A Week in Provence

And so at the end of a week in Bize, we packed up the two cars and headed over to the little village of Bouc-Bel-Air, a few kilometres south of Aix-en-Provence where they’d booked a lovely little villa with a pool. The weather didn’t get warm enough for swimming, and the pool water was pretty cold anyway.

The reason this area was chosen because Morgan [my oldest niece] had a one week camp at the nearby IBS School (The International Bilingual School of Provence) as she will be coming to France to start full time there later in the year. So this was a spring camp to get a feel for the place.

It’s a lovely school, located out in the fields on the outskirts of Aix, with a truly international group of students.

And Sage, the middle daughter, attended in the mornings and did maths and French. In the afternoons the Sage and Indigo, the youngest, attended a week of tennis lessons – so this week was for the kids.

Sage and Morgan - sampling tapenade......

Between picking up and dropping off duties, we did manage to get out and about on short trips – a sightseeing trip to the lovely village of Ventabren which is close to the Aqueduct de Roquefavour – the biggest of its sort in the world. The Canal de Marseille passes over it. It’s pretty amazing standing below and looking upwards – it’s enormous.

And of course we had a few wanders around beautiful Aix.

On the first evening, Indigo and Sage had a go on the trampoline bungee thing just off the main square – they certainly had fun.

On the Saturday we headed down to Marseille for lunch and a bit of sightseeing. What a huge city – we only had a bit of a wander in the old port area, but managed a fair bit of unplanned driving in a very busy ‘down town’ area.

Lunch was at a recommended restaurant in an out-of-the-way part of the old port area – the Pizzeria Jeannot. Worth the effort in finding the place – the kids had pizza – the best they said. I had what I think is probably the second best piece of steak I’ve ever had (cooked over wood).

And the round bit in the photo is a bit of a treat – I had to get Sage to help me with the French/English translation on the menu. ‘Soft bone’ she said. Bone marrow. Yikes – I didn’t eat it, but Duff gave it a go.

Nic had what she reckons is the best deep fried baby squid (and given that our dad was a fisherman – we’ve certainly eaten some squid in our time ….) and Duff had some pretty amazing pieces of bbq lamb. So a successful lunch indeed.

And then up the hill to visit the famous basilica, Notre-Dame de la Garde, which has 360 degree views of Marseille. We were nearly blown away up there – the wind had been blowing fiercely all day and it was really felt that high up.

Our last day – Sunday – we headed east to take a look at Mount Sainte-Victoire – the mountain that is depicted in many of Paul Cezanne’s paintings – he lived nearby in Aix.

All the kids are into their dance lessons in Canada – they love it. At the drop of the hat, they’re happy to do a show!

This one is Indigo – who did a bit of Highland Dancing – and did a great job with the music that was at hand!

And Sage has done a bit of ‘dance improvisation’ – and here, ironically, is using the music from Bananas in Pyjamas (an Australian kids’ TV show/book series).

Even though the kids have all lived in Australia at some stage, their accents now are totally Canadian. Sage was trying to speak with an Australian accent – but I think she’s been watching too many British movies!

And so on Monday, a trip down to Marseille Airport in the two cars – Nic and the kids back to Canada. And then I was to drop Duff at the Aix en Provence new TGV rail station. But my GPS software is a now rather out of date I guess, and I couldn’t seem to find it. So needless to say, we ended up in the backstreets of outer Marseille suburbs, asking directions.

And then I had to head home, via Montpellier Ikea for a few bits and pieces. But I missed a motorway turn, and ended up back at Marseille Airport before I could right things, and then there was a roadblock and once again I ended up in the back of beyond. So a fairly hectic start to my return trip!

Lovely break, fabulous catching up with the family – but very reassuring to feel good about coming ‘home’. So perhaps I will be here for some time…….

The Canadian Contingent

Nic and Duff arrived from Montpellier with the hire car full of kids and a lot of luggage! But all fitted comfortably in the big house and there was never a quiet moment. Which was good. Not only did we get out and about, but also managed to get an afternoon’s work done out in the barn.

Three flat-packs of bathroom cabinets – a good few hours, finished off with the help of a couple of cold beers.

All the floor tiles are down, and the kitchen installation is underway:

A day trip into Narbonne markets, a visit to Les Halles undercover food market, and then the obligatory coffee in the main square, with a backdrop of the beautiful Bishop’s Palace and Narbonne Cathedral.

A day trip through to La Cite at Carcassonne.

