Day two of the grand fete, dawns with rain beating on the roof. We miss most of it by not getting out of bed until about 11.30am.
The temperature has dropped to 19 degrees outside but it is still 4 degrees warmer inside. Unfortunately the drop in temperature has lead to the leak in the toilet bowl flowing with renewed vigour after each flush, this after many days of hardly any leakage. So it is back to wringing out the cloths at increasingly frequent intervals. Sometimes 3 times in ten minutes. We will have to start using the loo in the downstairs studio again.
We walk into town and the rain starts to fall. In Casino we stock up on some caramel tea bags and other essentials. We get home and shortly afterwards the rain starts to fall steadily. Will tonight’s festivities be cancelled?
There is a smell of bleach in the flat and shortly afterwards some socks appear on the washing line outside. S reckons the tenant has been bleaching his socks.
The rain increases in the evening and we do not go our to the ball or to see the procession of the flaming torches.
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Monday, 15 September 2008
5 Sept 2008 Friday – Grand Fete – A busy day ends with a bang!
Up early and off to the Intermarche and Bricomarche before the hordes descend. We stock up to last us through the fete, as traffic will be horrific for the next few days. All the car parks have been given over to fairground rides and a stage, tiered seating and an area of car park to dance on.
Trees have been pruned to fit the rides in, but I am not convinced that the bungee rides will not cause casualties as tetes collide with the branches.
Anyway back to the shopping. Food safely gathered in, we go across to Bricomarche and buy two plastic drawer units on wheels to store my painting and DIY bits and pieces. With 5 euros off they are on special offer.
I have a plan to store them in the cupboard off the ground floor corridor, but cannot work out in my mind how to fit a lock or a hasp / padlock.
Back at the ranch, we sort through boxes in the ground floor studio and fill up my plastic drawers. Yes, old age does not come alone. Now some more cardboard boxes can be disposed of.
Being a man of action, I go outside and put 2 of the biggest pallets back into the crawl space under the house. Next we manoeuvre by big step ladders down the steps and into the crawl space (which is called a vide septique).
There is still a hugely heavy sheet of metal and a very large and heavy roof rack or bed frame down there, as well as some thin sheets of board.
We then carry the pallets that we dragged out yesterday, into the shed at the bottom of the garden. We are now drenched in sweat again, and it is time to quit and grab some lunch and a siesta before we go into town for part one of the fete.
The choir is due to sing in the Town Hall courtyard at 6pm. We can see about 8 people in a corner of the courtyard, so we go in and grab one of the seats at under the porch.
Gradually more people arrive. The choir members with the black cases containing their sheet music are easy to spot. Eventually 6pm passes and there are about 15 choir members, 10 public and us. Only another 35 choir members to turn up and of course the choir leader.
The courtyard is right next to 2 lanes of traffic, and the stream of cars, campervans and lorries is constant.
There are fair rides a few hundred meters away and as the choir and the public continue to gather in the courtyard I wonder where the choir are going to stand and how they will be able to hear themselves sing, never mind the audience. The choir captain recognises me and comes over for a brief chat. Where is the choir going to stand?, I ask. He does not know, they have never sung there before. He will have to ask the chief. So off he goes. It is very noisy in the courtyard.
Some one starts positioning plastic chairs for the audience to sit on. We sit on them and get front row seats. I get my cameras ready. Two ladies from the choir come over to talk to us. One is them is a teacher of English and will help me if there is anything that I do not understand once I am in the choir. There is a brief discussion as to whether I am a tenor or a bass. They seem very friendly.
Then the aperitif band due to start at 6.30pm just across the road, starts up. They have, as we find out later, a brass section, guitars, keyboards, drums and at least 6 singers.
People start picking up their chairs and heading into the Town Hall. The decision has been made that the choir will sing inside. We are not so lucky with our positioning this time, but I do have a good view of the big tree in a pot which sits in the centre of the room, and some of the left side of the choir.
