There's Still Time for Camping

Few weeks ago we went camping for a few days to a place we've been before, on the shores of the river Tarn. It was Mon Cheri's birthday and anyway, we wanted to get a little break while we can, before my knee-operation in October.

The drive took just over an hour and we passed through Millau on our way there. Here's some views on our approach.

You can bypass Millau completely, if you wish, by taking the Millau viaduct, apparently the tallest brigde in the world. That will save time if one is in a hurry, but the road toll will cost you about 8 euros on high season and couple of euros less off -peak.

'Located in Southern France, the Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge in the world. Constructed in three short years, the bridge is an engineering and architectural marvel. At its highest point, the bridge soars 343 meters (1,125 ft) above ground, that’s 19 meters (62 ft) taller than the Eiffer Tower!'
(https://twistedsifter.com/2011/06/worlds-tallest-bridge-millau-viaduct-france/)

Ok, camp all set up and ready, now we can relax! And this late in a season there's not many tourists around either, so the campsite was nice and quiet. Just what the doctor ordered!

And looking at these views, how could you not feel relaxed! The river runs right by the campsite and its full of fish. Ducks also swim by regularly in hope of some food and one day we saw a heron that was hunting his lunch on the little islet in the middle of the river. The tent places are nestled among the trees and all we heard all day long was the little birds singing their hearts out, flying from tree to tree. One day there was a squirrel on a tree just next to us and both nights, just after it got dark, we could see many bats flying around. A real nature-lovers paradise!

What a pleasure it was to remove my sandals and get in contact with the earth. Not much chance of that where we live now, since everything is covered in asphalt, broken glass and dog shit.

In my youth I used to run around with bare feet all summer long and hence my soles were constantly  black. My mother put a bucket of water next to the front door and I needed to scrub my feet carefully before coming in. Which is probably one reason why I stayed outside most of the time.

Aah, bliss!

Somebody was swimming in the river. I didn't go this time...must be getting old.

The view was great from inside the tent as well.

Hubert, a Solitary Male from Mount Aigual, was looking for a lady friend, a soul mate. Any takers?

We haven't had any bbq's this summer, so it was about the time to grill some sausages and eat them with our very own tomatoes. In the village we found a shop that sells the most delicious, local sausages (on the left) and the merghez (on the right) were not bad either.
There were some tomatoes growing on the campsite too, which the campers were welcome to pick and eat. Now that's what I call service!

The nature's own bounty; wallnuts collected from the campsite.

Views from our walk near the village.

The weather was still incredibly hot and I questioned the sanity of our decision to hike up a hill in search of a forest. One must not be lazy though and think that it is better to lie in the camp reading a book with a cool drink in a hand. First work, then fun!

Our funny little neighbours. What a delightful and refreshing little 'holiday' we had!

The End of the Season

The day temperatures are slowly falling and nights are much cooler, even cold already. The garden has nearly finished its production, even though there are still some tomatoes and haricot-beans, and of course few melons, to come. If the weather stays warm enough, that is.

The selection of the last strugglers; they don't look so good anymore but are still good enough to eat.

I made some soup out of them and it turned out really good. Even if I was a little bit liberal with the chili flakes...Completely by accident of course! A good dollop of cream sorted that one out.

The haricot bean plants, despite being ravaged by some disease, are doing their best to produce as much as they can before the end. They just keep giving and giving.

These will be perfect with salmon!

All summer long I've been planning to cut some courgette flowers to eat them. Just when I thought I'd left it too bloody late, as usual, few more flowers came out and this time I didn't hesitate but cut them quickly.
The flowers were full of teeny tiny ants which I had to remove first. Easier said than done; the little blighters hang on for their dear lives and no amout of water seemed to get them evicted. Finally I managed to get the flowers clean and I could start planning my lunch.

I filled the flowers with a mixture of mascarpone cheese, garlic, parmesan and grated lemon peel, dipped them in an egg and a flour and water mix and cooked them in the oil. Delicious!

I made some onion rings too. Equally delicious.

I have started saving seeds from our plants (or any vegetable really that passes through the kitchen) and here are some from our own tomatoes. Old varieties, such as: Red Russian, Berner Rose and Black Pineapple.

The first time that I've saved tomato seeds so not sure if I'm doing it right.
Well, here goes! We'll see what happens next year.

   

                                                                                                                                                                
And moving on to other fruits...I went and bought (again!) a 5 litre container of excellent rose wine from one of our local winemakers, and it cost only 7 euros! Can't get that from the supermarket! Nor the quantity nor the quality.
That'll be my one of  five-a-day! Fruits, not bottles, to be precise.

