Le Season Commence

Did a virtuoso macaroni cheese last night. Janie and Pam were there, newly returned to their eyrie on the mountain: Marcus and Corella, back from abroad: Andrée and Kat and me, safely still where we should be.
It was a loud and convivial evening -:)

Totally forgot to take photies so here is Kelly doing housework. I think this may be the beginning of a manual showing how to manage a house in France...





Don't forget, if you have been invited - tonight is the launch of the Artistes à Suivre at Campagne- sur- Aude.

And tomorrow is the first day - I shall be at the Mairée at Couiza from 10.30, biting my nails and waiting for friends to cheer me.
At 6.00 there is a vernissage at Espace d'Art in Rennes-Les-Bains for Thomas-Hallon Hallbert who is showing elegant and remarkable linocuts -

As Andrée said, le season commence!

exposure

Just finished hanging my show for the Artistes à Suivre; knackered. Weird really as Billy did all the work (may blessings pile upon his head) whilst I wrung my hands and fretted. Its open to the public Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11.00 am till 6.00pm - Mairée at Couiza. Please come.

Another reason I'm knackered is because of a very convivial night last night - here are Chris, Pete and Mike then John, Margaret and Phyllis who were the most entertaining and clever and provocative and amusing folk my table have seen for a long time. Even allowing for the fact that its an age since I gave a dinner...

It was a great weekend - below is Couiza's Vide Grenier which ran concurrently with Tillings.
Naturally I went to both as
did most of our friends....

Here is Vivienne looked well glam at Matthew Hiltons open studio.
That was an excellent event - congrats to Mat - well attended and enjoyed. I pushed out the boat and bought two etchings and am soooo pleased with them - love his work - always wanted some. The studio will stay open for the duration of the Artistes à Suivre, that is till Sunday night.
Here is a miserable fledgling...

They are currently feeding with the chickens in the yard. Very funny:)

c'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la Gare

As promised, photo of new building... well, OK, not really. More the road leading to the roadworks to plumb in the services for the new building. Which is clearly nearly finished, so more pix anon.

Persons from Tilling are all too aware that the Café de la Gare has been closed for a couple of years now. There are legal issues that it is probably inappropriate to air here. The court case has prevented the owners opening up and continuing to earn their livelihood - and cost us citizens our innocent pastimes.

Alors: the boules court opposite the café is the property of the owners and they applied for and got planning permission to build a new café. Thats what the new building is, or will be shortly.

It blocks the Cantou restaurant but since the new caff is not licensed for food it may well bring in trade for the Cantou.

Heres hoping for a slap up opening party and many calm contemplative nights, in the tradition of the old gare.

****Had a prevue of Mat Hilton's show this afternoon: stonking, don't miss the vernissage tomorrow at Castelreng, see www.apwb.org for map and details. Its from 3.00 till 10 - easy to fit in the day.****

Lots of excitement -

For a start the blue bees of these parts are out and about and there was this butterfly thing in the kitchen this morning. (All pix can be bigged up by clicking on them.)










There is a new building in Tilling - really very exciting, this news, so perhaps I'II keep it till I have a photo.

Below is a picture of the Gas board hereabouts digging a hole - only moderately exciting, I hear you say - until you read whats on the umbrella shades. Not for them the prosaic EDF signs. These parasols are advertising Cremant de Limoux (which is the sweeter sister of Blanquette)










Opposite my studio there is much activity in Leos garden - a new adventure playground, one hopes - and finally here are two new hens frightening the dog at twilight. One black, one white: any names spring to mind?

art event par excellence

Mat Hilton is holding an open studio and sale of his collection and will exhibit work by his friends,
(that is Beer/ Blow/ Bowden/ Burlumi/ Grima/ Hadengue/ Hardy/ Moss/ Robinson/ Reyes/ Tchuki/ Vaicke/ Vanorbeek/ Vincent) on Saturday 28th May, starting at 3.00 in the afternoon and carrying on till 10pm

Mats studio is at 5 Rue de la Gardelle, Castelreng. Its lovely. Do come.

See www.apwb.org for Mats site

back home

Back in Tilling where I'm delighted to find nothing has changed. Greener and brighter and hotter than when I left, perhaps: three new baby blackbirds in the yard and a plethora of fledgling redstarts.

Leo is exactly where I left him.

Great to see some dear mates in London and to tour the galleries. The noise and dirt no longer appeal - how did I cope for so long? though there are charming moments...

Like, this picture is of a geezer at Waterloo station lugging a (toy) lion.

Bad Blogger #2

Im such a bad blogger than I wont be blogging for a fortnight as Im off to England to see the family and friends.
I leave you with stuff to contemplate; the mural outside the MJC has been altered by artist/s unknown, rather well, as you can see - but is this fair on the original artists intentions? Is a work of art still in process after it leaves the hand of the originator?
-I dunno, BTW; discuss.

Also changed is a municipal dustbin which has been transformed... definite and unhesitating approval here:)

Smashing day, hot sun in market, meeting of the Artistes a Suivre at Campagne-sur-Aude and a chance to catch up with friends (especially Kate Hardy and thanks for the lift x)

Finally something much more sombre -
after leaving Toby and Leos last night (Kat,Pete and Ian also benefited from the dutch duos wonderful cooking) Lily took me for her usual walk by the River Aude.
It was closed off by several emergency vehicles, gendarmes and ambulances, lots of that red and white striped tape.
Very chilling after a beautiful day and lovely evening. I hope there wasn't too much wrong - but it did look serious.

chinese takeaway -

Did you know there was a Chinese takeaway in Quillan? Me neither. Margo and Theophile took me and Anne and Monique there for dinner - there were enough tables (i.e.2) for us all and we had a feast with loads of Jasmine tea.
Its over the railway line from the Espace Cathar, opposite the station.

Then we walked about the Quillan suburbs, smelling the roses and enjoying the fact that the place was deserted.
Weird.

bad blogger

been busy, honest, but here are a selection of local excitements: Margo and Theophile, Phillippe at his vernissage last night, Toby charming as ever in her wellies, and -hot news- the barrier at the railway crossing was jammed shut yesterday and people had to drive through it.

The BIG local news is that the garden at Le Garenaud is hopping with Golden Oriels. So they say, anyway - not seen them yet. Many others have though.

Pushkin poulet

Here is Ians cat trying to help hatch the chickens. Which is by way of avoiding the issues of American justice, Christian forgiveness and the other double standards that the Mother of the Free feels able to promote with superior firepower.

Iains birthday today

Our own Iain - who used to live in the road by the post office in Tilling - has a birthday today. He has settled in Edinburgh, seems a strange notion after his life here, but hes happy which is of course the main thing.
Here are edited highlights of his last letter:

'- I’m settled here now and frankly very happy. It is odd though. I’ve never lived on my own before. I’ve always had others living with me or I’ve been living with others so it’s an entirely new dynamic. I have to make more effort and I’ve not quite mastered that yet. Once I get home I tend to have something to eat, potter about in the garden, do my mail and once all that is done I rarely can be bothered going back out. I thought about joining an Am Dram group but the ones that I approached were all putting on farces. I didn’t like Brian Rix 40 years ago and sure as hell don’t like his sort of stuff now so I suspect I’ll give it a miss.

The 86 year old woman who lives in the house opposite me says she would like to move as it’s too quiet here with not enough excitement. Personally I find the quiet absolutely perfect and the excitement is a short walk into town.'

Birthday fun to you Iain and come visit soon xxxxxx

advance warning for Friday