the Pays Basque.. (full screen!) plus a report on Pierre Oteiza's pigs.. in Les Aldudes, a must-see village up in the Pyrenees close to the border..

19th December. Madame's presents have been safely smuggled into the house - I've just one more to wrap and then I'm done. I also need to take one last trip down to the cellar to make sure that there are no major shortfalls in the bottle department. 

Most days I take a look at British Media online - and I shudder at much of the tosh I read there. New words continually bubble up to the surface of all the froth - and one curious addition to the trendy hack's lexicon is wellness. I have no idea what this means. Then there's the all-consuming obsession with celebrity - especially when the celebrities in question are total nonentities as far as I'm concerned. I'm convinced we have far too much media. I did ask a GP friend in England recently if he knew what wellness was and he had no idea. So what is it? Answers on a postcard please to the usual address.   

Here's one of those hyper-concentrated videos that attempts, in the modern way, to cram the Pays Basque into a frantic 2½ minutes. To enjoy? Dilute to taste with a / few / many / glass(es) of sangria / Jurançon / Irouléguy / whisky (insert drink of choice) - and r-e-l-a-x!

18th December. A disturbing statistic for casual observers of the European Union: according to figures released by the federal statistical office, Germany had a surplus of €48.1bn in the first six months of 2018, equivalent to 2.9 per cent of economic output — the highest level since German reunification in 1990. By contrast, France, the other major EU political player, had a €58bn budget deficit in 2017.  

How long can this dysfunctional situation be allowed to continue? It should be enough to send shivers up and down the spines of economists throughout Europe - and indeed further afield. The adoption of the euro by all those EU countries was, and is, a triumph of post-sixties wishful thinking, inspired perhaps by smoking too many exotic cigarettes (think John Lennon's 1971 hit "Imagine"), and unchallenged by economic reality and common sense. Germany's economists saw the potential advantage for them in a flash and quickly convinced their politicians to ditch the mighty D-mark in favour of the euro, as they saw that by doing so it would serve to preserve and enhance their economic dominance. Had Germany retained the D-mark, it would by now have had to be revalued upwards at least once. However, following the switch to the one-size-fits-all euro, they are making serious amounts of hay while the euro is pegged artificially low for the German economy.

And curiously, at a time when Macron is under pressure from popular opinion, French political commentators are unwilling to make the link publicly between France's economic woes and the contraints imposed by being in the eurozone. The EU project - beloved of post-war French politicians - is an article of faith for politicians of the mainstream parties. How long will this mindset continue to be the case after the UK's departure? 

One of these days someone will come along and explain to me how two countries such as Germany and Greece (but I could equally use France these days) with two totally disparate economies can possibly share a common currency. I think I'll have a long wait. Europe is paying the price for allowing French federalists (with their long-held ambition of setting up a European Superstate to take on the US) free rein with their flights of fancy nurtured in the rarified hot house atmospheres of their Grandes Ecoles. To my Anglo-Saxon mind, 'events' happen when they come about as a result of popular demand from the electorate - not when they are imposed, unasked for, by a political élite.

Peppone, 31 Cours Georges Clémenceau, 33000 Bordeaux

We're now nearing the end game of my request for French citizenship (Naturalisation) and so we went up to Bordeaux yesterday in good time (in case the gilets jaunes were up to their tricks on the autoroute) to be ready for the interview at 2pm. We had a couple of hours to spare so no prizes for guessing how we filled in the time! We found an authentic, quaint and oh-so-typical small Italian restaurant - Peppone - where we could have been in Italy. The photos say it all. (take a look down in their wine cellar - a feast for the eyes!) Fortunately, we'd arrived early and we had no trouble finding a table - but it is small - so say no more.. Great attentive service and excellent food. This is definitely one to return to. (I've added it to the Restaurant map)

Suitably refreshed, we made our way to the Préfecture where I was strapped in a chair under hot lights - no, seriously, it was really all quite civilised.. A lady came down at the appointed hour and we went through into a small interview room where she ran me through all the possible questions that officialdom could conceivably wish to ask in making its mind up about such an application. I think it was carried out in a relaxed manner - she had a form to guide her through the process that covered every aspect and we went through it all. After this meeting, I'm hoping that my application will be signed off by the Préfet of Nouvelle-Aquitaine - following which it will be sent up to Paris to be signed off (or not!) by Mr Christopher Castaner, the Minister of the Interior (at the time of writing). Once this has happened, I can expect to be invited to Pau (the capital of Pyrénées-Atlantiques) in the May/June 2019 time frame along with other successful local applicants for a short ceremony where we will all be presented with our new French passports. Phew!

