The Compleat Anglo in the Pays Basque

174. River frolics

2012-01-15T09:04:00.060+01:00

15th January 2012. I had a novel experience yesterday morning down at the river and it was one that I have absolutely no wish to repeat! It was bracingly cold - it couldn't have been much more than 5°C (I can hear howls of derisive laughter from mid Canada!) but we're spoilt here as far as weather is concerned so when it's down to 5°C it does feel cold. Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, after the usual milling about, handshakes all round for the mecs and bises for the nénettes, four of us mecs decided we'd take a coxless IV out.

The outing started fairly well with the occasional promise that we were getting somewhere. At one point we heard the sound of a boat ahead of us getting louder and louder and, as we started to overtake it, we saw it was a women's VIII. No words needed to be spoken but a sudden turbo-like surge of testosterone-fuelled power saw us shoot past them.. If you have any competitive instincts at all, this challenge was irresistible and the response was entirely understandable! (Yes!) After that, we stretched it out a bit and continued on up the river. Turning around, things started to gel a bit more and as we really settled to the task the rowing became crisper and more punchy.. As we entered the last few km, we worked up the rhythm to a hot sprint and we shot at full pelt underneath a footbridge that's only about 1½ km from home.

Suddenly, there was an almighty crash and the boat stopped dead in the water as we tangled with a part-submerged tree that we hadn't seen.. (payback for overtaking the girls!☺) The current then took charge and the boat started tipping over to the right (in ever-so-slow motion) before it turned completely over.. I always use Velcro straps to secure my feet tightly to the stretcher and as the boat went over my feet stayed firmly strapped in (which was a bit unnerving). I went under but managed to kick myself free. By now the boat was floating upside down and we were all starting to feel the cold of the water.

As luck would have it, a few minutes later a club VIII came storming around the nearest bend with a coach following in a small speedboat and, on seeing us, he shot across to heave us out of the water (which was getting colder by the minute). Once aboard, we managed to retrieve our trainers which were bobbing about. Another speedboat arrived to take the upturned IV in tow back to the clubhouse while we returned to the pontoon. I had a cold and squelchy trip home!

Once there, I had a long hot shower followed by a hot chocolate with a splash of whisky in it.. That really hit the spot and I felt much better! (Note to self: must fall in more often!) We did 16km before going for an early bath. That river water was cold though.. Thinking about it afterwards, I can't remember ever falling out of a boat before - and I started rowing in 195... well, a long time ago.☺
Later. Every picture tells a story:

No prizes for guessing! Mmmmm.. I've mentioned Château Bouscassé before here - a stunning Madiran that deserves wider acclaim - and I'd managed to find a bottle before Christmas. We had some friends around for dinner and I was still feeling the effects of that morning dip in the Nive (honestly!) so I thought a morale-booster was called for. It didn't disappoint.. If you like your reds on the meaty side, then see if you can find one wherever you are. (Available in the US, UK, Ireland and elsewhere). Make sure it's at room temperature when you drink it - if you have an airing cupboard leave it there for a few hours. And if you do manage to find one, let me know your thoughts on it - either via the comments or via email (link in LH margin).

17th January 2012. We've noticed that nightfall is finally starting to get a little later each evening. About time. Living here has altered my perception of the march of the seasons through the year. I used to tell myself (in England) that I enjoyed all the seasons equally, which was just as well as I had no choice! Sometimes, just to reinforce the point, we'd experience all four seasons during the same day..! But, I have to say, having now experienced the pleasures of wearing shorts for 6 months of the year (if not longer) and living outside just about every day, the return of those long days and warmer weather can't come soon enough for us both. At 8am though, as I write, it's still dark - and cold; but things are on the move.

In looking for a picture of the spot where we had our 'shipwreck', I came across this atmospheric shot of a very high Nive running in front of the covered market:
Finally, if you ever feel that your life has become humdrum, and that you could do with a bit of excitement -then maybe this clip is what you've been looking for (but I doubt it!). Best in full screen:

Saturday, 22nd January. Our plan to celebrate Burns night (25th January) wi' a haggis have fallen apart.. The shop I'd found on the internet that sold haggis appears to be no more. Googling Haggis by mail order, I found a Scottish site that was charging ~£5 for a haggis and a whopping £31 to post the thing here..!! Don't let the gory details put you off - haggis is delicious - even Madame loves it!

Burns suppers are great occasions and it's customary for someone to propose a Toast to the Lassies.. Here's a Toast to the Lassies delivered by someone who's clearly enjoying himself (and feeling no pain!):

I should add that it's traditional to drink whisky throughout the meal.. well, strictly speaking, not traditional - but infinitely preferable.. Can't argue with that!

Finally, here's a short clip that appeared on TF1 about a family-run hotel at Bidart (between Biarritz & St Jean de Luz).

24th January 2012. Yesterday's lunchtime news on TF1 featured a short report on a sport I've not mentioned here much but it's one that's omnipresent throughout the Pays Basque - just about every self-respecting Basque village will have a fronton.. and it's far from unusual to see private houses with their own small fronton in the garden. What's it all about I hear you ask? The sport in question is Pelote Basque and it's a ball game that's played outdoors against a fronton (a high wall) or indoors in a Trinquet.. When played with a chistera, it becomes the fastest ball game in the world.

Les trinquets, l'âme du Pays Basque

There was another feature on TF1 at lunchtime today about the Pays Basque - this time, a report about fishing at St Jean de Luz. I had to laugh at the fisherman at 01:40 who talks of his love for the sea and fish - as he casually rips a hook out of a fish's mouth:

Promenade au Pays-Basque : une halte à Saint-Jean-de-Luz

173. Biarritz glitz

2012-01-05T08:22:00.016+01:00

3rd January 2012. I suspect I'm not alone in asking where 2011 went! Back last night from a most enjoyable but all-too-short few days away over the New Year with our friends up at Tours. As it was such a sunny and relatively mild day (~15°C/59°F), we drove into Biarritz towards late afternoon to take some air and look at the Christmas light show before it finished. The palm trees outside Galeries Lafayette (known by the locals as Biarritz-Bonheur) had been covered in thousands of small LEDs and the result was magical..

(For a link that shows Biarritz in its heyday, click here and here). Here's another video that explains the history of Biarritz:

And one in Spanish (just for Ines) that shows Biarritz as it is today:

Walking along the front, the warm light from the low slanting sun threw the pounding surf into sharp relief and where was the camera when I needed it? Yes, you've guessed it.. These images approximate to how it looked but they don't really do it justice:

Unfortunately the light show had finished but here are some videos that will give you a flavour of it all:

Here's a piece by J S Bach that I heard for the first time over the holidays - it was new to me and here it is played on both the piano and the organ. It's his Choral Prelude BWV 639:

5th January 2012. Think we might just be in for a blustery wet night tonight. The forecast is only for gusts of 55kmh but it feels a lot stronger than that.

I'll be going down to the river on Saturday morning for the first time since I had the injections in my knees about a month ago. It will be the first return for one of the girls too, coming back after a shoulder injury, so we might take a double sculler out for a gentle sortie up the river. Once I'm in the boat I'm usually OK - it's the getting in and out that has caused me problems in the past.

7th January 2012. I was roped in for an outing in a coxed quad sculler on this sunny morning for my first outing since having the injections in my knees in early December. We worked our way upriver against a very strong current without stopping and I was happy when we finally did stop to turn around after 8-9kms. With the current, we shot downstream and it was with thoughts of the "1st Saturday of the month" apéro that we hauled the boat out of the water. Unfortunately, it was not to be - possibly because Bayonne are playing Union Bordeaux-Bègles at 2.15pm (I think) this afternoon. My knees were OK but I picked up several blisters on my hands due to the lay-off. Nice to be back in a boat again though.

The unthinkable happened this afternoon - Aviron Bayonnais lost 20-27 to Bègles..

172. St Jean de Luz out of season

2011-12-16T09:37:00.041+01:00

16th December 2011. Yesterday Madame thought it would be a good idea if I took a break from my PC and so we drove down to St Jean de Luz in the afternoon. The car was registering a warm 17C (63F) and unlike in summer, parking at St J was a doddle. The Christmas tourists from Paris, Bordeaux or Toulouse have still to arrive so we had the town more or less to ourselves. We found the prime spot to leave the car on the sea front (normally unobtainium) and stepped up to the sea wall to look at the bay. What we saw stopped us dead in our tracks. Normalement, the bay is calmness itself and it's probably one of the safest places to bathe on the Côte Basque - but it was high tide and a raging surf was running right beneath us with rollers surging into the bay and breaking over the usually benign beaches.

Further north, there'd been a deep low pressure circulation out the Atlantic for some days and the onshore winds have been whipping up the Golfe de Gascogne (better known to us Anglos as the Bay of Biscay) with the result as described. Despite the fury of the sea, there were around 15 or so surfers out there braving the elements. Looking out beyond the breakwaters, towering grey rollers were rearing up high before breaking in a foamy turmoil - difficult to estimate how high they were but I would have said a minimum of 5 metres.. Quite a few other people were standing on the promenade - like us - transfixed by the spectacle. The normally flat horizon was jagged with these angry waves that were forming far out to sea. The breakwaters themselves were disappearing every few seconds in explosive welters of dazzling white foam. As we walked along the sea front I found myself stopping every few steps to have another look. The size and power of some of the waves out at sea beggared belief.. I'd like to have taken the car out on the Corniche (coast road) between St Jean de Luz and Hendaye to see if that celebrated wave at Belharra was running. We took one last look before reluctantly stepping down a side street and heading down to the Place Louis XIV for a coffee.

On days like this, St Jean de Luz was a real pleasure to be footloose & fancy free in.. There were only locals and the narrow streets were blessedly free of stop/start crowds. We selected a table at the Bar de la Marine which is, as the link says, ideally situated in the heart of the town centre for people watching. It's also right next to the inner harbour. Sitting there in the warm sunshine it was hard to believe that Christmas was only 10 days away and still not a bunga bunga party in my diary! (I jest of course!)

While we're on the maritime theme, here's an old one from Christopher Cross:

Haven't played Django for a while but this morning I caught this on TSF Jazz (have a listen here) - & thought you might like it. Here's the man with Hubert Rostaing on clarinet:

Right - back to work!

Later.. I've just been closing all our heavy wooden shutters at the rear of the house (that faces due west) as the forecast is for some strong winds during the night. At times like this I'm glad we had the place double-glazed. If we hadn't have had it done, it would have been one cold & draughty night here. As it is, by the time any stray gusts have found their way past the shutters (that are almost an inch thick), and past the double glazing, whatever force the wind had has been completely spent.

I don't usually comment on politics here but you would have had to have been living on another planet not to have heard about the latest spat between France and Britain.. Here's Matt's view of it all..!

20th December 2011. If you know Bayonne, here's a short video of the town in 1900.. and it's completely recognisable from those far-off days. As you might expect, the pavement cafés spilling over into the road have gone but for the rest - well, see for yourself:

I spotted a Vacherin Mont d'Or lurking in the fridge yesterday.. ready for Christmas. Forget farmhouse cheddar, Stilton, American cheese or what have you - this is the king of cheeses. Made both in Switzerland and in France, there's everything you need to know about Vacherin (and many other cheeses) here. Here's a short video that shows how the Swiss do things:

I think I'm going to be pulling the plug here for a few days while we ingest an excessive amount of calories.. so to all of you out there in Blogistan, your correspondent wishes you a very Happy Christmas and good health in the New Year.. It's been an extremely busy few months for me with work and it looks as though the New Year will be more of the same. I'm enjoying it very much but when the warm weather returns I might be saying that through gritted teeth! So, away with you, go and wrap the dog or take your presents for a walk.. while I warm my feet by the fire we don't have..

Spare a thought for those who aren't as fortunate.. I'm looking for somewhere (like a childrens hospital or similar) in Bayonne to take a box of toys..

"Piperade Towers" is in fairly close proximity to the Court in Bayonne and the road outside the house is heavily used for parking by members of the legal profession. We (the royal we) parked on the pavement outside our house a couple of months ago and picked up a 35€ parking ticket. Curiously, when the court is in session the pavements are full of Mercs, BMWs, Audis etc parked with two wheels up on the narrow pavement - the parking gods must be smiling on them as they never seem to attract the attention of the local police. Wonder if it's got anything to do with this sticker which they all display prominently on their windscreens? Surely not..! (Thinks: how can I print one off..?)

23rd December 2011. I heard a day or two ago that Cape Verde's finest export (perhaps its only one) - Cesario Evora - had died.. I featured one of her songs a year or two ago after we'd been given one of her CDs.

This next one is probably her best known song:

Finally, let's end on a happy note:

171. Now is the winter of our content..

2011-12-02T12:52:00.068+01:00

2nd December 2011. After the quick trip down to Salon de Provence earlier this week I've been spending the last day or two catching up with all the trivia. However, there's one event that can't be ignored and it's one that's coming up fast over the horizon. I'm referring of course to Christmas.. I was looking at this French 'ard deescoont' site for Madame's favourite eau de toilette but they don't appear to stock it so a visit to the perfumed halls of Galeries Lafayette in Bayonne is called for. I must also pay a call to the chocolatiers in town for some of that dark, dark chocolate that she loves. If you want to spoil your sweetheart (and why wouldn't you?) take a look at some of the chocolatiers in the Pays Basque who have a web presence: here, here or here.

Here's a clip from our local beach at Anglet (just 5 mins north of Biarritz) - the perfect place for a post-lunch bumble!

Anglet

Yesterday afternoon we went down to the beach at Anglet and according to the car it was an unseasonable 20½C (or 69 in Ye Olde half-timbered Fahrenheit) - on 1st December already! No complaints from me though. There was a thunderous surf running, huge rollers were rearing up and crashing with depth charge-like explosions of whiter-than-white foam against the end of the jetty, the air was heavy with salt spray and the dog's ears were flapping horizontal in the wind!

I've just found the following clip which was filmed at Anglet during some heavy seas last February. Scroll forward to start at 0:50.. At the mouth of the Adour there are a couple of breakwaters that we often walk out on to watch the sea. On days like the one in the clip below however, the council puts barriers out to persuade all but the eejits to remain onshore. You can see why at 4:06..! The sea front is dotted with German blockhouses that look as though they might just last for 1,000 years (as promised!).

Lawn Update.. (you've been waiting for this haven't you!) We've been re-seeding the moth-eaten sections of the optimistically named lawn with grass seed that claims to be 'Rustique Sud'. This is a grass that has a broader leaf and the Sud part of the name implies that it should be successful in these 'ere parts. Meanwhile the local bird population must be thinking that it's an early Christmas for them too! I think we have a couple of pigeons nesting in one of the trees and their idea of a good day out is to peck great holes in the lawn. Little treasures! This morning I set a net up over the grass in an attempt to give it a fighting chance of survival. We'll see.

The Christmas Village in town opened yesterday.. I haven't been down to see it yet but here's a look at last year's:

Meanwhile, these lines by A E Houseman have been running through my head:

Into my heart an air that kills

From yon far country blows:

What are those blue remembered hills,

What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,

I see it shining plain,

The happy highways where I went

And cannot come again.

3rd December 2011. A brisk outing on a cold river in an VIII sculler this morning - we finished up being pursued by another VIII, set up for rowing (as opposed to sculling). If you're unsure of the difference have a squint at this. We did 17km - with the last 2-3km being quite lively! Then into the clubhouse for an apéro as it's the first Saturday in the month.

I went into Spain this afternoon to stock up with a few essentials (think Scotland - that's all I'm saying!). In the steeply sloping fields of the border area I saw a few new-born lambs of the season tottering about in their mother's wake.. looking as if they were made of pipe cleaners. They don't normally make their appearance so early do they?

4th December 2011. Just been out to the baker mentioned here for a baguette tradition - these are the best baguettes in Bayonne by a long way. I've been to this baker perhaps 3-4 times before and I've always asked for a baguette tradition bien cuite (ie, well baked) each time. Three or four times is not very often so today when I asked for a baguette tradition (forgetting the bien cuite), the lady turned around to select one and she added, "Bien cuite!" I congratulated her on her memory and she laughed.. I don't suppose she numbers too many Brits among her customers. (so much for my accent!!)

That's one of the aspects of living in a town this size that I enjoy - you do get to make contact with people. I was at the garden centre this afternoon buying a new lead for the pooch - in that endearing way of his he'd chewed his way through the last one and it parted this morning in the centre of Bayonne while I was en route to buy bread. Anyway, back at the garden centre I bumped into one of the girls from the rowing club - she greatly resembles Charlotte Rampling - and she planted a couple of bisous on my cheeks - this is one 'furrin' tradition that should be encouraged in England!

Spotted this picture (right) in a BBC TV report about the recent demonstrations in London against the government cutbacks. Somehow I don't think the Brits have quite yet grasped the noble art of demonstrating. This sign won't be giving David Cameron many sleepless nights!☺ It's completely in line though with an observation someone once made that if ever there was a revolution in England and the howling mob was told to 'take' a railway station, they'd all buy platform tickets. Revolutions don't work in mild climates. We've been brought up to be polite, not make a fuss, show consideration for others, say 'sorry' if someone bumps into us and so we don't really do rampaging.. It's not our style. I'm not trying to claim some form of moral superiority here but that's how it is.

While we're thinking about surf, have a look at these truly disturbing images of very large waves that are found just a little bit further south down the coast. It's the giant wave that breaks on the Belharra Reef, just to the south of St Jean de Luz.. Any takers?

