once more unto the breach . . .

As I was about to attack the washing up AGAIN yesterday after an Ezra cooking episode, I remembered this wonderful scene from Withnail and I. Richard E Grant saying, 'I feel unusual' must be one of my favorite cinema moments.

Flights of fancy

I just came across this as I was searching for a picture of something this morning in our rambling photo archives. I don't think I have blogged it before. As a person who is totally in awe of cloud formations, I remember this almost struck me to the ground in the car park at Carrefour supermarket in Banyuls. Winged figure from a giant black Rolls Royce, or an angel leaving the earth.

dad and brothers

A rare event: Mark with both his sons. Ollie is stopping on his way to Portugal for a couple of weeks. Expert fire juggler, we are hoping he might perform in Limoux. . . if the police don't get too excited. Ezra is very pleased: at last someone to play poker with.

Somewhere in the suburbs of Toulouse . . .

Ha, serves me right for being rude about Ikea. I went there, as I was collecting a friend from Blagnac with the intention of buying a small amount of bedlinen, a couple of towels and a frying pan. Arrived well in advance of opening time and joined crowd of other sad folks panting with anticipation at the red barrier rope thing to keep us out until the declared hour. See pic. The barrier was lifted and we all zipped through the maze upstairs, didn't have a coffee as the place was under reconstruction, and ended up in the 'market place bit downstairs. Got a trolly as I could feel that odd excitement enveloping me, the urge to buy non-needed plastic items. Oo look washing up brushes at one euro each, lets get ten. There was an air of sheep-like bewilderment, people pushing trolleys up and down, trying to find stuff to buy. Ikea was having a major re-fit, but had failed to tell anyone on the way in. Or perhaps it was all an evil plan to make one think about re-designing one's kitchen in the wake of non-purchasing disappointment. Bastards. Anyway I left without so much as a flannel.

However . . .I did discover 'Babou' next door. Terrible emporium stuffed with more rubbish than Amazon's returns department. For the price of one poshish duvet cover I got: three cushions, four pillow cases, four towels, three (rather nice) mugs, four plates, socks for Ezra, a bath mat, a huge bag with a picture of one of the Queens bingo friends on it, I love this! (see pic)and nearly a pair of sequined Union Jack shorts, (thank God not.) I dread to think of the environmental impact of such a shop on all levels, but is the cuboid blue and yellow shopping cathedral really any better. . .

Our trip out . . .

Yes! a miserable wet day. Ezra had been waiting for ages for such a day to visit Castelnaudary. Unlike most people who might want to look at a sunset, some beautiful rolling pastoral hills or an ancient monument; he wanted to revisit an old ? factory in aforementioned town.

Here are some happy snaps from our lovely day. We even sat in the car in the rain with a thermos of tea to heighten the pleasure.

I was rather pleased with the images of a seated horned figure, and the rusted pink number. This is appearing twice in this post, not that it is so great, but I can't find out how to remove it having loaded it twice by mistake.

We also saw two boats going through the lock system: amazing series of 'water steps' I think there were four seperate gates.

Took a different route back home and discovered a new landscape of grassy hillocks and views onto the black mountains.

All in all a super trip out.

Saturday 19th May Musée Petiet Limoux

YES, culture is live and kicking in Limoux, at least for one eve . . .

Easy care garden

We went for a vague wander around a bit of unexplored (to us) Limoux today.

Saw this super low maintenance garden. Red gnomes, chickens and pots with plastic flowers . . .? I was hoping the owners of the house might see me and ask me in. Perhaps their house was full of grass and rose bushes.