We picked up Nutty on the way home - he'd had to spend a night and a day in the kennels - and then home for a quick bite before I was off out for choir practice. I must say that my enthusiasm low level warning light came on steady RED at 10pm when our choir leader decided we were going to start learning a new piece - right there and then. That had been one loong day! (Spoilt only by getting 'flashed' on the autoroute way home from Bordeaux.. Grr!)

16th December. This beautiful oboe piece comes from the soundtrack of "The Mission" - a film I saw once in the late 80s and couldn't get into. You might remember the film for the disturbing scene in which a Jesuit priest, lashed to a wooden cross, is launched on a river and goes over the Iguaçu Falls..
12th December. With less than 2 weeks to go before you-know-what, I have to say that - so far - I haven't received an invitation to a single bunga bunga party! Only joking! Wasn't it Bill Bryson who said that, at his age, he now views sex as a welcome chance for a lie down!* (I agree!) (Eek! What am I saying?!)

* In modern parlance, that would be a "lie down with benefits"..

Anyway, moving swiftly on, I have to make a start on writing Christmas cards - so, I suggest you find something to occupy yourself with for the next few hours.

At a time when earthbound media is huffing and puffing over such events as the "No Confidence" vote being triggered in the UK this morning - or that French lawyers (en colère*) are demonstrating outside the courts this morning over recent "preventive control" measures taken during the ongoing gilets jaunes disturbances - despite all that, it's worth taking a step back to absorb the fact that we are the first generation of human beings in history ever to know the colour of a Martian sunset. That's a staggering thought isn't it? And how many different technologies had to be present to enable this photograph?

Here it is (at no extra charge!) - I believe this was taken on Mars in 2015 and I've only just found out about it in 2018 - there were clearly far more important events happening. Like what for example?

* Strikers, demonstrators or simply just malcontents are routinely described as being en colère here.. It just means that they're furious, angry, not happy or - insert word of choice.
 
8th December. Walked to town this afternoon to pick up a few things for Christmas.. it was so warm that we stopped off at this café on the banks of the Nive and had a hot chocolate and a pancake each in the sunshine. 

7th December. We're back after a few days away (just to give Madame a break before Christmas). We went down to Saint-Jean-de-Luz today - I'd received a letter from the Prefecture in Bordeaux (in connection with my request for French citizenship) telling me that they wanted to see me up there on 17th December - armed with more copies of paperwork that they already have in their possession. This time we need a letter from our bank in St-J-d-L that states that we have a joint bank account there - and it's active. I don't question any of this any more - I just do it. 

On the way down to the bank, we spotted a group of swimmers having a swim in the bay (above) - no wet suits either!  

It was around 17-18°, sunny with a cloudless sky so after calling in at the bank, we drove around to Socoa for lunch at Chez Pantxua.. We sat outside in the dazzling sunshine and had one of our best ever lunches there.

261. Autumn marches on.

26th November. This track by Laura Pausini was the ever-present soundtrack when I was working in Italy in the 90s:
Here's another great song from Laura with Andrea Bocelli.

The weekend rugby results were uniformly good news for the English-speaking nations - and here are the headlines as they might be reported by the English tabloids: the New Zealand tsunami made tiramisu of the Azzurri (highlights); Scotland made Argentina cry (highlights); England walloped the Wallabies (highlights); the Welsh bashed the Boks (highlights); the Irish tanked the Yanks (highlights) and, to round it off, France flopped against Fiji (highlights)..

25th November. Out on my ebike yesterday afternoon (before the rugby!) for a ride along the Adour - and I thought I'd try a ride through the Forêt de Pignada (mentioned a few days ago). I thought it would have had all the ingredients necessary for a great ride - but it didn't work out like that. Every now and again, I encountered drifts of sand across the paths and I'd come to a wobbling dead stop as the tyres cut through the sand rather than riding over it.  

22nd November. We both have ebikes and I was surprised to read that the tyres need pumping up to astonishingly high pressures. For example, mine need around 65-70psi (4.5 - 4.8 bar) and if I don't ride it for a week or two, the tyre pressures soon seem to drop off. As the nearest garage with an air line is a fair way from here, I thought it would be a good idea if we had one of these handy little Michelin air compressor gizmos (left), so I ordered one this week and it arrived yesterday. It plugs into the 12v cigarette lighter socket in the car and it works a treat.

