Cruzy News

Maison à vendre

2011-01-04T23:41:00.000+01:00

Five years after first spotting the house, a lots of adventures, its time to sell L'Abeille.

Contact us directly or visit the agent we have chosen to go with.

Click the link to find out more.

http://www.frenchpropertylinks.com/frenchpropertyextradetails.asp?property=CA198000E&site=rel

Motor Bikes drive up Avenue de Narbonne

2010-09-20T22:58:00.000+02:00

Alan plays in Montouliers

2010-09-20T21:28:00.000+02:00

House For Sale - Cruzy

2010-02-24T01:43:00.001+01:00

A collection of snaps of the inside our lovely home.

What do you do if you find a horse?

2009-07-24T01:18:00.001+02:00

Tonight, we were getting ready for bed when Alan saw a horse trot by the house. Nothing odd in that, but this was 11pm and the horse was all alone.

We popped outside to have a look.

Click on the video to see what happened next.

What do you do if you find a horse?

Later, and many video clips later, the horse is tied up, then snaps the rope, then runs off. Just when we thought it was gone for good, another larger horse comes running up the road.

Eventually, half the neighbours are out and the firemen too.

It was all like a scene from Little House on the Prairie!

Well, off to bed.

Auchan and Catherine Deneuve

2009-04-30T00:52:00.001+02:00

I spent almost an hour in traffic around Beziers today. There is a lot of road building going on and many drivers do not seem to have seen the large signs pointing out the disruption. My journey would not have taken 15 minutes but the number of cars bumping into each other was amazing. So, I pulled off and visited a number of shops with nothing in mind to buy. I picked up two large bottles of mango iced-tea in Casino but after standing in a queue for 5 minutes, I put them down and moved onto Auchan

(Auchan Website - showing off this weeks bargans!!!)

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Last time we were in there, we had to go to customer services as we had been overcharged. This time, it happened again. I had a buy-one-get-one-free pudding and I was charged for both. I queued behind two very angry men who too had been overcharged. Turns out all our products were on offer but their tills were not registering the discounts. So, 100s of people were shopping in the store and being overcharged. Oh well… guess it’s back to Carrefour in Narbonne…. where they overcharge us too.

CarreFour - Largest Supermarket Chain ... after Wallmart... but they were first

I got home and just could not think what to watch. I wanted something new. So, I put on the Catherine Deneuve film, 8 Femmes. I have actually seen the film before, but not with English subtitles. Boy was it a different experience. There are a few nice songs to help fill the time. Here are two clips, one with Catherine Deneuve singing along, and one of her singing all on her own. I

if you would like to sing along, buy the DVD as the words appear along the bottom when the subtitles are up… its just like karaoke.

Lets start with the rather Boppie T’es Plus Dans Le Coup Papa

and now for the slower one.

Catherine Deneuve signing Toi Jamais

Dates for your diary

2009-04-28T23:41:00.001+02:00

During the Bank Holiday, lets pop along to Bize for the first Vied-Grenier on the 1st May.

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Now for those who like comics (it’s an acceptable hobby in France), there are two days of exhibitions, talks, films and of course, comics,

2nd and 3rd May in Gruissan. No idea where but the poster shows the old tower… so try the centre of the old town first.

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Well its open season here in France. The restaurants are opening, the ice-cream parlours polishing up the machines and the tourist shops are stocking their shelves.

16th May in Ginestas they are participating in the Féte du Pays.

18:00 sees the fanfares begin with the tango.

19:30 aperitifs are on offer at the Vins du Café de Marcelin.

22:00 here is a concert by Les Barbeaux Truités

http://www.payscorbieresminervois.fr/ for more information (note: the site is difficult to navigate).

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Houses in Cruzy For Sale

2009-04-28T10:25:00.001+02:00

Well there are quite a few properties for sale in the village at the moment. Renting is available too for a few others, including a large place right in the heart of the village which we watched being refurbished over the winter.

Click on the photo which takes you to the estate agents site with prices, interior photos etc.

Now this four bedroom house is on the main road into the village and has a huge underground garage, a large terrace and and courtyard. You need to drive though the courtyard to get your car into the garage. The views must be spectacular as the terrace and the rear of the house face the hills and vineyards with very little in the way.