6th December 2011. There are odd things I notice here that sometimes I wish I carried a dictaphone for.. I've got the memory of a goldfish these days. As it is, I was reminded by something on the radio just a few minutes ago of a cliché that's used here a lot in the media if they're discussing something British. Whatever it is they are discussing, if it's British it's always labelled "So British".. whatever that means. And another thing - it's become fashionable now for people in the media to use the word 'Yes' as a kind of exclamation mark.. One last one - I saw an advert in one of those free "What's On in the Côte Basque" magazines for a bar that promises drinks, ambiance and 'fooding'. Again, so British!

With Christmas coming up, here's a little reminder of you-know-what:

11th December 2011. On Thursday I was at the rhumatologues for some injections in my knees. About 2 years ago, he gave me a series of 3 injections over 2 weeks in my knees of a silicon-like compound. On Thursday, I was there for an all-in-one shot via a needle about the size of a bicycle pump (only a slight exaggeration..). He preceded it with (look away now!) an anaesthetic shot into each knee, followed by the 'Big One'. Afterwards, I walked to the car feeling quite sprightly but later on I was hobbling around as the effects of the anaesthesia wore off. Sunday sees me still moving awkwardly but hopefully things will have settled down in a day or two.

Strange but nonetheless very welcome weather this year - yesterday afternoon it was a balmy 19C (66F).. It's difficult to imagine Christmas being a matter of only two weeks away. I went out and bought a proper desk chair yesterday. With all the time I'm spending stuck in front of this screen with work, my old Victorian wooden chair was putting a permanent flat spot on my backside.. so this modern cushioned swivelling tiltable adjustable jobby was sorely needed.

13th December 2011. Here's a Paul McCartney song that I was unfamiliar with until I heard it on the radio the other day for the first time.. There's something very nostalgic about the first few lines that reminds me of those 'Rupert' books that I used to read as a kid at my aunty's house. She always kept a few early ones under a cushion and they were much sought after. They were beautifully illustrated in a slightly surreal style - the professor in his smoking jacket, hot air balloons, castles in the clouds etc set against an iridescent background. I see from the link above that the current price is £70..

The Dubliners have long been a favourite of mine - here's Barney MacKenna with his instrumental version of 'Boulevogue'..

14th December 2011. If you'd like to see what's happening in Bayonne right now - clicking on this will take you to a live web cam set up in front of the Town Hall - it shows a small part of the Christmas market. If you'd like to see it in HD full screen, then click on the small icon to the right of the slider at the foot of the webcam image.. (then Esc to leave) Clicking on this will take you to a Basque choir..

Meanwhile Biarritz, our more glitzy neighbours just 10 minutes down the road, is putting on a spectacular light show this year:

We'll definitely be taking a look..

In the interests of balance, I can't leave St Jean de Luz out so here's a short video I liberated from their Tourist Office site:

170. Dark nights in the Pays Basque

2011-11-23T18:10:00.035+01:00

23rd November 2011. This morning I was at the coiffeurs getting coiffed (that's a haircut to you and me..) by the coiffeuse when I asked her about a nice old house across the road that had clearly been standing empty for a long while. In the few years since I'd first noticed it, it had been looking increasingly forlorn and severely in need of major restoration. Apparently it had belonged to a notaire but, for some unfathomable reason, he'd allowed it to go to rack and ruin. However, over the past few months, it has been finally getting 'the treatment' from a small army of artisans who have been hard at work putting it back in order. The word is that it's going to be a bank and I was told that it had been sold 'à la bougie' (English translation here) at the Town Hall.

I had to look this up as it was a new term to me. It seems that this is an ancient method, dating from the 15th century, of controlling the sale of property at an auction. For voluntary sales, properties are commonly sold à la bougie. Whoever is running the auction lights a small candle to start the bidding. This burns until the last bid is made, at which point another candle is lit. Both candles must then burn out without another bid being made, then the final bid is considered as accepted.

There's another of these run-down properties, a large Basque house dating from the '20s, just around the corner from here which is receiving armloads of TLC.. I shudder to think what the final bill will be as there's been a constant to-ing and fro-ing of specialists of all kinds with their ubiquitous white vans outside for at least 4-5 months. The first thing to go was the roof - all the tiles came off and then all the old roof beams were junked before a new roof was built and tiled. My guess is that the new owner won't see much change from a million euros. I remember the asking price wasn't far off half a million - unrestored.

With just over a month to go, you'd be hard-pressed to spot any sign of impending Christmas here - I haven't seen any Christmas lights up yet. It's far from the cash register churning event it's evolved into in the UK with the nature, trend and volume of retail sales being reported, analysed and talked to death by 'retail experts' in the main evening news. Here, I see that the Christmas village for kids is being set up in front of the Town Hall from 1st-24th December.

I had to resort to ordering some Christmas cards via the internet as greeting card shops are thin on the ground here. In the UK, greeting card shops are embedded in every High Street and there's a card for every occasion. A different story here - there's not much choice when it comes to Christmas cards as the custom is to send New Year cards rather than Christmas cards or, heaven forbid, Happy Winter Holiday cards - don't start me off!

Christmas is more of a family-orientated day here with practically none of the razzamatazz that seems part and parcel of it elsewhere. Christmas dinner takes place on Christmas Eve which is all well and good - until Christmas Day arrives.. It's absolutely no hardship at all for me to sit down to a groaning table on Christmas Eve - the difficulty comes when you're faced with relative abstinence the following day, particularly after a lifetime of being programmed to eat Christmas dinner on Christmas Day! Solution? A French Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and an English Christmas dinner on Christmas Day - followed by a call to DynoRod^®..!

One thing I do miss about Christmas in the UK is the annual showing on TV of "Where Eagles Dare" - without which no respectable senior programme editor would deem the Christmas period programming to be complete - though I've never quite seen the seasonal link between it and Christmas..

I'm away in the south of France next week for a few days for a meeting with my customer. I've just dispatched an almighty wodge of work (technical term!) to him and so next week, I'm hopping on the TGV to Paris - yes, Paris! - before changing stations and catching another TGV to come all the way back down south again. While we're talking about TGVs, here's a reminder of the current world record holder at just shy of 360mph.. (disregard the typo below - the record was set at 574kmh..)

Having looked at all the options (air, road, train) it turned out that this was the optimum method of doing the journey.. It's only when faced with planning a trip like this that you realise just how Paris-centric the transport infrastructure is. (Note to self: need to brush up on how to knot a tie again!)

Looking out of the window in the last few minutes, it seemed to go dark suddenly in the space of a few minutes. As the sun is well over the yard arm I think the time could be ripe for an 'attitude adjuster'..

26th November 2011. A cold and misty outing on the river this morning in a coxless IV. There was a good turn-out and we managed to put out a couple of VIIIs and maybe 5-6 IVs. As we gained the upper reaches of the Nive we entered a monochrome world - not of black and white - with a weak sun breaking through the morning mist and lighting the scene in the palest of yellows. At one point we looked behind us and an VIII was silhouetted against the golden light as the crew turned it around and - as one - we all wished we'd had our cameras with us.. (14km)

Into Bayonne this afternoon with the dog looking for ideas for Christmas. Spotted a few likely candidates - such as these marrons glacés - and one or two other things.

Forgot to mention that SaxMan™ is back in town.. he was standing outside Galeries Lafayette playing another endlessly repeated riff.

Here's something to take your minds off the cold weather.. this was the absolutely mesmerising intermission act during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin.. Warning: Don't try this at home! (especially not in your slippers!)

This next one launches into a series of Riverdance clips.. I've heard that many people on the internet are reputed to have the attention span of the average goldfish☺but if you've never seen 'Riverdance' - stick with it.. you'll be amazed! Step forward to around 1:15..

We saw the 'Riverdance' show in the UK and what an unforgettable experience that was..!

And finally, here's something I found earlier - a magnificent slow-motion clip (1,000 frames/sec) of an eagle owl about to rip to shreds that nice silk tie that Auntie Ethel gave you for Christmas last year - it's best in full screen!

169. TVPI - our local Pays Basque TV

2011-11-04T16:24:00.180+01:00

3rd November 2011. I finished the latest large lump of work today. I've been working 12 hour days - and longer - to break the back of this job. Tomorrow, I'll have to start reviewing and checking all I've done. A satisfying feeling though.

If you've ever wondered what Bayonne is like (and come on, be honest, who hasn't!) then here are a couple of short films from our local TV station - TVPI. If you pronounce this in the French fashion it comes out as "Tay Vay Payee" - Pays being French for country. It's not an exact translation though as Pays in French has a strong connotation with the part of the country you're from - as in roots. Anyway, here's Part 1. If you speak French and you're wondering why you can't understand a word he's saying - the answer is he's speaking Basque.

Here's Part 2:

This short film concerns itself with the stone markers that delineate the border between France and Spain up in the hills:

And as we head into the darker days of autumn and winter, here's a reminder of summer fun at St Jean de Luz..

4th November 2011. I stopped off at Carrefour today to have a quick look at their wine dept to see if they stocked Château Bouscassé.. Interestingly, they did - but where the display should have been was a large empty space - so I'm obviously not the only one who likes it.. I fancied buying a few bottles before the Christmas shopping avalanche starts - although I might already be too late! (just found this link here to a UK supplier who stocks Alain Brumont's wines - including Château Bouscassé - give yourself a treat this Christmas!)

5th November 2011. Around this time last year the rains started.. it rained every day for a month. OK, sometimes the rain arrived overnight but there wasn't one day for a complete month that didn't have some rain in it. This morning, at 6.30am it was raining when I let the dog out for his early morning inspection of his territory. Not sure about rowing yet this morning.. I don't mind too much if it starts raining while I'm out on the water but putting a boat out in the middle of a downpour ain't my idea of fun. We'll see.

We went across the border to Spain as there's a small shop there that makes copies of Hermès handbags at a fraction of the price of the real thing. Afterwards we were in St Jean de Luz in the late afternoon for a few errands - we (the royal we) were window-shopping here in the Rue Gambetta (the main shopping street) when a rain shower blew through so we looked around and we noticed that we were only a quick dash away from Maison Etchebaster - a long-established (1909) pâtisserie and chocolatier and another good address (I hope you're making a note of all these!) for a hot chocolate and a macaron. Just after we found a table, other people came in dripping and suddenly the place was full. This was the first time I've had a macaron from here and it was deliciously heavy with ground almonds.

In keeping with the French predilection for occasionally giving their shops bizarre names - we saw a supermarket called Le Mutant up near Arcachon a few months ago - and on the way back home to Bayonne I saw a sign for the Café Bullimic (exactly as it was spelled).. I imagine they'd need security on the door there to keep the crowds out!

I mentioned macarons above and I should point out that these come in different styles. There are these that come in a range of luminous colours and are quite addictive. Paul make them as do Dodin; L Raux at Bayonne; Henriet, Biarritz; and there must be others.

Then there are the ones made at Maison Adam (below).. a delightfully old fashioned pâtisserie & chocolatier (established in 1660..!) in St Jean de Luz. Check out their surprisingly modern web site. You're going to hate me for telling you this but you can order online.. and with Christmas looming over the horizon, why not give your lady an unexpected treat..?

Explaining what they all taste like is impossible in words so the only solution is to make your way down here and get stuck into some real hard work of comparative tasting. As the saying has it - it's a tough job but someone has to do it! My particular favourite are the pistachio flavoured ones from the multi-coloured range above. And maybe the dark chocolate ones. Well, you can't stop at two - which is why they come in boxes of 6, 12 or 24..

I must admit to being quite taken with the macarons we had this afternoon at Maison Etchebaster.. The price was a pleasant surprise too - at 1.60€ for two.

6th November 2011. Downstairs early this morning (~7am) to let the dog out - which is normally an occasion of great excitement for him. This morning? He poked his nose out of the door to the garden, sniffed the air for a few seconds which was full of rain lashing down before he reluctantly decided to step outside. Wonder if we're in for a month of rain like last year?

7th November 2011. Day 3 - still raining..

8th November 2011. Day 4 - it must have rained during the night as the terrace was wet this morning. Uh-oh.. we could be in for another wet November although it's forecast to be 21C here tomorrow - which probably only means that the rain will be warm..

I received the latest batch of work last night so I'm afraid I won't have too much time for the blog. You'll have to talk amongst yourselves for 2-3 weeks while I dispose of it.

At a time when financial pressures are squeezing French restaurants and some are being accused of 'dumbing down', lowering standards and serving bought-in meals, it's reassuring to watch clips like this one that featured on lunchtime's TF1 news today.. It makes me feel like jumping in the car and driving straight up there!

9th November 2011. This morning the sky echoed to a familiar sound.. multiple straggling V formations of grues cendrées (cranes) heading south west on their annual migration to warmer climes. An inspiring sight and one that reminds me that the mystery of migration is another aspect of nature we don't fully understand.. Long may it remain so.

Meanwhile, Honda is continuing to develop its intriguing Asimo robot.. video here.. Think about the stunning technology that lies behind this latest iteration. And just think what it will capable of in future.. They could work on production lines doing endlessly repetitive tasks 24/7.. 52 weeks of the year. No need to pay them, no social charges, no pensions, no holidays, no sickness benefits. If that scenario ever came to fruition, how long do you think it would be before they were unionised!

11th November 2011. Beautiful morning down here in the Pays Basque so we decided to have lunch outside somewhere..

First though, this was the year we finally decided to have an artificial Christmas tree. I've avoided these things like the plague in the past - but the baggage associated with buying a real tree has become a pain - driving out to the garden centre to pick "the right one" from the thousands of hopefuls, squeezing it into the car, getting it into the house, persuading the dog not to pee on it (!), before removing it and disposing of it afterwards. Plus getting rid of all the needles from the house and the car..

It felt decidedly weird to be going out to buy a Christmas tree under blue skies with the temperature at 11am already climbing past 20+.. We ended up at Carrefour (where else?) where we found the one we wanted and, of course, it was Made in China. Is it me or is there not something slightly odd about the idea of a factory half way around the world in far off China churning out fake Christmas trees by the thousand - made by people who (presumably) have no idea of the symbolism and magic of Christmas? Another straw in the wind.

Artificial trees have come a long way since their introduction to the UK market in the 50s when they were made by - you'll never believe this - Addis (of toilet brush fame). This factoid wasn't widely advertised at the time (I wonder why!) - I guess the marketing men saw early on that this particular product linkage was a non-starter. They were quick to realise that the festive attraction of a 7 foot quasi-toilet brush occupying pride of place would have only limited market appeal.. And despite what it says here (scroll down to the 'Controversy' paras!), the Christmas tree will always be known as the Christmas tree in this house - not the Holiday tree. (Aaarrgghh!)

Anyway, where were we..? Oh yes - lunch! We headed south to Ascain to our old restaurant there.. Sitting at a table on their terrace overlooking the Pyrenees ½ hour later, it was hard to believe the date.. 11th November and, according to the car, it was 25.5°C (78°F!) They were still running their Autumn menu that features the best of local produce.. The starter? We both went for the Autumnal platter.. Jambon de Bayonne, some coarse pâté, asparagus tips, pan fried foie gras, some ventrèche, a few gherkins (or jerkins as Madame pronounces it!) and a few other bits and pieces. We started to make inroads on a bottle of Gorri d'Ansa Irouleguy.. Following the advice of C, the waiter, we'd both ordered wild boar for our main course and we weren't disappointed.. Butter soft and served with cranberries and potatoes sautéed in goose fat, things went quiet for a while.. As they say here - an angel passed.. After that, grape sorbet with Marc d'Irouleguy was the perfect antidote.. After a coffee, we re-traced the old walk we used to make around the village - up through the trees and winding lanes.

12th November 2011. Down to the river this morning for an outing in a VII sculler - yes, a seven.. We went out with no-one occupying the bow seat - or 8 as it's known in France - as its riggers were missing. We did 16km on a warm morning. By the way, I'm not keeping a running total this year. I only did it last year because I was curious to see how far I rowed in a year.

13th November 2011. Something reminded me of this brilliant advert for Carling Black Label lager this morning..

It was warm enough today (24C) to set the table and chairs out for lunch.. and it was shorts and t-shirt weather too.. in mid-November..!

After the usual trip to the déchetterie with garden rubbish, I'd gone on to the market at Anglet and bought a pain levain.. which had the crispiest crust of any baguette we've had for a long time. I opened a bottle of Château Peyros Madiran.. which was just right with a roast farm chicken. I'd be more than happy to drink this at Christmas.

Afterwards, I sat there in the sunshine, with a Greek coffee (and a cigarillo) - hard to believe that Christmas is only about 6 weeks away.

20th November 2011. An outing in a coxed IV yesterday morning - did 16km in perfect conditions - it was high tide on the river so there was virtually no current and while there was bright sunshine, it wasn't enough to make rowing uncomfortable. It was cool enough for most of us to be in leggings.. A newish member (Franco-American) somehow managed to go for an early bath as he was leaving the pontoon in a single sculler.. over he went - sploosh.. Luckily for him the current wasn't running otherwise the outcome might have been different. The river narrows here to pass through the town and sometimes there can be a fierce current.

With the approach of winter, here's a clip I found of Biarritz shot in December - when it's so different to the madding crowds of July and August. The hills in the background at the right are the Trois Couronnes (3 Crowns) and it was around these that the Comet Line evaders would climb en route to freedom.

At 8am yesterday morning I finished the first pass of the current instalment of work - 1,000+ PowerPoint slides on aviation meteorology edited and corrected. Last night I started the review process of all I'd done and I should be able to email it all away by mid week. Phew!

