283. September morn..

26th September. If you feel like dipping a toe gingerly into the music of the 1970s, try Nostalgie Best of 70s. 

The new memorial up in the mountains to those of the WWII Comet Line is now complete - however, its official inauguration will take place at a future date to be specified - September 2021 would be the preferred option - but it all depends on COVID. Here it is with the descriptive plaque (in four languages: French, English, Spanish & Basque) fixed firmly in place:

If you're wondering why we chose a stone memorial in this format - it's because there are several wild cattle and horses (pottoks) loose up there in the hills and there's a shortage of trees and other suitable scratching posts.. This memorial should be safe from most of their depredations and also from those of today's souvenir hunters. (New for us: we put a QR code on the panel to link straight to our blog for more info) 

25th September. Answers to questions that haven't been asked: What does "furlough" mean? Up until very recently, it was a word that wasn't in common usage in the UK. See here.  

I came across this panorama of the Pyrenees in the vicinity of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry.. It gives a superb feel for the high country to be found only 45 minutes inland from the coast here - you should be able to zoom into the image. More panoramas from elsewhere in France here.

24th September. I think there must be a mouse in the house. The deliciously moist fruit and nut cake that arrived from the Gers a couple of days ago is steadily reducing in size by the hour. Despite me being careful to maintain the wrapping in its original state, Madame seems to know (as if by magic) exactly how much cake is left and what its current rate of consumption is.. She's working on the "and who by"..    

22nd September. One of the great guitar solos in pop music came up on the radio earlier - remember this? (fast forward to 1:30 and 2:54 to enjoy the late Tony Peluso's virtuosity). 

We had a very pleasant surprise this morning - the postman arrived with an unexpected parcel for us - a large tupperware container holding a well-wrapped fruit & nut cake made by J (our friend from the Gers).. I'll be interviewing it with a coffee later on this morning once I've found my elasticated waist pants. I don't know what I've done to deserve this, but as soon as I find out, I'll do more of it! It's really very kind of her - and it's greatly appreciated - especially so when its arrival was unexpected. Looking forward to mid-morning! 😋

20th September. Stepping outside this morning around 6am, for the first time I caught the first whiff of something that smelt of autumn.. a hint of decaying vegetation, leaves and wet grass.  

18th September. C and J, our friends from the Gers, came over for a night stop at St-J-de-L on Wednesday evening. Yesterday, I took them high up into the hills via a favourite route - a tortuous single track lane that winds ever-higher and takes in some of the most spectacular views of the foothills of the near-Pyrenees. Yesterday, the country looked at its best with breathtaking views in all directions. September is a busy tourist month and sure enough, our meeting point - Espelette - was awash with 'silver' tourists and camping cars (camper vans in the UK). 

We had a brief look at the centre of Espelette and, after a quick coffee, we took to the back country lanes. At one point, I stopped to show them a gem of a stone cottage (one that I've long admired) set in a wooded valley that would make for the perfect weekend retreat. 

We continued climbing and eventually, after inching our way past groups of wild cattle and pottoks (wild horses) we broke out on top of a ridge (in Spain, just south of Gorospil Lepoa) and there we stopped. There were a couple of other cars there but considering this was still prime tourist season, it was refreshingly peaceful. C and J both remarked on the silence. This area sat astride one of the key routes used by evading Allied aircrew as they sought to cross into Spain in WWII - except they travelled by night in what must have been a nerve-jangling experience. We took a short walk via a narrow sheep track to a point of interest - the only point from where a legendary wartime 'safe house' (Xan Mihura sheltered 128 aircrew at Jauregiko Borda) in Spain could be seen far below (its small white end wall is just visible to the left of the base of the dead tree).

This stone memorial to the men and women of Comète was erected a few weeks ago - and a descriptive plaque will be fixed in place next week.

We returned to the cars and drove to Esteben Borda where we enjoyed a real Basque country lunch - soup, omelette with farm ham and home-made pork sausages, then some Brébis (sheep's milk cheese) served with the traditional accompaniment - local black cherry jam, before finishing with coffee.. All that, plus vin compris, for 17€. Here are some future sausages taking a load off!     