This property is on the small square at the back of the village and used to belong to the church here in Cruzy. The house was being used for choir practices and meetings. The grounds are secluded and green. There is plenty of parking in the square, and if you like parades and commemorative ceremonies, the house is ideally placed as the war memorial is just outside the front door. Alan thought the house was lovely, but he did not get to look around as he was there to play a little jazz.

This large four bedroom house is on for 183,000 Euros but if you look around, you can get it for slightly MORE at 195,000 Euros!

This is a large three bedroom house and one of the first as you entre Cruzy. The front of the house is always in sun and the front has a nice garden, a few outbuildings and plenty of parking behind the gates. The back of the house has a small garden with mature trees and an assortment of garden fixtures… including a well (we think).

These three properties are available from the same site, but please search around before contacting an agent. Prices vary from agent to agent as can be demonstrated with the last house.

CruzyHouse.com is not affiliated in any way to any estate agent. The information is purely for content and of interest.

Magazines and Coffee

2009-04-27T19:17:00.000+02:00

Well our bar closed down just after Christmas. It reopened in October last year having been closed for a few months.

Then, this month, the newsagent closed down… but…

It reopened inside the Bar, and now its possible to buy a newspaper, a coffee and a lottery ticket all at the same time. We planned to buy a coffee once a week from the bar when we buy our local newspaper. Of course, you have to talk though the bar to buy your newspaper or lottery ticket, so if the place is full it can make the trip a little daunting.

So far, so good.

The building has a great array of advertising including - Tobac, Chez David (former owner) Bar du Doux Mondes (the name of the bar) Midi Libre (the l0cal paper) and Lotto all over the doors.

Diggers

2009-04-27T18:25:00.001+02:00

They arrived early one morning. The sounds travelled up from the bridge crossing the rather full and dirty river.

Diggers, trucks and men with spades. They began to dig up the pavements (I mean to say, a mixture of pavement, private paths, gravel and the odd slab of concrete), and across neighbours’ drives they came. We thought a first it was new water as a chap knocked on the door asking to know the location of our water meter (just inside the front door should you need to know) and off he went. Turns out it is new cabling bringing taking the telephone wires that straggle the village underground, and boosting out broadband connection. Unlike some villages though, Cruzy have let them install the cables first, and then, joy of all joys, we will be getting new pavements and new tar on our roads. We drive though Ouveillan with envy as they have nice pavements, lots of parking and smooth roads.

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Cruzy to Ouveillan

We have been told it will take 8 months, so we shall live though another summer of drilling and trucks… just like our first when our neighbours' builders drilled and played loud music, and trucks re-doing the road from St Chinian to St Pons thundered though all day. We shall be at the beach if you need us.

Update Continued

2009-04-27T15:47:00.004+02:00

Well, the rain continues to fall from the sky and from our neigbour's roof (they don't have guttering) and our little courtyard and drains have been unable to cope. Our bathroom and hallway have been taking in water at an alarming rate. Every hour we had to mop the bathroom; If we forgot, we ended up mopping the hallway too.

The rain has brought with it wind and hale. The nice thing is the car looks clean.

Mum and Dad joined us for Easter Sunday in Cruzy and thanks to their gifts, and a wonderful food parcel from Bob and Barbara (of Cadbury's chocolates including Crunchies) we had a great day...

Our friend Mike joined the choir in Capestang, which recently changed it name from the Alley Cats to La Chorale Internationale du Capestang (in a bid to be more inclusive). The concert was held in the large church that dominates the town and it was our first visit. The concert was very pleasant and we met up with a lot of people we have come to know during our adventures in the region.

Alan joined Monique and two singers (Renée and Sheila) to perform an Easter concert (Pergolesi's Stabat Mater) in the tiny village of La Cornette, which is very close to the medieval village of Minerve. Afterwards the village hosted a mini feast for the participants and audience. It was a lovely night; the wine flowed as the food was delivered in stages throughout the evening,and the company (including two new friends from the village) was great fun.

Catching Up

2009-04-15T19:06:00.000+02:00

Just the other day we went cycling off into the fields round Cruzy and discovered this old stone sign on the side of the road under a tree. Apparently it was erected in 1884, just one year after our house was built in Cruzy.