168. Mussels in Brussels..

2011-10-28T21:55:00.047+02:00

26th October 2011. Back home late on Monday night after a long weekend away in Belgium for the Comète Line Reunion. If the activities of the WWII Comète Line are new to you, here's an excellent intro. We'd decided to drive up to Belgium and it took us ~11 hours to do the 1100km. The plan was to stay two nights with B and then two nights with A (B's brother) and L-M.

Although our GPS coverage shuts down at the frontiers of Gaul - it's a case of Here be dragons beyond that - we somehow managed to find B's house which was situated in a winding maze of unmarked country lanes in farming country about 40 minutes south of Brussels. A hearty portion of steak/frites eased down with a couple of glasses of red in a nearby village restored the inner man and we were ready for bed.

We had a good night's coma and the next morning we decided to do some tidying up of B's garden. Despite it being much colder than we're used to - the car was covered in frost - after that long drive north it was good to be out in the bright sunshine under a blue sky. We collected fallen branches and a few old logs and it wasn't long before there was the crackle of burning wood as the flames took hold (a 1 match job!) and soon a healthy column of blue smoke was rising up in the crisp morning air. After lunch, B took us for a drive around the tangle of lanes and showed us some local landmarks. The evening saw us in Brussels where we met Jeanine de Greef (daughter of Elvire aka "Tante Go"- the legendary head of Comète's operations in south west France) together with C and A (A is the daughter of Freddy de Greef - Elvire's brother). Don't worry about all the names - there won't be a test! We enjoyed mussels and frites at that grand old Bruxelloise institution - Chez Léon. This deserves a place on anyone's list of top 50 places to eat before you die..

We were up early on Saturday morning and after a quick breakfast we were back on the road to Brussels again where we would join up with everyone. I was wearing a tie for the first time in a loong time and once again my trusty diagram saved the day! We climbed aboard our coach for a tour of sites of special relevance to the Comète Line. We drove past the Swedish Canteen - a front for the de facto centre of Comète operations in wartime Brussels - stopping at the plaque honouring Jean Greindl aka 'Nemo' (who ran the Brussels operation for 6 months before being arrested in February 1943) before heading out to the De Jongh family home in Schaerbeek to lay some flowers. We then drove on to the Enclos des Fusillés where 11 members of Comète were shot on 20th October 1943. (Edith Cavell - Andrée de Jongh's inspiration - was shot here during the Great War) It still retains its dank, sombre and poignant atmosphere - not somewhere that you'd choose to spend your last moments on earth.

After this we travelled a bit further to the Monument of the Women deported to Ravensbrück at Woluwé St Lambert where flowers were laid by 'Nadine' (herself a survivor of Ravensbrück) and 'Monique'.

Everyone was very moved by this visit and it remains a fitting memorial to Man's inhumanity to Man.

It was here that I became aware of Henriette 'Monique' Hanotte. She'd been a guide for Comète, passing evaders across the Franco-Belge frontier until she was 'burnt' - ie, her identity compromised. At this point, she made the long journey with Comète down to south west France and eventually landed back in England where she was trained as an SOE agent. Here's a 7 part film that describes the Special Operations Executive (SOE) that was initiated by Churchill after the fall of France. By the way, the link to the remaining 6 parts to this fascinating film comes up at the end of each one:

This training would have included hand-to-hand combat, proficiency with small arms, sabotage, demolition, silent killing, parachuting and a host of other skills that aren't very marketable in today's world - at least in the world that most of us live in..

Monique then

Now

Today she looks like everyone's favourite grandmother - but when she spoke passionately about those wartime days, there was no mistaking the set of her jaw and the fire in her eyes. I'd not met her before but the old determination that drove her is clearly still there - a wonderful brave lady.

If you wish to know more about the WWII escape lines, "Home Run" by John Nichol & Tony Rennell is highly recommended. (a used copy from here is a wallet-busting £0.01p! It's a gripping read..)

After a good lunch, we went to a cinema for a private showing of "The Last Passage" - more here. We had dinner at the Grand Café before leaving B to spend 2 nights with A and L-M. Due to a motorway bridge being removed, our route out of Brussels was severely congested and so it was late by the time we arrived at A & L-M's house - but not too late for a very welcome wee dram! We slept well that night - all this activity was tiring..

Basilica, Koekelberg

Sunday morning saw us en route for the colossal brick-built Basilica at Koekelberg (the largest Art Deco building in the world) for a tri-lingual Sunday Mass (Flemish, French, English) which was to be followed by homage to those of Comète by the dedicated stained glass window and the RAF Chapel. Here's a remarkable short clip of it that uses some clever tricks (I think zooming out as the camera approaches) to produce an almost 3D effect..

After this, we set off for the Maison de Ailes (below left) where we had a splendid lunch complete with a piper! The pipes have the ability to set the emotions churning and this was especially true for the small Scottish contingent. We shared a table with W and K, a charming couple who'd travelled all the way from California. I met them during the 2010 Comète walk in the Pyrenees and it was good to see them again. They weren't the furthest travelled though.. M, an Australian lady, had come all the way from Queensland for this weekend. The Comète fraternity has this effect on people.

Het Huis der Vleugels /
La Maison des Ailes

Finally, it was time to bid farewell to all our friends and head back to A's house. All too soon though, the next morning we were back on the road to the south west. We set off on Monday morning at 9.30 and after a long wet drive we finally arrived back home in the Pays Basque at 10pm. Phew...!

28th October 2011. We spent a warm afternoon in St Jean de Luz - there were quite a few people on the beach and even some still swimming. It may have been cold up in Belgium but our hosts' welcome couldn't have been warmer. A most memorable few days.

29th October 2011. Down to the river this morning for the first time in several weeks - I'm afraid to say the Rugby World Cup had taken priority with the big matches being shown here live on Saturday mornings. There was a very strong current running downstream and it made for slow progress up the river. Despite that, we rowed almost as far as Villefranque in a mixed VIII sculler. Once we'd turned around though, our pace quickened and we sped down river. We did 18km and I have to admit that at the moment I can feel every one of them!

There's a big match in Bayonne today and there are plenty of red & yellow clad Perpignan supporters in evidence. I wondered if Mike Phillips (the Welsh scrum half) - the latest addition to Bayonne's line-up - would be playing or if he's still on post-RWC wind-down. He's an intelligent, quick-witted scrum half with real physical presence - he's 6'3" (1.90m) - and very mobile. His form for Wales augurs well for Bayonne this season.

Another new player and one just as talented is the French international full back Cédric Heymans.. Like Mike, a hard running player, he's seldom had a game for Les Bleus where he failed to make an impression. Both he and Mike bring some much-needed international class to Aviron Bayonnais.. who are currently lying 10th in the Top 14. By contrast, our nearest & dearest neighbours Biarritz Olympique have had a cracking start to the season - storming straight to the bottom of the French Top 14! (equivalent to the Aviva Premiership in England) - sorry - couldn't resist that one..!

30th October 2011. The steady march of the season into autumn continues.. Today, as I bumbled into Bayonne with the dog for a baguette, I noticed that the small locomotive - similar to this (left) - that sells hot chestnuts is in position. The smell of hot roasting chestnuts is one the distinctive smells of autumn & winter here. Also, the pavements were carpeted with an increasing number of purply-red-yellow leaves. The tree-lined Allée Paulmy (a major boulevard in the centre of town) looked very autumnal with its foliage displaying well. The usual suspects were out and about too. The lady who optimistically twirls her scarf for a few centimes - a minimalistic act I've commented on previously - was in position but there didn't seem to be much action heading her way.

The weather is still being kind to us - I'm writing this with the study windows wide open. There was a report on the lunchtime news about an unseasonably early dump of snow on the US East Coast.. so if you're reading this in North America - look away now! Here, the forecast for tomorrow is 23C (73F).

Ramparts, Bayonne

31st October 2011. It was so warm today at lunchtime we had lunch on the terrace. The shade temperature was 20C but it was much warmer in the sun. That will probably be the last time this year that we sit outside. The cloudless sky was criss-crossed with high level contrails streaking silently across the Bay of Biscay - bringing back all those who'd squeezed in one last trip south for the sunshine. I did my bit for the Greek economy by finishing up with a Greek coffee (I like mine metrios) and a cigarillo (yes I know!).. Taking the dog out afterwards for his daily leg stretch, the garden walls were alive with the sound of scurrying feet as lizards basking in the warmth of the late afternoon sunshine darted for cover as I walked by. I felt over-dressed as I walked the pooch around Vauban's ramparts - the sun was hot on my back. Still largely cloudless at 5.30pm but the forecast is for this fine weather to break tomorrow. Pity!

2nd November 2011. Incidentally, I've just noticed that Alain Brumont, the celebrated viticulteur who produces that marvellous Madiran - Chateau Bouscassé - is having an Open Day over the weekend of 19-20 November. Remember all those articles about the health benefits of Madiran red wine? Earlier in the year, when we were staying in the high Pyrenees for a few days, we were offered a bottle of Chateau Bouscassé (Madiran).. and I was bowled over by its quality. It was right up there with the best Bordeaux I've ever tasted. Seriously. Well worth seeking out a bottle to try - but don't just take my word for it - take a look at this link and scroll down to the paragraph in red.. More glowing reviews here. It's always reassuring to find out that your own experience matches the views of the experts. The clip below is of the blind tasting when Alain Brumont pitted his wine against the best in the world:

And here's the Great Man himself:

And, for interest, here are his 11 Commandments:

I. Strong plantation density: 7500 vines/hectare. It is well known that the closer the vines are to each other, the more likely we will be prone to a Bonsai effect resulting in smaller bunches.

II. Row orientated at 1500 Hours allowing the sunrays to reach both sides of the rows morning and afternoons. A bunch of grapes that is 100% in contact with the sun will develop a better quality. They should transpire 100 to 300 times more than a bunch protected by its leaves. At 1500 hours, the sun is at its peak and vertical to the leaf this lets the grapes cool for 1 hour, which keeps them from burning.

III. Bud Selection: The most hardy and weakest are excluded during bud bursting. Without selection, there could be an interval in maturity between hardier and weaker vine-shoots from one grape to the other, ranging from one hour to several days.

IV. Selecting 5 to 6 bunches per vine and one bunch per vine-shoot (one vine-shoot can produce up to 2 to 2 1/2 bunches).

V. Thinning out the leaves systematically 3 times:

- June: thinning out East side

- July: thinning out West side

- August: remove 10 cm above the grapes on both sides.

VI. The two first thinning outs let the grapes get used to the hardship of the sun, the last thinning-out in August slightly reduces the alcohol level by reducing the photosynthesis and the sugar production.

VII. Calibration of the grapes in 3 checks.

During the last check, all the bunches must be shaped to obtain the same weight.

VIII. The bunches are checked one by one three weeks prior to harvest to make sure that none of the grapes are damaged or late (maturity).

In total, 9 to 10 supplementary checks are made throughout the whole vineyard.

IX. Control: Each row is marked by the person in charge (28 to 30 persons employed in the vines from April to September). Points are given to each row. Each terroir has a pre-determined grape yield.

X. No grape yield per hectare. This notion applied by the INAO and various control organisations is, according to Alain Brumont totally outdated and is of no subsequence. Indeed, with a 50 hl/ha yield, we may find bunches of 1 kg or 25 bunches depending on density. At Brumont, we prefer talking in grams per bunch (120 to 300 g) and in kilos per vine per terroir.

XI. Hand harvested in crates of one layer for the high quality vintages.

Simple isn't it!

3rd November 2011. A few months ago I mentioned Mandion, the temple to the art of the Patissier that's a few minutes away in Anglet. In fact, it's somewhere we rarely go on foot and I noticed as we passed by the other day in the car that the famous shop front now sports the name of Henriet, a well known patissier from Biarritz.

With Christmas coming up over the horizon (who said that!), if you fancy trying something different this year, this is what the French will be tucking into - la bûche au chocolat.. here's the chief pastry chef from Mandion (no expense spared on this blog!) to show you how to make the perfect bûche au chocolat. This will blow the rust off that French you haven't spoken in years! No matter, he's listed the ingredients for you and a careful watch of the video should fill in all the gaps.

Personally, I find these things a bit sickly sweet.. but if you have never tried one before, here's your chance. The chef makes it all look suspiciously easy.

Having made the mistake of mentioning Christmas about 6 weeks too early, I began thinking about wine. I must see if I can find somewhere that stocks Château Bouscassé..

167. Indian summer in the Pays Basque

2011-10-06T15:14:00.108+02:00

5th October 2011. Sorry for being a stranger lately but I've been busy with a large lump of work that's come my way. I've been sat here polishing the seat of my pants for the last few weeks poring over a couple of large technical dictionaries.. but as we're in a natural break of a few days I thought I'd try and keep you up to date with all the news that's fit to print from the Pays Basque.

First of all, how about a quick burst of Edith Piaf as she gets to grips with Milord.. a 1959 hit for her, with the distinctive sound of that jangly street piano.

And while we're at it, it's been a long time - too long - since I've featured this next one - which is top of my list of music videos - straight from the Django Reinhardt festival in New York City. With such a group of virtuoso performers it's difficult to single out one but for me, the clarinettist is in a league of his own:

Boulevard Thiers

Bar Basque

6th October 2011. For the past few months I've been exchanging emails with Perry & Caroline (the friendly Anglo-Dutch couple behind Tiens!) - they live just to the east of Tarbes. They were taking a short break in the Pays Basque - renting a gîte at St Jean Pied de Port - and they'd struck lucky with the Indian summer that's been upon us for the last couple of weeks. We'd arranged to meet at - where else! - the Bar Basque (above right) in the Boulevard Thiers (above left) at St Jean de Luz. Despite not having met them face to face before - I'd only exchanged a few words over the phone with Perry - it soon felt as though our acquaintance stretched back much longer. A pity they live so far away. After our apéro, they were off to tackle a plateau de fruits de mer.. at Kaïku in what I call "Restaurant Strasse" - more usually known as Rue de la République (between the Place Louis XIV and the beach)

Now if you can just take a step backwards while I deal with this, I'll be back shortly..!

On the way home I noticed that the council has started the annual pruning of the platanes.. This always gives a stark look to the streets and is a reminder that the season is changing.

The Rugby World Cup.. ah yes.. My money's on Ireland. Sorry if anyone's offended!

8th October 2011. Up early this morning to watch the Wales Ireland game.. one of the best games of this RWC in my humble opinion. Ireland weren't allowed by Wales to play their game and the result was a great win for Wales.. 22-10. They looked very impressive indeed.

A hour later it was England's turn. Hmmm. France won a competitive match 19-12 but I think they'll struggle against the in-form Welsh. I don't think England started with their best XV.. But, based on my previous predictions, I wouldn't get too upset about that if you're a Bleu supporter!

9th October 2011. The Rugby World cup is coming to the boil now.. this morning Australia surprised me by taking the semi-final spot ahead of South Africa.. while New Zealand predictably dispatched the Pumas. So one half of the draw sees a mighty Australia New Zealand battle while the other sees France taking on Wales. The problem for me is that if I'm watching a game I like to be able to root for one side against t' other. All Blacks vs Wallabies? I've never been a fan of All Black or Australian rugby - but the current Wallabies play with an invention and a freedom that's very watchable so I'll be packing down with them in any of the scrums. France vs Wales? That's more difficult as they're both the traditional enemy in rugby terms. I suppose I'd like to see France sent home early - with my money riding on the Welsh now to win the Webb-Ellis cup.. (if Ireland couldn't!) Bring the cup back to the UK - even if it would be to the Welsh part! I should add for any Welsh reading this that I'm 25% Welsh so be gentle with me!

10th October 2011. I was watching Télé Matin on France 2 this morning and one of the news items was that it would have been John Lennon's 71st birthday today. I must admit that the story of his astonishing rise from an unpromising start in an anonymous suburb to worldwide fame intrigues me still. It was just short of 50 years ago that he and his group exploded into global consciousness and the mention of his name on French TV this morning shows that his name still retains all the old power it had. For those of you who, like me, grew up in that era here's a film about his early years that explains much about his development into the person he became..

12th October 2011. Yesterday we had a few hours in San Sebastian. Each time we go there I'm reminded just what a civilised town it is. It grows on me with each visit. There are squares with fountains, pedestrianised areas, wide pavements, elegant brown stone apartment buildings, some fascinating shops (what am I saying?!), friendly people and not forgetting La Concha.. the definitive bay with its great crescent-shaped expanse of yellow (nearly said golden!) sand. To my mind San Sebastian is as good as it gets. The bonus for us is that it's only a short 45 minute drive away - and parking isn't a problem.

15th October 2011. We headed off across the border into Spain yesterday for some essential shopping at Dancharia - so after picking up Madame in town where she'd been, I decided to take the old route that we used to take when we were in the gîte. It was a morning under a cloudless sky, the country roads were deserted and again I realised as we passed by our old gîte that 4 years had somehow passed by. The pale outline of La Rhune lay to the south rising above the silvery early morning haze with the endless jagged hills and mountains of the Pyrenees extending away to the east. After Ustaritz, we headed for Cambo before taking the turn off for Larressore (where traditional Makhilas are still being made as they always have been). It was through Larressore that the Comet Line established a new route for the escaping Allied airmen in WWII after it became too dangerous to use the St Jean de Luz/Ciboure/Urrugne route. Many escaping aircrew owe their freedom to the bravery shown by the people of Sutar (partic. the Restaurant Larre), Larressore, Espelette, Souraïde and Dancharia. I think it's fair to say that this development of the Comet Line escape route into Spain is not as well known as the original route.

