A very quiet, almost boring week, perhaps a reaction to the fairly active time we had had in the preceding two weeks. Also the weather is changing noticeably and there is a distinct chill in the morning and evening air. We feel quite cheated – what happened to Summer? Where are the endless days of scorching heat that everyone has spoken about in years past? Not that we really enjoy scorching heat, but if we are supposed to be having them, we want them! We want our full money’s worth! It doesn’t help to winge though, so we just put another blanket on the bed and spend longer in it! As a result our days are shortened even more and it is a real effort to get all our shopping done before the whole of France shuts down at twelve o’clock for it’s two-hour lunch break.
On Wednesday we realized that it was actually warmer in the car than in the house when we ventured out to do a bit of sight-seeing. We went in a south westerly direction to Maubourguet where we had heard about the ‘knitted’ trees over the main road through town. To achieve the effect, the plane trees on either side of the main road have the tops cut off each year, forcing long slender shoots to grow out just below the cut. These shoots are then allowed to grow longer and side shoots are trimmed off. The main shoots are carefully intertwined (knitted), and once the leaves come out, provide a dense canopy and wonderful shade. It is a popular tradition in a lot of European towns and is often done in places where people tend to congregate such as market areas or town squares. The idea is to provide welcome relief from that scorching sun that I mentioned earlier.
By the time we reached the town, it was almost lunch-time but we walked a big loop around the one half of the town before deciding to have lunch at a very pleasant café in the main road. Then we did the other half of the figure eight and walked a big loop around the other end of town. Some of the flowers were pretty but the town has little to attract tourists.
The guide book had said that another town close by was worth seeing, just as an oddity. The whole town is spread out in one long line of houses and shops along the single main road which runs through it. We found the town easily enough and it is true – the houses range from old to newer to newest the further one goes down the road. Very odd indeed. No reason was given for this but we wondered if perhaps the land on both sides was very damp or prone to flooding or something of that sort. Unlike most old towns and villages, there was no central square or market place and to tell the truth, was just a bit dismal.
We then turned back towards Riscle, where we had not visited before, and had a quick walk around town before deciding that it, too, had little to recommend it.
Earlier in the week I had finished the cross-stitch project I had been busy with for about a year, and with a sigh of relief folded it carefully and put it in my suitcase to take home. Then I spent a pleasant few hours trawling the Internet for online suppliers of embroidery kits. I finally found something that suited both my interests and my pocket, and am now anxiously awaiting it’s arrival. It will be good to have something different to occupy my time.
Also during the week, we finalized our plans for returning to France next year in order to renew our long-stay visas. Some friends who have a house here are returning to Britain indefinitely and have kindly offered us the use of their house. This is wonderful news and we look forward to returning to this area early next year.
There is currently a wonderful ‘exchange of goods’ going on in the village and beyond! Obviously everyone’s veggie patch is doing well and producing more than the gardeners can cope with. The other day we found three tomatoes balancing on the kitchen window sill, which could only have come from Ady. I quickly put some onions from our garden into a packet to give to her in return but she had gone out. That evening we went to dine with friends and came away with a giant bag of beans that resemble and taste like green beans but which are white. I added some beans to the packet for Ady and a bunch of dahlias and we took them to her this morning. But we didn’t return home empty-handed as she immediately produced two more tomatoes and an aubergine, and something I am really intrigued by. She says it is a tomato without seeds in it, if I understood correctly. It is about ten centimeters long and pointed at one end and almost looks like a red chilli, and is apparently all flesh. I can’t wait to cut it up! I will take some pictures and perhaps include them next week.
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