In March we spent a great deal of time in Montpellier. One night we ate at a lovely restaurant in the heart of the old town. Bistrot d'Alco. For desert I treated myself to desert consisting of a small coffee, a crème brûlée, a vanilla fairy cake, and chocolate muffin. I asked for the coffee to be a Grande Crème (Coffee with milk) and I got a large cup of whipped cream!

The first Veid-Greniers/Brocante in the village was planned for the 14th March. We have boxes of stuff that could easily be sold on at one of these car-boot events. Unfortunately, the first one was not for us as we were both away. I heard it was a good gathering and lots was sold.

I love looking at old road signs and old adverts that cover the length and breadth of France. I have been building a small collection of photos and this Total advert is in Montady, but advertising the Total petrol station in Capestang, some 7km away. The station is now run by Intermarche, the supermarket chain.

Valentine weekend we drove though Maureilhan and just had to stop the car. There on the side of the road was a camel. There was nothing for it but to take a snap and wonder about its future... the zebra crossing was about a mile further back!

A full month after the storms that his the area, we went for a stroll along the Canal du Midi close to Cruzy and were surprised to see so many trees down, many blocking the canal itself.

Time for Spring Cleaning and we began by allowing Spring to see our courtyard. Our friend Roger came round with his very long ladder and chainsaw and he promptly took the tops off the trees... about 10 foot for each tree. The wood was then chopped into smaller logs that will keep us warm for months.

Along came February and I managed to get a stiff neck... old age! Anyway, we drove to the doctor in Cressan, who was very kind, and she suggested a little physiotherapy. She recommended a guy in Puisserguier. Well he pulled and pushed and even cricked my neck. Well, if I had not laughed, I am sure I would have cried. In the end, we spent 45 Euros on pills and cream. Ibrobruphen tables of 1000mg - that's the equivalent of 5 tablets from Boots.

There is nothing like a good Christmas Concert in a church... in the middle of January. Alan played along with violin, Monique tinkled on the piano and the Cruzy Choir (Les Cigalous) sang beautifully. Afterwards everyone was invited into the home of one of the singers were we all enjoyed a little Muscat and home baked cakes.

Driving from Cruzy to Argelliers I had to stop the car as a huge flock of birds flew around the car. There were thousands of the little dark birds and eventually I had to hoot the horn to create a route though.

In January the sun came out and we headed for the beach. The sky was a lovely blue and the beach was covered in debris. Mainly bamboo and wood, so we packed the car with as much as we could carry and spent the next month using it a kindle for the fire.

Update

2009-04-10T14:17:00.002+02:00

We have been busy having adventures and will update the blog as the photos download.

The Post Office

2009-03-04T17:50:00.000+01:00

The future of the small post office in Cruzy has been a constant source of conversation here in the village.

The word on the street was that the service would come to an end and we would all be forced to travel to Quarante for our stamps.

With the threat looming, the village and the Mayor mobilised, and at the end of March we all stood around in the cold in the Village Square to celebrate the saving of the Post Office (albeit with reduced opening hours). There were speeches from trade unions, the Mairie (town hall) and campaigners who told us how disgraceful the closing of the post office would have been, and that similar closures nearby were contributing to the death of rural France.

Anyway, for those who stayed the course, there was a celebratory drink and nibbles, and a chance to admire the new post-box…

And The Winds Came

2009-01-25T23:24:00.022+01:00

On Saturday the 24th January 2009, we woke to the wind blowing. The wind was still blowing 2 hours later when we left the house for a trip to Montpellier, a little over 100km away. We planned to join friends in Agde, and travel in together by train.
Our journey was hampered by falling branches, fallen trees, and the wind that seemed to get stronger and stronger, but for some reason, we ignored the evidence, and continued on regardless.

We parked at the railway station in Agde (under trees!) and made our way to Montpellier, catching the train with one whole minute to spare. After a nice day in the city, we returned to Montpellier station for our journey home. We were informed by staff that all trains and buses out of the city had been cancelled. No refunds or advice were on offer. We left the station and tried to find a hotel for the night. All the hotels near the station were booked, but fortunately, we managed to secure 2 rooms in the Ibis Hotel in the heart of the city. This unplanned stay in the city allowed us to wonder around and discover new places. We ate at the Bistro d'Alco which is now our favorite eatery in the city... only 17 Euros for three courses.