To my right is a series of long tables set up in a line. The tables have table cloths on and a selection of nibbles runs the whole length. There are different bottles at intervals in the middle of the table. Whisky, coke, cassis, pastis etc etc. This fare must be the choirs pre-meal treat. I wonder how much of the nibbles will be left by the end of the performance.
There is now an audience of about 100 people, adult and children. I can even see a woman in the front row with her dog on her lap. It had been in her shopping bag earlier, but obviously like to listen to music at lap height.
Members of the choir continue to trickle in to the room for the duration of the concert, and people come and go, opening the door and letting the sound of aperitif music in to the room.
Shhh! The concert is about to start. A lady choir member, front right says a few words about their first tune and then they are off.
This pattern is repeated for the duration of today’s repertoire.
The choir sounds better from the front than it did at rehearsal from the rear.
The Performance over, we applaud the choir, then we applaud the leader of the choir. A member of the choir starts handing out flyers for their forthcoming performance in the local abbey, with another choir and an orchestra. She is rather premature however, as the rest of the choir are about to launch into an encore. The beginning is fluffed, and they have to start again. It is obviously a well know tune as the audience is conducted to join in the chorus.
More applause and people start to leave. Foolishly I delay and start stacking our chairs.
Attention, arête! The dignitaries who are present want to say a few words. A lady who I think is responsible for organising the fete, reads her prepared one and a half page speech, and is visibly relieved at the end. She is rewarded with polite applause. People start to head for the exit but again they have to halt. The mayor, resplendent in his official robes of jeans and a shirt wishes to introduce the mayor from a neighbouring commune, and some other suits.
He then tells us that it has been a hard year politically, the festival committee has lost lots of members, etc etc. He thanks us for attending this first event of the festival. There should be a clear sky for the evening’s fireworks, and he hopes we enjoy the rest of the festival. This speech was off the cuff and lasted about 10 minutes. Some people had started to nibble on the peanuts…. This young lady watched the speeches without moving or nibbling.
At last we are free to go. My neighbour from the choir rehearsal comes to say hello and to say that I should come along to the next choir practices. I tell him that I will give them a miss, but will turn up for the first practice of the new material.
Then it is out the door, across the courtyard, across the road where the traffic is gridlocked and into the area where the aperitif banc are performing. They are quite good and will be back tonight to perform at the bal.
We wander around the deserted fairground areas, and this is when I wonder about the nearness of some of the rides to the trees.
The restaurants have hiked up their prices for the evening meals, so we head home for a rest and some food.
We set off just before 10pm. The fireworks are scheduled for 10.30pm. Someone visiting the flats across the road has parked in my parking, so I draft a notice to stick on their car. As I approach, another car starts to park blocking in madam’s car and someone who is visiting madam. I tell them that they cannot park there, but they ignore me and continue their manoeuvres. When they get out of the car, it transpires that they too are visiting madam.
We continue down the road and the white van man comes across the street and moves his van across the road.
There are cars parked everywhere along our route completely blocking the pavements. Do French cars have special pavement climbing suspension and tyres?
A Citroën swerves off the road and onto a patch of non-existent pavement parking. Monsieur Tookwell. It is the plumber to whom I have become recently engaged, and his wife. We walk into the town together then part. We are going to stand below the castle next to the restaurant whose prices have increased by 10 euros for tonight’s fiesta.
The fireworks start almost on time, and are of course spectacular with the castle as their backdrop. I reckon that the display lasts about 15 minutes, ending with a big bang finale. I will attach a video of it here temporarily. Parts of the show had been quite subtle, but they obviously decided to end the show by showing what it would be like if someone set off all the remaining fireworks at the same time.
It is still warm when we head back home. I have been wearing a new pair of shoes since mid afternoon and my feet are killing me.
When we reach home, madam is still entertaining, but there is at least now a space for my other tenant’s van, should they ever return from their work. Their green bed sheet is still hanging out of their open windows on the first floor……. Perhaps they have been investigating how to escape from their studio in the event of fire?
Trees have been pruned to fit the rides in, but I am not convinced that the bungee rides will not cause casualties as tetes collide with the branches.
