278. April is the kindest month.*

21st April. Although this painting - Nighthawks - of Edward Hopper's dates from 1942, it appears that we were practising social distancing even then:

Nighthawks (1942)

The light in Hopper's work is always interesting - it has a 'stagey' quality..

"House by the railroad" (1925)

One of his quotes: "Maybe I am not very human - what I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a house."

By 1923, Hopper's slow climb finally produced a breakthrough. He re-encountered Josephine Nivison, an artist and former student of Robert Henri, during a summer painting trip in Gloucester, Massachusetts. They were opposites: she was short, open, gregarious, sociable, and liberal, while he was tall, secretive, shy, quiet, introspective, and conservative. They married a year later. She said of him, "Sometimes talking to Eddie is just like dropping a stone in a well, except that it doesn't thump when it hits bottom." I'm not sure he would have thanked her for that.

18th April. A curious event - the Alarde de Fontarrabie - takes place on 8th September each year just over the border at Fontarrabie and it commemorates the lifting of the French siege of the town in 1638. We've still to make the visit!  

The people express their delight in some strange, not to say bizarre, ways to our eyes.. see what you think - it starts below at 0:40.. (I shouldn't pass judgement - we have Morris Dancers!)
Here's how they celebrate it in nearby Irun - advance it to 2:15... and 9:45.. and finally 55:20 for firing several volleys from their guns..

"Tally Ho"

I've been following the progress of Leo Goolden, a young Brit boat builder on YouTube as he rescues "Tally Ho" (right), a classic (1910) wooden gaff cutter yacht (he paid $1 for it), and slowly brings it back to life in a painstaking restoration in the US. 

Leo's a gifted craftsman with a work ethic to match and he accepts no compromise with his from-the-keel-up restoration. There seems to be nothing that defeats him or that he can't manage. I've been watching this series for well over a couple of years and I find it fascinating and enthralling in equal measure. 

Each of his videos is generally about 15-20 minutes long and and if you just watch one episode each day, you'll soon catch up. He's based at Sequim, Washington State and there's a link to his first YouTube video in the left hand column here under the heading "Useful Links" - the link is called "Rebuilding Tally Ho". I think you'll find it addictive. Don't be tempted to skip ahead!

14th April. Sir Stirling Moss passed away on 12th April at the grand old age of 90.

Moss at the Karussell,
Nurburgring

It was often said of Stirling Moss that he was the greatest racing driver never to have won the Formula One World Championship. I once bumped into him in the paddock at Oulton Park and he graciously signed his autograph on the only piece of writing material I had on me - a Swan Vestas match box. For me and I suspect for many others, he would be squeezed into second place in the pantheon of all-time great racing drivers behind the legendary Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio - but only by the smallest of margins. They both had that matchless ability to drive a car to its absolute limits while at the same time treating their fellow competitors with courtesy and respect. Driving others off the track, ramming them or carrying out other underhand tactics didn't feature in their driving styles. (No need to name names - we all know who we're talking about)

Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson en route to winning the 1955 Mille Miglia 

Moss and Jenkinson set the all-time record for the Mille Miglia (yes, 1000 miles!) by winning it at an average speed of 99mph. It must be borne in mind that the event was staged on public roads that weren't closed. Moss said later that they were hitting speeds of 170-180mph (275-290km/h) in places. They finished 32 minutes ahead of a highly creditable performance by Fangio in second place, who drove unaccompanied.

Here's a wonderfully atmospheric Shell documentary film of the 1955 Belgian Grand Prix at the magnificent Spa Francorchamps circuit. It was from an age when public roads were often converted into temporary circuits with the addition of a few straw bales. The film covers the relaxed Saturday practice and then the Grand Prix itself (all 324 miles of it) on the Sunday in which Fangio, Moss and Kling were to drive the superlative Mercedes Benz W196 with its fuel-injected straight eight engine.
There's a refreshing absence of the commercialisation, marketing and media hype that regrettably infests the sport today. Spectators spectated - they didn't attire themselves in clone outfits from their preferred team. The drivers didn't sit in their cars in the pits during practice watching computer diagnostics or live TV coverage and there were no leggy umbrella girls on the grid. No team radios or telemetry from the cars to the pit wall either. The only driver aids back then were the steering wheel and the accelerator, clutch and brake pedals. No DRS or unnecessarily complex hybrid-engined cars..