Rooftops of Carcassonne:

Sage and Indigo in the sweet shop at La Cite:

We also spent time in Bize itself, and went on Tuesday’s walk with the village group. It was an incredibly windy day – the Tramontane was blowing – this area’s equivalent of the Mistral that blows in Provence. But the views and the walk itself were as usually very nice – finished off with coffee and cake back where we left the cars.

After the walk, we stopped off at the source ….. a stream that literally runs out of the Pech – but only runs from October to June each year. The water is incredibly clear and runs a short distance before joining up to the River Cesse.

Clause and Ellyette were following right behind and pulled over to give us a bit of history of the place. There are caves a little further along, and despite getting directions from Claude, we failed to find them. Another time perhaps.

Ellyette disappeared into the undergrowth and emerged with a good handful of wild asparagus – eyes of an eagle. Claude said it was also a good place for wild cresson (watercress) but that it was well known and picked out at the moment.

But he was headed over to his cousin’s farm where there was plenty. And did we want some? Well yes, indeed we did. So Claude dropped over early evening with half a bucket full – enough for all of us for two meals. And it was delicious.

Nic and I headed out the next day for a gentle walk along the river and picked wild rocket – it grows everywhere here.

Some vignerons allow it to grow wild among the vines – apparently it’s beneficial in some way for the vines, though I'm not sure what. I must find out .... And it’s very pretty when there are masses of it and it’s in flower. It’s only the very young shoots that aren’t too bitter to eat.

The same day, Duff was feeling particularly energetic and did a walk up to the top of the Pech – and came back with a handful of wild asparagus! So dinner that night was salmon and a delicious green salad – the rocket, water cress and asparagus all picked that day from around the village – and it really did taste wonderful.

We also had a day trip through to the village of Marseillan which is a beautiful spot on the edge of the Etang de Thau.

On a previous trip Nic and Duff did, they met Jean-Luis, a wine maker. And they have kept in touch and become friends, and caught up with on each visit. He and his wife Danielle are delightful people and we’ve been invited to meals at their house on several occasions. Jean-Luis took us for a trip to the outskirts of the village to see his vines and the site of their proposed new house, cellars and tasting rooms.

The vines are just starting to shoot -

And there are some parts of the vineyards have a beautiful view out over the Thau basin towards the town of Sete.

We had an interesting trip back to Marseillan – in a white van! We had problems with the hire car, but fortunately Jean-Luis’ future son-in-law lives nearby and managed to arrange for a mechanic to come out after hours.

But in the meantime, we all piled into the white van. Nic and I sat up the front with Jean-Luis -the others sat in the back, pitch black / no windows. Fortunately not too far!

A delicious meal in the evening. A local dish of Sete - Bourride Sètoise (Provence Fish Soup With Aïoli) - cooked with large pieces of monkfish (lotte) poached in a broth with finely cubed vegetables. Definitely one I'll have a crack at soon.

Another knees-up

Where does the time go? I can’t believe it’s been a month since the Carnival here in Bize. In comparison to last month, these last few weeks have been relatively quiet. There has been one function at the Salles de Fete I attended – a lunch / dance. Some friends in the village Margaret and David have joined ‘The Club’ - new partners in crime. And this was their first experience of the Bizois and Bizoise having a damn fine knees-up. Margaret also writes a blog and here she has done a great job in describing the many courses that we managed to get through [again …. groan …] during the afternoon. So once again, an afternoon of good food and drink, good company, interspersed with dancing.

And here comes confession time. I did my first [and very likely last] bit of line dancing!

This is the slow version with a handful of people:




And then more people joined in, and it livened up a little. Margaret thought it would be a good idea if we got up together and had a go. We did. Let’s just say that I’m not very good, and leave it at that....

Progress out the back:

A handy gadget for raising buckets of cement and packs of tiles:

The garage has been cemented over, all the plaster dividing walls are in place and the floor tiling is nearly complete.

And there’s been lots of sand carted through the garage – this lot was dumped out in the street, blocking half the roadway. The deputy mayor had words with the builders about it – and of course I kept right out of it. But it wasn’t there long – taken out the back with a bobcat.

The next post I do here will be lots of family stuff – because the good news is that my sister Nic, Duff, and the three kids (who live in British Columbia, Canada) arrive here on Monday and I’m very much looking forward to it.

At the moment they’re in Paris for a few days – including a bit of time at Disneyland. Then they catch a train to Montpellier where they will pick up the hire car and head this way. We’ll have a week here in Bize, and then all head off to Aix-en-Provence for a week where they’ve rented a house – well, it’s in a tiny village just outside of Aix.

