News from America

Barbara and Larry keep in touch and send love to all; here
is an edited extract from Barbara's last letter:

It was my morning to work at the Food Bank. With 13%
unemployment in town we were inundated with clients
needing food. We packed a five day food package for
33 families.

From ten to one we were all five busy. I register people
at the desk, send the packing crew a note with name and
number of persons to pack for, the other four wheel carts
around our storage shelves . We no longer give a truly
generous food package. Having directed the food bank for
twenty four years I have to be careful about commenting on
present practices. We have been given a wonderful space
in the new United Way building, a former school building,
but we have to pay rent and utilities, which we did not in a
decrepit building the county allowed us to use.

Here is an edited extract from Larry that is cheering:

American grandson, Jackson, adopted by daughter Barbara
and husband Bill, wants his grandparents to listen to him
play in his band. He is 14. Hooray...the coming generation
is going to save us all with music, love and soccer.

Incidentally, the music lovers who followed Marks performance
(see below) may not know that Marks virtuosity has hit the local
press; see

http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2009/05/21/609947-Montolieu-Performance-musicale.html

This morning...

This morning I discovered that my masters and friends
drank more water than wine last night, unless I forgot
I'd thrown some empties out.
If not, I'm doing more than my fair share of drinking and
beginning to feel it.

Perhaps it was the bee that savagely attacked my thumb that
is making me feel ropey.
Found that this morning too... click on pic below to big up,
very dead but lovely

Thank you to Annie for pulling out its sting and to Theo for
guessing that bicarbonate of soda would dull the pain.

And to the esotericists for an incredibly good night; highly
memorable, except I can't remember anything.

an excess of esotericists

Here are three M.A.s in Western Esotericism, a rare sight - especially
when one of them has her elbow soaked in holy water.
Took me ages to dry out.

Then we went to hunt prehistoric rock carvings -
both Vince and Derek found some







After that we lunched at Rennes les Bains, afterwards
hoving up the Visigoth Tower at Fa.

Mercifully Ian joined us for dinner so what would have
been a blanquette-fueled charred mess was salvaged, due
to his strange sobriety.

Esotericism might be more fun than art...

gormet award

Last nights supper was a poem of balanced nourishment and
delicious eating, consisting of takeaway pizza, a box of
chocolates and strawberries crushed with sugar into
Blanquette to make a drink with the thickness of Guinness
and the colour of ketchup.
Sue and Lou came up with that one (- a name, anyone?)
whilst Andy sorted the pizzas.

Brilliant.

Jon is just back from working in England and here for a
couple of weeks. Book him and Sue quickly before one of
them disappears again - (actually thats a note to self,
gerroff, I thought of them first)

Spent the afternoon being cheminic: followed the route to
Brenac and Roquetillade and got side tracked into tiny ancient
churches (notably Sauzils). Saw marvellous things on what
was a beautiful day. Finished at Garths and caught him and
Mark performing on gamelin and saxaphone; its great living
here.

Take a squint at the Chemin site, made by Jim;
www.chemindesartistes.com. Its more coherent than I am
and the events and expos continue today.

premier plongeur

News from Montazel - Jo is this years Premier
Plongeur, congratulations!!



Here she is receiving the traditional prize
(the blanquette, not the kiss) - she succeeds
Bilo, still sadly missed.

chemin ahoy

En Chemin, Artistes à Suivre...






and a jolly opening party was held at Luc sur Aude







and here are three beauties on the pull -

One of them, me actually, ended up after a verre
or two of blanquette in the garden of a large dutchman
with a bottle of blanquette which would have been
OK had not the two Johns arrived and more blanquette
been addressed, with Ians help.
And possibly that would have been OK if I hadn't
remembered the rhum trifle left over from Sundays
lunch. Disgusting.

Spent yesterday repenting at the Chateau des Ducs
de Joyeuses where I was signing books of my paintings
for queues of people, the invisible sort.

fame at last

This weeks Petit Journal shows two teams having fun....
Ian, Roy, Leo and Kat trying to look nonchalant and the Co-Es
not trying to disguise their pleasure at winning the trophy.