Fridays vernissage

Crotal fun

Bunked off today. Spent the morning seeing Mike Hincs show in
Quillan, highly recommended; then watched Marcus change a flat
tyre with masterly efficiency.
Tebour and Mark joined in for a fossil hunt - to counter the chasse,
(do wear red if you go into the mountains on a Wednesday) -
and found the usual extraordinary stuff, plus the above which
I'm sure you recognised immediately as a section of a crotal bell
(well, Marcus knew what it was)
A great souvenir of the 9th of the 9th of the 9th -

a bee in the bonnet

Last night was very busy, as you may see from the activity in
my lampshade.
It was quite quiet for me though.
Which is as well; Friday is the private view of my marvellous
new exhibition!

Le weekend

Whats the point of having a Daddy who used to do TV if you cant
blog him?
Here is my old Dad, aged 14 (ish)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3yNJPkdtYo

I have been away for the weekend with Robin, my childhood
chum and his wife, Brenda. Excellent! Of the many good fun
things we did, the expo this morning continues to glow in what
is left of my consciousness.

Valérie Favre is the artist; it is at the Carré d'Art in Nimes.
Sort-of Luc Tuyman-esque, but not. Her series on suicide
are, ahem, to die for. The video of 40 retired persons and a
dwarf dancing is mesmerising and far more - it'll be on the net
somewhere, properly called
Choreographie fur Hellerau fur Rentner und einem Zwerg
I'd check it out and post a link but I'm knackered.

Just before leaving a letter from Barbara arrived from far-flung
Vermont; took a miraculous short 4 days to get here.

She writes of hearing Wolf Kahn speaking at the Brattleboro
Museum. I'm sure she wont mind me listing some of the quotes
she lifted from him ...

"...It is important to be ignorant. Innocence of spirit is
essential. Expertise is the enemy of ignorance. The special artist
must have a capacity for spontaneity.... arrogance, deceit and
disrespect are necessary. One gets further without modesty.
Colour is liberating, the essence of innocence, it moves one into
the world of the imagination"

Its a great letter. If you are passing come and check it out.

Bienvenue Jackie!

Yesterday was Jackies first day in her new home at our old
home in Rue des Jardins. We celebrated in the traditional
fashion plus a delicious meal.

Here are Louis and Oscar, already settled.

Everyone who has stayed there will appreciate that Jackie
will enjoy it - when shes got used to the church bells -
heres wishing her good luck and much happiness

Iains news...

At last, contact from the frozen north. Iain, do come and stay
and tell Msr Hall and our other friends to as well.
Its so quiet without you*sniff. [editor pulls herself together..]

Iain has this to say for himself:

We are in the middle of the Edinburgh Festival which has been
great so far. Been to lots of concerts and going to another 5.
The big exhibition this year is titled Spain, Goya to Picasso
but I'm going to leave that until after the festival crowds have
left. Even if there was no street theatre or acres of posters I'd
still know that it was the festival as it has pissed with rain
relentlessly.
To be fair it didn't wait for the festival to start, it has been
chucking it down for weeks. Reading about other parts of the
country with brilliant sunshine and lusting after the sun in
other climes proves to me that I have settled back into Scottish
life. The saddest part is that once the festival is finished it
almost seems that autumn is here and then its the long
darkness till spring(ish)time.

I had intended to be more advanced in the garden but the
weather has not permitted that. The house is nearlyish
finished but it is still like living on a building site which would
be fine if they were an attractive bunch but alas, no. We have
about 17 or 18 men working here fairly regularly and you
would think that there would at least be a little eye candy.

I am going to a fringe show or two this evening with Stephen
McGowan and I 'm hoping that la Hall will be able to come along.
I don't see much of him at the moment as he is always working.
Stephen McGowan is having his medical today which will be his
final hurdle allowing him to fly off to Australia at the end of
December. I am happy for him but I will miss him.

I hope you are well and are able to cope with all that warmth
and sunshine.

Summer Report

Daniel has sent a piece from an English paper, The Independent,
about the goring of a bullfight official in Carcassonne.
La Depeche says Christian Baile is still in hospital in Toulouse,
in intensive care.

Poor chap was a big cheese in the revival of bull fighting.
French law says that bull fighting is illegal unless there is an
unbroken tradition... there is more of an unbroken tradition
in Tilling where, until they closed and demolished the abattoir
by the church, bulls were run regularly to ensure that they were
fit enough to be eaten. But dont tell the mayor.

Half a ton of bull broke into the safe zone at the Carcassonne
run and attacked Msr Baile; then came back and gored him in
thigh and abdomen.

It seems to have chosen him in particular to attack.

*

Now its raining and the temperature has dropped after the 36°
of yesterday - a welcome respite. Time to update on the state
of Tilling.

Basically, it aint good financially. The Petit Casino has closed as
has the chinese takeaway and - heaven help us - the Café de la
Gare. Our Chambres d'hotes have no great drop in numbers but
the happy carefree spenders seem to have stolen away in the
night. Why is the mayor not assisting critical businesses here?
Has he offered them a temporary respite from taxes? Of course
its every homme for himself but these places impact big time on
a small community.

What IS our leader doing to ensure our survival and maintaining
our bourgeois life?
Well, hes had a bench put outside Andrée Bonnetts gate, so you
can sit and watch her house.
Fair enough.
But to put in traffic lights outside the school is an anarchists
charter for traffic disruption - unusually intelligent of him -
though they are gently toppling over.


See that angle?
I saw him the other morning trying to push it upright.
Perhaps he was just trying to see how loose it was.
The opposite one, on Jill and Tony's side, has been
fenced in with red and white plastic ribbon for several weeks.

I think he fears it will try and gore him.

*