Moss winning in characteristic style at Monaco in 1961 

Races were won and lost where they should be - out on the track - not in the pit lane - unlike today where pit crews can routinely change all four tyres in less than 3 seconds - a laudable achievement - but is it racing? The teams didn't have ultra-lavish motor homes provided by sponsors - instead they were lodged in local garages - with the locals being treated to the sight and sound of thoroughbred racing cars being driven on public roads to and from the circuit. Drivers raced wearing polo shirts or, in Fangio's case - a T-shirt. And not one baseball cap to be seen! No carbon fibre wings to be broken in the rough and tumble of the first corner.. just aluminium bodywork that responded to the mechanic's hammer. Today's racing is faster - that's for sure - but is it any better?

Some time after Moss's career ending accident at Goodwood in 1962, he was asked what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He said, "I have no qualifications to do anything. As a teenager, before I started racing seriously, I’d done a couple of things in the hotel trade – night porter, working in the kitchens – but if you know nothing about anything, there are only two jobs available to you: estate agent or Member of Parliament."

Rather than read my inadequate efforts to describe his life and his exploits, what could be better than to listen to the great man himself - here's Stirling Moss talking about two of the greatest races he took part in - the 1955 Mille Miglia and the 1961 Monaco GP: Podcast 1 & Podcast 2. More tributes from the world of racing here and here..

Stirling Moss 1929 - 2020

Stirling - thank you for the way you always conducted yourself - with such inimitable style, grace and courage. RIP Stirling.

Now that the 100% electric Tram'bus is in service on the Côte Basque, it's time to have a look back at the earliest tramways that connected Bayonne with Biarritz. The first steam trams looked like they'd been assembled by someone in the dark - without the benefit of the instructions.. but, despite that - or perhaps because of it - they have an enormous charm all of their own.

(Thanks to Guy Lalanne, president of the Jakintza association, for this video)
13th April. Last night we watched Andrea Bocelli's solo performance from the Duomo, Milan, representing a message of love, healing and hope to Italy and the world via live coverage courtesy of YouTube. He sang Panis Angelicus (from “Messe Solennelle” Op. 12, FWV 61) César Franck; Ave Maria, CG 89a (arr. from Johann Sebastian Bach, “Prelude” no. 1, BWV 846) Charles-François Gounod; Sancta Maria (arr. from “Cavalleria Rusticana”, Intermezzo) Pietro Mascagni; Domine Deus (from “Petite Messe Solennelle”) Gioachino Antonio Rossini befoe finishing with Amazing Grace (John Newton). Programme here:

11th April. I took a couple of photos this morning during my hour-long walk with the pooch around Bayonne - looking south across the Adour to its confluence with the Nive.

The confluence of the Adour and the Nive at Bayonne

Once back home, I stitched the two photos together to form the composite image (above) with the help of a little-known Microsoft program - Image Composite Editor - which was simplicity itself to use. It's available in 32 or 64 bit versions - and did I mention it was free? Try it!

By the way, the old barge in the photo above is the Djébelle (right).. and it offers unique chambre d'hôte accommodation with, as they say, a view to die for.

Day 26 - the Lock-Down continues..

Here's a charming video of an off-season visit to Biarritz..

10th April. The Coronavirus pandemic is shaking our global society to its roots with untold thousands having been infected by the virus and thousands of those dying from it. This unseen killer affects so many human activities that we, up until now, have taken for granted - for example, we need to think hard about going outside into social situations that, prior to the outbreak, we wouldn't have thought twice about. I've been reading accounts of those unfortunates who have found themselves "intubated"* in Intensive Care Units where a simple involuntary action such as a cough can inhibit the fundamental ability to breathe - and that alone is enough to induce immediate panic in the patient..

* is there an uglier word in the English language than this? 

Who would have thought just a few short months ago that the world as we know it was about to be stood on its head? The number of deaths in the World Trade Centre tragedy was appalling - but now each evening, we're being told the latest death toll - the cumulative figures are truly frightening.

There is some truth in this quote: "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic." (attributed to Josef Stalin) but, make no mistake, every death from Coronavirus is mourned by family, relatives and friends and the situation for them is made worse by the fact that the patients can't be visited either before and after death. To make matters worse, the funerals are dealt with expeditiously and without ceremony.

One of the lessons that may be learned after the pandemic is over is that we can no longer treat the world as a global village. The availability of mass air travel is certainly a key factor in facilitating the spread of infectious diseases, often resulting from insanitary food practices. I hesitate to point a finger at China - but until the pandemic, I had no idea what a "wet market" was. If you wish to find out more, take a look at YouTube if you must. Be warned - I'll say no more. 