The chart below hardly needs any words to explain it. The graph shows the exchange rate between the pound sterling and the euro - and you can tell to the minute when the news was released that the EU and the UK negotiators finally agreed the Political Declaration this morning. However, this is only Part 1 and it has yet to be approved and signed off by all 27 EU states and the UK House of Commons. The Trade talks are going to grind on for a few years. I think we'll have all lost the will to live by the time that gets signed off.

19th November. I make no apology for including the full match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin - for I doubt that we'll see a better international this year. This is a rugby match to watch again and again. Highlights below - full match here.
If you want to beat the All Blacks, take a leaf out of Ireland's book - and do likewise (easy to say!). There were many thunderous tackles, mighty collisions and much heroic defending on both sides from start to finish and Ireland didn't take a single backward step. Ireland were inspired and relentless and they took the game to New Zealand with a vengeance. I wouldn't single out one player for Man of the Match - for me, there were 15 Men of the Match - and they were all Irish.

Ireland's Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best, Cian Healy, Peter O'Mahony and Devin Toner celebrate the final whistle.

Here's a short video of Bayonne that captures much of its spirit.. Within its historic ramparts (designed by Vauban), the streets are narrow and so all building had only one place to go - up! Outside, however, it's a different story and the adjacent tree-lined boulevards boast some highly desirable houses in the Basque style, interspersed by a number of pleasant parks and gardens.
18th November. I was just closing the shutters upstairs at 8pm when I heard the sound of cranes overhead on the move again. I thought they roosted overnight? If anyone knows better, please leave a message.

We've found a new place for walking the pooch - aka tree heaven! It's the Forêt de Pignada at Anglet.. and it's full of tall maritime pines, tranquil paths ideal for those contemplative walks and - at this time of the year - precious few people!

Walking through the woods, there's only the occasional sound that penetrates from the outside world. There are multiple routes through it and the little feller is in his element! The activity shown both here and below is typical of the summer months - outside of July-September, many of these places can be enjoyed in peace:
There were two massive games of rugby of interest to me yesterday - England vs Japan at Twickenham and Ireland vs New Zealand in Dublin. While I'm primarily an England fan, Ireland has long been my second favourite as they play with an aggression, a passion and an intensity that England find hard to emulate. Sit back and enjoy these highlights from the Aviva stadium as the boys in green finally record their first and well-deserved home win against the All Blacks.

England were less impressive - however, after trailing 10-15 at half time to a sparkling Japanese XV, Eddie Jones made a few substitutions and although they ran out 35-15 winners at the end - a scoreline that flattered them in my view - I think it's fair to say that they never really subdued Japan, led by their inspirational captain Michael Leitch. Japan pose a genuine threat and they are more than capable of causing a few upsets in the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan (only 10 months away!).

A name to watch for England in the Six Nations: Joe Cokanasiga.. a massive talent at 21 years old. His stats are impressive: 1m93 tall (6'4"), 120kg (260lbs) and he's fast. Look here.

17th November. On looking out at the sky this evening, I was reminded of an unusual sight I saw about a week ago. At around 3am early one morning, I was persuaded by Nutty, our 17kg cocker spaniel, that he had to go out. Standing in the garden, I heard the now-familiar raucous screechings of cranes migrating south - and suddenly there they were revealed in the moonlight: an immense ghostly formation of cranes (grues cendrées). There must have been close to 150 of them as they passed low overhead - perhaps 300 feet up - in a single, broad, flattened vee formation. I'd always assumed that they rested up at night and waited for light before continuing. From this map, it looks as though they rest up just north east of here at the lakes at Arjuzanx.

You don't have to dig too deeply into the soul of a Frenchman to find the beating heart of a revolutionary. Today sees a nation-wide 'Manif' ('demo' in Angliche!) against the recent rise in fuel prices. Apparently it's a leaderless movement that's been put together with the help of social media and the plan is simply to disrupt traffic around the country - and the identifying mark of the protesters will be the gilet jaune (the yellow jacket that all drivers are supposed to carry).

Taking the pooch for his morning excursion this morning, I could hear the sound of sports motorbikes being revved to the limit and the screech of tyres from the direction of the town centre. On reaching Allée Paulmy (mentioned previously), the road was filled with several hundred sports motorcycles, many of whom were practising burn-outs and other 'tricks' to impress the onlookers.. There were tractors bedecked with Basque flags, cars with girls in yellow jackets hanging out of the windows pumping their fists, horns being sounded, engines being revved - in short, all the evidence you'd ever need that France is, at heart, a nation of anarchic revolutionaries.