The following day we decided to find out about trains and arrived in time to board the only train that morning, with the following train 4 hours away, if at all. The weather was fantastic when we returned to Agde and we were pleased to see our car in one piece. We popped into Marseillan for breakfast where the temperature was 21 degrees.

After breakfast the trip to Cruzy took quite a while. A large sign in the road informed us that roads ahead were closed. We followed other routes and kept coming across trees over the roads.

Eventually we entered the village by driving thought the vineyards only to discover the village was without power for the 2nd day... and bits of render from our house had fallen into the road.
We got the candles out and lit the fire.

Lucky we had experienced a number of blackouts in Cruzy in our first year, so we have liquid fuel heaters, a gas cooker, and torches in every room.

Of course, our fridge was reliant on electricity and when the power returned close to 10pm, our food was defrosted and had to be binned. The guy across the road said he had purchased a freezer that guaranteed 24 hours before the food would begin to thaw. We went for the one that looked nice.

Christmas is over

2009-01-23T03:10:00.001+01:00

December

2008-12-30T17:17:00.002+01:00

We popped over to the UK to collect some old books and records from an attic. We drove back from the UK and crossed using the overnight ferry from Portsmouth landing at La Harve. We arrived to rain and hale. The windows of the car jamed open, so we got a little wet but 2 hours after landing, we were still less than 10km from the ferry. Eventually we got the windows to work and began our trip south though France...

We stopped for lunch in Chatres to enjoy the old city and then drove on, only to meet a wall of fog 20 minutes later.

We stopped at Oreleans (the home of Joan of Arc) and had a lovely night exploring the city in the fog.

Millau bridge at night.

We returned to find that the villiage have been clearing the banks of the river. They chopped down all the trees which may be a good thing, but not if your a bird.

We returned to find our home all decked out in Christmas colours and two christmas trees attached, one to the street lamp and the other to the downpipe. It was lovely and really set us up for our first Christmas in Cruzy, and our first without family for 10 years.

We stopped at Volvic on route for a bite to eat and a refreshing bottle of water. The signs all say the village is only 5km from the motorway. They are lying. Its a good 15 and its all uphill. The village was closed. We did eventually find the only bar open and had a toasted sandwich each and a Coke... followed by a bottle of Volvic for the drive home... which took us another 6 hours as we had to drive though Cleremont Feraund and the snow covered mountains that seperate the northern pains from the coast.

Our adventure began at 8am and we arrived in Cruzy at 8pm the following day.

TV

2008-11-30T20:55:00.015+01:00

Two year later, and the time has come to tackle the kitchen. When we first bought the house, the kitchen was rather stuffed and rather a mess... see below... and the room changed very little, except it is now our stuff we use for cooking, washing and brewing tea.

We began by removing all the units and stripping the walls. The wallpapers that covered the walls were fantastic. They span about 50 years and we have kept bits from each.

This paper has a very 50s pattern and we found it difficult to rip off... more to do with the glue than our desire to keep the paper. After the paper, came the tiles, which only came off with the aid of power tools.

Once the paper was off, the walls looked rather intresting. We thought about using the colours and textures as a feature of the new kitchen. We did not paint the wall for ages, but eventually, Alan got up the scafolding and began to paint.

We went thought a few tubs of paint that seemed to do nothing before we discovered a 60 Euro tub that did wonders. The kitchen was a no go area for days and we turned the dining room into a tempary kitchen. It actually worked out as a nice space and if we could have plumbed in water and drainage, we would have made the room the permenant space for the kitchen.

Last year we had the kitchen chimney cleaned. This year it needed to be done again, but this time we got a great guy in who cleaned and sorted out the living-room and main bedroom chimneys too. The dining-room chimmey was harder to sort out. There were some metal pipes trapped and they needed to be removed before cleaning could comence. Alan got to work using the angle-grinder. The noise was impresive, but not nearly as impressive as the firework display. The snap below gives you a sense of the display (if a little blurred).

We hear that the bar in Cruzy will close at the end of the year. This is a real shame. Apparently the rugby team, who were the key patrons of the bar, have a new place to hang out. The venue is only open to its members... the rest of the village now have to travel to neighboring villages for a drink or stay home.

We were very excited about the bar when it first re-opened but opening hours were rather hard to keep a track of. Some nights the place would be heaving, others, like valentines, would find it closed. Rumours are rife in the village as to the fate of the bar, or more importantly, the licence. Once a licence leaves a village, it is very difficult for the village to get a new one.