This next piece is from Melanie Phillips and it addresses the uncomfortable truths about the West's relationship with China:

The coronavirus pandemic is the direct outcome of appalling behaviour by the Chinese communist regime. Yesterday, the Commons foreign affairs committee reported that the fight against the virus has been hampered by China’s lies. The committee’s chairman, Tom Tugendhat, said China had “manipulated vital information about the virus in order to protect the regime’s image”.
Despite all this, it has been posing as a humanitarian superpower by sending medical supplies to desperate countries. Britain is accordingly importing from China ventilators and virus test kits. But will they work? Numerous countries have complained that the Chinese equipment is defective.
Before this crisis the government subscribed to the view that any threat China posed to the West was containable. Through doing business with it, the West might turn it into a regular player on the international stage.
If that was ever true, it certainly stopped after the accession of Xi Jinping as general secretary of the Chinese communist party and the country’s president.
For Xi’s aim is to make China the leading power in the world, and all its dealings are merely a means to that end. As Tugendhat says: “China is determined to create a new world order with itself at the top.”
So why has the West turned a blind eye to all this? According to Tugendhat, British and western attention was elsewhere: with the EU, or fighting Islamists in Afghanistan. Its eyes were off that particular ball.
And so it allowed its economies to become dependent on China.
Will the government emerge from this crisis determined that Britain should regain self-sufficiency and end its dependency on China? Or will it, deeming the scale of the challenge too enormous, take the lethal path of least resistance and short-term benefits just as before?
No one can yet say how this crisis will change Britain. But towards China, any pretence is now over.

Throughout all of this, it must always be borne in mind that while Western politics operate in multiples of 5 years (the length of most democratically-elected governments), the Chinese take a longer view - decades and multiples thereof.

Our thoughts go out to those who have lost a loved one due to this pandemic.

7th April. Are there any more worrying words to a wife than her husband wandering into the garden saying "I think I might do a bit of strimming.."?

5th April. Here's the Coleman Hawkins Quintet (with Oscar Peterson on piano) - for when the fire's burning low:

3rd April. One positive to emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic is that bull fights must surely be cancelled in Spain (and here in SW and S of France). Viva los toros!

Sad to hear of Bill Withers passing today. He left some great songs behind to remember him by, including, among others, this one (featured before here) and this. RIP Bill..

1st April. A Basque friend has often mentioned the "abandoned village" of Aritzakun, here between  Bidarray (Pays Basque) and Elizondo (Navarre) in the beautiful Baztan valley and I've always been curious about it. Looking at the map, it's just 1½ km due south of the Col des Veaux, one of the places where escaping Allied airmen used to cross into Francoist Spain in WWII, led by their Basque guides (Comet Line). I really must go up there once this confinement has been lifted. Meanwhile, here's a video that shows how once a year, those born in the now-deserted village return to celebrate their roots - very important here. It was abandoned in the 1980s..

* April gets you out of your head and out working in the garden.

Marty Rubin

277. The first green shoots of Spring

31st March. Finally, some good news.. On 24th March, the UK government announced it would turn the ExCeL Centre in London's Docklands area into a temporary hospital to cope with patients affected by Covid-19 and work began almost immediately.

Due to open this week, NHS Nightingale Hospital London will have between 4,000 and 5,000 beds. Congratulations to all concerned.. This project reminded me of the miracles that were achieved in WWII by people working for a common cause. It's sad that an emergency such as Coronavirus was required to bring us together. Of course, there will be no shortage of critics who will perform all manner of mental contortions to avoid praising any of this government's actions.   

Story and pictures here and here.

30th March. Musicians from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in isolation at their homes play Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ - coordinated by Skype: 

   

With so much bad news circulating, I thought I'd change the mood and show you a playlist of several short 30 second videos of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. This charming seaside resort and working fishing port was where we started looking for a property following our move to the Pays Basque in 2007. We'd first visited the resort in 1991 and we were smitten instantly (and we still are).

However, given the nature and layout of the town, it quickly became apparent that there was little hope that we'd be able to find what we were looking for in the town centre - and even if we had have done, it would have been outside our budget. Nevertheless, Saint-Jean-de-Luz remains a firm favourite with us and even now we count ourselves fortunate to be able to access it just a few minutes from home. These clips were filmed in April 2019.

29th March. There are so many funnies circulating now about Coronavirus (due to people having a lot of time on their hands). This is one that I particularly liked:

28th March. Stéphane Sénéchal, a professional opera singer, has been providing a free concert to his neighbours since Tuesday from the window of his apartment in Paris's 9th arrondissement. A gesture of comfort in this difficult period, especially for the elderly.

27th March. One very welcome side effect of the Coronavirus global pandemic is that drug addicts and users will have extreme difficulties in sourcing their supplies, given that many communities have been placed in lock down. Oh dear. How sad.