As we emerged onto the road for Espelette the broad expanse of the Pyrenees lay before us. The fields and trees glistened as the low bright sun picked up the early morning dew. A few blue grey clouds clung to the sides of the higher mountains. We reminded ourselves again what a stunning corner of France this is. Once through the picture postcard village of Espelette, we took a winding side road that took us up into the hills to Ainhoa (one of France's most beautiful villages) and then a short run down to the unmanned border and Dancharia. We had the roads to ourselves and the country was looking at its best with the trees just starting to turn russet greeny/brown - I should have had the camera with us.

On the return we stopped off at Espelette at Antton - the chocolatier.. (available online.. website in English here - just do it!) They make their own chocolate on the premises and the rich smell of chocolate is all-pervading. As we walked in, we were greeted by the two ladies who offered us some chocolate to taste.. You have as much chance of leaving empty handed here as you do when viewing puppies! All I can say is the chocolate doesn't disappoint.. far from it. I could taste its lingering richness all the way home. Worth remembering this address with Christmas in mind. We bought a bag of "La Ganache au Piment d'Espelette". This is dark chocolate with a inspired pinch of piment.. It's right up there with the best chocolate we've tasted. Madame's eyes glazed over when she tried some last night..

16th October 2011. What can I say about Wales.. A moment of madness allied with an arguably harsh refereeing decision saw Wales reduced to 14 men 20 minutes into the match with France after a fine attacking start. However, once they'd got used to the idea that 14 Welshmen would be more than enough to see off a lack-lustre French side they simply carried on where they'd left off. They took the game to France in fine style while the French XV seemed bereft of any coherent attacking ideas of their own. Wales scored the only try of the match with a fine effort by Mike Phillips - who'll be playing for Bayonne this next season.

The only French player to emerge with any credit was the truly classy Maxime Médard. If only the Welsh kicking game had been slightly more accurate they'd be in the final. They scored the only try of the game and I don't think France could have scored even if Wales had left the field. Final score 9-8 to France.

Still, you have to hand it to Les Bleus.. They've played poorly throughout this tournament (beating an even poorer England side by only a converted try) and yet here they are in the final - having lost already to the All Blacks and Tonga.. I fully expect that either the All Blacks or the Aussies will administer a mighty stuffing to them next weekend. I wouldn't like to see a team that has played such undistinguished rugby walk away with the World Cup.

Yesterday evening I finished the latest instalment of work on my PC at ~6pm and I made a couple of drinks for Madame and her ever-so-'umble servant.. We sat on the terrace on a warm, still evening watching the light fade with a sangria and a wee whisky.. Ah, that felt good! So good in fact, we had another!

Pain aux raisins

There was an early burst of activity at Pipérade Towers this morning as I tried to squeeze in a few jobs before the All Blacks-Wallabies match (kick off at 10am). After a trip to the well-run council déchetterie (made you look!) on the banks of the Adour to dump some garden rubbish, I continued along the river bank for another km as far as the roundabout with the France-Asia supermarket (map here). Just across the roundabout is a baker - and it's here that, in my opinion, they make the best baguettes in Bayonne. They make all their own bread and cakes on the premises and their baguette tradition is always a pleasure to eat - a crispy crust and a good length. The real star of the show though is their pain aux raisins.. In addition to a baguette tradition, I bought a pain aux raisins this morning. I've eaten pain aux raisins the length and breadth of France and this was the best I've ever had.. Moist, light, buttery yellow, generously filled with raisins - exactly as they should be and at 0.93€ they're far cheaper than the bakers in the centre of Bayonne (1.25€!). Another 5 star recommendation. Driving back home along the river, the sun made an appearance and gilded the surface of the water. Another great picture if only I'd had my camera with me.. (Think there's a message here!)

I saw the first 50 minutes or so of the NZ - Australia match until it struck me that it was really unwatchable - all crash, bang, wallop - and I wasn't enjoying watching it so I switched off. It all reminded me of rugby league in the sixties - two lines of players facing each other and the interminable pick and go's, grinding out another yard of territory. Is it me? - but exactly what is it about the All Blacks and their boss-eyed supporters that makes them so peculiarly and so spectacularly unlovable? First, there's the increasingly bizarre 'Haka' which, frankly, I couldn't give a toss about even if it is supposedly representative of some ancient South Pacific cultural heritage but each year it evolves and gets choreographed to become (yawn..) 'more frightening'.

Here's the original Hand Jive with Johnny "Mr Lip Sync" Otis - with three ladies who could teach the All Blacks the right way to do the 'Haka'!

And here's the 1973 version - where the ABs look like a bunch of embarrassed blokes demonstrating the Macarena (having done the 5 minute course on the radio!). Notice that in those days that the 'Haka' was performed for the crowd..

And this is what it's become.. how can anyone take this seriously..?

I think their opponents should just leave the ABs to their willy-waving shtick and go for a stroll around the stadium, or wave to their loved ones at home, eat an ice cream or read the paper.. The notion that the opponents should respect the 'Haka' is laughable! I've never understood why the IRB have, over the years, allowed them to perpetuate this tired old bit of hokum.. which sends the message that the following 80 minutes aren't going to be so much as a sporting contest as open warfare. As far as I'm concerned, the ABs have always played a uniquely brutal brand of ultra-physical rugby - enlivened only by the home crowd giving vent to some imaginative singing: “All Blacks….. All Blacks….. All Blacks….. All Blacks….. All Blacks…" ad infinitum. I’d like to have seen an Australian win.. (and it's not often you'll hear me say that!)

As for next Sunday's final, to be honest I don’t care who wins - France don't deserve it the way they've played so far - but then I don’t want the All Blacks to win either.. The classic case of two bald men fighting over a comb. Let's hope that France can raise their game, play some memorable rugby and then, who knows, anything might happen. Think I’ll be tidying my sock drawer and hoping for a northern hemisphere win..

Now - lean back, forget all about rugby, click on 'play' below, close your eyes and enjoy Chet Baker's version of 'Autumn leaves'..

before finishing up with this - from 'Chet Baker in Tokyo' - Almost Blue (no video - just the music):

166. Cue "Season of mists etc.." but not just yet.

2011-09-21T07:37:00.020+02:00

18th September 2011. Down to the river yesterday for the first outing in 2 weeks.. Went out in a double sculler and did 14km on a very humid and heavy morning.. (Running total: 971km)

19th September 2011. For some time I've been meaning to film the pooch when he goes through his daily post-dog food exercise routine in the garden. Taking the weight off your feet has a whole new meaning for a dog!

21st September 2011. Pleasant row yesterday evening on the river. Despite the imperceptible approach of autumn, the sun is noticeably lower in the sky. This isn't normally a problem but last night we were out in a coxless IV which meant that the person responsible for steering had to squint over their shoulders into the dazzling sun. It was still a warm evening out on the water and it usually stays so well into October.

We spotted a healthy-looking water vole at the water's edge.. looking to be the size of a domestic rabbit. Did 12km (Running total 983km).

Believe it or not, but I'm trying generate support for a Christmas dinner for us rowers - which is something I didn't expect to have to do. It seems that there's no tradition at the club for this but speaking to a few people yesterday they are definitely receptive to the idea but as usual it needs someone to do the organising. I know just the person.. We're extremely fortunate to have the Brasserie directly over the club.. so choosing a venue will not be a problem.

Christmas here is less hyped than in the UK - it's more of a family celebration - so the traditions of having the office/work/club Christmas party/lunch/dinner/whatever that are a feature of life across the Channel don't seem to exist in France - or at least in this particular part of it.

24th September 2011. 15km this morning in an VIII with a club crew that worked well together (Running total: 998km). Back to the clubhouse in time to see the closing minutes of the long awaited NZ All Blacks vs France game. Ouch!

27th September 2011. I've been doing some editing work for the last few weeks. Yesterday I completed the first large lump of work on this job and I put it all on a CD ROM. After posting it yesterday to my customer, I walked back home in the late afternoon heat (it was 28 yesterday) feeling quite carefree & pleased with myself. It's been a long month of sitting here in front of the screen with a stack of specialist dictionaries. It's an interesting subject though and I've learnt much about it. Before I get too carried away though, I've another 7,000 slides to laboriously wade through. The seats of my trousers are getting a good shine! Now back to work!

28th September 2011. Down to the river last night for a later than usual sortie in a coxless IV sculler. The river was as high as I've ever seen it and it was one of the very few occasions when the bridge that normally slopes down to the floating pontoon was level. Within minutes of setting off, I was dripping - it was exceptionally humid. This is one of the penalties of sculling as opposed to rowing - you don't have a hand free to swipe off the odd drop of perspiration that is driving you crazy! What a beautiful evening - it had been around 31 all afternoon and the river was looking its best under the slanting Kodachrome evening light. The water was static as the tide turned and it was another of those times when a camera would have been invaluable. At the turn round point the evening was closing in fast and the temperature dropped a few notches under the clear skies. We headed back to the clubhouse in the gathering dusk with the slightest of cool breezes on our backs. It was one of those evenings when you didn't want to stop. We were the last boat out on the water and by the time we approached the pontoon again, the river was running fast. Heaving the boat out of the water, washing it down and putting it away only took a few minutes but in that time darkness fell and I had to ride my bike home on the pavements - no lights! We did 14 of the most enjoyable km for a long time (Running total : 1012km).

The après-shower pastis tasted very good!

Here's something that I've been meaning to take a photo of for a long time - but somehow I've never got around to doing so. My eye is always drawn to these platanes with their distinctive mottled bark and the strange rippled surface - it's almost as if the trunk had solidified from a plastic (in the sense it was once fluid) material. Every village square seems to be lined with them and no self-respecting café can call itself complete unless it has at least a couple outside. Generations of Frenchmen and -women have sat underneath them - and smoked, drank coffee, argued, kissed, flirted, read the morning paper and had one (or two) for the road. France would not be France if there were no platanes. They are truly an instantly recognisable visual symbol of France. This is one that John Clinch (part of the Comète Line group) took in St Jean de Luz by the look of it.

These trees are everywhere in France. They are pruned back very hard in winter and in the spring and summer they are quick to grow back a leafy green canopy that offers a welcome shade during the long hot days of summer. The supporting branches are pruned to such that they develop at right angles to the trunk and sometimes the branches even fuse together with those of a neighbouring tree.

29th September 2011. There was a nondescript thorny old tree in the garden that had been allowed to grow wild and unchecked by the previous owner and finally I got around to tackling it today. Its gnarled and twisted branches were hanging over into our neighbour's and I started by pruning these. Not a very pleasant job but it had to be done. The more I pruned, the more I thought it would be a good idea if I took it down altogether.. (there's no-one more dangerous than your correspondent when he's armed with a pair of secateurs and a bow saw in his hand!) It wasn't long before the entire tree was lying on the green bit (aka the lawn) in large lumps.. A frenzied morning's work saw it all reduced to short lengths and I carted it all off down to the déchetterie (tip) which fortunately is only 5 minutes away. Phew..!

Given the Indian Summer we all seem to be enjoying, no apologies for repeating this atmospheric song by the late Joe Dassin..(even with the slight echo)

PS. Hi to GFH who's just joined that hardiest of groups - aka the Followers.. (They must know something I don't!) Welcome aboard..

165. 70th anniversary of the Comet Line in the Pays Basque

2011-09-14T00:08:00.189+02:00

13th September 2011. This last weekend has flown by - it was the 70th Anniversary of the Comet Line - the noted WWII escape network founded not long after Dunkirk by Andrée de Jongh, a 24 year old Belgian girl. There are many links in the left hand column on this blog to Andrée de Jongh, the Comet Line, Florentino Goicoechea and the Villa Voisin if you'd like to know more about this most noble and inspirational of stories. This map shows the Comet's main operating locations in the Pays Basque.

This year saw the 70th anniversary of the first British escaper to make it safely through and back to the UK. The weekend started off with the laying of a wreath at the War Memorial at St Jean de Luz (left) by Andrée Dumont OBE, aka "Nadine" - a brave and charismatic wartime helper whose sprightly appearance belies her years, ably assisted here by Roger Stanton of ELMS.

Even though she'd spent 2 long years in prisons and concentration camps (including the infamous Mauthausen) when asked if she'd do it again, she replied firmly and without hesitation - yes. I introduced her to the three serving RAF officers present and she held her thumb and index finger out about an inch apart and said, "Comet.." She then extended her arm high above her head and said, "The RAF.." Unfailingly modest and humble to a fault, I have the utmost admiration for her and others like her who were prepared to give their all in that dark chapter of European history. Comet is the story of the best and the worst of humanity.

Allan Cowan

We then adjourned to the nearby Town Hall of St Jean de Luz (right) where we were warmly received by the deputy mayor. He welcomed us to the Pays Basque and St Jean de Luz in a short speech before inviting us to share some cold rosé with him. As this was only my second "Comet" weekend, I took the opportunity to listen to as many people as I could. There were as many different stories in the room as there were those attending. For example, Allan Cowan (above left), who crossed the mountains in the second group in October '41, was represented, as last year, by his charming daughter Marie while the Greaves family - a brother and 2 sisters - had travelled over from New York the day before. Their father had been arrested at Bidegain Berri farm with Dédée in January 1943. Another was a reader* of this blog whose father had managed successfully to return to the UK. So many stories. (* N - I have some photos for you - let me know your email address via the comments section - I won't publish it)

After the vin d'honneur we were free for lunch so I drove the three RAF participants out to Ascain, the best of all Basque villages in my opinion. Following a very pleasant relaxed lunch we then drove north to Bayonne to the cemetery where we met up with everyone else again at the Dassié family grave (left). In a short but moving ceremony we honoured the memory of his parents. Jean Dassié was just 7 years old when both his parents and 'Lulu', his elder sister, were taken away. He never saw his father again. His mother survived the end of the war by only 2 years as a result of the treatment she'd received at Ravensbruck. Thankfully, 'Lulu' survived and was present during the weekend.

Villa Voisin, Anglet

From the cemetery it was but a short journey to the Villa Voisin, the legendary nerve centre of the Comet Line in the Pays Basque. The house had been occupied by the de Greef family, Belgian refugees from the German invasion, and they were to make an immense contribution to Comet activities in the south west. An untrained civilian, Elvire de Greef managed to outwit the professionals of the German Abwehr and the notorious Gestapo throughout the war. Amazingly, they were never able to catch her. Today, the Villa Voisin is an anonymous grey house that offers up no clue as to the dangerous nature of its activities all those years ago. We stood outside this unlived-in house with its closed shutters and wondered at the daring deeds that it had known.

From the Villa Voisin, it was another short journey to the War Memorial at Anglet where more wreaths would be laid. This was in the full heat of the afternoon and the old soldiers were standing in the dappled shade of the platanes with their proud bleu-blanc-rouge standards leaning against the trunks. There were a few jutting-jawed ex-paras scattered among them - instantly recognisable, as paras are the world over. The scene brought to mind a painting by Monet.

The mayor of Anglet arrived to do the honours and soon the air was filled with those distinctive sounds of the French military - provided by a couple of rattling drums and a single trumpet. One by one, the civic dignitaries and those of Comète stepped up to leave their floral tributes.

A local Basque choir then sang the "Song of the Partisans" - a song, written in wartime, with a hard unequivocal message - one that leaves no doubt whatsoever as to the feelings of those who wrote it. No Vera Lynn warbling "White Cliffs of Dover" here - the "Song of the Partisans" remains a brutal reminder of what it must have been like to be occupied. Here's President Sarkozy on the day of his inauguration paying homage to the Résistants - notably Guy Moquet (his letter here) - who fought and died for France, listening to a choir singing "The Song of the Partisans" and looking visibly moved. The English lyrics are underneath.

My friend, do you hear the dark flight of the crows over our plains?

My friend, do you hear the dulled cries of our countries in chains?

Oh, friends, do you hear, workers, farmers, in your ears alarm bells ringing?

Tonight all our tears will be turned to tongues of flame in our blood singing!

Climb up from the mine, out from hiding in the pines, all you comrades,

Take out from the hay all your guns, your munitions and your grenades;

Hey you, assassins, with your bullets and your knives, kill tonight!

Hey you, saboteurs, be careful with your burden, dynamite!

We are the ones who break the jail bars in two for our brothers,

hunger drives, hate pursues, misery binds us to one another.

There are countries where people sleep without a care and lie dreaming.

But here, do you see, we march on, we kill on, we die screaming.

But here, each one knows what he wants, what he does with his choice;

My friend, if you fall, from the shadows on the wall, another steps into your place.

Tomorrow, black blood shall dry out in the sunlight on the streets.

But sing, companions, freedom hears us in the night still so sweet.

My friend, do you hear the dark flight of the crows over our plains?

My friend, do you hear the dulled cries of our countries in chains?

After the "Marseillaise", we walked over to the nearby Anglet Town Hall where speeches from the mayor and Jean Dassié were followed by another Vin d'Honneur after which we set off in a straggling convoy for the restaurant where we were to have dinner.