I’ve been trying to get this house in order – I have had a lot of ‘stuff’ just stored all over the place – bits and pieces, furniture, flat-packs (an entire kitchen!) that will shortly be headed over to the barn.

And I can’t store any of it in the garage because the builders need the drive-through access to the building site. So, that’s my job for the next few days …. Create a semblance of ‘tidy’ in my very crowded house, ready for the influx! Roll on Monday …..

Oh, and speaking of builders – a little ‘faux pas’ of mine. My French really is not progressing very well at all. It may have something to do with the fact that I’m not very disciplined with the work I should be doing at home on my own. I never was one for homework.

However, I digress. Until recently (definitely sorted now….), I have been confusing two words: gentil (nice) and jolie (pretty). Pronounced roughly “zhontee” and “zholee”.

So I arrived home from Narbonne the other day, backed my car into the garage, loaded to the roof with three toilets (!)… There were three builders on site, and I asked them if they could help me unload them.

"Oui, madame … but of course ……. "

And I thanked them profusely – and basically told them they were all ‘very pretty’ …… They looked suitably stunned…..

And a few pictures from the Narbonne Sunday Market last week:

A stall selling Scottish doggie outfits …

With the real thing wearing one:

Bize Minervois Carnaval 2008

Phew this is a busy busy time of year. And I thought winter would be a quiet time. No such thing.

The celebrations started with an evening organised by the local football club in the Village Hall (I’ve found myself there quite a bit lately!). Dress requirements were simple: black and red. Tickets included a three course meal including aperitifs and wines, and a DJ for the evening. A group of us got together, and what a fun evening it was. Everyone was issued with a red or white bandana, and the DJ had everyone up singing and generally joining in. I have to say, this is the first time I’ve been to a dinner/dance, where the nearly everyone is up standing on their chairs waving their bandanas. And this is all between the entrée and the main course!

And then after mains but before dessert, he had conga lines happening. Well I haven’t done that for quite a few years but yep, he had the whole lot up, charging around the rows of tables and everyone having a great time. So I was far too occupied to get any photos of that exercise …

But I did get some footage of a whole lot of people sitting on the floor, appearing to be rowing! But what they were doing was passing a prone person backwards over their heads……. All wonderfully bizarre and lots of fun.

It went on quite late, but our little group exited before the disco started, not too long after the meal. There were hordes of young folk waiting outside the hall for the ‘real music’ to start. I think an awful lot of them were not from this village. I would like to think so anyway, because during the night, my lovely planter boxes from my front window disappeared - a little disheartening to say the least.

The Carnaval lasts for four days – the fun fair has set up on the boules ground down near the river, and then on the Sunday was the main event.

Last year I was a spectator at the big parade, this year Sandra and me were invited to join in the Troisieme Age’s float. What a hoot the day was ….. the theme they chose was ‘Austrian’ because last year the group went on a trip to the Tyrol area of Austria… The float was a giant beer stein, and there was beer on tap which was given away to the crowd in plastic glasses as the parade went around the village twice.

Illyette and a few others have been making the costumes for some time now, so early afternoon it was ‘dress up’ time for me and Sandra. Again, not something I’ve done for a while - and it was hard work smiling with that much slap on!

Before:

After:

A few more photos of the parade -

Sarkozy and Carla Bruni:

A group from the Limoux Fecos Festival came through to march on the day:

Miki as Snow White!

And the lead float – for some reason this year is a semi-naked king sitting on his 'throne'!

Traditionally, at the end of the festival, the main float is symbolically burned down on the river bed:

And of course after the parade, that wasn’t the end of it. It was back to the Village Hall for aperitifs and a little more dancing.

And following this, back to the club rooms with the Troisieme Age for a meal …. At the end of the night, arrangements were being made for yet another meal and dance the following night at the bar in Cabazac – and I just had to decline. These older folk leave me for dead!

Oh, and on the Saturday morning, a quick trip up to La Caunette for THEIR annual Citrus Festival (Fête de la Bigarade). I can’t believe it’s a year since I was there last year – it’s when I bought my eucalyptus. Which incidentally has done OK through the winter. A few of the tips of the branches suffered with the frosts, but it’s come back with a vengeance. This year, I bought a small mimosa (wattle) to replace one of the roses that was on its last legs …. So hopefully this will grow fairly quickly and provide a bit of shade in the courtyard.

However, the theme was citrus, and there were some interesting sights:

As the label on the fruit says, it’s Main de Bouddha (Hand of Buddha) – first time I’ve ever seen anything like it.

