Stove plant.

I was reading the other day about Bougainvillea plants. In parts of America where it was too cold to leave them outside, as it is here, they would be brought in their pots and put near the stove to winter.
What it didn't say was how they are very useful for drying your underwear on if you don't possess a tumble dryer.
Yes, I have slight cabin fever due to huge snow coverage. We did however make it down to the square to see the Carnaval with it's very small but cheery crowd of onlookers. One of the trumpet players said they did the 10.pm sortie yesterday and it was minus six. Urgg, frostbite in all extremities I would imagine.

'COME ON ALGERNON' from the film 'CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE'

Just had to post this from one our favourite films, 'Champagne Charlie'; a must for a festeringly cold Sunday afternoon such as this.
I watched a video clip of Madonna's new single yesterday. What has this to do with a 1944 black and white film, you ask, if you are not already asleep in an armchair with a cup of tea and a dog. Interesting comparison I thought. There's Madonna at the ripe old age of ? waggling her bits about in an attempt to challenge Lady Gaga to pop sex Queen, and here is Betty Driver doing it with so much more style. Bit more clothing, but check out those 'oo er misses' words.

despite minus-three degrees . . .

The carnaval de Limoux continues.
I read in the paper this morning at the Café de Commerce, that all sporting and exterior events had been cancelled in the Aude.
In Limoux, happy crazed folks dresed as giant babies clasping plastic bottles of pastis with teats on them, danced around the square. Due to the wind-chill factor of about minus fifteen, there was only a few people watching, the cafés stuffed instead. A great shame for the group, as the preperation for this one day a year is immense, and it's always a gamble on the weather.
Our group goes out next Saturday, and I am praying for a slight rise in temperature at least. Holding one's hands aloft in skimpy polyester gloves for many hours in freezing conditions is not fun.
Here is a film of the other group out today. I wish them all luck for the late evening 'sorti'. By ten o'clock it will be mind numbingly cold and the crowd will presumably wither to a lone dog. Everyone else, including me, will be in front of a fire, eating comfort food and watching a film. Sorry carnaval.

January 17th 2012 Rennes le Chateau. Day of the blue apples.

We have a Canadian guest staying at the Hothouse. He is fascinated by certain aspects of the Rennes le Chateau legend.
It was a stunningly clear blue-sky day today, so we went up to the famous site to see the blue apples appearing in the church. They did so, most obligingly, sneaking along the wall as the sun moved around casting its light through the stained glass panes. Not sure what the fuss was about, and why apples? could as well have been gentically perfect tomatoes, or tennis balls. Very lovely colour however. See photo.
There was a big crowd, all French except us, I think; mostly soberly attired in grey and black except one guy dressed in a camouflaged cape, smoking a cigar. Cathar, without a doubt.
We duly inspected the grotto with its offerings of an old conker, three screws and a sweet wrapper, then the tour of the house and museum. I last went to Rennes about six years ago, money has obviously been spent; the museum is much improved and there has been good renovation of the tower and garden area.
Father Sauniere obviously had a wonderful time throwing his money about, not surprising that people got a little suspicious. Formal garden, booklined cosy 'occasional' tower folly, stunning wrought iron orangery (my favourite bit), etc. Here is a picture of Father S, preserved in wax in his parlour. Presumably when the court orders had started coming in, judging by his expression. Actually he looks like one of the trumpet players in the main carnaval band. . . must check out the family history there.
The most interesting feature of the church is definately the wooden 'don't do any of this' sign - no Rolling Stones, no dogs if they are interbred with rabbits, no fast food outlets, and no cameras if you are using flash. But you can go to the loo in the font.
We avoided the shop - even though it was lovely and warm - and its display of nick-nacks, such as silver nativity scenes in small padded boxes in the shape of ladybirds?? and headed off down the hill, in search of further mystery.

Its January, we're in Limoux, it must be . . Carnaval!!

I remember now, sitting in the last carnaval meeting of our group saying 'yes, no problem I'll paint the masks, again'.
When I got everything out to do it, I had a recollection of how long this actually takes. But like giving birth, (well, not THAT bad) one forgets the details; time softens the memory, or maybe I'm just menopausal and can't remember things generally.
Anyway, I've done half of them. I'm taking the sample 'men's one to the meeting on Saturday for it's approval, or not, and then I'll do the whole lot. Do come and see us sporting them on February 11th 5.00p.m in 'La Place de La Republique'.
A day of repetitive tasks generally. I spent about an hour and a half deleting emails that had built up. Mostly crap such as,'rate my photo' from some pillock in Bavaria holding a giant fish, or similar messages. l don't actually know how I got onto some of these World Wide Waste of time communication sites. I must have pressed a yes key when a distant acquaintance had said 'would you like to see a picture of me and my cat', and I was feeling aimless. Mark managed to extract me from one particular site that kept sending me photos of large hairy men from places about as far as it is possible to get from here with messages such as: "Hi, Vladimir is hot to meet you."
Facebook is quite fun, a tad voyeuristic perhaps. I'm not sure if I really need to look at someone's holiday pics when I haven't seen them for twenty five years, but . . .it's good to know one has so many friends. Mmm.
The other twenty thousand messages were from Amazon suggesting I would like to buy one of around sixty types of food blender. Odd as we did actually buy one from them recently. So why would we want to buy another? Plan for the future perhaps? - one can never be too sure about the life span of a blender. Or get one in yellow, in case you wake up one day and find that red makes you feel nauseous.
They also started suggesting I might like to buy other things in similar colours, and things that maybe have a similar function or a vague relation to it. A nice red wood-chipper perhaps; a DVD of the Texas chainsaw massacre? Some Doom Metal music to put through your new Amazon speakers while you're re-creating that scene in Fargo.
So, back to Carnaval. Have just returned from excellent charity shop in Carcassonne: 'terre de Esperance,' armed with old clothes and bits to make into Carnaval outfit for practice run-through tomorrow. Also bought two snuggly wool jumpers for one euro, which would be difficult to purchase from Amazon, but they may be working on it.
Amazon suggests you might like these old tights.

Post for no reason.

I was trying to find some images to send to my mum, us looking adorable etc. Difficult as this time of year as we retreat ever further into old woollen layers that should have been disposed of last year. Mark has his second skin firmly established; this year a black zippy cardigan. I was able to remove it yesterday, and it hangs in a never ending final rinse in the rain as I write. He is no doubt shivering in something unspeakable that he found in the back of the cupboard as he teaches in Esperaza.
Anyway . . . I saw this fish image that I took in, I think, Gruissan aquarium, and was struck with the realisation that this is a good argument for the non-existance of God, or the exsistance, providing he or she has an excellent sense of humour.
Why would anyone bother to craft such a ludicrous beast unless it was going to feature in a Dickens novel as Mr Crudworth-Pipenostril. Perhaps I am being unfair, I can't remember reading the panel of information on the fish species, I'm sure it has a very good reason for having this magnificent protruberance, other than to cause me to smile on this gloomy grey day.

The Czars The Hymn

Sample of afore-mentioned Czars, should you be driving through rain sodden tracts of anywhere.