Could this happen in Ye Olde Englande? I don't think so - even with the ongoing train crash that is Brexit, I don't see the Brits getting out on the streets in huge numbers across the country. Here's how Brexit is being reported here:

15th November. For those of you out there who aren't all "Brexit'd out" - here's the 585 page Draft Agreement that's taken so long to produce. There's a shorter 7 page summary here with the catchy title: "Outline of the Political Declaration Setting Out the Framework for the Future Relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom" - that's going to race off the shelves nearer Christmas! I admit to not having read it yet - but if this Draft Agreement passes through Parliament, then reportedly the UK is going join a customs union with the EU for an unspecified period - but one which we can only leave if both parties agree.

Another phrase that caught my eye is that the UK is now described in the Draft Agreement as an "independent coastal state". I wonder if Bill Bryson will be renaming his first book: "Notes from a Small Independent Coastal State"?

President Hollande once warned darkly that there would be 'consequences' if the UK left the EU.. in the same way that Mafia protection teams warn restaurant owners of the fire risk if they fail to pay up. The EU has carefully contrived an end game where neither of the two choices on offer to the UK are especially appetising. One is to agree to this preposterous Draft Agreement that will see the UK shunted into a siding - from where there's no release until the EU agrees - a position that will cost us somewhere in the region of £40bn to £60bn - a colossal sum sufficient to buy between 162 and 243 brand new Boeing 777-300ER airliners.

The alternative is to walk away and trade on WTO terms. However, untangling the resultant chaos with an uncooperative - oops, sorry, what am I saying! I mean our "friends and partners" in the EU could be challenging indeed!

All this to exit a political grouping of nation states that we entered into freely (following a democratic referendum) - and one that we now wish to leave (again, following a democratic referendum). 
 
11th November. Back from walking the dog alongside a surging sea and, on returning home, I was faced with a sight on the television that stuck in my craw: a group of black-clad world leaders walking in a gaggle along a Parisian boulevard towards the Arc de Triomphe. Maybe I'm out of step with popular opinion but I've long held the view that it's politicians who cause wars and the sight of their faux-sombre faces as they 'paid homage' was too much to take - especially as they saw fit to preface it with a glitzy dinner last night at the Orsay Museum. (it wouldn't do to pass up an opportunity of a free feed would it?)

One phrase that our politicians are careful to avoid using is that War is a failure of politics. The only people who should be upfront and central in remembering and honouring the dead are not those who cause wars but the military - those who have to pay the price for doing the politicians' dirty work - and the families of the bereaved. It is only they who have to confront, and pay, the true cost of war - and it's at times like these that we should pay our respects to those of the military - both dead and living - who stepped forward at times of national need to serve their country - unlike the politicians, whose instinctive reaction is to take a step to the rear. Am I alone in thinking this? If our politicians describe our fallen soldiers as our 'Glorious Dead', how should we best describe our politicians?
These images are almost unwatchable - row upon row upon row of silent witnesses, forever on parade in their serried stone ranks. Why them - why not me? If one man's death is a tragedy - what words could be used to describe all these deaths?
10th November. At around 7.20pm (UTC + 1) this evening, an asteroid the size of a house, and travelling at 4 miles per second, will whiz past Planet Earth - missing us by an estimated 237,000 miles. This appears far enough away until you think of its speed in standard astronomical units (light years) - then it sounds far more threatening as its miss distance will be less than 1½ light-seconds away - which is uncomfortably close. Gulp. Odd to think that everything we know hangs on such small margins.. You can watch it here with the Virtual Telescope Project from 7pm.

9th November. It's usually about this time of the year that we light the fire - and think about putting one of our favourite videos on. I think we could well be in for an evening at the foot of the Ngong Hills:
Health Warning: A few lines on Brexit. Juliet Samuel writes for the Daily Telegraph and she has produced a stinging (& well-deserved) one minute critique of Theresa May's shambolic handling of the negotiations. (don't forget to turn on the volume)

8th November. The questions have started - "Any idea what you'd like for Christmas..?" Truthful answer? No.. Probably the only thing I'd really like is more time between Christmasses. They seem to be coming along more frequently these days. Must be a sign of the times. Then there's the question of what can I get for Madame. I walk around town and fail to get inspired. I prefer to do my Christmas shopping in November - as it takes the desperation out of it! There's nothing worse than going out on Christmas Eve having to find something that doesn't look like the last chicken in Sainsburys!