14th September. Normally, this weekend just gone would have seen me and many others up in the mountains walking over the exact same routes used by Comet Line guides and the evading Allied aircrews as they attempted to cross the Pyrenees into Spain during WWII (more here). Given the heat that has hung heavy over us over the past few days like a blanket, I think we dodged a bullet there!

After a long hot afternoon yesterday, I took the dog down to the Plage des Cavaliers at Anglet for a well-deserved run.. We didn't stay too long as the heat was oppressive and there was no sea breeze to provide any respite. On the way home at 7.15pm, I notived that the car indicated that the outside air temperature was a stifling 37°C (98.6°F in Ye Olde half-timbered Fahrenheit) - and it felt like every single degree of it. 

11th September. This French song from the 1960s has been bugging me for a few weeks. I keep hearing it on the radio but it's difficult to identify a song without knowing the singer or the title. I mistakenly thought it was Gilbert Bécaud - and I suspected 'Alouette' was in the title somewhere. Fortunately, the phone rang a few minutes ago before I forgot the tune - it was a friend of mine - I sang him the tune and he came up with the title "Alouette, Alouette". Here's Gilles Dreu with his 1968 hit - a real 60s sound - and don't blame me if the tune stays in your head all day!

7th September. I just caught a snatch of this piece (one of my father's favourites) on the radio and luckily the announcer gave its name: Chopin, Les Sylphides - Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7:

We went to the Grande Plage at Biarritz yesterday morning with the intention of having a coffee at the Bleu Café - it's ideally situated for watching the surfers and general people watching. However, we were surprised to see that all its tables and chairs had been cleared away - I wonder if they've been closed down* for ignoring the Covid sanitary regulations - because normally they are open till later in the season. 

* I later heard that that is indeed the case - along with another old favourite - Bar Jean.

In the end, we "installed ourselves" (as they say here) at Le Georges in Biarritz's Place Clemenceau.. 

I can't believe how quickly September has suddenly arrived upon us. However, all is not lost.. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that September in the Pays Basque is the best month of the year - the summer crowds having largely dispersed, the weather is settled - usually at around 25°C - and parking is easier. The odd shower or two revives the greenery and the misty blue mountains look their best under cloudless skies.   

"Do you remember how we danced that night away

Two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play

September morning still can make me feel that way."

-   Neil Diamond and Gilbert Becaud

282. It's scientifically proven that ...

 ... people who have more birthdays live longer.

31st August. I'm looking for some help - most UK online radio news stations make me want to put my foot through the radio - generally within the first minute of switching it on. For years, BBC Radio 4 was the benchmark but for a good few years it's been populated by 'personalities' - and it appears that we have to know their names. Does anyone 'out there' know of any online news stations other than BBC R4, TalkRADIO, Times Radio or LBC that offer intelligent news reporting but minus the blah..? If so, please let me know via the contact facility in the left hand column. Thanks in advance!

Here are a couple of old-style BBC station announcements that will take some of you back in time: here and here - before we had 'at the top of the hour'.. and self-absorbed promos like this.

The last two months - ie, the summer season - have flown by.. There appeared to be far more tourists than usual here - I heard that Biarritz received 20% more tourists than in previous years. For me though, September - the best month - is to come.    

23rd August. I spotted an extremely rare car this morning en route to the beach - it was a Citroën Traction Avant Cabriolet in pale blue in exceptional condition.

20th August. Before we leave Gautier Capuçon to fade away in our wake, here he is up in the Swiss Alps with Le Cygne (The Swan) by Camille Saint-Saëns:

 

18th August. We went out this morning with the dog to walk around the Lac de Saint Pée sur Nivelle - an artificial lake with plenty of activities for the young - and the not-so-young.

After a really pleasant walk we ended up in need of a cold drink - so stopping off at "Bizi" restaurant (overlooking the lake) seemed a good idea. One thing predictably led to another and we found ourselves ordering two Caesar salads for lunch. They were delicious but, as they say here, incredibly copieuse (ie, generous servings). For those who prefer a picnic, the lakeside was well-supplied with tables in twos and threes.

17th August. We were out yesterday celebrating a major milestone birthday for Madame - and so we went to (another!) one of our favourite places - the Hotel Arraya at Sare - for lunch. Given that many French people appear to have taken their holidays in France this year - plus the fact it was over a Bank holiday (August 15th) weekend - the roads were understandably dense with traffic.