Anyway back to the shopping. Food safely gathered in, we go across to Bricomarche and buy two plastic drawer units on wheels to store my painting and DIY bits and pieces. With 5 euros off they are on special offer.
I have a plan to store them in the cupboard off the ground floor corridor, but cannot work out in my mind how to fit a lock or a hasp / padlock.
Back at the ranch, we sort through boxes in the ground floor studio and fill up my plastic drawers. Yes, old age does not come alone. Now some more cardboard boxes can be disposed of.
Being a man of action, I go outside and put 2 of the biggest pallets back into the crawl space under the house. Next we manoeuvre by big step ladders down the steps and into the crawl space (which is called a vide septique).
There is still a hugely heavy sheet of metal and a very large and heavy roof rack or bed frame down there, as well as some thin sheets of board.
We then carry the pallets that we dragged out yesterday, into the shed at the bottom of the garden. We are now drenched in sweat again, and it is time to quit and grab some lunch and a siesta before we go into town for part one of the fete.
The choir is due to sing in the Town Hall courtyard at 6pm. We can see about 8 people in a corner of the courtyard, so we go in and grab one of the seats at under the porch.
Gradually more people arrive. The choir members with the black cases containing their sheet music are easy to spot. Eventually 6pm passes and there are about 15 choir members, 10 public and us. Only another 35 choir members to turn up and of course the choir leader.
The courtyard is right next to 2 lanes of traffic, and the stream of cars, campervans and lorries is constant.
There are fair rides a few hundred meters away and as the choir and the public continue to gather in the courtyard I wonder where the choir are going to stand and how they will be able to hear themselves sing, never mind the audience. The choir captain recognises me and comes over for a brief chat. Where is the choir going to stand?, I ask. He does not know, they have never sung there before. He will have to ask the chief. So off he goes. It is very noisy in the courtyard.
Some one starts positioning plastic chairs for the audience to sit on. We sit on them and get front row seats. I get my cameras ready. Two ladies from the choir come over to talk to us. One is them is a teacher of English and will help me if there is anything that I do not understand once I am in the choir. There is a brief discussion as to whether I am a tenor or a bass. They seem very friendly.
Then the aperitif band due to start at 6.30pm just across the road, starts up. They have, as we find out later, a brass section, guitars, keyboards, drums and at least 6 singers.
People start picking up their chairs and heading into the Town Hall. The decision has been made that the choir will sing inside. We are not so lucky with our positioning this time, but I do have a good view of the big tree in a pot which sits in the centre of the room, and some of the left side of the choir.
To my right is a series of long tables set up in a line. The tables have table cloths on and a selection of nibbles runs the whole length. There are different bottles at intervals in the middle of the table. Whisky, coke, cassis, pastis etc etc. This fare must be the choirs pre-meal treat. I wonder how much of the nibbles will be left by the end of the performance.
There is now an audience of about 100 people, adult and children. I can even see a woman in the front row with her dog on her lap. It had been in her shopping bag earlier, but obviously like to listen to music at lap height.
Members of the choir continue to trickle in to the room for the duration of the concert, and people come and go, opening the door and letting the sound of aperitif music in to the room.
Shhh! The concert is about to start. A lady choir member, front right says a few words about their first tune and then they are off.
This pattern is repeated for the duration of today’s repertoire.
The choir sounds better from the front than it did at rehearsal from the rear.
The Performance over, we applaud the choir, then we applaud the leader of the choir. A member of the choir starts handing out flyers for their forthcoming performance in the local abbey, with another choir and an orchestra. She is rather premature however, as the rest of the choir are about to launch into an encore. The beginning is fluffed, and they have to start again. It is obviously a well know tune as the audience is conducted to join in the chorus.
More applause and people start to leave. Foolishly I delay and start stacking our chairs.
Attention, arête! The dignitaries who are present want to say a few words. A lady who I think is responsible for organising the fete, reads her prepared one and a half page speech, and is visibly relieved at the end. She is rewarded with polite applause. People start to head for the exit but again they have to halt. The mayor, resplendent in his official robes of jeans and a shirt wishes to introduce the mayor from a neighbouring commune, and some other suits.