Back from an early morning shop at Grand Frais, Biarritz - whoever thought of the concept deserves a medal.. Much thought has clearly gone into the presentation of the produce - the shop is lit like a film set. I noticed this morning that, in addition to the spotlit displays, discreet clouds of water vapour were drifting over selected gleaming fruit and vegetables. This is nothing more than Food Porn! Everything is presented to maximum advantage and as I've said before, it really does make shopping pleasureable. The effect is more than skin deep though.. I watched the replenishment of the displays and it's clear that the produce is as fresh as can be. It all looks as though it was picked first thing this morning (although it might have been as long ago as yesterday afternoon!)

The shop opened at 9am (later than usual) and so we had to queue (yes, in France!☺) with a couple of metres spacing. Of course, that wasn't good enough for some shoppers with the queue-jumping gene who, ignoring the big queue for the main shop, joined a separate shorter queue for the shop's bakery and when the shutters were raised they somehow found themselves - by chance! - in the entrance to the main shop. There are always those who seek to gain advantage.. it's a trait of human nature that's to be found in every country - but here some have turned it into an art form. There was a time when behaviour like that would have had me mentally reaching for a baseball bat or a pump action shotgun (yes!) - but I've become more philosophical these days (I just give my knuckles a good clenching instead!). 

26th March. I was woken early this morning by a couple of paws on the bed and some heavy breathing.. I can take a hint.. I let Nutty out in the garden and true to form, he scurried around to check on his lizards.. After he'd had his first hunt of the day for them - with him all a-quiver - we went back to bed. With the present restrictions in place, there's practically zero traffic using the avenue and so I thought I'd open the bedroom windows to let some fresh air in.

Two minutes later, just as I was heading for oblivion, it sounded as though the Bayonne & District Chapter of the Vespa & Lambretta Club (right) was holding an Open Day outside.. so out of bed again to close the windows. Back to bed.. Two minutes later, it felt like a sack of potatoes had landed on my feet - and wasn't going to move. (guess who?!) After that, sleep was impossible.

My mind started wandering and I recalled a Parisian friend we had here some 10 years ago - a good friend and yet someone with the unintentional (I hope) arrogance of one who lives in a nation's capital. I was watching him tapping away at his Blackberry (left) and so I asked him what he used it for. He replied that it was useful for noting the dates and times of expositions in Paris.. but (and this is where his bluntness took me by surprise) he said that one wouldn't be much use to me as there were no exhibitions here.

He came out with another zinger during that same visit. He regarded himself as an "intellectual" (a compliment in France) and one day he was searching for a word to complete a comment he wanted to make on a cultural subject - and I supplied the right answer. His reply? "Yes, but that's outside your sphere isn't it..". I've always been too polite to make, or reply to, comments like these.

I could have said that going to exhibitions is a passive activity and that I prefer doing things - rather than simply looking - but I didn't.

So, in reply to your unasked question, this is what kept me awake this morning! Strange, the things we remember.           

25th March. As the weather warms up here and the lizards in the garden ease out of their hibernation, it's not gone unnoticed by Nutty, our cocker spaniel. He's on permanent lookout duty by the kitchen door with his view of the lizard border. He's become totally obsessed by them and as soon as I let him out, he darts straight there to stare intently at the tangled roots where they hide. They're quite safe though - their reactions are sharper than his.  

Here's a video about the coastal towns here - to watch in full screen.. The Bayonne segment starts at 0:50..
We have 5 more weeks of confinement to look forward to here - and so I've been tackling jobs I've been putting off for a lo-o-o-ng time. I've been meaning to do some much-needed blog maintenance - repairing broken links, replacing videos that no longer play and replacing photos that no longer display. I started this mammoth task a few months ago and I'd been making slow progress as it seemed never-ending. However, this confinement triggered a fresh burst of energy and I finished restoring all 277 posts just a few minutes ago. May I make a plea - if you find a video that doesn't work, or a broken link or a missing image - I'd be grateful if you could draw my attention to it. Many thanks! 

23rd March. The YouTube issue appears to have been resolved.

19th March. The conditions were just right on 15th February for the offshore reef between Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye to produce the celebrated "Belharra" wave. See what you think:

18th March. Come on, snap out of it! Being "confined to barracks" gives you the chance to watch escapist fantasies like this next video. For those with long memories, yes, it's a re-post from 7 years ago - but it's well worth it don't you think? If this doesn't ring your bell, float your boat or jangle your bangles, there's no hope for you! Best in full screen..

16th March. Some interesting statistics emerged from yesterday's vote in the local elections. Firstly, out of 32,138 registered voters (of which I was one), there were some 19,672 abstentions. I would imagine that the majority of those who stayed away did so due to fears about the Coronavirus. Secondly, when we arrived in Bayonne in 2007, its population was 44,498. In 2017, the population had risen by almost 20% to 51,228. 