Bayonne (& the rowing club) looks nice in the winter sun here:
7th November. On Sunday we took a drive out to the stunningly beautiful Les Aldudes valley to see the autumn colours but I think we were a couple of weeks too early. As we climbed higher and higher we started to see snow lodged in gullies high up on the hills and, far off in the distance, the top of the Pic du Midi was completely covered in snow. We finally achieved a long held ambition of mine which was to visit Urepel - a small village that I had always thought might be as far from Calais as it's possible to go and still remain in mainland France. (Just checked - it's actually Menton that's the furthest)

Urepel

We're having some work done in the kitchen by someone who comes from this valley and, speaking of restaurants in that area, he told us to try this place.. They've not heard of nouvelle cuisine here.

There's also a Logis hotel - St-Sylvestre (above) with a restaurant that's long been on my 'to do' list. (Top tip: don't forget the elasticated waist trousers..)

Here's a short video about the branding of the cattle* in Urepel and their subsequent journey back up the mountain to their summer pastures. 

* they seem completely unconcerned by the process.

3rd November. A cold start to the morning today and mist lay on the river as I drove with the dog out for a mid-morning walk through the woods. Major advantage - he didn't come back soaking wet from here! If I'd still been rowing, it would have been an uninspiring and damp start to the day in the mist.

2nd November. Here's a glimpse of the future.. think these boards fitted with hydrofoils will be all over the beaches down here next year:

1st November. Today being la fête de la Toussaint (All Saints day), it's a public holiday here in France, despite it being a secular state. Traditionally, it's the day when families return, like so many spawning salmon, to their natal village to pay homage at the graves of their loved ones - usually with a bunch of chrysanthemums*. 

Bearing in mind that in France, as in many other countries today, the descendants of those resting in peace have often moved far from their spiritual home, the days surrounding Toussaint see an exodus of elderly drivers, unaccustomed to driving long distances (especially after a good lunch!), out on the roads. For this reason, Toussaint is associated with a peak in the number of road accidents. This year, as Toussaint falls on a Thursday, many people here will be taking a day of holiday (known as a pont - or a bridge) - thus finishing up with a 4 day weekend. If I have to be out on the roads in the afternoon, I try to keep well clear of cars driven by anyone wearing a hat! Say no more!

* Chrysanthemums are traditionally associated with cemeteries in France, so it's not a good idea to offer them to your hostess when invited out.

I mentioned a day or two ago about the trees on Allées Paulmy being trussed up in anticipation of the roadworks necessary for the new Tram'bus service - well, here they are! You could be forgiven for thinking it must be a slow news day here - but as it's Toussaint, everywhere's closed and it's grey and wet.

Madame has just opened a tin of cassoulet* (below) for lunch. (It's said that sniffy Parisian chefs are fond of saying that the only kitchen implement required for 'cuisine du Sud Ouest' is a tin opener!) I spotted a half empty/half full (you choose) bottle of Saint-Pourçain lurking on the kitchen table - so there's hope!

* from here - given to us by some kind neighbours.

I stopped earlier in the year (en route to Provence) at the Aire de Port Lauragais, a service station on the A61 some 30km south east of Toulouse (it's worth making a note of this address). The service station lies at the intersection of the autoroute and the Canal du Midi - and there you'll find La Dinée situated on an island in the marina. It's one of only two privately owned restaurants to be found on the French autoroute network and if, like me, you enjoy the traditional cooking of South West France, then the menu there is the mother lode. Whatever else you do, go there hungry. The cassoulet that we're having in a few minutes comes from the Hotel du Lauragais (map here) and they also supply La Dinée. I'd recommend the La Dinée set menu for 20€70.. starting with the salade Lauragaise (smoked duck breast and duck hearts) followed by the Cassoulet Maison de Castelnaudary (Try as I might, I couldn't finish mine). A nap in the car park afterwards will seem like a very good idea. I'd be surprised if there's a better cassoulet than this anywhere. As you might expect, there's a Confrérie of the cassoulet..

Far be it from me - un Anglais! - to suggest one recipe is better than another as each town around Castelnaudary is proud of its own version of this classic dish. Here's another view on how it should be prepared.

Verdict: Marks out of 10 for the cassoulet? 37! Thick with haricot beans, Toulouse sausage, duck confit and richly flavoured with duck fat.. Just the job for a cold winter's day and excellent for keeping the draughts out.

We've just had a few heavy rain showers blow through out of the Bay of Biscay - so I'm hoping that this isn't a foretaste of how the rest of November is going to pan out.