Saturday morning saw us meeting up at the cemetery at Ciboure where wreathes were laid at the graves of the great Basque guide Florentino Goicoechea and his friend, the widow Katalin Aguirre, who housed so many evaders. Set into the hillside, the cemetery is in an idyllic setting overlooking the peaceful bay of St Jean de Luz. While I had decided not to attempt the whole two day march this year as my knees are decidedly creaky, I thought I could manage the leg from Ciboure to Urrugne. So it was, after a breakfast in a beach café at Socoa, we all set off for Urrugne, our numbers swelled by several Basque walkers from Spain. We were also joined by 70 young officer cadets from the Royal Military Academy, Belgium and they soon raced off into the distance. They'd selected the inspirational Andrée de Jongh as their 'godmother' for their year. Those who weren't walking were provided with a coach to take them to the next rendezvous at Urrugne.

The route took us through a housing estate before launching off into a narrow track. It was soon clear to me that any thoughts I might have entertained that my knees would allow me to complete the entire 2 day walk were hopelessly wide of the mark. It was with some relief that we entered Urrugne - with the encouragement of the waiting 'Nadine' - and my decision had been made for me.

Ceremony at Urrugne

The Greaves family from New York are pictured (left) honouring the memorial in Urrugne to Frantxa Usandizaga and Juan Larburu. It was at Frantxa's farmhouse - named 'Bidegain Berri' - where their father was captured along with Dédée. Frantxia and Juan were never to return. The walkers continued on after the ceremony while I stayed behind feeling unhappy with this turn of events, ie, that I was unable to walk even to 'Bidegain Berri'. However, things brightened up considerably when we were invited into a room at the rear of the Tourist Office to find a long table laden with charcuterie, cheese, fruit and wine. Ah, decisions, decisions..!

Meanwhile the walkers were heading for the last stop before the mountains and that was the farm at 'Bidegain Berri'.. Here are the Greaves family again outside the farm where their father had been arrested in January 1943 - a real pilgrimage for them.

'Bidegain Berri'

Now it was a case of bringing on the pain. The temperature was in the low 30s with nil wind and afterwards all the walkers mentioned the relentless heat on the mountain. It all sounded very similar to last year.

Les Trois Couronnes

Meanwhile, after an excellent lunch in good company, us non-walkers made our way by coach around to the disused station of San Miguel on the banks of the Bidassoa river that marks the frontier between France and Spain and waited for the first of the walkers to emerge from the trees on the opposite bank. Here's the indefatigable 'Nadine' (right) welcoming the walkers across the river with a large Belgian flag. The river was quite low and seemingly benign. However, in wartime, it would have been an entirely different proposition wading across this river at night, in its icy waters in winter with Franco-ist guards patrolling ready to open fire. There were no friendly Spanish Basques waiting with cold cider and grilled sardines as today - back then, it was a case of scrambling up the river bank and somehow plodding on to Sarobe farm another 4-5 hours distant.

The young Belgian Army contingent soon had their pup tents set up as they were staying the night in place while we returned to St Jean de Luz on Saturday evening.

Sunday morning at 7.30am (!) saw the walkers deposited back at the same place at San Miguel ready to resume the walk which started with a steady climb straight up.. We - the coach party - left a little later and caught up with the walkers at around 11am when they made a short refuelling stop for some drinks and oranges. Here are the walkers setting off afterwards on the last leg to Sarobe farm.

Jean Dassié and 'Lulu'

Paco and 'Nadine'

And so, finally, to Sarobe farm. The exhausted and footsore wartime evaders must have been glad to arrive here after their long overnight march from the farm at Urrugne to Sarobe farm in Spain. Today? We received the same warm welcome from Paco and his extended family - and the same nourishing soup, delicious tortilla and robust Rioja red wine that the escapers would have been offered. Paco had been a youngster of 8-9 years old at the time of these great events. The Belgian contingent presented a small plaque which was unveiled by 'Nadine' to commemorate the 70th anniversary.

After Sarobe farm, we travelled to the Petritegi Cidrerie at Astigarraga (highly recommended!). I took the Greaves family into the cider warehouse where they tried filling their glasses from a jet of cider from one of these massive barrels that each contain 15,000 litres. We then sat at long heavy wooden tables and a tsunami of food soon followed - a spicy chorizo sausage, a cod omelette (delicious!), then more cod and then a côte de boeuf between two.. Bottles of Rioja appeared (and disappeared!) as if by magic.

Towards the end of the meal, over the hubbub of conversation, I heard the odd few lines of song from somewhere and then suddenly a Basque choir launched into glorious song:

They captured the hearts of all with their songs, sung with an obvious passion and enjoyment. All too soon it was time to go and it was over for another year.

What is Andrée de Jongh's legacy to us? Surely, it can only be that her timeless values of leadership by example, courage and self-sacrifice can inspire people of different nationalities to transcend their differences and to unite in common cause. RIP Dédée.

164. September in the Pays Basque

2011-09-04T08:18:00.091+02:00

2nd September 2011. Four years ago to the day, we were unwinding in the gîte after the long trek down to the Pays Basque in our rented van. It felt strange to be actually realising our dream of moving here - something we'd long dreamed of doing. Can't believe it was four years ago.. the time has just gone like whooosh.. Can't believe it..

September is probably the best time of the year to visit this beautiful corner of France.. The main summer tourist invasion has come and gone and the storms of August are usually followed by a couple of months of settled weather - often in the mid 20s - which is just nigh on perfect weather for sightseeing.

I found this photo the other day of La Rhune in the mist. It's an image that captivated us from the very beginning.

Thought for the day: "If you see a French driver indicating, you're looking at someone who is wondering why his windscreen wipers aren't working.."

3rd September 2011. Four years ago today I was returning the rented van back to England. I remember leaving the gîte at 7am and setting off northwards and, after a long 1400km (870 miles) drive, I arrived back at our village to the west of Malvern at 11pm. To be honest, I wasn't tired - and being alone I could concentrate on the driving, stopping only when essential. Not something I want to make a habit of though.

14 km on a very wet morning down on the river - (Running total: 957km). It rained from start to finish but it was warm rain and it kept us cool.. (said he - desperately trying to think of the positives!) and I returned home at the end of it like a drowned rat.

4th September 2011. The sun has just risen above the buildings opposite and everything is bathed in a warm yellow light. It looks like we're all set for a good day. Our friends from Nantes arrived yesterday and this morning we'll take them to the Musée Basque here in Bayonne and then this afternoon we'll go for a bumble around Lac Mouriscot (left) at Biarritz. It always surprises me how few people we meet walking around the lake - even at the height of the season - but I'm not complaining.

There are some very desirable properties that front onto the lake here - tucked discreetly into the trees.

Yesterday the boulevards around Bayonne echoed to the musical howl of multiple Ferraris as the local Ferrari owners club staged their annual open day at the Place de Basques. A small crowd was salivating over the display of around a dozen of Maranello's finest - all but one in the famous Ferrari blood red. Even stationary, they exuded speed, menace and yes, money.. lots of it. Here's a clip of a few Ferrari aficionados (and a couple of Lotuses) savouring the rasp of their engines on the winding hills of the Pays Basque (on the Spanish side I think):

5th September 2011. Here's an interesting and informative short film about the stone that Bayonne is built from. Keep an eye out at 03:05 for a glimpse of Cazenave - one of the great chocolatiers. Madame's current favourite is Pariès.. Pariès chocolates are to other chocolates as Ferraris are to all other cars.. (available online too)

6th September 2011. We went to Pasajes San Juan (map here) in Spain this morning.. It lies just to the east of San Sebastian and it has one of the best natural harbours I've seen.

Pasajes San Juan

What was an old fishing village has been transformed into a modern port but the old village is still extremely quaint and charming. We found a fish restaurant (Casa Camara) which opened for lunch at the Spanish time of 1.30pm.. & people were still coming in for lunch at 3pm. Madame had merlu (hake) à la plancha and I had langostinos in garlic butter (gambas à l'ail) with a bottle of Portuguese Vinho Verde which was very refreshing. My langostinos were about the size of a baby's arm!

The dining room looked out on the narrow channel that led to the open sea.

Live lobster were kept in this cage which was raised up from the sea underneath the dining room so they were kept fresh.

Definitely somewhere to try again..

A number of small boats act as ferries between the two banks. Give your Spanish a work-out with this clip from Spanish TV - or just enjoy the pictures. The restaurant we tried is featured at 02:32..

Tight fit!

And to finish off with, here's a food programme from French TV that looks at how things are done in the Pays Basque..

163. Comment Faire La Bise for Dummies

2011-08-25T15:07:00.064+02:00

22nd August 2011. Just the other day it struck me that I've been remiss in neglecting to write about the subject of today's post. As the saying has it, I'd been ignoring the "elephant in the room". I'm referring of course to the widespread social practice in France of kissing family, friends and acquaintances. Growing up in England, I was aware that us Rosbifs were considered cold and reserved by our more excitable Latin neighbours.

Cold and reserved..? Us..? Never! OK, in the 50s, 60s and 70s, we didn't go in for much in the way of Public Displays of Affection (known in social code as PDA) - such as kissing, hugging or even handshaking - we just said hello and got on with it. Madame once asked me when my father stopped kissing me. I'm not sure exactly when that would have been but I think it would probably have been around when I was 10 or thereabouts - but I never had the sense as a child that I was being deprived of affection in any way - it's just that affection there was expressed in different ways. Nowadays, the pendulum has swung the other way and we've all become visibly far more demonstrative. I think the switch to more overt displays of affection started sometime in the 80s.

Mitterand and Kohl on their first date..

The rot started to set in with this completely ridiculous picture of two grown men holding hands.. who also just happened to be the French president and the West German chancellor. Someone should have told them..

No tongues please!

People suddenly started kissing each other. Women kissed women. Women kissed men. Men kissed women. However, men sensibly drew the line at kissing each other, apart from in Eastern Europe where we had to accustom ourselves - often during mealtimes - to the sight of Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker (right) getting down and dirty. I always used to shout at the TV, "Erich! He won't write - they're all the same..!"

It became a ritual for the TV news to show excited schoolchildren (mainly girls I have to say!) hugging each other and squealing with delight at the results of their summer exams. Politicians weren't slow in getting in on the act either. The sight of politicians hugging each other with the obligatory single or double pat on the back quickly became the norm and is now a familiar staple of the news. Clinton has much to answer for!

In France, it's usual to faire la bise with friends and acquaintances. This kissing is purely meant as a social ice-breaker - and nothing else should be understood or implied from it. In my view it works very well. At the rowing club, the first few minutes are taken up with multiple bisous for the nenettes and handshakes for the mecs. The process does seem to unite us all in some subliminal way. By the way, it's not good form to faire la bise whilst wearing ordinary specs or sunglasses - they should be removed prior to swooping in - otherwise you run the risk of getting tangled up in earrings or the kissee's specs. There's a lot to be said for being approached by an attractive woman presenting herself expecting to be kissed (there I go again!). I think many Brits find this awkward - possibly due to their traditional non-tactile background - and they find it hard to distinguish between social kissing and kissing of a more intimate nature.

Physical contact is something we just weren't used to. For example, I once worked in an multinational organisation overseas with a dozen or so different nationalities (European and N American). One of my bosses was Italian and one day while walking down a long corridor there he linked arms with me..! I wasn't ready for that one (not sure if I'm ready now!) And it was all I could when talking to the southern Europeans not to noticeably flinch if they put a friendly hand on my forearm to emphasise a point. I think I have relaxed more now though with this aspect of life. This reluctance to engage in physical contact (of a social kind) in England would often manifest itself in the way some women there would present themselves for a bise - they would turn their face away almost to the point where their chins would be over their shoulder thus closing the door firmly to any attempt at a cheap freebie! I suspect that this was as a result of too many male Brits overstepping the mark perhaps and taking advantage..

Kissing for Dummies

So, what's the approved method? Here's my guide: Comment Faire La Bise (How to kiss) for Dummies. It goes without saying that if you are going to enter someone's personal space for a bise then you should be clean, stubble-free and fresh mouthed. Next, either lean forward for a hands-free encounter or place your hands lightly on her upper arms making it clear which side you intend to deliver the first bise on. Now zoom in for a bise on their left cheek first and before swapping sides to finish with a flourish on their right cheek. The actual impact area should be well away from the kissee's mouth.

The bise can be delivered with either no mouth-to-cheek contact (rarely seen here) or with the very side of the mouth - never a full-on drain cleaner..! At no point do I ever utter a low moan of pleasure (although I might think it..!) (joke!) or worse, much worse, an air kiss accompanied by a "Mwaah!" This - the absolute naffest of audible accompaniments - personally makes me want to heave and is to be avoided at all costs. It became quite prevalent in England in latter years as we slowly adopted some of our European neighbours' conventions - or our version thereof! I'm told that in England men will sometimes get their targeting solution wrong and end up with a 'accidental' lip-to-lip contact. Any self-respecting gentleman would avoid a cheap attempt at a freebie like this at all costs.. unless it was really worth it! ☺ and even then never!

The next question is how many.. In England, the single peck on the cheek is probably the most common version and is the safest. Two is enough to get your card marked as a lounge lizard.. I've never experienced more than two bises in England.

Cross the Channel, however, and it's a different story - the absolute minimum is two. I think many would be insulted if a single bise was all that was on offer. While two seems to be the acceptable number here in the south west, I know that in Paris that four - yes, you heard, four - is the going rate! Taking your leave from a dinner party at the end of the evening can and does take some time.

As an example of British (Scottish) reticence when it comes to physical contact, here's a clip from only a couple of years ago of President Barack Obama and the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown entering 10 Downing Street.

You have to ask yourself - why couldn't Brown just shake the policeman's hand in the same relaxed manner as Obama did? How uptight can you be..? As Madame once observed about someone: "If you put 3 olives between the cheeks of his a**, you'd get a litre of oil..!" (One of her classics!)

Another of those songs that I've always liked. It popped up the other day on the radio and I made a mental note to try and remember to download it..

27th August 2011. Nice outing this morning in a mixed VIII - did 14km (including an unforecast drenching). Running total 943km).

28th August 2011. Made a dirty dart across the border into Spain this morning to top up with some vital supplies (Ricard, whisky, sangria and diesel). Diesel in Spain is presently 1.22€/litre - which works out at £1.08/litre or $6.68/US gallon. As a comparison, here are the average prices in the UK and the US. Now, I don't want to hear a squeak from any Americans please!

30th August 2011. Time to finish up this post with some great old tracks from Dire Straits and a couple from Pink Floyd.. The first one from Dire Straits has a real Cajun feel to it:

162. The archetypal Basque village

2011-08-16T14:24:00.049+02:00

13th August 2011. Another 'Bismarck' moment down on the river this morning as we had a coming together with a submerged log or something similar that wiped the rudder of our VIII clean off. We turned around and returned as it would have been impractical to continue along the winding Nive with little or no control over the steering. Did 9km in the end. (Running total: 915km)

16th August 2011. Yesterday was Assumption - a public holiday here in secular France! To be honest, I had to ask Madame what Assumption is all about and the link above explains all. This event seemed to have slipped by me when I attended (as in 'slept through') my CoE Sunday school a few centuries ago. Needless to say, many if not all local shops were closed. In the Pays Basque, this holiday seems to have more significance than 14th July, France's national day.

We'd booked a table at our favourite restaurant in our 'old village' - the one we returned to every summer for years. This was the scene outside the restaurant as a local band took up residence!

The village - Ascain if you must know! - was in full Fête mode with the road through the village being blocked off and the regional heats for the National Creative Car Parking Championships in full swing!☺

Fronton, Ascain

There were strolling bands in the streets and the fronton was surrounded by a 6 deep crowd watching a bare-handed version of Pelote Basque.

La Rhune as seen from Ascain

Ascain lies at the foot of La Rhune, the Sphinx-like sleeping giant of a mountain (a smidgen under 3,000ft high) that looks out over the Pays Basque. The other day there was a foot-race from Ascain up to the summit - and back.. (ouch!) The winner crossed the line in a staggering 63 minutes! A 73 year old veteran also completed the run! This clip gives you the view of La Rhune as seen from a microlight before swooping down over Ascain. The restaurant can be seen just on the right hand side of the church that dominates the village.

Some more pictures for you of this most beautiful of Basque villages:

We loved this village from the first time we found it and these were the images (Flickr slideshow here) that sustained us through many a long cold winter in England - and when we returned each year, it was like coming home. The village is situated on the Nivelle right at the point where the coastal plain stops and the Pyrenees start..

When we first stayed at the small hotel/restaurant there, it was managed by the parents of the current owner - his father - M'sieur L - was the chef while Madame L looked after 'front of house'.

Typical Basque house

We'd return at around 6pm from wherever we'd been and feeling fresh after a shave and a shower to wash away all the salt, sand and sun cream, I'd wander downstairs to take a seat under the platanes. This was the highlight of the day for me - a clean shirt, and with the temperature starting to cool a couple of degrees after the heat of the day. Madame L would bring out a drink and a small earthenware pot of nibbles for me from the small bar and then she'd stand next to me - she'd never sit - and we'd talk while French families squinted at the menu board outside - serious business! Madame L was always 'impecc' as they say here - she was always elegant, bien coiffé and her back would be ramrod straight. With Olympian self-control, she never showed a sign that I was mangling the French language as I surely must have been back then. She'd been brought up near Oradour-sur-Glane, a name that, even today, still resonates with many. When she found out that I was in the RAF I could do no wrong.. and she and her husband treated us like family. Under her watchful eye, the hotel and the restaurant ran like clockwork.