The World Health Organisation has published a great deal of useful information regarding Coronavirus (COVID19). It's available in the following languages:  العربية, 中文, English, Français, Русский and Español.

15th March. We went for a walk this morning at the quaintly-named Milady beach at Ilbarritz, just to the south of Biarritz. We sat on a couple of rocks and watched the rise and fall of the ever-changing sea.. something we never tire of:

The answer to the world's insatiable appetite for energy lies there if only we knew how to exploit it. Looking at the turquoise green sea with its dazzlingly white breakers under a cloudless blue sky, it was hard to believe that all was not well with the world (that's Spain in the distance by the way).

There are a few short (about a minute each) videos here that show the coast at Biarritz. Well worth a look:

14th March. Earlier this evening, Edouard Philippe, the French Prime Minister, announced a package of measures designed to slow down the proliferation of the Coronavirus in France with the closure of restaurants, cafes, cinemas and nightclubs as well as other businesses deemed to be non-essential. It would not, Mr Philippe said, affect essential businesses such as food shops, chemists, banks, newsagents and petrol stations. Mr Philippe also asked people to reduce their travel, especially between towns.

"The best way to slow down the epidemic", he said, "is social distancing. I say this gravely - we must all together show greater discipline in the application of these measures."

However local elections due on Sunday would also still go ahead. he said. Religious buildings would remain open but gatherings and ceremonies should be postponed. France reported a sharp rise in cases on Saturday, from 3,661 to 4,499. It recorded 12 more deaths, bringing the toll to 79.

Elsewhere, I came across this chilling and horrifying assessment of the Coronavirus pandemic and a prediction of potential outcomes. I'm convinced that what we've seen so far is but the tip of the iceberg. Infection rates will increase exponentially from now on. There appears to be no solution to this pandemic other than a vaccine - and that has yet to be developed.

12th March. We're getting ready to batten down the hatches here - I think we've seen just the leading edge of the global Coronavirus pandemic - and who knows what the future will bring. Remember - get into the habit of washing your hands frequently while singing the anthem of your choice.☺ This is one I discovered by chance a few weeks ago. Here are a few more to choose from: here, here, here and here.

9th March. Just when you thought you could - maybe - predict the outcome of a match, the Guinness 6 Nations came up with a thriller from Murrayfield (Scotland's home) that is likely to change the outcome of this year's tournament.

First up though, Saturday saw Wales visiting Twickenham to play England in a match that I thought would be close - and my money was on Wales to snatch the win by <5 points. However, while it was close at the end of the 80 minutes, it finished with a narrow 33-30 win for England. Close but no cigar for the Welsh boys. Match report here.

Tuilagi was red-carded towards the end of the match for a 'no arms' tackle on George North - and Alun Wyn Jones' tackle was gripped by Joe Marler in an attempt - unseen by the ref - to provoke a retaliation from the Welsh captain that probably would have resulted in a red card for him (AWJ). Joe Marler is a somewhat bizarre individual but using whatever lies between his ears is not his strong point. The game does not need this.

The real story of the weekend came from north of the border at Murrayfield. A young French team had been writing its own headlines from the start of this year's tournament but I think that they travelled to Scotland with the mindset that they were in for a routine win. However, other teams (notably England) with the same mindset have gone to Murrayfield and found it to be the rock upon which their dreams foundered. Scotland were all over France yesterday like (as they say) "a cheap suit".. and France only managed to play their game in brief sequences. 

Exhibit A

France proved the truth of the saying that "no plan survives first contact with the enemy". They were unfortunate to lose their hooker Camille Chat in the warm-up, to be followed shortly after by their lively fly half Romain Ntamack, who left the field following a knock to the head. They were also deprived of Cros for 10 minutes for a dangerous tackle on Grant Gilchrist – although Paul Willemse seemed to be the real culprit – then worse followed for them close to half-time, when Haouas was sent off for punching Man of the Match Jamie Ritchie in his face. Provocation or not, there can be no argument against his red card. Scotland went on to win 27-17 - a result that was thoroughly deserved! Stuart 'Ogg (as he's called on French TV) had his usual influential match and flanker Hamish Watson seemed to be ever-present in both attack and defence - he has a low centre of gravity and is difficult to knock off the ball - a real warrior!  Match report here.

The upshot is that England has moved to top the table on 13 pts - with a slightly better points difference to France. What happens next is in the lap of the Gods.     

6th March. I came across this next clip by accident - I don't know about you but I feel sick just watching it. It's over in Vancouver Island. See what you think:

Look at his earlier videos for more scary stuff! 200 feet up in an aeroplane is a much less scarier proposition than 200 feet up a tree - especially with a chain saw dangling off your wrist! Wild horses etc.

