fete fantastique

It all started with a hen party this week, and the big wedding of the year follows next week. Meanwhile...starting tomorrow, for three days, we have our own village fete and all the fun of the fair in our town square....

my babies, Milou, Darcy (yes it's official)Aramis and Porthos

So here is the agenda, roughly translated from the poster below. Petanque on Friday (this is the highly edited version) mussels and chips in the evening, and a very loud disco from eleven pm onwards.

Saturday morning volleyball contest, Marc was in a team one of two English teams.  A midnight market with a barbecue, i bought a dress for the wedding !!! a disco for the under twelves, followed by adult noise until three am?! Discos are held in our ex (never happened as a railway) railway station.

Sunday the finale for more loud music, well into the next morning, the final of the Petanque contest and fireworks around the lac. If i sound ungrateful i am not, it is wonderful to see the town come alive during august...just had a few sleepless nights already, what with the babies.

exciting graphics to announce the village festivities

their have been lots of prep for the petanque tournament on sunday

suits you sir!

face full of concentration from this handsome young competitor

maybe this particular match was not so on the ball?

early set up on thursday, ready to go live on friday

still unloading

incongruous with its regal background

would not be a fun fair without these guys

i am just testing the equipment

now were swinging

minnie is hoping to be swooped up tonight

here's the bumpers in full action!

oooh, there's something moving underfoot

Varta man with his wife and children...he saved my life when i ran over my lawnmower petrol cap and promptly found
me a knew one. He also fixes and sharpens most machinery for a reasonable price

here come the boys!!!.....

I am sorry that i am even later with this weeks entry, but as you can see i have my hands rather full.... or rather Marc has.

three weeks

three little handfuls, we were only going to take two, but could not leave the
last ginger handful on his own??!!

Darcy, at three weeks, avec mama's house

the boys when they first came home, five weeks too six weeks.... a bit young

Darcy looking pretty

Aramis with his mini space hopper

Darcy chasing an imaginary spider and learning all the right dance moves

top to bottom, Darcy, Aramis and Porthos
Darcy was an abstraction from D'Artignan, as he maybe a she??

....then came the girl, normally you come back from a broccante with more unnecessary things you need to find a place for, well perhaps we did...but she is worth it and absolutely gorgeous to boot (vide grenier bit like a boot fair). Meet Milou a four month old Berger de Pyrenees, or labrit more info on our lovely pup

Marc and I have always loved Tintin, in fact we saw the film recently and absolutely loved it.  Hergé author of Tintin never had a dog in his family until his last years, but in 1929 he was a regular at a cafe where the owner had a terrier—a major source of inspiration for Snowy. The French name Milou is a portmanteau of Marie-Louise, the nickname of Hergé's first girlfriend, Marie-Louise Van Cutsem. Their relationship dwindled because of her father's disapproval of Hergé's low social class, but Hergé remained fond of her and chose the name for Tintin's most trusted friend. I think she will be our trusted friend also. 

the big bang

beautiful signage, does the job, i love it!

Monday 15th , woke in foetal position clutching my alarm clock, put it off successfully at six-thirty still asleep at well gone seven, i was supposed to be in Larroque at  seven thirty and it wasn't going to happen. three point five km mainly plain sailing apart from the last one and a half. We had had quite a weekend, and i decided to use two feet instead of two wheels.

today our school was at Philippe's place in the evening, he has been missing for three weeks due to his daughter getting married, tonight we had a song and a glass of champagne to celebrate Bastille day (yesterday) and the wake of hiss daughters wedding.

At the beginning of the week we went for a walk locally to us but completely uncharted territory for us, we were unaware of the beauty the height and the varied woodland. We also happened on a particular forest clearing which at the the weekend was going to become the Chasse cooking venue for three hundred people, it was difficult to get a mental picture

on how it would all pan out.                    

empty space, nice view

At eleven thirty we set off for Monleon, we all met up at Judith and Nick's first for a couple of glasses of limoux

before heading out to the Chasse on the edge of the forest.  At the entrance we were met by Michel who took our twelve euros each and a young french lad (my hero of the day)to prove that you had paid, bit like a nightclub, after that you can eat and drink until satisfied or you fall over. 

We were a little late arriving so there was no room for our party of eight, Marc and Nick took charge and stole a table top and some legs from somewhere and promptly put us in the middle of the throng, and in shade as it was one very very hot day. Aperitifs were next on the agenda, mines a pastis, but also rum or whisky or all three if you want, then back to your s seat for the arrival of food, until there are bums on seats they don't serve you, so i was busy trying to encourage our lot to sit down. First the loaf of bread, followed by a tasty bowl of rice mixed with tuna peppers, olives and tomatoes. Then follows tray full after tray full of sanglier(wild boar) couple of haunches of deer, lamb and some ordinary pork for the faint hearted. The young lad (my hero) who had been stamping everyone at the beginning then scanned all the tables for the next six hours putting down and replacing like for like one point five litre bottles of ice cold water and cold red wine. This was no mean feat as there were, we were told after over three hundred people.