He then tells us that it has been a hard year politically, the festival committee has lost lots of members, etc etc. He thanks us for attending this first event of the festival. There should be a clear sky for the evening’s fireworks, and he hopes we enjoy the rest of the festival. This speech was off the cuff and lasted about 10 minutes. Some people had started to nibble on the peanuts…. This young lady watched the speeches without moving or nibbling.
At last we are free to go. My neighbour from the choir rehearsal comes to say hello and to say that I should come along to the next choir practices. I tell him that I will give them a miss, but will turn up for the first practice of the new material.
Then it is out the door, across the courtyard, across the road where the traffic is gridlocked and into the area where the aperitif banc are performing. They are quite good and will be back tonight to perform at the bal.
We wander around the deserted fairground areas, and this is when I wonder about the nearness of some of the rides to the trees.
The restaurants have hiked up their prices for the evening meals, so we head home for a rest and some food.
We set off just before 10pm. The fireworks are scheduled for 10.30pm. Someone visiting the flats across the road has parked in my parking, so I draft a notice to stick on their car. As I approach, another car starts to park blocking in madam’s car and someone who is visiting madam. I tell them that they cannot park there, but they ignore me and continue their manoeuvres. When they get out of the car, it transpires that they too are visiting madam.
We continue down the road and the white van man comes across the street and moves his van across the road.
There are cars parked everywhere along our route completely blocking the pavements. Do French cars have special pavement climbing suspension and tyres?
A Citroën swerves off the road and onto a patch of non-existent pavement parking. Monsieur Tookwell. It is the plumber to whom I have become recently engaged, and his wife. We walk into the town together then part. We are going to stand below the castle next to the restaurant whose prices have increased by 10 euros for tonight’s fiesta.
The fireworks start almost on time, and are of course spectacular with the castle as their backdrop. I reckon that the display lasts about 15 minutes, ending with a big bang finale. I will attach a video of it here temporarily. Parts of the show had been quite subtle, but they obviously decided to end the show by showing what it would be like if someone set off all the remaining fireworks at the same time.
We head off towards home, but the sound of l’orchestre Olympia is too much of a draw, so we head towards the music and the shrieks of the thrill seekers at the funfair.
There is a much bigger audience than earlier and they put on a very professional show. I will add a video clip temporarily.
It is still warm when we head back home. I have been wearing a new pair of shoes since mid afternoon and my feet are killing me.
When we reach home, madam is still entertaining, but there is at least now a space for my other tenant’s van, should they ever return from their work. Their green bed sheet is still hanging out of their open windows on the first floor……. Perhaps they have been investigating how to escape from their studio in the event of fire?
Sunday, 14 September 2008
4 Sept 2008 Thursday - Bad news!
We wander into town to the UK shop in the afternoon and have a chat with the owner, then we wander off around town, picking up a loaf of bread from the baker who bakes his bread over wood in the traditional way. Instead of olive bread though, I choose a lardon loaf, which has pieces of ham in it.
The bad news is that the bakery will be closed for annual holidays from 13 – 29 Sept. This means that I will either have to start going to another bakers, or buy bread and freeze it. We also inadvertently stopped off for a beer in the bar that we had visited back in March.
When we get home, it is still in the 30’s so ideal weather to do a bit of gardening. I had bought some weed killer and now was the time to deploy the garden sprayer that I had brought over from the U.K. For once there was only my car in the parking, so I had a clear run at it apart from having to make up a second sachet of weed killer and shunt my car around.
Next I get into the crawl space under the house and start dragging some of the timber and other crap which has been dumped there, out into the open prior to getting rid of it. After about 10 minutes I have a headache and call it a day.
Once this work is completed (not today as it is too hot), there is another crawl space under madam’s patio full of bits of pallet, lino, rubble and other as yet unknown items. There is also a black and white cat that seems to go under there a lot too.