I was reminded of a trip I made years ago to Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island's west coast.

Here's Tofino:

.. and Ucluelet:

I'd be sorely tempted to move there if it wasn't for a few insoluble practicalities - plus the fact I'm firmly rooted here! 

Much rumbling of thunder during the night accompanied by the sounds of rainwater running in the gutters. As we're only about 3-4km from the sea, the westerly gales of the last few days have also meant that the sound of crashing surf has been clearly audible here. I took the dog down to the coast a couple of times at the height of the gales and I don't want to imagine what life must have been like for anyone out at sea in the Bay of Biscay. The sea that I could see was seething - waves were breaking further out than usual - and the surface was a mass of whiteness with large banks of quivering wind-driven foam 2-3 feet high that had been blown high up onto the beach. There's no mistaking the sea here for the Mediterranean!      

5th March. One of the 'benefits' of my having taken French citizenship is that I am now eligible to vote in the municipal elections which will take place here on 15th and 22nd March.

Another step forward: this morning I received my Carte Electorale which, together with my Carte Identité, is needed to vote here.

Meanwhile, President Macron has issued a reassuring statement regarding the status of British expats here in France. He said, "Dear British friends, you are leaving the EU but you are not leaving Europe. Nor are you becoming detached from France, nor the friendship of its people. The Channel has never managed to separate our destinies; Brexit will not do so, either."

Personally, I've yet to experience anything but a warm welcome from people here. I think the UK media must shoulder some of the blame for stirring up tensions where, in reality, none exist. 

4th March. Some moody shots of Biarritz for you here filmed just before l'heure bleue (blue hour) or, as I'd call it, the "cocktail hour":

..speaking of which - I'm off to see a man about a dog.

3rd March. Coronavirus in France - info.

Looking for property in France with listings in English? See here and here. For listings in English in Pyrénées-Atlantiques - look here.

I heard on the news this morning that, prior to 2007, no high speed rail network existed anywhere in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and yet today - it has more high speed track than all of the other countries in the world - combined. Astonishing. And how many of their cities have you heard of?

It could be argued that the Chinese model of communism and capitalism is working better than Western capitalism. Unfortunately, the two party system prevalent in many western democracies is incapable of sustaining coherent long term strategies for the benefit of their peoples. It could only have been a Western politician who once said that "a week is a long time in politics". Yes - perhaps that statement is probably true for most everywhere - except for China, where they have traditionally taken the long view of events. There are many downsides to Chinese politics that would be unacceptable in the West - but there's no denying the remarkable results the PRC has produced.   

Then there was the offer by the CRCC to build the proposed UK High Speed 2 (HS2) in only five years for less money and at faster speeds (260mph). As kids say today: "What's not to like?". What an embarrassment..

The internet revolutionised society with the number of social networks that proliferated in recent years. Political debate (discours in French) has fragmented in conjunction with the rise of special interest groups enabled by the internet. During the last 3½ years of UK politics (post-referendum and pre-Boris Johnson government), we saw how dissent within both main parties threatened to overturn the status quo and destroy party discipline. I'm not sure that Jack can ever be put back in his box. Future election success will go to the political party that dominates social media. It's worth noting that few of your correspondent's generation are active in this sphere and once we're gone, debate will be a thing of the past. The short tweet is the way ahead for the upcoming generations (whether we like it or not). President Trump was the first to learn this lesson.     

I had to laugh yesterday morning listening to BBC Radio 4 - a report on the measures necessary to curb the spread of Coronavirus said that people should wash their hands thoroughly - but for how long? The UK's Health Secretary said members of the public should sing "God Save The Queen" as they wash their hands to try and combat Coronavirus. Normally, at times of national emergencies,  civil servants isually add on the caveat that the public should be vigilant.. but against an invisible threat such as Coronavirus they clearly decided it was unnecessary. Still, the image of millions of Brits standing at their kitchen sinks warbling the national anthem while they wash their hands will take a long time to fade.

Those familiar with British politics will recognise straight off the bat that this suggestion went down like a lead balloon with Scots of a nationalist persuasion! According to this report, GSTQ is the English national anthem.. and so it goes.

Off to wash my hands with a song in my heart!

2nd March. A real blowy and blustery day today.. I might just take another trip to the coast to see what the sea is up to.

We were out in the car yesterday and noticed the first greening in the trees - Spring is on the way. Our garden is cranking itself up for another year of growth - aided and abetted by spring rains and warm weather. We saw 20°C yesterday. 