Had lunch out on the terrace today which is shaded until about 2pm. Afterwards, I brewed up a Turkish coffee and lit a wee cigarillo. The heat was fully on today - think the forecast is for 26 but it feels hotter - and it lay upon us like a warm, damp blanket. All that could be heard was the distant roar of the traffic and nearer to home, the buzzing of bees as they worked their way around the garden while I watched the blue tendrils of smoke rising up on an absolutely still day.

17th August 2011. The 2011 Rugby World Cup approaches. Can anyone see a repeat of this scoreline..?

Nice programme on France 3 this evening - Des Racines et des Ailes - it featured Guadeloupe (which I missed) and the Pyrenees.. Some spectacular photography. Not sure if the link will work outside France though.

18th August 2011. If one glass is good... then surely two glasses is better.. non? (Good try!)

20th August 2011. A hot & humid row on the river this morning - did 14km in an VIII. (Running total: 929km). Went for a walk in Biarritz this evening to cool off - trouble was, at 10pm it was still 32C! It did feel a bit odd to be walking around in the dark with the temps up there..

21st August 2011. Thought I'd take some heavy wooden shutters down this morning and paint them (Rouge Basque - what else!) in the relative cool of the garage. Just finished and looking at our thermometer which is in the shade, it's already 29.. which explains why I'm drenched. That pastis is going to hit the spot..!

We lurked in the 'coolth' of indoors most of today as the temperature climbed.. and then climbed some more. It peaked at 37 (98°F) this afternoon.. before it mercifully cooled off. By 8pm it was cool enough to take the dog out for his long awaited walk after he'd spent the day spread-eagled on the tiled floor in the kitchen.. We had a 5 minute downpour late in the evening and sometime during the night we had a Close Encounter of a Meteorological Kind as I'm sure I heard the wind howling outside rattling the shutters.

22nd August 2011. This morning..? All appears as normal again.. Word of the day? Easy - it's canicule.. or - as we Anglos would say - a heat wave. El Scorchio again this afternoon.. Spent the morning painting some more shutters and the garage doors while it was relatively cool but, having just returned from posting some mail, I'm dripping again.. 30 in the shade.. (mustn't grumble!)

161. Tough job

2011-08-09T15:08:00.051+02:00

9th August 2011. I've been mulling over a question posed by S & B from Australia in a recent comment - they're going to be visiting the Pays Basque in Sept/Oct for 5 weeks - and they "would be interested to read about your experiences wine shopping in the PB -- where to find reasonable quality and a good range."

Unfortunately, there's no easy answer to that. The first question is: what kind of wines do you like? Bordeaux/Burgundy/Rhone/Loire.. Light reds? Meaty reds? White? Rosé? Putting all that to one side for a moment, in terms of where to buy your wine there are several options - supermarkets, coopératives and shops/markets.

Probably the best place to buy in terms of price and variety would be a grande surface (such as Carrefour - heresy!) but it would also be the least rewarding in terms of the overall experience as there'll be no-one there to ask questions of and certainly no-one will step forward and offer you a number of glasses of wine to taste - as they will in a coopérative..

In a specialist wine shop you're likely to come up against someone whose reason for getting into the business is love of the product. That has to be better than standing blankly in the aisle of a supermarket looking at literally thousands of bottles - plus you might learn something about a number of wines..

So if you have the time and the inclination, perhaps the best way to do it would be to visit a shop or two for some background knowledge of the wines of the region, followed by the coopératives to find out what you like by tasting, then compare the price there with the price in a large supermarket. You'll be surprised to find that the supermarket price is often less than that of the coopérative.

A good starting point to get you in the mood would be the area in and around Les Halles de Biarritz (the indoor market). Dotted around the fringe are a number of specialist wine shops. But, but.. before visiting them, take a look inside the market just to whet the appetite and sharpen the senses. I've mentioned this before in earlier posts but the smell inside the indoor market is indescribable - a rich, buttery, cheesy, chickeny smell with foie gras and jambon highlights.. that is extremely hazardous to your wallet if you make the mistake of stepping inside when you're hungry.. Looking around Les Halles is as pleasurable an experience as shopping ever gets..!

And then after shopping, there's the perennial question of where to have lunch.. Fortunately, in Biarritz, that's not a problem.

There's this - the Bar du Marché - at one end of the spectrum - which we haven't tried yet but which looks promising:

And then there's this - the Hôtel du Palais.. the jewel in the crown of the Pays Basque. We haven't been here either and I'm not sure we ever will (be able to afford to). Here's one of their menus.

Don't forget, there's an indoor market at Bayonne and another at St Jean de Luz where you can repeat the experience all over again!

So - back to earth again - the question remains - what kind of wine do you like..?

Wines from the South West that you're likely to see on menus in the Pays Basque include the following:

Whites:

Jurançon - available in both Doux & Sec (Sweet & Dry). The Doux is excellent with foie gras and desserts. The Sec is good with fish and seafood.

Txakoli - worth trying. (Wouldn't put it in the same category as Jurançon though)

Reds - the 2 main ones found in the Pays Basque are Irouléguy and Madiran. To taste the Irouléguy (try the Gorri d'Ansa) before buying, drive out to the Cave at St Etienne de Baïgorry (taking the opportunity to have lunch at the Hôtel Arcé there at the same time!) We've talked about Madiran many times here - ones to search out would be Château Peyros and our old friend Château Bouscassé.

Don't forget to keep an eye on the alcohol content of wines you're trying.. Once wine gets over 13.5%, lunches can often be the prelude to an afternoon spent sleeping it off! (I believe..) I'd avoid wines like Rhone wines like Gigondas which - although extremely more-ish - often come in at 14.5% - otherwise you'll be having lots of unexplained blanks in your holiday diary!

To S & B - make sure you have a "Waiter's friend" in your pocket when you come over.. ideal for opening a bottle out in the countryside..

10th August 2011. I occasionally visit an online forum for expats in France - last night I was reading a thread there about the riots in the inner cities and someone posted a telling comment: "What has happened to our once beautiful country? Yes, I know, I left it 4 years ago because I would rather be a stranger in someone else's country than my own, but it still hurts."

That pretty much sums up my view of England and why I could leave without regret - it was no longer the country I grew up in.

After watching the lunchtime news which featured the ongoing riots in several English cities, I switched off and stepped out onto the terrace.. What a contrast..! It looked like a Kodachrome image under a burning blue sky and blazing sunshine. For a few moments I felt guilty.. then I thought - we both worked hard for over 40 years, paid our taxes and this - living here in Bayonne - is our reward. Life wasn't easy for either of us but we stuck at it. We didn't expect a handout from anyone and we weren't disappointed!

I read somewhere the other day that the life you find yourself leading today is the cumulative result of all the decisions you ever made in your life. Not the decisions that other people around you made - but the ones you consciously made. I'd suggest that the disruption and riots in the UK (edited to change this to England!) are the result of all the poor decisions taken by society during my lifetime.

12th August 2011.The next time someone tells you France is expensive, just point them at the following words..

Sare

We were in Sare at lunchtime today (home of the Hôtel Arraya - one of the hidden treasures of the Pays Basque - more following) and we happened upon a menu board outside a Salon de Thé (aka Snack Olamendy).. The sign outside reads Salon de thé and Patisserie.. There was a screech of rubber from my shoes as I stopped dead in my tracks.. steak & frites 5€, confit of duck & frites 7€ and so it went on.. Another board gave the drinks prices.. a farmhouse cider was 1.60€ while a bottle of red wine was all of 6€.. (US$8.50 / £5.25)

There were a few tables set out under the platanes and, as luck would have it, there was one free. Madame had the Salade du Pays which included jambon de Bayonne and Basque cheese - fromage de brebis - while I had a delicious confit & frites.. Including a drink each, the bill came to 16.50€.. Definitely one to remember and gets my tick! Sare is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France so if you're in the area it should be on your list of 'must visits' in any case..

While you're in Sare, try and squeeze in a visit to the very Basque Hôtel Arraya.. It's smack bang in the centre and you can't miss it. A former hospice, it was the last stop in France for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Dining under the platanes

Take a step inside - it's furnished in the traditional manner with antique Basque furniture - and very comfortable it is too.

160. Big feet, bagpipes & bullfights

2011-08-05T18:33:00.093+02:00

5th August 2011. Finding shoes in my size here in the Pays Basque is a constant struggle - most shoes top out at size 44 or 45. My feet, however, continue on beyond that to - but modesty forbids..! You know what they say: "Big feet? Big socks..!"

Whilst over in Seattle for work in the 90s though I came across a Florsheim factory outlet store and found some business shoes made to a quality unobtainable in the UK at the price - and they were available in my size. I dust them off now and again and they still look good. Desperate times call for desperate measures and so a week or two ago, before we left to go to the mountains (see here), I clicked on the Nordstrom web site (a chain of department stores across the US equivalent to John Lewis in the UK). As luck would have it they were having a sale and - lo and behold - they had some Florsheim shoes that fitted both my feet and the bill. I ordered a pair as the price was still attractive (just) even with the postage from the US to France.

I picked them up from DHL at Biarritz airport yesterday morning only to find that I had 33€ (almost US$47!) outstanding to pay in VAT.. ouch..! Then when we got home and I tried them on, I noticed some small print under the tongue - Made in India.. Now, I have nothing against shoes or any other products from India or anywhere else for that matter - but I think any product description should include a statement of exactly where it was manufactured. I was labouring under the misapprehension that Florsheim shoes were US-made. Florsheim are not alone in this - many major brands have re-located their manufacturing operations to Asia and elsewhere..

I'm a big fan of L.L. Bean who sell products with that quintessentially American look via mail order and trade on their Maine heritage.. but look at where some of their range originates. It's the same story for Lands' End - they too sell clothing with that relaxed All-American look. Their products used to be 100% American made at Dodgeville, Wisconsin - but in recent years the word 'imported' has crept in more and more. It appears that Florsheim has gone the same route. One of the reasons for buying a distinctive brand is for the perceived values that it uniquely offers - part of which lies in where it's manufactured. For example, would you consider buying a Greek Volkswagen, a Taiwanese Rolex or a Brazilian single malt whisky? No, I didn't think so - which is why companies like L.L. Bean and Lands' End avoid being too specific and use only "Imported" in their product descriptions. As manufacturing is increasingly out-sourced to low labour-cost regions of the world, it makes me wonder how the US - and other major western economies who do likewise - are ever going to manufacture their way out of recession.

Right - enough of that - time for a tingle! If you can tell me that this next clip honestly has no effect on you, then to my mind you need to think about seeing your medical professional! Was it the Duke of Wellington who said: "I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me."

This is a clip of a Scottish massed pipe band leaving the Edinburgh Military Tattoo - I like the way they segue into the "Black Bear" at 00:36.. it always gives me a shiver.. Crank your volume up:

With the Rugby World Cup starting to loom larger on the horizon, I reckon if the NZ "All Blacks" (a great side even if they were fast asleep in deck chairs) feel the need to pump themselves up prior to a match with the aid of their 'Haka', then the Jocks should be allowed to return the compliment with a rambunctious "in yer face" pipe band rendition of the "Black Bear".. And I say that as an Anglais! If you believe in a level playing field, let's have it level!

Let's have one last look at them - they show the rest how a proud military unit should leave an arena.. (The Royal Marines should take note..) If you just want to hear those pipes again, fast forward to around 01:50.. and turn that volume to max again - and wait for the goose pimples!

Just noticed - not much about the Pays Basque in this post.. Never mind - rescue is at hand! Here's a segment of Jean-Luc Petitrenaud's cookery show (Les Escapades de Petitrenaud) we sometimes watch - this is a two-parter set in the Pays Basque.. and she's making a pipérade. And yes, you're right, J-L P is annoying! Part 2 follows on after this..

6th August 2011. Ab-so-lutely knackered this afternoon! Went down to the river this morning and had an long outing in an VIII sculler.. Rowed virtually non-stop to Villefranque where we turned around. It was very warm out there and there were more than a few red faces when we returned.. My T-shirt was wet through. Did 18km. (Running total: 906km) Back home and after a long cool shower, we fired up the plancha and had a few sardines out on the terrace with some sangria.. and a Turkish coffee and my last cigarillo.. Now I think a tactical snooze might be on the cards!

There's a piece in the Daily Telegraph that caught my eye asking whether expats are drinking themselves to death. Not me - I belong to the group described in the paragraph beginning "By contrast there are those retirees..."

As the day approaches l'heure bleue - it's one of the day's pleasant little rituals to set out the olives and the nuts, break out a handful of ice-cubes, drop them into a couple of glasses and pour out the sangria. Garnish with a slice of orange and/or lemon. The first one hits the spot.. Sometimes - but not always - there might be a second. Never a third.

6.45pm. I'm writing this as the bullfight takes place about 300m away.. I can hear the jeers, the applause and the stupid triumphalist music as the poor beasts are tormented one by one. Then, 5 minutes ago, after grey clouds blew in from the Bay of Biscay and the wind freshened, there was a sudden downpour and yes! I thought.. all those ghouls who watch the bullfight will have been soaked. And better still - the bullfighter's enemy - the wind - is blowing in gusts - all the better for the bull to see the matador hiding behind his cape. Disgusting practice, doesn't belong in France and should be banned. And some parents take their children along to the bull ring..

If bullfights are to continue in the 21st century, they should be run along these lines..

159. From the Pays Basque to the high Pyrenees

2011-08-02T22:36:00.026+02:00

2nd August 2011. Arrived back home yesterday after a long weekend (Fri-Mon) up in the high Pyrenees to the south east of the Pays Basque. We stayed at a small hotel at Luz Saint Sauveur (French version here) next to a rushing mountain torrent..

Luz Saint Sauveur lies an hour by winding road (52km) to the south of Tarbes. We were surrounded by mountains that ranged from 6-9,000ft and the winding roads in the valleys between villages took us through breathtaking scenery with some vertiginous drop-offs. No place to drive if you suffer from vertigo..

The first place we visited was to see the famous Cirque de Gavarnie and the cascades (waterfalls) which are some 422 metres (1380-odd feet) high.. It was clear why the Pyrenees had, for so long, provided a natural barrier between France and Spain. Mountains rose sheer from the fast flowing streams that roared their way through the tight valleys and the steeply sloping hills were closely covered in pines.

Cascades, Gavarnie

You might want to fast forward this next clip to around 02:20..

Difficult to convey the sense of space and grandeur - but, to give you an idea, that waterfall dwarfs the Eiffel Tower by almost 100m!

This is where the dog drank his own weight in water!

Lac de Gaube

View from the summit of the Col du Tourmalet

This last picture (above) was taken from the summit of the Col du Tourmalet looking west back towards the start. This is a mountain climb that's been used as a stage in the Tour de France for a long time. It's staggering to think that these racing cyclists are not only able to ride a bicycle up this road - but also to race up it too. From Luz Saint Sauveur, it's a continuous climb for 19km up to the summit which is 2115m - 6939ft - high. Remember, too, that the air at this altitude contains much less oxygen than at sea level so, in addition to the effort made by the legs, their lungs must be bursting by the time they grind their way to the top. There were more than several cyclists doing exactly this during their summer holidays.. each to their own! In fact, we spotted one guy running up it..

This is definitely an area we'll be returning to as it's only a two hour drive from Pipérade Towers here in Bayonne. Highly recommended - even at the height of the tourist season it was still far from being crowded. I fell asleep on one 7,000ft high mountain top (as you do!) up in the clouds while waiting for the cable car - with the result that my face now resembles a beef tomato.. and I'm probably a danger to shipping!

I almost forgot: one evening we had a bottle of Chateau Bouscassé Madiran.. It's been a long time since we enjoyed a red wine so much as we did this one. Well worth hunting one (or more) down. I must see if I can find it around here.

PS. Many thanks to S&B for their comment below.. I had a look at their link to the Chateau Bouscassé Madirans and I wouldn't argue with a single word. Forget the great Bordeaux wines (for a few moments) and beg, borrow or steal a bottle of this. I must be honest - we'd been drinking a Buzet red at the hotel .. and while it was OK at the price, it was nothing spectacular. They ran out of it one evening and our waiter substituted a bottle of the Bouscassé for it at the same price as the Buzet. The difference in quality screamed out of the glass at me.. I checked the price via the net when we returned and it retails for more than I usually pay for a bottle. Multiply by at least 2 for the restaurant price and it's clear that our waiter did us an enormous favour! I used to look for Madiran in England but I was never able to find anything this good. I'm no good at describing wine in the way the critics do - "cigar boxes, pencil shavings, liquorice and red fruit.." All I can say is that it was like velvet on the tongue and it lingered long in the mouth - but not long in the bottle! A truly memorable wine.

PPS. "Is it me..?" Department. I thought I'd share this with you.. While we were away, we were sitting in a café somewhere and I was tearing the end of the paper tube of sugar for my coffee. I tore the end of the first one, poured the sugar in my coffee and crumpled up the paper and put it in the ash tray. I then took the second one - tore the top off it and poured the sugar straight into the ash tray.. How did that happen? Have I now reached the age when I'll open my eyes one day to find I'm standing in my pyjamas in a shopping centre? Tell me I'm not the only one!

Finally, on the theme of Luz Saint Sauveur, Napoleon III used to visit the area and he apparently said one day that he'd like a bridge to be built to span a local gorge. Four years later, in 1863, it was duly completed. Nowadays it's used for bungee jumping or saut à l'élastique as it's known here. Here's a clip that shows what it's like to fall 90m.. Did we try it? Er no..

And just for K, who left a comment under the last post, here's the late Terry-Thomas telling us how to speak to a German POW.. as only he could!