We have been having good weather, but a few hours after I deployed my weed killer, it rains for the first time in many days. I just hope my efforts have not been wasted.
The bad news is that the bakery will be closed for annual holidays from 13 – 29 Sept. This means that I will either have to start going to another bakers, or buy bread and freeze it. We also inadvertently stopped off for a beer in the bar that we had visited back in March.
When we get home, it is still in the 30’s so ideal weather to do a bit of gardening. I had bought some weed killer and now was the time to deploy the garden sprayer that I had brought over from the U.K. For once there was only my car in the parking, so I had a clear run at it apart from having to make up a second sachet of weed killer and shunt my car around.
Next I get into the crawl space under the house and start dragging some of the timber and other crap which has been dumped there, out into the open prior to getting rid of it. After about 10 minutes I have a headache and call it a day.
Once this work is completed (not today as it is too hot), there is another crawl space under madam’s patio full of bits of pallet, lino, rubble and other as yet unknown items. There is also a black and white cat that seems to go under there a lot too.
We have been having good weather, but a few hours after I deployed my weed killer, it rains for the first time in many days. I just hope my efforts have not been wasted.
Saturday, 13 September 2008
3rd Sept 2008 - Ax
In the morning we set off for the small ski and spa resort of Ax. It takes about 40 minutes to get there and get parked.
The houses are a mixture of styles and some buildings remind me of Aviemore. We wander the streets. It is very hot but there is a cooler breeze blowing through the streets. On all sides mountains tower above the town. It has its own ski-lift, but the cable cars hang silently in space.
There are 80 hot springs dotted somewhere in the resort, but we don’t spot any. There is a huge thermal spa building, and a big casino building.
Here too, preparations are underway for a few days of festivities, featuring food. The marquees or stalls are up, but it will be 10 days or so before events take place.
Heading back up the highway, we are accompanied by a never ending supply of mountains and hills, most of which are covered with vegetation of various shades of green. Oops! I spoil everything by missing the turn off for home and ending up in P.We go into Conforama and I come out with Philips mini hi-fi system which will rip music from CDs and cassettes. I note that at 3pm it is 31 degrees. When I return home, I look to see what temperature it is in Clevedon. Max 15 degrees and raining.
The houses are a mixture of styles and some buildings remind me of Aviemore. We wander the streets. It is very hot but there is a cooler breeze blowing through the streets. On all sides mountains tower above the town. It has its own ski-lift, but the cable cars hang silently in space.
There are 80 hot springs dotted somewhere in the resort, but we don’t spot any. There is a huge thermal spa building, and a big casino building.
Here too, preparations are underway for a few days of festivities, featuring food. The marquees or stalls are up, but it will be 10 days or so before events take place.
There are many exciting outdoor activities available to the visitor.
We have lunch in outside at a pizzeria next to the casino building. We plump for the 3 course menu of the day for 12 Euros each. A small mozzarella and tomato salad, lasagne and I have a Basque almond desert with chocolate sauce while S has the éclair. I used the word plump earlier because there are several people with healthy apetites eating in the restaurant. I will include a photo of one of them tucking into her pizza as though she hasn't seen food for days. Strangely she and her almost equally proportioned mother left a quarter and half of their pizzas respectively. She is also the proud owner of the a small white dog which gets fed tidbits and which she calls "mon garcon" (My boy)
The town has a river running through it and in places you can smell the sulphur coming off the water. Is that a centurion’s shield glistening in the water? No it is a car hubcap.
There are many signs advertising apartments for rent, but not many tourists around. The main road to Andorra and on up to Toulouse runs right through the centre of the town. Huge lorries and coaches thunder along the narrowish road and negotiate the roundabout. It is not much fun walking on the pavement.
We agree that although nice to visit, it is not as nice as our town. We had found somewhere to park across the river from the town. If you have a campervan this must be the place to be seen.
There are many signs advertising apartments for rent, but not many tourists around. The main road to Andorra and on up to Toulouse runs right through the centre of the town. Huge lorries and coaches thunder along the narrowish road and negotiate the roundabout. It is not much fun walking on the pavement.
