Unbelievably, Monday was
again cold, wet and windy. I suppose we should have been warned when we arrived
in the area as there are numerous wind turbines perched on all the surrounding
hills. We managed to get some washing done but after having hung it out,
brought it in; hung it out again and brought it in again, we gave up and hung
it all on clothes driers inside. At least we managed to get all the various jobs
finished off!
The next day my sister
and her husband were flying in from the UK and as a welcoming gift, the weatherman
threw down a cloudburst of epic proportions. So bad that the house gutters
couldn’t handle the deluge and water came spilling over into the house at a
number of places. At least by the time the plane arrived later in the day, the
storm had slackened off to a mere drizzle although the chilly wind persisted.
It didn’t bother us at all as there was so much catching up to do all round
that the chatter went on until well into the night.
Wednesday was Market Day
again and was not a bad day, weatherwise. The market was bit bigger than the
previous week and we found a new stall that drew our attention – a chocolate stall!
We bought some delicious chocolate slab that was dark chocolate with a creamy
mousse filling. We consoled ourselves with the thought that we needed to build
up our strength for the afternoon’s labours. Our hostess had discovered a large
cement double laundry sink in the ‘garden room’ when she cleared it out
originally, and had managed to get someone to help her to move it down the
garden to a spot nearer the house. Then two plinths had been cast in concrete
for it to stand on and that was as far as the job had got. It had been left
standing on one end so we had to spin it around through 360 degrees and then
tip it over on to the two plinths. Sounds pretty simple when put like that but
I should add that the whole thing weighs a ton (or seems like it) and none of
us were prepared to sacrifice a finger or two for the cause! It took a bit of
discussion and a block or two of chocolate, and then with Neels on crowbar, and
a long pole to use as a lever, and the rest of us heaving and ho-ing, with much
puffing and straining, suddenly it was done and the laundry sink was ready to
be turned into a flower box. Not bad for a bunch of geriatrics!
The next day our hostess
returned to Scotland, generously leaving four of us to stay on in her house for
a few more days. The day was grey and unpleasant but had patches of sunlight
here and there, so after an early lunch we took a drive around, again ending up
along the canal which is always pleasing. That night it poured with rain again
but thankfully the house did not leak on this occasion.
On Friday we had arranged
to meet with a gentleman who manages a house that we are going to rent a bit
later on while the family is with us. He lives and works at Peyriac de Mer
where he is part owner of a boutique winery. We were a bit early for lunch so
we strolled around the town a while enjoying its quaintness. Along a small road
we came across a house festooned with geraniums in pots which are all flowering
at the moment and look very pretty. On closer examination, we discovered that the
pots that the flowers were planted in were actually old fashioned enamel enema
cans. Unusual to say the least but quite a good idea as each can has a small
spout at the base where the rubber hose used to be attached but which in this
case provides drainage for the plants.
The wind was blowing
quite strongly, so we took shelter in the restaurant and while there enjoyed a
good lunch before going on to our appointment with the winemaker/house agent.
Unfortunately, he did not have the keys of the house as we had expected, but
phoned someone in the village where the house actually is, and arranged for us
to pick them up. Instead he gave us a short tour of his winery which was really
interesting as it is an organic operation; they own all of the vineyards that
they pick from; and some of those vineyards are very old and on precipitous
slopes. He admits that they concentrate on quality rather than quantity, which
in my book usually means expensive. But all ended well as we were given three
bottles to take away with us! We continued on to Paziols where we will be
renting the house later on, picked up the keys and climbed up the hill, in the
car, to the top where the house is. I think it is going to be fun there. The
house looks comfortable, if a bit quirky, but is spacious and well equipped. I
hope that the wind has stopped blowing by the time we go there. It did, in
fact, drop while we were driving home, but only for the rain to come down again.
On Saturday morning we
had planned to walk up into town to do various bits and pieces, and almost got
blown away in the process. Combing one’s hair neatly is really a waste of time
in this sort of weather – and it has been like this for ages. I’m getting used
to looking as if I have just been pulled through a bush backwards! The
afternoon was a quiet one with a game of Scrabble some reading and catching a
few zzz’s. We also prepared a picnic lunch for Sunday, hoping that the weather
would at last be nice to us and give us a good day out.
Perhaps it was a good
idea to be positive about the weather as Sunday dawned fine and clear, although
still rather windy. We have discovered that this wind which blows so strongly
in this part of the world is called the ‘Tramontana’ and blows from the north
for several months of the year, although almost without exception, the locals
admit that this year has been extreme.
Setting off about
mid-morning we made our way to Beziers, about fifty kilometres away to the
north-east. It was here that in the days of the Cathars and the Crusaders,
during a particularly vicious siege, a message was sent to the head of the
Catholic Church, asking how to differentiate between Cathars and Catholics only
to receive a reply saying ‘Kill them all. The Lord will sort them out’! Some
really awful deeds have been carried out in the name of religion.
As is so often the case,
Beziers is built around a small knoll with an enormous cathedral in a
commanding position on the top. Being Sunday the streets were fairly quiet
although it was still quite confusing making our way through the complicated
one-way system. We found parking and set off on foot for the cathedral, but the
narrow streets which twisted and turned in all directions had us soon lost. The
buildings are all about three stories high so one can get no view of what lies
ahead. Eventually we asked for directions and suddenly popped out into a square
with the cathedral right in front of us. However, facing the cathedral was a
pretty little creperie, a coffee shop
selling delicious, paper-thin pancakes, so we stopped for a little light
refreshment before going on into the church. We keep telling ourselves that we
will not be going into any more churches, but then we just can’t stop ourselves
from having just a peep. This one had the most wonderful carvings in wood and
stone, and some really ancient paintings hanging on the walls. The pipe organ
is enormous and we would love to hear it played
After admiring the
interior, we went outside and admired the view from the grounds. The cathedral
is so high up that the view seems endless. The day had actually become much
clearer and hotter and we could almost see the sea from where we stood. That would
be the Mediterranean, of course.
Having seen enough of the
town, we made our way to the other tourist attraction of Beziers, which is a
staircase of locks on the Canal du Midi consisting of nine locks one after the
other. Somehow, watching people messing around in boats has always fascinated
us and when there are locks involved, it can make for some truly spectacular
sight-seeing! It is always a pleasure to watch the people who know what they
are doing and who handle their boats with confidence, but it is vastly
entertaining to watch the antics of the less experienced. A bit like seeing
someone slip on a banana skin, we shouldn’t laugh but always do. Being in a
lock, being thrown about on the currents is not quite the same and genuinely
scary for the novice boaters, but their reactions always draw a large crowd of
onlookers. Eventually the hot sun drove us away, believe it or not, and we
reluctantly decide that we had had enough for the day. Although the wind was
still blowing hard, we had had a lovely day of sun and fresh air and were all
quite tired when we finally flopped into bed.
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