3rd August 2011. I mentioned Woody Allen's new film "Midnight in Paris" a few posts ago - hands up all those who've seen it...? This is "Bistro Fada" - a catchy little swing jazz guitar number from it..

4th August 2011. Every now and again, a moment comes along that reminds us why we like it here so much. For example, this morning we took the pooch for a walk around Lac Mouriscot at Biarritz. Even at the height of the tourist season, we were almost the only ones there. There's a shaded walk around the lake and the cool waters were just too tempting for Chibby - he didn't waste any time in getting wet and muddy. On our return, we had lunch outside on the terrace - Madame had bought some fresh crab legs and sardines. We had the crab legs with a salad and then we fired up the plancha to cook the sardines with her patent Piment d'Espelette marinade. I served some cold Sangria - and afterwards we had some fruit. Then, a Turkish coffee and a cigarillo.. under the umbrella in the heat of the afternoon sun. Perfect.. The thought crossed my mind - could we do any of this back in the UK..? Answer? Regrettably no..

158. Bayonne goes bananas!

2011-07-25T14:16:00.034+02:00

25th July 2011. If you'd like to watch the start of the Fêtes de Bayonne this coming Wednesday evening, don't forget to make a note that it starts at 10pm Pays Basque time (9pm in the UK, 4pm EDT in the US). If you're unsure what time that is wherever you are - this link has a time countdown to the start. You can then work out when to drop everything you're doing to watch the madness!

Stop Press! To see the video link direct from the Place de la Liberté in full screen, click here and then click on the small blue & white symbol on the video link under the umbrellas on the lower right of the picture..

This clip from last year will give you a flavour of the event..

They like their fireworks noisy down here - this is a shortened version of last year's display filmed from across the river - which is the best place to watch them from in my opinion. The first year we were almost underneath them and it was painful!

Confession time: I must admit that, on the basis of her turbulent private life and her slightly bizarre appearance, I'd always pre-judged Amy Winehouse as a hyped-up media creature - without ever having heard her sing. I was wrong. It's clear from this clip she had a remarkable voice and a lot of talent.. I must listen to more of her.

157. Foreign food in the Pays Basque

2011-07-24T09:20:00.047+02:00

Place de la Liberté

22nd July 2011. Back from a walk through town with the dawg.. Stopped for a coffee at the café on the Place de la Liberté outside the Town Hall and noticed that the former shoe shop across the road on the corner of the Rue du Port-Neuf (Newport Street doesn't have the same ring to it does it?) is being revamped. It's receiving the beauty treatment - the stonework has been cleaned up so it's now gleaming white. There's a sign up outside showing that it will be a Sushi shop. Not convinced that will work here - this is Basque heartland and restaurants serving foreign food (ie, anything that's not Basque!) are in short supply. Certainly there's nothing like the profusion of foreign restaurants here that you might see across the channel. No Greek or Indian for example - and I'm not sure there's even an Italian. There are a couple of Chinese across the river in St Esprit. Maybe this Sushi shop is aimed at people working in town.

23rd July 2011. Out in an all-mec VIII this morning - it's a fairly new carbon fibre boat that's a pleasure to row in.. We did 18km (Running total: 888km) and all of it was enjoyable. We rowed a mixture of starts and sprints (series of 10 and 20 at full pressure), followed by light and firm. Someone pointed out a cyclist riding by on the riverside path - it was explained to me that he'd ridden (on a bike) from Paris to Beijing for the last Olympics. Took him 6 months apparently. Next year he's doing Beijing - London. We had an impromptu apéro after the outing and the Johnny Walker Black Label came out.. As I'd never tried this before in my life (true!), I had to have a second one to confirm my view - this is one good whisky.. (but, as my Scottish neighbour used to say, "There's nae sich thing as a bad whusky..")

24th July 2011. A long time ago I was told in all seriousness by a Frenchman that whisky was made from potatoes and hence couldn't seriously be compared with cognac distilled from wine (from the more noble grape). I heard a similar misconception yesterday. Talking to Y at the club, the subject of English cooking came up and she described her idea of English food as "boiled beef with mint"! I think she was half-joking but clearly the persistent legacy of the former barren years of English cooking is still around and hasn't totally been erased. I've heard this before - although the quote has usually been the "boiled beef and carrots" one.

I've never been offered "boiled beef" in my life - let alone tasted it. Maybe it dates back to what sailors would have been fed in the days of sail..? That would be my guess. As for the "mint" part - I think she's confusing that with the practice of eating roast lamb accompanied by mint sauce. Now that I have had - and many times. No apologies necessary!

It's one of the great English dishes - roast leg of Welsh lamb (gigot), with mint sauce, new potatoes and either fresh garden peas (petit pois) or green beans (haricots verts). That's a dish that can stand comparison with any other. The taste of Easter.. For the ultimate nostalgia trip, try listening to some of these sound clips while a leg of lamb is roasting away in the oven.. This will soon have you swallowing large lumps! Under Contents at the left, click on "Take It From Here", then scroll down until you see the old fashioned radio marked "Another Audio clip". (Here's a complete "Take It From Here") Here's another classic - this one reminds me of listening to the BBC World Service news on HF fading in and out in the wee small hours while flying red-eyed way up north of the Faroes in my previous life.

My mouth's watering watching this next video..

It took a while for my dear old Mum to get used to the French custom of studding a gigot with slivers of garlic - I think she initially thought that was heresy! Or the culinary equivalent thereof.. In my opinion, roast lamb is best served rare.. ie, very pink verging on red. I grew up eating it what I now know to be over-cooked - brown, dry and eminently chewable.. (Remember Phillips Stick-a-soles?) My Dad liked his meat cooked beyond the point of possible resurrection! Plus another 5 minutes. This (below) is my idea of how roast lamb should look:

Here's how it's cooked in France. And here's a recipe for Marinated Lamb (believe it's a Jamie Oliver one).. I should add this is untried at Pipérade Towers.

1 leg lamb, boned

1 large bunch mint, roughly chopped

1 large bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled

17 1/2 ounces (500 grams) natural yoghurt

1/2 (14-ounce/400 gram) can chickpeas, drained and mashed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, juiced

Tray Roasted Vegetables:

Baby carrots

Quartered fennel, with its own leafy tops

Quartered red onions

Whole baby turnips

Butternut squash, cut into chunks

Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and halved

1/2 (14-ounce/400 gram) can chick peas, drained

Ground cumin

Coriander seeds

Nutmeg

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lamb: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Crush the coriander and mint together and mix with the yoghurt, garlic, and seasoning. Reserve half to use as a sauce once the lamb is cooked.

Score the lamb pieces, season with the salt and pepper and mix with half the marinade and the chickpeas, so it is all coated.

Transfer the marinade and lamb to a plastic bag and seal. Place in the refrigerator until required.

To cook, place the meat directly on the oven shelf above the tray of vegetables for approximately 45 minutes.

Vegetables: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place all the vegetables in a roasting tray, add the chickpeas, cumin, coriander seeds, nutmeg, sea salt, pepper, and olive oil and toss together.

Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes then remove the foil and continue roasting for 20 to 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and golden.

Serves 10 to 12.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

What a great drive by Lewis Hamilton to win the German Grand Prix..! If only McLaren could find some more speed in qualifying. Well done Lewis and the team.

156. The Fêtes de Bayonne - the clock's ticking..

2011-07-17T08:01:00.046+02:00

16th July 2011. Things here at Pipérade Towers are returning to normal today after Madame's brother O and his wife F left us this morning after visiting us for a few days. They took us for lunch yesterday to our favourite restaurant in that village tucked up against the Pyrenees - the very one we used to come to every summer. They enjoyed it as much as we did.. Last night, we ate out on the terrace here and stayed out there till late.

After saying goodbye to O & F, I went down to the river this sunny morning for what turned out to be a hard outing in a coxless IV. We did 14km (Running total: 870km) and I have to say I felt every one of them this morning. I know - I have only myself to blame..! Must make another trip to the bottle bank now - say no more..!

I was talking to one of the guys at the club a few weeks back about coffee and I mentioned that I liked Greek coffee but I was unable to find a local supplier. He told me that a friend of his travels regularly to Athens and if I told him what brand I was looking for, he'd pass the word on. Well, I'd all but forgotten about this conversation until this morning when he delved into his sports bag and presented me with a large packet of Loumidis "Papagalos" coffee.. That should keep me going for a good while. Many thanks Aïtor!

The brand I was really looking for is Charalambous "Golden Mocca", a Greek-Cypriot coffee that, in my view, has slightly more depth of flavour than "Papagalos" plus it has an indefinable hint of something slightly exotic - cardamom perhaps? If anyone knows of a supplier in France, please let me know by a comment at the end of this post.. Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ εκ των προτέρων..

With just 10 days to go before the start of the Fêtes de Bayonne (27th July => 31st July), wire barriers are being erected all over town on roundabouts, central reservations - in fact anywhere where a car could be parked or a tent set up. With well over a million visitors expected to our town of 40,000, there simply aren't enough beds available and many camp at sites provided by the council around town. Sleeping in cars is also a favourite. If you have no idea what the Fêtes de Bayonne are about, click on this link and look at some of the videos there..

17th July 2011. There was some welcome rain during the night. The patch of grass (formerly known as the lawn) at the back of the house took a real hammering when we had temperatures of 39°C (102°F) a few weeks ago and sections of it were completely toasted and burnt. I thought it might never recover but all is not lost though - I've been watering it most evenings and we might just be able to save it. There's more rain forecast for this week too.

I was deleting some old files on my PC when I found this clip gathering dust somewhere on my hard disk.. the famous Bogart "hill of beans" speech from the closing scene of "Casablanca"..

Call me a sentimental old fool but who didn't feel a frisson* during that..?

* a shiver..

19th July 2011. The forecast for the south west for the last few days has had us sat here under a deluge of rain. Well, they're partially right. We have had rain but it's mostly been overnight and only for a few minutes. I woke up early on Sunday morning, Monday morning and this morning to the sound of the house going through a car wash - at least, that's what it sounded like. However, once the rain has blown through, it soon reverts to sunshine again. As I sit here now looking out of the window, the skies have cleared and the pavements are drying off quickly under the hot sun. In fact, the forecast for the Côte Basque is invariably wrong. We are influenced by the sea and the mountains here so when the forecaster (the ever-fragrant Évelyne Dhéliat!) says that it's going to rain in the south west, she might be right for Aquitaine (the region) but not for here.

Went down to the river this evening intending to have an outing in a pair or a IV but there was a strong westerly blowing right up the river and the incoming clouds were heavy with rain - so yes, we wimped out! I'd not long been home when there was a sudden gust of wind followed by a swirling torrent of rain that lashed down for a few minutes. Glad I wasn't on the river! Pity those poor souls who are down here camping..

20th July 2011. More rain this morning.. at this rate the green bit at the back of the house will be doing lawn impressions again before long. You have to feel some sympathy for those camping down here or on holiday with kids..? What do you do? I remember those family holidays of long ago spent squelching around various places in Wales in the rain - or eating sandwiches in the car watching rain running down steamed-up windows..

21st July 2011. Here's a film that slipped under my radar.. I must try and search it out:

155. San Fermin - Hemingway's legacy..

2011-07-07T19:03:00.041+02:00

7th July 2011. In Pamplona, down in the Spanish Basque country, it's San Fermin time again!! ("What..?") Yes, it's that time of the year when thousands of normally sane chartered accountants and other unlikely heroes from all over the world head towards Pamplona, just across the border in the Spanish Basque country to prove that their manliness extends beyond a remarkable ability to crush a paper cup or to flick a rubber band at the lovely Miss Rochester in Overdue Accounts (Unpaid). They try and achieve all this by running through the streets of Pamplona with their butt cheeks pressed hard together - a laudable feat in itself! - closely followed by several tons of prime beef - in the form of half a dozen Spanish fighting bulls - that just happen to be moving at the gallop a few steps behind and that are just itching to slip a stray and extremely sharp horn into the nearest pair of trousers they can find.. or to stomp on anything that moves within range.

This guy never expected to sing soprano again.. (let alone being able to hold high C for over 10 seconds!)

This one below doesn't look good.. he's a definite candidate for the "You can run but you can't hide" competition. He's got about ½ second to decide what his options are.. and he's dropped his rolled-up newspaper.. Meanwhile the bulls look like they've been practising this move all winter!

I don't know about you but I'd say that this is about as up close and personal as you'd ever want to be to a fighting bull. I think our man here would agree as well that tapping the bull on the nose with that rolled-up newspaper was not the best idea he ever had! (and hey! I thought LL Bean said their T shirts were rugged!)

Hemingway (in the white trousers)

Hemingway put the Fête de San Fermin on the world map of the imagination with his stunning first novel The Sun Also Rises (published as Fiesta in the UK). Based on a trip he'd recently made to the fiesta at Pamplona in 1926 with a group of Anglo-American friends, it can't be equalled as an introduction to Hemingway's oeuvre. Even though the young bull (right) has its horns padded, it would take considerable courage (and perhaps a drink or three) to persuade anyone with an ounce of self-preservation to step in front of one as Hemingway did here. Yes, he can be criticised but before you do - first try and persuade your legs to jump over the barrier into that ring.. Not so easy now is it?

Another novel down the tubes! I'll definitely start writing tomorrow..

This is what I like to see - a porky guy who suddenly discovers that - hell yes! - a sub-10 second 100 metre dash is well within his capabilities! Who are you calling fatso!

I reckon releasing a fighting bull behind the sprinters should be allowed as an experiment at the London Olympics next year.. Think we'd see the first 8 second 100 metres!

This clip will give you a taster of the madness that descends upon the town for about 5 days.

8th July 2011. Here's the encierro from this morning:

9th July 2011. A very rewarding row this morning.. in a wooden shell coxless IV. The boat was going so well we carried on as far as Villefranque without anyone asking when we were going to stop and turn around (always a good sign). Did 18km (Running total: 856km).

12th July 2011. Thinking about Hemingway while having a shave this morning, it struck me that, perhaps in order to avoid his writing impulse being desensitised by the prosaic nature of everyday life, he'd sought to experience strong sensations as often as he could. There has often been a suggestion made that he had a death wish - one that he consistently denied - but I think that the process of getting close to many of these sensations was inherently risky. He attended a number of wars, went big game hunting, drank copiously all his life, was serious about catching big sporting fish, was an aficionado of bull fighting, he enjoyed multiple marriages (but did they enjoy him?) and travelled widely. I imagine that an adventure loving lad like our man would have felt confined in the leafy suburbs of Oak Park, Illinois. Now I don't know if this is an original observation about his need for sensation - but it's the first time I've thought of it! I think today he'd be described as an adrenalin junkie..

13th July 2011. Sometime in the wee small hours we had another "the house is going through a car-wash" moment.. There was a white flash and a rumble of thunder - closely followed by the pooch jumping up on the bed (any excuse!) - and then the hiss of rain that in a few seconds turned into a steady roar for a good few minutes.

154. Lunch in the Pays Basque..

2011-06-28T18:46:00.048+02:00

28th June 2011. Just back from a very pleasant lunch to mark the passing of another marital kilometre stone. We returned to 'our' old restaurant where we'd spent many happy holidays in the past. They have a nice new set menu now that includes 2 glasses of wine.

Today, we started off with a celebratory glass of champagne before the food arrived.. Madame had chosen to start with a delicious salad with St Jacques (scallops) while your scribe had foie gras. Despite the menu offer of 2 glasses of wine, in typically generous fashion Bernadette (the owner) brought us a 50cl carafe of Colombelle white wine instead (must try and find where to buy this locally).

For the main course, we'd chosen the pièce du boucher (for 2) fully expecting a quivering chunk of juicy beef. However, when Bernadette brought it, the oval serving platter was covered with slices of v rare beef.. (just as we like it!). And somehow, between leaving the kitchen and arriving at our table, the two glasses of red that we were expecting were transformed into another 50cl carafe of rouge..!

We were surrounded by dog lovers and Chibby (our cocker) was in his element. A couple at a neighbouring table asked - "Does he like sausage..?" (Was the Pope Polish? Do bears.. etc etc) It reminded me of when we went to the Jura last year and we had lunch at Madame's cousin. Pooch had the charm cranked up to max and, after 2 minutes at the table, we had the classic question - "Your dog looks hungry - don't you ever feed him?" (he should get an Oscar!) Here he is with his famous impression - "The light's on but there's nobody in.."

And then to cap it all - with the coffee, Bernadette offered me a large complimentary armagnac. According to a 14th century cardinal, armagnac has forty virtues:

"It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralysed member by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits."

I've said this before but they really spoil us..

Afterwards, we went around to the kitchen and met J-M, the great stalwart in the kitchen, who's been there for years. Built like a rugby prop forward (which is not surprising since he was one), he's a superb chef and we were surprised to hear that he's retiring next year. He always looked after us well. Needless to say, we had a prolonged walk around the village before setting off for home.

Here's a nice evening shot of the 'our' village with the restaurant in darkness just below the church.

30th June 2011. There were surprisingly few down at the river this evening - just enough to put together a coxless IV and a pair.. I was out in the IV and it went quite well.. we did 16km. (Running total: 823km) There was enough of a wind blowing up river to form waves. However, boats like ours don't ride waves, they just cut through them and with their low freeboard they are vulnerable to shipping water at speed! Most of us were well & truly soaked by the time we got back to the pontoon!

I was just deleting some old files when I found this old clip.. Now, be honest, who amongst us hasn't ever tried to dance the syrtaki when on holiday in Greece..? Scroll forward to around 06:25..