We agree that although nice to visit, it is not as nice as our town. We had found somewhere to park across the river from the town. If you have a campervan this must be the place to be seen.
Heading back up the highway, we are accompanied by a never ending supply of mountains and hills, most of which are covered with vegetation of various shades of green. Oops! I spoil everything by missing the turn off for home and ending up in P.We go into Conforama and I come out with Philips mini hi-fi system which will rip music from CDs and cassettes. I note that at 3pm it is 31 degrees. When I return home, I look to see what temperature it is in Clevedon. Max 15 degrees and raining. 2 Sept 2008 Tuesday – Carte Grise
Out early to collect my Carte Gris from the garage, then it is off to the nearby furniture, clothes, shoes, and DIY stores.
Then back for lunch.
Next it is in to town. The bread shop is still en siesta, so we wander round and go to my bank so that my account manager can take a copy of my carte gris for my car insurance policy. She has heard from my UK insurance company so all is well.
The town is getting ready for a big fete which will last several days. There will be a fair, music (choir performance included), entertainments, balls with aperitifs. The castle will be closed to the public on the 5th so that the fireworks can be prepared for the display later that evening.
There are a few big vans parked in the central parking area, but no sign of the delights that they contain. There is a small section of staged seating in another of the parking areas. Where is everyone going to park on the days of feasting?
Towns and villages round about also seem about to go into overdrive feastwise. Where to go, what to see?...
We have see fresh posters advertising the Doreen singer who didn’t show up last time. The venue is the same, only the time of performance is missing….
We stay in.
Then back for lunch.
Next it is in to town. The bread shop is still en siesta, so we wander round and go to my bank so that my account manager can take a copy of my carte gris for my car insurance policy. She has heard from my UK insurance company so all is well.
The town is getting ready for a big fete which will last several days. There will be a fair, music (choir performance included), entertainments, balls with aperitifs. The castle will be closed to the public on the 5th so that the fireworks can be prepared for the display later that evening.
There are a few big vans parked in the central parking area, but no sign of the delights that they contain. There is a small section of staged seating in another of the parking areas. Where is everyone going to park on the days of feasting?
Towns and villages round about also seem about to go into overdrive feastwise. Where to go, what to see?...
We have see fresh posters advertising the Doreen singer who didn’t show up last time. The venue is the same, only the time of performance is missing….
We stay in.
Thursday, 11 September 2008
1 Sept 2008 Monday - Choir Practice
Up early to visit the local food and DIY store. I have loyalty cards now for 3 stores in addition to my Casino card, and I must be accumulating points or cents, but I have no idea how many. We stock up with enough food to last most of the week, so that we will probably only need to replenish the bread supply.
I work out that it is just possible to articulate my new ladder if I insert a stick under each lever and then with a free leg, nudge the ladder to get the movement started.
I spend the rest of the morning giving the out of reach bits their first coat of white paint.
The Renault garage rings at 4:30pm to inform Monsieur Toookwell that his carte gris is ready for collection. I will collect it tomorrow. I have a plumber coming at 6pm.
Two plumbers, both father and son, turn up at ten past five. Is it okay that they are early? The previously promised piece of concrete does not materialise. We discuss the various projects again and I add a few more sockets for the living room and small bedroom and some electrical flex for the cooker.
The work will now take about 2 weeks and will start on the 15th Sept. although they may come earlier to drill the holes in the walls to enable hot and cold water to be piped from the bathroom to the new kitchen. I have been painting. I should stop painting until they have drilled the holes as there will be a lot of dust from the drilling.
I sign both devis (quotes) and write a cheque for 30 percent of the total cost, The bathroom floor will be tiled and will cost extra, but they need to find out the cost of the tiles. They may drop in with a tile sample some time. I think I am getting beige with a hint of pink. This will go nicely with the blue wall tiles and the green, blotchy wall. I will be painting the wall white.