Oh, and I came across this woman with a long-haired Chihuahua in a basket … asked if I could take a photo [no problems ….] and made the stupid mistake of going to pat it. The little bugger bit me! Well, perhaps that’s a little bit of an exaggeration – but he definitely nipped me ……! Given that I'm not a dog person, you'd think I'd have more sense ....

Barn progress

Now that the main walls and floors are in, things are happening quite fast. The windows and doors are in, the cement render is on the front walls -

…. the air conditioning is being installed -

…. roof insulation is in –

…. the electrician has started the wiring -

And the yard is a mess!

Once the building is finished, that is the next project to crack on with ….. turn a very muddy and dug-up area into something wonderful! Well, perhaps I’m aiming a little high here … but whatever I do will be a vast improvement on the quagmire it is now.

Oh, and the garage is still dug up….. but this too will soon be sorted.

Over all, things have gone relatively smoothly – a few hiccups and delays – but nothing major. Speaking to people who have undertaken similar projects, it seems I’ve been pretty fortunate. An interesting trip through to Ikea in Montpellier recently – picking up flat packs of bathroom furniture and fittings, and also an extractor fan for the kitchen. My little car certainly does a good job – it was loaded to the gunnels, with a particularly long pack reaching from the back window, through the front seats and finishing up touching the rear vision mirror. A tight fit indeed, and me worrying if I had to hit the skids, it would shoot straight through the windscreen. But an uneventful, albeit rather slow trip home.

The kitchen I’ve ordered from a place in Narbonne, but that also needs to be collected from Montpellier and it’s too much for my car. But as Sandra’s husband Patrick will be doing the installation, he is going to go through next week to pick it up.

So, full steam ahead here – and hopefully I’ll be moved in some time in April, or perhaps early May.

Village Lunch

Every year the Maire of the village provides a free lunch and entertainment for the ‘older’ residents of the village – Repas des Aînés. And given that I’m a member of the Troisième âge group, I qualified! So myself, June, Patrick and Sandra registered at the Town Hall, and turned up at the village hall promptly at noon on Saturday.

Well, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – these people know how to have a good time and certainly like a good lunch.

On this occasion, the Maire had pulled out all the stops – a cake literally the size of a table – baked by the justifiably proud-looking village baker:

- followed by the usual 4 course meal, beginning with aperitifs, all the sorts of wine, and afterwards sparkling digestifs! But the highlight of the afternoon had to be the entertainment. I guess we knew were in for a show when the table down the front – consisting of 3 men and 4 women, all with full make-up and the longest false eyelashes! ate their dinner before everyone else.

It was a floor show to remember – the female performers were stunning, and the female impersonators looked pretty spectacular too.

It was all a bit surreal – sitting in a small village hall in rural France, and watching a ‘spectacle’ performed to a very high standard – the likes of which someone said you could expect to see elsewhere and pay a lot of money for!

And didn’t the Can-Can get the crowd going …

And this one, with the females topless – I imagine had a few of the older hearts racing ….

The up-side of us sitting at the front table was a great view – the down-side (well for Patrick anyway!) was that he and another person at our table were dragged up on stage to take part in the entertainment! But he took it all in good humour and he did indeed amuse and entertain! I suspect he thoroughly enjoyed the experience – he certainly wore a big lipstick kiss on his cheek later!

Interestingly, it was this time last year when I was at my window at about 5pm in the afternoon, and noticed lots of people walking past with pot plants and branches of Mimosa. I figured I’d missed out on something happening down on the promenade and rushed out to investigate. But in fact it was all the villagers leaving the Maire’s luncheon! And this year it was me walking home with a flower pot and a large branch of mimosa (used to decorate the hall) – which is now cut up into smaller pieces and looking very nice in a vase in the kitchen.

And now onto yet another festival. Given that it’s winter here – although with the weather we’ve been having lately, you wouldn’t know it – the villages are having their annual festivals all over the place. Last weekend it was the Mimosa Festival in the village of Roquebrun in the Black Mountains.

Mimosa (or wattle or acacia as it’s known in Australia) is abundant in the area and at the moment is in full flower and just stunning. Interestingly, I had thought that it was a different variety, native to this area. But in fact I’ve discovered that it is in fact an Australian native, which was introduced to southern France in the 19th century by British botanists.

And how is this for a little bit of Oz in a small French village – plants for sale: a pot of purple Native Wisteria (hardenbergia) together with Acacia. Made me quite homesick – both of these plants can be found in the forests of the south-west of Western Australia where I grew up …..