A long overdue bonjour from the Tarn
The best laid plans…. I seem to be writing that a lot these days. The last month has seen its fair share of unexpected events and the whole range of weather on offer – near enough. We have had winds, snow, ice, fog, sunshine and finally some rain. Of course when the rain came, it really made its presence felt, so much so that our cellar flooded. As I am sure I have mentioned before, our lovely old petit chateau was built at a time when foundations were not a thing, so we are planted solidly on the earth. When we had the tower roof done and contemplated further guttering, the building company said ‘non’. The water falling from the roof onto the soil helps keep the house stable and interfering with that could have very unwanted consequences. The things you learn that make total sense when you know them! The downside is that the drainage we have is not really sufficient so there are also consequences to heavy rainfall.
Monday was a glorious day, 23°C, sunny, warm and with the feel of Spring in the air. It was a joy to fling open all the doors and windows and let the warmth heat the old bones of this house. For the first time in months the house felt comfortable temperature-wise. However, as I started to write this a storm was brewing, the sun was overtaken by thick rolling clouds, the wind picked up and I watched with some trepidation as the trees started to sway. In the end the storm was actually two storms, one each side of our valley – spectacular fork lightening from two different direction. I have never seen anything like it. I did try to get a photo. The lightening evaded my snapping away but I did get a couple of before and after photos to show how much the sky lit up. We were relieved the next morning that the trees had survived as lately we have had one too many fall down. This is great for firewood but the poor copse is beginning to look a little sparse. I don’t know if it is because of the very hot dry conditions in the summer and lack of water, but we have never seen so many come down.
One slightly unusual experience over the last month has been a military exercise in our area. We were totally unaware of this until we were driving back from Lavaur one day, rounded a corner to be confronted (almost) by a soldier in the ditch aiming a machine gun at the road (and thus us). We then encountered an armed vehicle a little further on, also with a gun trained on the road. That weekend on Sunday a convoy of military helicopters buzzed around us, making doors and windows shake, machine gun fire was heard and vehicles rolled through our village firing. Scary. It also makes you think about those in war zones and how lucky we are that it is not us. The noise and sight is quite terrifying – imagine if you knew it was for real.
We have had quite a few trips out, some planned, a few not as I have had several unexpected dentist trips again! I am beginning to sound like someone who does not care for their teeth but I assure you I do. Just a bit of bad luck and damage. A few weekends ago we had some fabulous weather and headed off to the market at St Antonin Noble Val to fulfil a long held wish. We have often passed a stall selling freshly rotisserie cooked chickens and roast potatoes. They look so delicious that we have wanted to try one for ages. The plan was to have a picnic so we didn’t have to bring it home to either eat cold or reheat it. We found a lovely spot near the river with a picnic table and enjoyed the most delicious roast chicken and potatoes with some fresh baguette, also from the market. The potatoes are roasted in the chicken fat, not healthy I know but so yummy. The chicken lasted us for 3 meals including a fabulous salad filled with all sorts of goodies. Even the rescue pet gang enjoyed a few meals of roast chicken. Great value for money, delicious and definitely highly recommended – even from someone contemplating giving up meat.
The end of March approaches and I have been trying to finish this for 2 weeks now! Maybe after my trip away to walk a first stage of the Camino del Norte part of the Camino de Santiago network, I will be refreshed and able to get back in to the swing of updates, renovation news and foodie items. I really hope so as it is fun sharing some of our experiences with you.
We had a bit of a nightmare moment last week, when a second cat went missing in very similar circumstances to Raoul. She went out in the morning and there was no sign of her all day. Nina usually stays quite close to home but it was a lovely day so I didn’t fret too much. No Nina at supper or all evening, no sign of her no sound. In the end we had to go to bed, still no Nina. The next morning no Nina. We were both beginning to fear the worst, but after a search heard a faint meow from our neighbour’s barn. On calling her she eventually poked her nose under the door but couldn’t crawl out. It is very surprising that she didn’t make any noise the day before! We contacted the neighbours and long story short 12 hours after asking them we finally got the cat back. There is a little more to this story but I will leave it at that. Nina safely home, very stressed and even more nervous than usual, but alive! You can imagine our worries!
On another gorgeous day I will leave you. Tomorrow it is set to be 25C, so a day to cut grass and tidy the garden a bit, as well as work.
The next time I write I will have been on my 60th birthday walk so be prepared for tales from that adventure and photos of the North Spanish coast. The weather forecast is not great but….
Happy Easter to you all.
A bientôt
Ali xx