All the tables outside the hotel were occupied - but fortunately we'd reserved a table in their oh-so-traditional Basque dining room - leaving those diners outside to compete with the rumble of passing Harleys (ridden by aging boomers! <= interesting read).

The hotel also has a small giftshop featuring, among other things, distinctive hand-made leather goods from Laffargue, the long-established shop at Saint-Jean-de-Luz that's Numero Uno with Madame. Browsing the wines on display in the giftshop, I spotted a bottle of Irouléguy from Domaine Mourguy (right - mentioned a couple of posts ago). I'll open it when the weather cools down a little.

To say we were impressed by the Arraya would be an understatement - they have raised the bar by several notches. Given the surroundings, the views, the effervescent staff, the originality and quality of the cooking - Arraya has now whizzed straight to the top of our short list of favoured establishments in the local area. Congratulations to Jean-Baptiste Fagoaga and his friendly staff - and thank you for a superb lunch.

10th August. The police here have arrested a young man (16 years old) in connection with the forest fires at Pignada on 30th July. My question to you all is this: what do we do with him? I believe he was in care, and had been in a foster home and had demonstrated pyromania tendencies before - so it seems that he's a disturbed young man. More here.

9th August. Last night we went to an open air concert given by cellist Gautier Capuçon and Jérôme Ducros (piano) in the grounds of the Château de Baroja (right), Anglet. Five hundred free tickets were made available by Anglet Town Hall and so, with parking spaces at a premium, we decided to arrive early! Just as well - we managed to find two centre seats in the second row. What a night.. The concert started in daylight and as dusk fell, the soft lights of the château were switched on and it became a magical and highly memorable experience. Several times I found my hair standing on end (and it's nice to still be able to say that at my advanced age! 😏).

Capuçon's instrument is a Matteo Goffriller cello (left) - made in 1701 - which he has on loan. It had a resonance and a sonority that was clear from the start - especially in the lower register of the strings. Astonishing to think that this instrument is still capable of performing at the highest level 320 years after it was constructed. Or is it similar to the ship of Theseus perhaps?

I remember once seeing a programme about a luthier (a violin maker) - and how he selected the wood for his violins. He would tap the pieces of wood he was interested in and usually the sounds they gave off were dull clunks (technical term!). However, if the wood rang like a bell, that was the piece what he was looking for.. (more on this here)

This is a performance he gave from his home during the lock-down.

Gautier was also one of the judges on France 2's programme "Prodigies of the Year" - and here he is with Maxime, a young cellist:
Here's Maxime with John Williams theme from "Schindler's List..

And here are some photos of the concert - I must say that the staging of the concert was superb - it was filmed and projected in real time on to a large screen. (click to enlarge the images)

Château de Baroja

Gautier Capuçon

Gautier Capuçon and Jérôme Ducros

Photos: Ville d'Anglet - K.Pierret-Delage.

Well done to Jean-Michel Barate and his team from Anglet Town Hall - and many thanks - for the flawless organisation of the event.👍

8th August. I've posted this dazzling 15 minute aerial view of Paris by Yann Arthus-Bertrand before - and I make no apologies for posting it again. The viewpoint is ideal for enjoying the city's spectacular architectural riches - particularly the jewel that's the Place des Vosges (it comes up at 12:15). This is a film that can be watched time and time again - and, need I say it, it's best in full screen. 

7th August. Here's an aerial view of the Pignada forest that was destroyed in the recent fires. While eleven houses were damaged and five were destroyed, no-one was hurt. The burnt patch (left of centre) is exactly where I've been taking Nutty for walks - and there were many tall maritime pines there:

6th August. An evening walk along the beach at the Plage des Cavaliers is called for - we went last night at 9pm and it was very refreshing compared to here (just 10 mins away).

At 6.30pm, our garden thermometer was still showing 37°.. too hot for me.     

According to the evening news, it was 40°C in the shade at Biarritz today.

We made a lightning visit to Saint-Jean-de-Luz this morning for some urgent shopping. I don't think I've ever seen the town so crowded. It appears that many French are holidaying at home this year.

We had a visit from Eric (aka the Magic Carpenter) at 7.30 this morning.. The recent heat we've had here had caused some of our hefty wooden shutters to warp (they were designed to keep out the worst of the winter weather - not the sunshine!) to the point where it became impossible to close a few of them.