I was once quite a dab hand at it.. late at night, with a few ouzos onboard, by the light of the silvery moon etc etc.. Hup-haaaa!

Not long after we were married, I took Madame to what was advertised as the last unspoilt Greek island. Walking barefoot along the beach there one evening, just as I was about to put my foot down, I caught sight of something glittering in the sand right where my foot was going.. Aargh! A hypodermic syringe.. Talk about a mood-shattering moment.. What with that and the late night bars for the tourists (young N Europeans mainly) selling 'slammers' - cheap spirits guaranteed to put them straight into an instant coma - well, yes - I thought the islands had changed greatly since I lived there in the sixties.

2nd July 2011. Hot morning on the river - felt like 24° or so.. Had a very forgettable outing in a coxless IV - which actually got worse as we went on. Lack of concentration, timing all over the place, sloppy bladework, untidy finishes, rushing on the slides - where to start! Did 15km (Running total: 838km).

The DSK affair rumbles on.. I must admit to finding it slightly strange that a poor black woman in New York who reportedly has $100,000 in the bank was still working as a chambermaid! It's odd that no-one has mentioned this so far. Think there's much to emerge still in this case.

In the meantime, I think a restorative armagnac could well be on the cards this evening.. bearing in mind all the benefits I can expect according to that list above!

153. Thoughts on midsummer

2011-06-25T07:42:00.089+02:00

21st June 2011. We've arrived at the longest day of the year.. and no doubt Stonehenge will have been well & truly hugged this morning by touchy-feely New Age crystal gazers et al. There's a good cross-section of them here on this clip as well as the beginnings of that old hippy stand-by - the circle dance.

My reliable old BS Detector flicked straight into the RED zone and almost burnt out when I saw what Father Christmas gets up to in the above clip between January and November..! It keeps them off the streets I guess.

I visited Stonehenge about 20 years ago and it was a curious experience. These old stones have defied a convincing explanation over the years and, standing as they do at the side of a busy main road, I found it difficult to separate them from the mundane everyday world that passes by. However, they continue to fascinate and intrigue each successive generation and their mute silence seems to exert a powerful hold over those of alternative views. So now we have druids there in some make-believe ceremony greeting the sunrise accompanied by - and I'm guessing here - flutes and bongos..

There's another site at Carnac in Brittany with rows of standing stones that remains mysterious to this day.

Another hot outing this evening in a beautifully built wooden shell coxed quad sculler.. I must admit to being glad to see the clubhouse again afterwards! 13km (Running Total: 779km).

There's the Fête de la Musique tonight in Bayonne.. and on Saturday, there's the Marché Montmartre where local artists exhibit their work in the streets around the cathedral.

22nd June 2011. We drove up to Condom in the Gers today to meet up with A & I for lunch (A is an old colleague and was on holiday up near Bergerac). France is a big country and that was brought home to us (I mean me!) as we had a long drive (almost 3 hours) in the rain to Condom (which hadn't looked that far on the map!) past vast fields of rustling corn - which, curiously, despite the rain, were still being watered. There were fields of sunflowers too, all focused on where the sun should have been. And then there were the vines. Row upon countless row of vines.

After driving through a largely empty landscape, we entered the small village of Montréal and there was a sudden clustering of a large number of creatively parked cars.. and the slightly surreal sight of a crowd of people who were all engaged in playing boules or pétanque (is there a difference?) - in the rain.

It was good to see A & I again and we enjoyed a nice little lunch here.. Tried some of the local white wine - Domaine de Monluc - which I'd like to be able to find locally but I don't think there's much chance of that.

We went for a walk around Condom afterwards and visited the Musée de l'Armagnac - but not the Musée du Préservatif which celebrates the product for which Condom is perhaps better known. (I've kept you waiting a few paragraphs for this - in Condom, even the buses come in threes..!) If you really must, scroll down this link for an idea of what awaits you there if you decide to visit.

Finally, we hove upon La Librairie Gourmande (3 Place Bossuet) which is a bookshop-cum-tea shop on three floors and highly recommended! The menu featured page after page of various teas, coffees and hot chocolate - none of us had ever seen such a variety and choice. The friendly owner also serves her own cakes - which were moist and delectable - and the customer is invited to graze from the surrounding bookshelves at the same time. I needed dislodging with a pointed stick!

23rd June 2011. Another sultry evening on the river in the same boat we had on Tuesday.. 14km (Running Total: 793km)

24th June 2011. Went to St Jean de Luz in the afternoon - which was girding its loins for celebrating its Fête.. many people in red and black.. with temporary bars set up in the streets ready for the evening. After, we called in at our friends' restaurant in 'our' village where we always used to stay. Had a sangria under the platanes outside and realised with something of a shock that it was 20 years ago this summer that we made our first visit there. Back then, we were staying at another small hotel in the village but it was quite noisy at night as it overlooked the fronton.

We asked in the restaurant if they knew of anywhere else in the village where we could stay and next minute, the chef (the father of P, the current owner) emerged from the kitchen in his whites and his tall chef's hat and said he'd take us somewhere.. He jumped in his open-topped 2CV (right) and, with his chef's hat poking out through the roof in the breeze, he careered off at speed through the village - with me sticking to him like glue - before pulling up outside a white painted Basque house 5 minutes away. There, we were offered a spotless chambre d'hôte room (ie, B&B) for £10 a night - and this was in the height of the season. Many happy memories of summer holidays in that village.

25th June 2011. Warm out there on the river this morning - did 14km in a coxed quad sculler. Not the best outing of the week. (Running total: 807km)

It was hot out on our west-facing terrace last night so I made a couple of caipirinhas.. which really hit the spot. The Met lady is forecasting temps of 36C for here today and tomorrow.

26th June 2011. I've mentioned Tiens! before here - it's a privately produced free online magazine about South West France that, in my view, has set the standard for fascinating content, design & beautiful photography - and all accompanied by great music. Produced by Perry & Caroline Taylor (a creative Anglo-Dutch couple) in partnership with Marc & Jacqueline Receveur-van der Grinten as a labour of love, Tiens! reflects their view of life in la France profonde by scratching below the surface to reveal the old values, habits, customs and traditions of a rural France that are in danger of disappearing in the face of the relentless advance of modernity. As far as I know, no-one 'out there' is doing anything remotely similar that portrays these aspects of rural French life so lovingly.

Tiens! - Issue #1

Tiens! - Pilot issue

Here are the first issues of Tiens! - I found Tiens! to be the most charming, informative and interesting read about rural south west France.

Unfortunately, time is up for Tiens! and regrettably the editorial team of Caroline, Jacqueline, Perry & Marc have no plans to continue producing it beyond Issue 3.

Tiens! - Issue #2

Up until now, Tiens! has been distributed freely by word of mouth. I believe it's worth better than that. If ever something was crying out for sponsorship or financial support, it's Tiens!

If you know of someone, perhaps in broadcasting, the media or publishing, whose interests cover this area then why not give them a nudge, and send them a copy of Tiens! I'd be extremely surprised if they didn't fall under its spell and see its potential. Go on!

152. St Jean de Luz in the late afternoon sunshine

2011-06-18T21:25:00.055+02:00

18th June 2011. Late yesterday afternoon we decided to zip down to St Jean de Luz (25 mins from Pipérade Towers) for some retail therapy (hold me back!). As we drove the few km south down the autoroute, the horizon opened up at one point to reveal a great expanse of the not-so-distant Pyrenees shimmering in a misty blue heat haze - this view never fails to inspire us.

The car said it was 27C and it certainly felt like summer when we arrived at St Jean - the beach was quite crowded and a few people were swimming. We stopped at the Glaces Lopez concession on Boulevard Thiers - difficult not to - and 'people-watched' for a few minutes while we ate our delicious ice creams (chocolat noir and stracciatella). We noticed that the shop windows were full of red and black pants, shirts, foulards etc and, sure enough, it wasn't long before we saw a sign for the Fêtes Patronales de St Jean de Luz. (above left) It all kicks off next weekend when it's more or less de rigueur to wear red & black. The Fête Patronale usually combines all of these - dancing the fandango, confetti wars, strolling bands, eating, singing, sangria and usually the toro fuego to finish up with - which is totally bonkers!

We had 2 English girls visiting us down here years ago and, at the height of the high jinks, one of them turned to us and asked a little plaintively, "Is it always this lively?" (that phrase has entered our vocabulary!)

Boulevard Thiers still runs along the sea front but it no longer looks like this (left) - only a couple of these elegant seaside villas remain - unfortunately the remainder were demolished long ago to be replaced by 60s multi-storey apartment blocks. And nowadays, both sides of the boulevard are lined with parked cars.

After finishing the shopping, we returned to Boulevard Thiers to stop off at the newly re-juvenated 'Bar Basque' (right) for a sangria. All the tables and chairs outside have been replaced with swish new ones, there's a new menu, the waiters are friendly and if you're ever at a loose end in St Jean, there are many worse places to twiddle it in than the 'Bar Basque'. Sitting with a drink under the trees in the late afternoon sunshine watching the world go by, I'd be hard-pushed to think of anywhere else I'd rather be. All the elemental colours of the Basque flag were there - the white of the buildings, the Basque red shutters and doors, the green of the trees under a burning blue sky. And while you're contemplating all that, their drinks list features some classic cocktails too..

The Boulevard Thiers runs through the chic part of St Jean de Luz. If your S.O. (significant other) feels her shopping low level warning light come on, you could suggest that you park yourself at the 'Bar Basque' thus leaving her free to ramble and roam without that nagging feeling that two steps behind her lurks Mr Grumpy who's got half an eye cocked on his wrist watch.

Boulevard...

..Thiers

And if you ever find a large bunch of keys to an apartment anywhere on Boulevard Thiers jangling in your pocket, you'll know that you've landed on your feet. Lined with well-groomed evergreen trees (I'm not sure if they're eucalyptus or magnolia - or neither), a few steps from the beach and handy for all parts of town, Boulevard Thiers really is the ne plus ultra as far as I'm concerned.

Went down to the river this morning under heavy grey skies - it had rained overnight - and no sooner had we got out on the river in an VIII than it started raining.. Ah well, it's only water (it says here). Did 14km (Running total: 766km).

A propos of nothing - this sign from European trains advising passengers not to lean out of the windows always used to amuse me - not entirely sure why though:

The German phrase sounded to me as though it should be shouted, whereas in French it sounds like something a Frenchman might whisper to his girlfriend last thing at night. The Italian one comes straight from a menu.. "I'd like the pericoloso sporgersi and a bottle of San Pellegrino per favore." That's the danger of national stereotyping for you!

19th June 2011. The window's wide open, there's not a cloud in the sky and the birds are twittering (not tweeting!) outside.. Going to be warm today.

No lawn or hedge has been harmed in the writing of this post.

Here are some tips for travellers dated 1937 - how times have changed:

151. An English lawn in the Pays Basque

2011-06-15T18:34:00.007+02:00

As it was

15th June 2011. It's been a quiet week in the Pays Basque (with apologies to Garrison Keillor!) Starting a lawn from scratch here has proved trickier than I ever would have believed. When we moved in here in February 2008, the 'lawn' was a mess - it was choked with weeds and dandelions (pronounced dandellyons by Madame!) with many bare patches of hard-packed earth. I started pulling the weeds out one by one but, after I'd done a small area, I realised I was wasting my time as there was hardly any grass remaining after the weeds had gone. After looking at the price of turf, I thought it would be cheaper to re-seed. This meant digging it all over, putting in fertiliser and a lot of new soil, leveling it and re-seeding. So - it was out with the spades and the forks. Digging it over took me a week as just below the surface lay a tangled web of roots from the surrounding trees and bushes. Heaving out as many of the firmly-entrenched roots as I could manage filled ten 50 litre sacks - and lopped 5 years off my three score years and ten.. I put in a lawn edging strip to try and contain the lawn neatly at the borders and then I started building up the level with soil. I've long lost count of how many 50 litre sacks of earth and fertiliser I've put in but it's well over a hundred. I seeded and then stood back to watch and wait.

Lawns flourish in England's mild & well-watered climate but that of the Pays Basque is more challenging with its fierce summer sun and infrequent but torrential downpours of rain.

Early results were illusory (right) - the lawn looked promising but it gradually faded and we ended up with dead burnt patches. I think the tree's roots were sucking up much of the water and so a couple of years ago, we had it taken out. As it came down, we discovered that it had been dying on us - much of it was rotten. After re-seeding with different grass and achieving mixed results I bit the bullet and turfed the lower half. Madame has been raking it all and putting liquid fertiliser on it and I think we must be doing something right as this year it's finally starting to look pretty good. We've also been making good use of the water barrel to keep newly sown patches well-watered. The birds remain a problem though. For some reason, they keep pecking holes in it. The little treasures!

Did a search on YouTube for a suitable clip about mowing lawns and came up with this.. (don't ask!)

150. River bank tales 2

2011-06-13T19:37:00.030+02:00

11th June 2011. We went to Biarritz this evening to see a new film just out - "Midnight in Paris", written and directed by Woody Allen. Regular readers of this blog (yes, both of you!) might remember I'm a Woody fan and although he doesn't appear in the film you can hear his unmistakeable views of life, death, love, sex and marriage through one of the actors. Something of a fairy tale - without giving the plot away - it's a charming film set in one of the world's most photogenic cities. Carla Bruni (or Madame Sarkozy - take your pick!) does well in her cameo role. I think it's his best film for a good few years. Well worth putting your knitting down for one night and getting your fancy duds on for a night at the cinema!

13th June 2011. I went down to the club late yesterday morning to lend a hand with the organisation of the "3 Rivières" event. We were going to drive the rowers (well over a hundred of them) up the Adour to Peyrehorade (try saying that while eating a Cornish pasty!) where the boats lay after Saturday's epic row on the Gave. But before that, however, there was the small question of lunch. We were all to have lunch in the brasserie (on the first floor above the club).

I squeezed into a gap on a very convivial table and I had to remind myself that once they'd finished their 3 course lunch everyone (apart from your correspondent) would soon be facing a 35km row (almost 22 miles). I think it's fair to say that, in the UK, sandwiches would have been the order of the day. Things are done differently in France however. Come what may, whatever else happens, France stops three times a day for meals. Lunch is sacrosanct. Sandwiches? Ah beh non! The main course was a delicious tagliatelle with chicken and mushrooms. Naturally, wine was served and so I, as a non-rower, had a couple of glasses. Towards the end of lunch, the word went around that a girl in one of the crews was suffering badly with blisters and I was surprised to hear some idiot offer to take her place. Unfortunately that idiot turned out to be me! I missed yet another golden opportunity to keep my mouth shut! I shot off home and quickly changed into my rowing kit before dashing back in time to leave for Peyrehorade. All the way there I was asking myself why I hadn't chosen to remain silent.. aaargghh! As it happened, once there, the girl in question decided to carry on so I was let off the hook. Phew!

There was just the one smallish pontoon and somehow we had to get about 30 IVs down the narrow sloping ramp one at a time and into the water and away. I was there to see the last couple of IVs in the water before jumping in a small speedboat to act as security in case of problems.

Bec du Gave

Once we left the relatively narrow waters of the Gave, we joined the mighty Adour at the Bec du Gave (left). I would think that the Adour is not so well known back home, but, believe me, it makes any river in the UK look like a mere stream. The sky had been covered to start with and the air was heavy - not good rowing weather. The sun burnt off the haze and soon we were frying in that small boat as we slowly chuntered along behind the last two IVs. It was around 7.30pm when they finally arrived at the club in Bayonne. For those carrying on into the evening, there was just time for a quick shower and change before going on to a Cidrerie in Petit Bayonne. These evenings can get very lively and the whole weekend becomes a test of endurance - both in and out of the boats!

For some reason I've been humming this tune (to myself!) for the last few hours without knowing what it was - I do this all the time! Finally, I went downstairs where Madame was slaving away in the front garden now that it's cool. Earlier I'd cut down a vast overgrown nondescript bush that the previous occupant had allowed to run wild and some of the branches had died. Extracting the roots with the aid of a sledge hammer, a pick and a spade in the mid-afternoon heat had just about finished me off so I was indoors cooling off with this tune playing over & over in my head. Once I'd hummed it to her she told me it was "Parlez-moi d'amour" and that it had been in the soundtrack of Woody Allen film we saw the other night (which is where I must have got it from). Anyway, to cut a long story short, and to implant it in your brain, here it is:

14th June 2011. Saw a story on the BBC News page this morning.. is this a blow for the few remaining beret makers in the Pays Basque? A quote from a soldier in the US Army was that it was like wearing a "wet sock" on his head. (we'll just have to take his word for that!) US Army spokesman Colonel Tom Collins told Agence France-Presse: "The beret does not have a visor and doesn't shield the sun, doesn't absorb sweat well." Well, I think the problem is that the military-style beret has lost its roots..

The Basque beret has clearly taken a styling cue from Basque houses as they all sport overhanging roofs to shield the walls from the worst of the weather. Rain comes in only one size here - a downpour! - and the Basque beret provides a good measure of protection against the rain to the wearer. The Basque beret with its generous overhang also does a good job of providing shade for the eyes. And from what I can see as well, it doesn't appear to fit like a wet sock either! The military beret reflects the military mind - they have to look soldierly and providing the ordinary soldier with a Basque beret would be to invite even more opportunities for the ever-inventive soldiers to mould their berets into shapes that even the manufacturers could not imagine.