Here it goes into the bottles...

...that filled six normal size bottles and one smaller one. Happy days!!

Everybody Wants to be a Cat

The joy of our life, our 'petit bébe', is actually a 10-year-old grand old lady, called Lili. Even though she is visibly getting older and sleeps practically all day long,  she still sometimes behaves like a little brat, running around the flat like a lunatic and attacking our feet.

I met this fascinating creature three years ago when I came to this village and met also Mon Cheri. At first she was rather haughty and distant, maybe even jealous that there was another female in the house and she had to share 'her man', but after a while she became 'my cat' (well I'm the one who feeds her and gives most of the cuddles).

She can be quite a poser (when she feels like it).

We don't go away very often, but when we do, she is not terribly supportive.

It is good fun to observe Lili's antiques (although I am sure we are being watched more carefully!). She loves to smell our sweaty sandals (yuck!) and roll around with them. Actually she does that with all the shoes. Can a cat have a shoe fetish?

 

And in absence of a scratching post she has chosen one by herself. Mon Cheri is not content because he built that table himself. But the good thing is he can also fix it then! Shame though.

What are you looking at? It's my house and I'll do what I want.

What is it with cats and boxes? As soon as there is one in sight, Lili will be on it, in it, you name it. Sometimes I give her a box just so she can have fun ripping it to shreds and playing with it. She doesn't get to go outside (never has) unless under close observation, so she must get bored, the poor thing. Even on our little street the cars and scooters drive by too fast and dogs prowl free, so we don't dare to let her out alone.

Every night after our dinner, she jumps on the sofa between us (the final goal being a lap, of course!), waiting for the cuddles. At winter time she is a very welcome extra source of heat which I love to have on my lap and she obliges, without a fault.

She's not reaching for the remote control but doing some sort of stretching or similar.

Playing hide and seek.

Yet another box. This one is for the winter with its thick fur-lining.

It's amazing how much joy, laughter and love she brings into our lives, this little furball. We're lucky to have her!

I have always been a cat-person and it's also always been my favourite animal. As a toddler I pretended to be one and shared their meals on the floor much like in this fashion↴.
Nowadays I eat from my own plate but the love remains.

C'est Médiéval!

The other day I went to check out a medieval festival and a ruined castle near us. The drive was maybe less than 10 km from our village but I had never been anywhere near that area. Just goes to show how much exploring I still have to do in our region.

Castles and all things medieval are right down my street, so I didn't want to miss this opportunity near us. Alors, onwards my trusty steed!

The ruined castle was on a hilltop and the road there was narrow and winding. The last couple of kilometres of the road seemed to be a rather rough, so I left my car in the parking by the main road and started walking.
 And I walked and walked and walked. Until I saw a sign 'Château 1km'...merde! Sweating and digging little stones out of my sandals, I turned back, deciding to go and get the car after all. I'm sure there's another parking nearer the castle.
I had to drive very carefully because even the road had turned medieval, keeping up with the theme of the day. Inching on on a first gear and trying to avoid the potholes and the sharp stones sticking out of the ground, I finally reached the destination.

The castle was quite happily situated on a hilltop with amazing views in every direction. With this and that I was already late in arriving and the rough road episode made me even more so. Things were winding down at the festival but I didn't really mind; I don't like big crowds anyway.
The festival was held in order to raise funds to restore the ruined castle. And seeing the state of the castle, it was clear to me that they needed to hold several more festivals and also think of other ways to raise funds to repair it back to its former glory.

It's a shame but there is just too many castles in France to repair them all.

Nothing much but thistles and prickly bushes grow up here.

The dinner is served. You just have to make it yersel first!

I love these little cauldrons! I had one in Scotland one time. Made nettle soup in it!

Acting medieval makes one hungry.

I bet he is waiting for his dinner.

And there's the castle itself. Still handsome even if a bit rough round the edges.

These ladies were talking about herbs and other healing plants and how to use them.

Coin making, I suppose.

And a pair of tiny scales.

The views were really second to none.

Imagine how strong you had to be to wear and carry all that stuff AND wield a sword as well! Not to mention how hot you would be.

The future Robin Hoods in training. I wouldn't have minded trying archery myself but there was just too many kids on the way and I didn't want to wait. Time to get some apple pie and refreshments instead!

Yup, looks good that way too. Maybe these kind of things are more exciting when you're a child. Similar to when it's christmas and you're waiting for Santa Claus. Where has the magic gone? Why did I have to grow up? Sometimes I'd much rather be Peter Pan...
Anyway, I found a new place, enjoyed the amazing views and ate some really scrumptious apple pie!