Our four-legged friend had me out of bed at 3.30am this morning for his usual nocturnal inspection of his territory - added to which we had the alarm set for 6.30am - I think Madame and I both had some sleep deficit to make good on this afternoon behind our newly adjusted shutters that can now be closed.

4th August. I forgot to mention that flat peaches are back in season again. We keep a dish of them in the fridge and they're ideal for breakfast!

We have a red maple down the garden and already it's started to shed its leaves.. I've also noticed conkers on the ground around the base of the numerous horse chestnut trees in the neighbourhood. This isn't usual on 4th August.. or is it? Is it due to lack of rainfall?

In the mid-1990s, I was fortunate to spend several years in Pordenone (Eng sub-titles available) in Friuli in north-east Italy. It was there that I discovered pappardelle all'uovo among other things.. This is ribbon pasta (about ¾ inch wide) made with eggs - and it was de-lic-ious!

I first came across it at the idyllic setting of the Ristorante Zaia, Polcenigo, where it was served with crab*. I spent more than a few enjoyable lunchtimes on this little terrace (left) over the cooling torrent of turquoise-blue water (from the nearby spring at Gorgazzo) while sitting in the shade of an overhead vine. Happy days..

Sadly, it appears that Zaia, as I knew it 25 years ago, is no longer in business. I see that the new owners have changed the name - along with the menu. A great shame - as its situation was perfect and the whole experience was always faultless. While I enjoyed the local Pinot Nero, it was also about the only ristorante I knew in that region that stocked French wine.

For my final visit there, I'd brought a large group with me and as we were leaving, Roberto (the maître d') - always impeccable in black tie - took my elbow and said, "Signore, next time you come with your wife, it's as my guest". Where else but Italy do you find a gesture like that?

* I'm trying to persuade Madame to make it like that one of these days.

Michelis Pappardelle all'uovo al bronzo (above right) is an Italian brand and this is what we had at lunchtime today - with garlicky mushrooms and chopped parsley. Highly recommended. (Question du Jour: Why al bronzo? Answer here) 

My other discovery in the Friuli region was Prosciutto di San Daniele. As much as I like Jambon de Bayonne (and I like it a lot), I must be honest and elevate the local San Danieli prosciutto (right) to the top rank. Before returning to the UK, I'd pay a call to a local independent grocer and ask him for 400gms of prosciutto sliced wafer thin.

A final call would be to Vigneti Pittaro - a local wine producer - to collect a case of their excellent Cabernet. This quote - attributed to Omar Khayyam - appears on their website:

"Since the moon and planets appeared in the sky, no one has ever seen anything sweeter than the purest wine. I am full of amazement for the wine sellers, that those who can never buy better than what is sold "

3rd August. As of this morning, the wearing of masks (or "face-coverings" in BBC-speak) is now obligatory in many cities and towns in France, including Biarritz and Bayonne (more here). Tourists would be well-advised to ensure that they come prepared.

Today's special offer! If you're confined, in 'lock down' or simply stuck at home - why not relax with a coffee and take an early morning (6am) train ride in the cab of a regional train (ie not a TGV) from Bayonne to Tarbes and enjoy the scenery (the Pyrenees are on the right). You'll see how the house styles evolve as the train passes from the Pays Basque and heads into the Béarn:

2nd August. We were tempted to go to Biarritz for a coffee at the Bleu Café this morning - but we finally thought better of it. With it being the first weekend in August, Biarritz would be crowded with people and parking spaces would be like hen's teeth - so instead, we drove to Lac Marion for a walk with the pooch. 

281. Braced for the invasion!

31st July. This video sneaks in under the wire to make it into my July offering.. If you make it to the end without a single goosebump, contact your nearest medical practitioner asap. I have to say that it gives me the shivers.. plus it makes all the hair on my arms stand to attention! We've become so accustomed of late to hearing "The Star Spangled Banner" sung by warbling female singers (think Superbowl) that this beautiful rendition is a timely reminder of how it should be sung.. Well done to the Kentucky All State Choir! (Try setting the playback speed to 1.25 or 1.5)
Spectacular fires, fanned by strong winds and helped by the drought and the heat, swept through about 100 hectares (about 250 acres) of tinder-dry pine woods in the forest of Chiberta, Anglet, last night, forcing the evacuation of many homes. It broke out in the early evening and "is under control but it is complicated because we still have occasional flare-ups near the houses", according to Claude Olive, the mayor of Anglet.