I picked up a notice about a local department choir starting up again tonight at 8.45pm. I toddle along and enter the sweltering rehearsal room, where about 50 people are assembled. A man with a beard at the door welcomes me and chats to me. He is the captain, or some such. He introduces me to the choirmaster. This is really a rehearsal for the 2 imminent concerts and they will be going over their repertoire. Rehearsal for the new pieces starts on the 17th Sept.
There is another “new” man who has come along as well as about 4 or 5 new women.
I say that I will sit at the back by the door for a few minutes and listen, then go and return on the 17th.
The throng take their seats. I become aware that one at a time people are standing up, saying their name, then giving their singing / choral resume. Then the choir applauds.
I am hidden at the back and if I keep very still and quiet….
But no, there is another new one by the door. Heads swivel and I climb up onto the seat staging so that I can be seen. I deliver the goods in my version of French. I have no recollection if I got applause or not.
I now have to go and sit with the men in the choir. There seems to be a row of approx 10 basses at the very back, and I seem to be sat with 2 tenors, behind half of the ladies.
First we have to slap our faces and cheeks a bit, we stretch up to the sky, we try to touch our toes. We rotate our necks. We breathe in or something with out hands on our stomachs. The leader of the choir speaks very softly and it is hard to hear him, let alone translate into English.
Then the vocal exercises which are not the same as when I was in a choir at school. Different progressions of notes and different vocal sounds.
Finally we sing. They all have binders full of sheet music. Over the course of the next 2 hours we stumble through most of 3 pieces. The choir will be performing in Town in the Mayor’s courtyard next week. They have 2 extra practices before then. They will need it peut-etre? M who is sitting next to me and has shared his music, tells me that after the concert, they are all invited to a big meal by the Mayor. “You eat well in a choir” he tells me.Finally it ends. I tell Michel that I will return on the 17th. I think I was perhaps expected to come to the extra practices but I will wait. It is still very hot and I am knackered. It is 10:45pm. Before I leave, I have to take a pink coated triangle from a proffered dish. Perhaps it is a throat sweet or a breath freshener? Nope it is like a big chocolate Smartie. I must make sure to remember to go and see them perform in town later this week.
I work out that it is just possible to articulate my new ladder if I insert a stick under each lever and then with a free leg, nudge the ladder to get the movement started.
I spend the rest of the morning giving the out of reach bits their first coat of white paint.
The Renault garage rings at 4:30pm to inform Monsieur Toookwell that his carte gris is ready for collection. I will collect it tomorrow. I have a plumber coming at 6pm.
Two plumbers, both father and son, turn up at ten past five. Is it okay that they are early? The previously promised piece of concrete does not materialise. We discuss the various projects again and I add a few more sockets for the living room and small bedroom and some electrical flex for the cooker.
The work will now take about 2 weeks and will start on the 15th Sept. although they may come earlier to drill the holes in the walls to enable hot and cold water to be piped from the bathroom to the new kitchen. I have been painting. I should stop painting until they have drilled the holes as there will be a lot of dust from the drilling.
I sign both devis (quotes) and write a cheque for 30 percent of the total cost, The bathroom floor will be tiled and will cost extra, but they need to find out the cost of the tiles. They may drop in with a tile sample some time. I think I am getting beige with a hint of pink. This will go nicely with the blue wall tiles and the green, blotchy wall. I will be painting the wall white.
I picked up a notice about a local department choir starting up again tonight at 8.45pm. I toddle along and enter the sweltering rehearsal room, where about 50 people are assembled. A man with a beard at the door welcomes me and chats to me. He is the captain, or some such. He introduces me to the choirmaster. This is really a rehearsal for the 2 imminent concerts and they will be going over their repertoire. Rehearsal for the new pieces starts on the 17th Sept.
There is another “new” man who has come along as well as about 4 or 5 new women.
I say that I will sit at the back by the door for a few minutes and listen, then go and return on the 17th.
The throng take their seats. I become aware that one at a time people are standing up, saying their name, then giving their singing / choral resume. Then the choir applauds.