After food followed eau de vie (NOT for the faint hearted) and Armangnac, followed by a nectarine to cleanse the system??!!, followed by cafe.

Then there was much congratulating of the chasse who had worked so hard, and then the dancing began, all in all a cracking afternoon. A couple of people including Michel, who didn't want his photograph taken, are after my photos as i was merrily snapping away all afternoon.

We also met some more interesting and new people, which continue to come out of the woodwork. Nigel and Hilary were  also there and our neighbours from Castelnau, with her family. 

Then it was back to Judith's at seven, after a long session left at eight for some bonding with the kittens and bed.

the hard working ladies providing all the dishes to go with the meat

a bit gruesome, wild pig, deer and a small haunch of lamb

all bums on seats 

nearly done, hot enough as it is without standing anywhere near these boys

michel from the chasse

the hard working head chef de cuisine

i'm sure that the cooks must be roasted as well

wine and water monitor

which particular haunch would you like?

colourful collection

congratulations 

serviette turning and congratulations two...

...and three, Judith enjoying herself

festivities well into late afternoon

the two hard working chefs now try to get everyone dancing

all ages and shoe sizes

cafe monsieur, madame

my hero of the (lots of ) hour

le potager continued

ready to be dipped and battered, and lightly fried, stuffed with lightly seasoned goats cheese

Hopefully i am not boring my readers, i was so excited by my first produce as well as my first batter and also my first battered courgette flower.... that i felt it essential to share this with you.

the finished result with a Provencal tomato, and a glass of tomato and olive dressing

delicious, bit of effort but worth it

Cycled this week, played some tennis and obviously cooked up some dishes in the kitchen.

it  has been very hot this week, and we have either been sheltering in our nice cool cellar or swimming in the local lac...not the one next to us yet, it is still to be tested, this could take a while, mañana, mañana, We are so near the Spanish border i think i should be allowed both languages at my fingertips, that will give me five words in total!!

Midweek i bought some sea bream, and Marc cooked them on the BBQ, they were so fresh they were absolutely fantastic, also i thought at a very good price (it was cheaper than Moxon's....sorry boys) i get a very fast lively french banter from my french fish lady that i cannot always keep up with, but she does not make me blush, unless i can't remember the french for something very obvious.

.

On Saturday night, the heavens had opened on Larroque and shortly after at Castelnau, we have never seen anything like  it. There was a river running through our hall with a torrent of earth from the garden….big clearing up op tomorrow.  I can't believe looking out of our back door it is about 5ml off from flooding right through the lounge to the bedrooms the water is three inches up my ankles, scary. It actually did some damage but not nearly as bad as it could have been if it had run through the lounge. Our old bedroom dresser will be hacked up for arty salvage via Marc and a few other things including my bike, helmet and gloves left to dry out in the sun. We will need a humidifier, Marc tells me to dry out the hall and sandbags for any future torrents.

Sunday 14th July Bastille day, did some clearing up and surveyed the devastation, did not last long, before you could say flood we were in Joe's bar drinking coffee with a largely cheerful English contingent all with various flood reports. after that we did a swift cheese lunch and headed to the weekend antiquities in Lannemezan some interesting stuff at interesting prices  but found a prize right at the end, some knobs at last for my pine chest at 2.50 each, bargain. 

Headed out at 8 ish pm for walk June and oz in the bar beckoned…joe bought the first round as he had done in the morning re coffee's which was very kind of him. Later were joined by Annabelle and clan, boyfriends , girlfriends, of James and Georgia, the Irving's, Piers and Hannah, and a host of the usual suspects, a couple were playing and singing the double bass and clarinet. A very pleasant evening, ending in fireworks let off in the square. Rumour has it that the pharmacy was practically set alight last year, but this bastille day ended loudly, but no damages. I left at 12.30 time for bed said Zebedee and left the hardcore to it.

au petit bonheur
olive oil infused with rosemary and new season garlic

looking for the marrow, it has put on amazing growth in the last few days
so pretty hard not to miss 

....and that will do very nicely for two greedy persons

once more held aloft, this is our first baby (sorry about the undies in the background
you cannot get the staff)

finished result, pork mince, onion, garlic, Dan's paprika, a few herbs and a dash of chilli flakes
baked in the oven and topped with parmesan for the last ten mins

one of my three mouseketeers....D'Artignan with Marc