The firefighters had to maintain "great vigilance all night long" in this wooded area of ​​over 250 hectares located in the town centre, between the Adour and the Atlantic, and bordered in particular by a golf course and luxurious villas. At 3am this morning, a spokesperson for the prefecture said that the fire had destroyed 100 hectares of forest and damaged a total of 165 hectares, including partially affected urban areas. Seven houses were damaged by the fire, three of which were completely burned out. Canadair fire-fighting aircraft were brought in at the height of the fires to try and bring them under control as the twenty fire appliances that attended the fires had difficulty accessing the various sites.  

29th July. Here's another of those minor differences between life here and elsewhere that I've been meaning to mention for some time. I've noticed that the deceased in French funerals are not transported, as you might have expected, in extended and enlarged limousines - but in windowed Ford Transit vans or Mercedes Vito vans. It's something that's always jarred with me - it seems a bit undignified to turn up in a vehicle that might otherwise have a ladder or two on its roof..   

Things are warming up here. The forecast for tomorrow is for temperatures in the region of 39° - 41°C (depending on who you listen to).

For those of you watching in black and white, that's somewhere between 102° - 106°F. This is pith helmet weather!

27th July. I took the pooch for a long walk around Bayonne this morning before it became too hot. I passed by an estate agent that specialised in property sold by the Viager method.

It sounds a little ghoulish to the Anglo-Saxon ear at first - but the essentials are as follows: a deal is struck between the owner of a property (usually an elderly widow or a widower) and the potential buyer whereby the buyer agrees to pay the owner a capital sum agreed by both parties (known as the bouquet) plus a monthly figure. When the owner dies, the house/apartment becomes the property of the buyer.

Looking in the shop window this morning, the adverts for property to be sold by Viager specified the owner (a woman or a man) and their age. (for example H 81 ans - or Homme (Man) 81 years old) Full explanation of how it works here. Viagers are usually available as Viagers Occupés or Viagers Libres. Here are some examples of adverts for Viagers Occupés. (

26th July. We went for a walk around Lac de Mouriscot this morning - situated in the outer suburbs of Biarritz - and even at the height of the season there weren't many others there. It was very pleasant indeed to do a circuit of the lake..

25th July. It's whispered here that the French government may shortly decide to close the border with Spain. From a purely selfish point of view, that would be a real disaster as my stocks of Highland Dew are non-existent. So, at 5pm, I made a dirty dart for the border (and the ventas) and just over an hour later I was back home with enough liquid gold to see me safely through to ........ (insert month of choice here). 

Just before I reached the village of Souraïde, the view across to the Pyrenees in the late afternoon sun was époustouflant (aka breathtaking) - as the blue hills and mountains stood out in sharp relief in the heat haze against the distant pale blue sky. I think it will be a long time before I tire of that view.     

24th July. Chuck Berry had the happy knack of being able to write classic R&B songs - they seemed to flow effortlessly from his pen - that matched perfectly the mood of the moment, his distinctive style of guitar playing and his showmanship! Here's one of his tracks that sums up his style - and it was borrowed to great effect by Uma Thurman and a stoned John Travolta in Quentin Tarantino's highly rated "Pulp Fiction" (1994) - the music starts at 1:27..

23rd July. This great Ray Charles song seemed to fit the bill this evening - it was one of my father's favourites. I wish he could have been here - I know that he would have enjoyed sitting out on our terrace cooling down with one of these rhum drinks mentioned below.

As it was another hot and humid evening, and I had a thirst that could be photographed, I decided to squeeze a few citrons verts (limes) into an old pewter pint tankard, to which I added a splash of cane syrup and a bigger splash of French white rhum from Martinique*, a good handful of ice cubes and finally topped up with some San Pellegrino.. Did it ever hit the spot..! 

*  Rhum Blanc de Martinique La Mauny 50° BV (made from sugar cane juice). For those in the UK, this is probably a good substitute rhum.