I was down at the beach yesterday with Nutty, our cocker spaniel, and it was such a great day - a roaring sea with crashing Atlantic waves driven by a blustery wind from the west - and so I decided to walk along the coastal pathway (left) to "Le Rayon Vert" - a bar/restaurant (Edited to add in 2023: now closed) on the beach just outside Biarritz. If you click on the photo (right), a small yellow cross marks the northerly and southerly ends of the walk.  

On arriving there, Le Rayon Vert was still closed for the winter so we turned around and set off back to the car to try and break one hour for the out-and-back walk. Tick VG!

This walk didn't seem to have made any kind of adverse impression on the dog at all! Once we got home, he started darting around the house with his bone. Me? Er yes.. different story.. I don't mind admitting that I was glad of a sit-down! ☺

276. The dawn of a new era

29th February. Apologies for my absence of late because as some of you will be aware, we've been dealing with some health issues here.

I think we've just seen the future of food shopping - we visited Grand Frais at Biarritz this morning.. It's housed in a former Renault dealership - and whoever is behind it has captured the essence of old traditional food markets - and brought it bang up to date. The groaning self-service displays are lit by warm spotlights (shades of Hollywood) and everything looks so appealing (don't worry - I know when I'm being seduced!).

I've never seen such a range, variety and quality of food (freshest of fruit and vegetables - plus meat, fish and dairy products) as here. The word cornucopia sprung to my mind as we walked around - such an abundance of the finest quality products - and at competitive prices. It made shopping a genuine pleasure - and how often do you find yourself saying that? I can see that we'll be regulars here. A similar shop - Coeur de Frais - opened up at Bayonne a while ago (only visited it for the first time the other week) - it's the same concept - the freshest of fresh produce - but again, served in a self service environment.

We've also just heard that Philippe Lopez and Sylvie Lacroix have moved from one of our favourite restaurants - the Café du Musée at Bayonne to Urt, where they've taken over La Galupe, a renowned local restaurant on the banks of the Adour. Philippe has always been an inventive chef and his menus reflected what was in season at that moment. A visit to La Galupe must surely follow as night follows day! (Edited in 2023 to add: I believe Philippe and Sylvie have since departed - maybe their business model didn't survive Covid)

26th February. This haunting piano piece by Rachmaninoff - his Prelude in C Sharp Minor - was written when he was only 19..

Is it me or is not this piece more stirring when played on the organ? Here it is played by Loreto Aramendi, the main organist at Santa Maria del Coro, San Sebastian, Spain. Played like this it uses all the power of the pipe organ.

(Listening to the piano version, I suddenly realised this played an important part in that childhood favourite of millions of kids - myself included - in the 1950s - "Sparky's Magic Piano".. 

19th February. I stumbled upon some early Dylan songs on YouTube earlier - and this album contains many of them.    

15th February. I see that the UK is reportedly in talks with the Chinese over giving Beijing's state-owned railway builder a role in constructing the HS2 high-speed rail line.

While this would probably represent the most cost-effective solution, it's a shameful indictment of just how much of the UK's ability to manage and deliver large infrastructure projects has withered away. Once upon a time, the UK introduced railways to a waiting world - and now, after decades of neglect, managerial incompetence, adversarial industrial relations, under-investment, years of muddled strategic thinking and the inability of UK politicians of all persuasions to think beyond the here and now - we've arrived at the end game. Chickens have come home to roost. Sadly, and tragically for the UK, it appears that we no longer have the ability to build a high speed rail network. Note, we're not talking about manned space flight here - but merely trains that can run at high speed - safely - on purpose built track. It's yet another worrying straw in the wind - similar to the RMS Queen Mary 2 being built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire and the more recent disquiet over Huawei's potential involvement with 5G networks in the UK. 

14th February. I heard a story on the radio earlier today that reminded me of something that happened to me fairly recently. 

I was riding on a train in the Paris Metro (one of those ultra-quiet ones with the rubber tyres) and I was standing by one of the doors swaying with the motion when I felt someone's eyes on me.

I looked up and an elegant Parisienne (somewhere in her forties) sitting a few seats away from me was giving me one of 'those' looks with a single raised quizzical eyebrow. (gulp!)

Being a Brit, I turned away (as you do!) to look out of the window - but a few moments later I turned back to look at her and her smokey eyes were still fixed on me.

At moments like this, it's inevitable that all kinds of scenarios flash through your (OK, my!) head.. but then she stood up and walked over to me and asked, "Would you like my seat?"

Why? What else did you think she was going to say?

12th February. Just back from a quick trip to the Spanish supermarkets here and my world toppled when noticed that Glenmorangie 10 year old (aka my favourite dram that I've been drinking for 45+ years) (I know - I'm a slow drinker!) has rocketed up in price - it's now 42€/litre.. I was at a friend's the other night and he offered me a glass of Speyburn 10 year old Single Malt. I normally add a splash of water to lengthen the taste but I didn't.. Even so, it struck me as an interesting dram and I resolved to see if I could find it in Spain.