I am hidden at the back and if I keep very still and quiet….
But no, there is another new one by the door. Heads swivel and I climb up onto the seat staging so that I can be seen. I deliver the goods in my version of French. I have no recollection if I got applause or not.
I now have to go and sit with the men in the choir. There seems to be a row of approx 10 basses at the very back, and I seem to be sat with 2 tenors, behind half of the ladies.
First we have to slap our faces and cheeks a bit, we stretch up to the sky, we try to touch our toes. We rotate our necks. We breathe in or something with out hands on our stomachs. The leader of the choir speaks very softly and it is hard to hear him, let alone translate into English.
Then the vocal exercises which are not the same as when I was in a choir at school. Different progressions of notes and different vocal sounds.
Finally we sing. They all have binders full of sheet music. Over the course of the next 2 hours we stumble through most of 3 pieces. The choir will be performing in Town in the Mayor’s courtyard next week. They have 2 extra practices before then. They will need it peut-etre? M who is sitting next to me and has shared his music, tells me that after the concert, they are all invited to a big meal by the Mayor. “You eat well in a choir” he tells me.Finally it ends. I tell Michel that I will return on the 17th. I think I was perhaps expected to come to the extra practices but I will wait. It is still very hot and I am knackered. It is 10:45pm. Before I leave, I have to take a pink coated triangle from a proffered dish. Perhaps it is a throat sweet or a breath freshener? Nope it is like a big chocolate Smartie. I must make sure to remember to go and see them perform in town later this week.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
31 Aug 2008 Sunday – Lunch again
Up late today. We walked into town to have lunch at the same restaurant as last Sunday. Nowhere near as busy as last week, the service was just as chaotic. The bread also failed to materialise although two different staff promised to bring it. Although the food is tasty there, we will not be back. The service there is not particularly friendly there either.
Overcast today after the days of temperatures in the 30’s, but it is still warm. The forecast is for storms, but it is not until the evening that the torrential rain, and a few flashes of lightening and rumbles of thunder kick off.
We disconnect the TV, Phone and livebox from the wall sockets as recommended in the literature, and we are now cut off from the world except for the payg mobiles which we bought at Leclerc some days ago.
So it is off to bed listening to the rain hammering on the roof. It is very warm and sleep is difficult.
During the day we began unpacking more of the boxes stored in studio one. It is very hot work. Slowly most of my books and records and winter coats make their way up the stairs to appt 4.
I rig up my small Bush (turntable) to the computer speakers which currently sit on my new buffet in the living room alcove. I am now able to listen to my classic albums from the mid 70’s to the days when I could be sure that the CD was really here to stay. You can say what you like CD’s and MP3 tracks just do not have the same richness of sound. No, I am not going to take a blindfold test. Music becomes more of an occasion, an interactive experience when you have to physically choose, manhandle, put the needle onto the disc and then 15 – 20 minutes later turn the disc over, place the needle ….
Overcast today after the days of temperatures in the 30’s, but it is still warm. The forecast is for storms, but it is not until the evening that the torrential rain, and a few flashes of lightening and rumbles of thunder kick off.
We disconnect the TV, Phone and livebox from the wall sockets as recommended in the literature, and we are now cut off from the world except for the payg mobiles which we bought at Leclerc some days ago.
So it is off to bed listening to the rain hammering on the roof. It is very warm and sleep is difficult.
During the day we began unpacking more of the boxes stored in studio one. It is very hot work. Slowly most of my books and records and winter coats make their way up the stairs to appt 4.
I rig up my small Bush (turntable) to the computer speakers which currently sit on my new buffet in the living room alcove. I am now able to listen to my classic albums from the mid 70’s to the days when I could be sure that the CD was really here to stay. You can say what you like CD’s and MP3 tracks just do not have the same richness of sound. No, I am not going to take a blindfold test. Music becomes more of an occasion, an interactive experience when you have to physically choose, manhandle, put the needle onto the disc and then 15 – 20 minutes later turn the disc over, place the needle ….
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