One of the benefits of having my own blog is that I get to choose the music! Here's a piece I've long enjoyed - Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra. Enjoy the First Movement (Allegro con spirito) as it's played by Marcin Dylla with the Cracovia orchestra:  

It's followed by Narciso Yepes with the famous Second Movement (Adagio) before we return to Marcin Dylla and the Third Movement (Allegro gentile). Narciso Yepes is famous for this haunting melody beloved of fledgling guitarists the world over and often heard on the streets of our big cities. 

22nd July. An oppressively hot and sticky afternoon here with a temperature of 24° and humidity at 73% - although it feels much more humid than that with some rumblings of thunder and lightning up in the mountains this morning. Normally, we only open the bar at the weekend - but I feel the need for a cold attitude adjuster this evening - maybe a long G&T..

19th July. Here's a nice little video from an Aussie family visiting the area that shows, among other things, Bayonne's indoor market. Health warning: don't go in if you're feeling hungry!☺

17th July. We went up to Arcachon yesterday to meet up with our good friends N and A from Paris - and it soon became clear that many French people will be holidaying in France this year as we've never seen the town so busy. After finding our friends and after a quick sangria, we were able to find a restaurant with a table for four.. 

After lunch, we walked along the seafront that looked out over the bay of Arcachon - but the crowds of people (many from Bordeaux) made us realise how lucky we are to live here in less crowded surroundings. 

Sometimes, memory works in unaccountable ways. These lines popped up in my head earlier (prompted by I don't know what) since first reading them many decades ago:

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

   They danced by the light of the moon..

12th July. Here's an old Gilbert Bécaud song (from 1967 - the year that Madame and I met).. and the lyrics (Eng trans here) fit our story as though they were made to measure: 

A tip for anyone planning a visit to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques this summer - give the busy beaches a break for a couple of days and head inland to the Cirque de Gavarnie - a spectacular natural phenomenon (its scale is deceptive - just bear in mind that the waterfall is higher than the Eiffel Tower). It's only 130 miles or so from the Atlantic coast. Words aren't adequate to describe it - but suffice to say, if you're in this part of the world, it merits a place high up on your must-see list.  

    

Great bass drum crashes and rumblings in the heavens interleave with violent crackles as lightning flashes briefly illuminate the grey morning sky here in the Pays Basque. Not a day to be camping here - or to be walking up in the mountains! Here's a piece that fits what's happening outside:

 

    

(a comment below on a video of this piece on YouTube made me laugh - someone wrote: "I put this on every time my mother-in-law is visiting.") 

10th July. Here's Alessandro Carbonare showing astonishing breath control with the clarinet solo from Rachmaninof's 2nd Symphony:

       

9th July. Down here in south west France, duck sits front and centre in the region's cooking - and it makes its contribution in many forms. The "Moulard"* duck is pre-eminent and for those of you wishing to know a little more about this key ingredient - look no further. Quite apart from the meat of the duck, Madame always keeps a supply of duck fat in the fridge and it adds an unmistakeable and distinctive zing to many dishes. 

* Just realised that this is (perhaps) where the word mallard comes from!

In particular, one of the tastiest ways it can be used is, in my humble opinion, in making pommes de terre Sarladaise (English translation here) - thinly-sliced potatoes fried in duck fat until crisp, with the addition late on of garlic, parsley - and sprinkled with sea salt just prior to serving. It's a close run thing between this mouth-watering dish and steamed new potatoes from Noirmoutier with a knob of salted butter - but my money's on pommes de terre Sarladaise. It's too early to be talking about food!

               

The only comment I would make to the above would be to use sea salt instead of ordinary kitchen salt - and I would add some chopped garlic about 5 mins before the end. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with a green salad and a glass of Madiran..! 

7th July. While a glass of cold rosé at lunchtime is still a good choice in the heat of a summer's day, you need to exercise a little caution when buying these days because the alcoholic strength of wine in general is climbing steadily and stealthily upwards. Time was when few wines - be they red, white or rosé - came in at 14° alcohol by volume (ABV) or more. 14°+ was historically the province of the wines of Gigondas - a powerful southern Rhône red - but today more and more wines are being produced north of 13½°. Someone recently offered us a bottle of Gigondas at 15°.. we're in fortified wine country here.