Wow - and there it was - and at 23.99€/litre (£20.14 at today's rate - shorely shome mishtake!), it's just over half the price of Glenmorangie. I'll be interviewing the bottle shortly.. It gets quite a good review here. 

Well, I added some water to it - and it's clearly a Single Malt - but I'd have to say that it has fewer of those honeyed heathery notes of the sublime Glenmorangie - but then, it's not far off half the price. At £20 / litre I think it's excellent value for money. Madame is not so sure - but my question is how many drinkable Speyside Single Malts do you know at this price? Here's one I wouldn't thank you for - I'd say Speyburn is at least a step or two up from it. Judging by this review, the jury's still out on Speyburn. I'll have another go at it later in the week.

9th February. Here's a little treat for you - the 1964 Newport Folk Festival when Pete Seeger introduced a 23 year old Bob Dylan with his tour de force song "Hey Mr Tambourine Man" to a spellbound audience - a complex song that defies categorisation with its staggeringly rich imagery (starts at 1:14):

Here's Bob with the song from his "Bringing it all back home" album (1965). 

8th February. Post-match addendum: Well, I'm happy to admit that I got the outcome of the Ireland v Wales match wrong. In the end, Ireland ran out convincing 24-14 winners (video highlights here). I'm happy with that because I freely admit to not being a fan of Welsh rugby and all the baggage that comes with it.

Calcutta Cup

In a windswept and rain-swept Murrayfield, England emerged victorious from a hard-fought 13-6 win against a well-motivated Scotland side in horrible conditions (video highlights here). It wasn't a match for the purists though but I suppose with a greasy ball and a swirling wind we were never going to see a festival of running rugby. I recorded the match but I can't imagine any circumstances that could possibly tempt me to watch it again - but well done England for a gritty performance - they were worthy winners of the Calcutta Cup played in appropriately monsoon-like conditions.

7th February. The Guinness 6 Nations Rugby Tournament kicks off again tomorrow with all four Home nations in action. Ireland welcome Wales to Dublin at 1415 GMT - my money's on Wales to win - after which at 1645 GMT Scotland will fancy their chances against an England XV that was strangely out of sorts against France last week. I think this will be a very close match and the Murrayfield effect is not to be under-estimated. Eddie Jones will have done very well if he comes away with the points.   

I hope we're all allowed to be a little sentimental from time to time. Just as well - because I had Radio Nostalgie Best of 60s playing in the background this morning and Richard Anthony's version of "500 Miles" came on. I was once out in the American Mid-West when I heard the distant wail of a train whistle at night across the lonely prairie.. and it seemed like the most evocative sound I'd ever heard. (More here).

I remember Madame telling me years ago that this great song had been one of her favourites - so here it is:

Here's an earlier version of Hedy West's song by The Journeymen in 1961.. 

4th February. This song of Bill Withers reaches out to me at the moment.

3rd February. The rugby world was stood on its head yesterday when England (2nd in the recent Rugby World Cup) was taken to the cleaners in Paris in just about every department by a young but very capable French XV coached by Fabien Galthié, Raphaël Ibañez and Shaun Edwards. The match finished 24-17.

England coach Eddie Jones made a rod for his own back by announcing prior to the game that England was going to visit "severe brutality" on the French - an ill-advised statement that to this armchair coach at least would serve only to inspire les Bleus. England were minus the Vunipola Bros and they also lost Manu Tuilagi after 15 minutes. It has to be said that England were woeful while France played a fluent aggressive match with creativity, quick line speed and safe handling. After the initial French onslaught, England looked shocked, clueless and a leaderless rabble - and it was only thanks to some individual brilliance by Jonny May that they were able to register some points - points that, in my opinion, flattered them. The normally reliable Owen Farrell had a rare off-day - perhaps as a result of a big 'hit' earlier that seemed to distract him.

Two French players stood out (but there were more) - Charles Ollivon, a powerful 1m99 (6ft6") flanker from nearby Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle who scored two tries and Antoine Dupont, who sparkled at No 9. I think the Wales v France match on 22nd February will play a major part in deciding where the title finishes up.

1st February. Yes, while I might be many miles away from England down here in the Pays Basque, even from this distance I can sense there's been a tangible lifting of the mood among the majority of the population of the UK. Of course, there are those who continue to re-visit old battlegrounds with their tired old arguments that we've had to endure during the last 3½ years but soon even they will come to recognise that the banging sound they can hear is coming from the stable door after the Brexit horse has bolted for good from the EU stable.