Today, I was out looking for a dry rosé from Provence when I came across one at 14°. This is serious stuff and would see me in an enforced snore-a-thon before the coffee arrived! That single degree or so extra can make all the difference. I started taking my reading glasses when out shopping for wine a few months ago as I noticed the trend for wine strengths to be climbing up. I managed to find one at 12° today which will be a saner choice. If you can't find a rosé at 12°, the trick is to add a couple of ice cubes to your glass - this will keep it cooler longer and water it down to a lower alcohol level.   

I'm pretty sure that Vin de table (table wine) used to be sold at 9-10°. Once wine gets much above 14° - you really need to take things a lot slower when drinking it - otherwise you'll end up face down blowing bubbles in your main course - if you make it that far! Interestingly, in the US, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and Code of Federal Regulations define table wine as grape wine having an alcoholic strength of maximum 14% ABV. Wines between 14% and 24% ABV are known as dessert wine. It implies that wines in the US in that latter category attract more tax. Can anyone confirm that?  

6th July. As first generation post-war baby boomers, we were lucky to have established ourselves here back in 2007. It had been clear to me for some time that the extreme south west of France would soon become a destination of choice (compared to the Côte d'Azur say) for newly-retired baby boomers from France (and elsewhere in Europe) seeking the sun and a more agreeable way of life than that offered further north. 

Sure enough, we've watched as old buildings have been demolished to be replaced by glitzy new apartment blocks and, further inland, housing estates have sprung up tagged on to Basque villages. However, the area is still largely served by the same old infrastructure to cope with the influx of incomers. To add to the disconnect, the Town Halls here have seen fit to embrace green policies - nothing wrong with that surely? - except that the net result is that the increased level of traffic on the coast has been squeezed by two developments into less and less road space than ever before. 

The first of these was the introduction of the all-electric Tram'bus. It was deemed necessary to create dedicated lanes for it so as to enable its proponents to claim with some legitimacy that it offered a speedy form of transportation. No prizes for guessing where the space for the Tram'bus lanes came from. They run at 10 minute intervals - so for 9 minutes and 50 secs its two lanes stand empty while shimmering queues of tailbacked cars wait alongside with their occupants fuming.  

The second development to make inroads into road space previously occupied by vehicles is the push to encourage cycling. Again, in itself a praiseworthy initiative - but its implementation leaves much to be desired. To that end, yellow painted cycle lanes have appeared on several busy roads - and notices have just appeared giving cyclists priority at roundabouts. I can't help feeling that there's a tragedy or two waiting here. 

The Netherlands has long had a multi-mode approach to urban transport - and there they chose to physically separate cars from bikes by giving cyclists their own dedicated lanes - not merely separated from traffic by yellow lines painted on the road.    

On returning from the beach yesterday, I came across a mass cycle event as several hundred cyclists, divided into four groups, started from the banks of the Adour in response to an appeal by the Bizi and Txirind'Ola associations. They rode in temporary cycle lanes, in particular that of the Boulevard du BAB, which links Bayonne, Anglet and Biarritz. The objective was to demonstrate the viability of these "coronapists", as their detractors call them, so that they become permanent.

It's well known that the Pays Basque is a humid area (code for rain!) - so will these same cyclists be out cycling to work in the rain? I very much doubt it. 

The fundamental problem is that the patterns of urban and suburban development we see today were laid down over the last 100 years based on the availability and freedom of individuals to own their own mode of transport - in most cases, that means a car. If it's decided that cars are no longer flavour of the month, we need to take a long look at how we should be thinking of living in the future. Slapping taxes on cars and/or fuel or constraining the roadspace they have is no substitute for a coherent long term strategy. What am I saying?!  

5th July. It was obvious down at the beach this morning with Nutty (our cocker spaniel) that the annual migration of tourists has started. We live in a region that has largely escaped the Covid19 virus - whereas those arriving from the Paris region have been less fortunate. We're going to try and minimise our exposure to crowds over the summer season as much as we can. Did I hear someone say 'good luck with that..'!

Perhaps in anticipation of the arrival of those from outside the region, I spotted a group of some 12-15 people practising Kendo on the grassy field behind the Plage des Cavaliers beach at Anglet. Kendo is one of those peculiarly Japanese martial arts that I have no wish to encounter from the point of view of someone at the receiving end (here's why!).