With all that gloom, came a ray of sunshine.

The Terminus, the restaurant en route to Quarante has just re-opended. Again the rumour mill inform us that the owneres run a popular restaurant in Capestang. We look forward to eating within the village again.

The biggest news item this month for us has to be the arrival of television to the house. The satelite intaller came with his ladder and 3 hours later, we had a dish on the roof, cabeling down the side of the house and access to 300 channels. We have lived on a diet of DVDs and radio podcasts for two years which has been nice, but we always felt a little left behind when our friends talked about X-Factor, Desperate Housewives and CSI Miami. Well now we have them all... dubed into French. Our first night was spent watching a 3 hour verson of Fame Accademy, called Star Accademy here. Lots of song were sang and many comments were made, but best of all, the results were swift and the person we thought would win, did. Now all the channels are on French but some offer English subtitles and we have 4 English speaking news channels. Well worth the 22 Euros a month.

Halloween

2008-10-20T19:15:00.005+02:00

We met a lovely family over from California and not only did they pop in to say hello, they came bearing gifts. Baklava. So after a pleasant visit we tucked in and boy were they tasty. We combined the Lebanese delight with a Moroccan mint tea. We look forward to seeing them again and treating them to tea next time they visit Cruzy… Alan seems to think they need not come bearing gifts, Kieran thinks otherwise.

Last Halloween we were not really sure what to expect, so we bought sweets and treats to fend off about 20 ghastly gules. 3 teenagers in jeans and old sweatshirts knocked at the door. We were rather underwhelmed. The following day we caught a 5 year old witch and insisted she take some of the haul from us otherwise we'd have to eat it all. It took until Christmas to eat the rest of the sweet so this year, we scaled down our basket. Kinder Surprises were available to anyone who knocked and the ghosts and ghouls we expected last year came knocking this year. The surprises were a great success... and I believe we may have to buy in bulk for next year.

Travel

2008-10-20T19:15:00.003+02:00

We had some dear friends visit from us from the UK and rather than take them to Carcassonne agian we decided to drive a little further south. Spain.

We began our adventure in Fugeras as our friends were keen to see the Dali museum and it had been on our hit list for many months. The museum was packed. Far more people than the place was designed to hold and most were there as part of a guided trip. Many just walked passed the art, taking the odd snap and then down to the gift shop and outside in to the sun. I think they believe the quanitiy of visitors outweighs the quality of visitor. The museum is housed in an old theatre and it is lovely, but each room you visit needs to be entred and exited a small door.... Oh... I am going on. Basically nice art, crappy layout, rude staff and overpriced postcards but worth the visit. http://www.salvador-dali.org/museus/figueres/en_index.html

After lunch in a local square where we ate well, we all played in the local park. Alan had great fun slipping and sliding but he was in his element swinging.

The harvest has come to an end and land owners are now either digging up thier vines or buring the fields... I have no idea why, but the south of France seems to be alight. We went for a ride up into the hills and discovered this old Peugot motobike at the side of the road. It's more of a bike with an engine. We could not find the owner but as the hunting season is in full swing, we did not think to touch the thing.

Recenly we discovered this old sign on the side of a house in our street and wished we had the same sign on our house. Within days were were at an antiques fair in Pezenas and someone was selling the identical sign. Refurbing our kitchen was cheaper that buying the sign, so we left it for someone else to snap up. If we ever want to see the sign, we just need to walk up the hill for 30 seconds.

14th Century Alan

2008-09-23T16:46:00.000+02:00

Alan joined many many people this weekend to celebrate the arrival of the bishop… back in the 14th Century.

Off they go to pay their tunes, again, and again.

He enjoyed wearing his outfit and was keen to come home for a rest. He had been wearing the outfit and playing around the village for 8 hours.

Once home, there was no rest. Out came the DIY tools and off came the plaster.

Continuing the theme of taking photos of anything that names Cruzy, here is a snap of an old mile stone on the road between Capestang and Quarante.

With the summer came the cars and the traffic jams. July and August were very busy for Cruzy with many homes occupied since last August. It was amazing to see homes opened up that we thought were either derelict or were empty. It did mean that parking was a limited and many cars could be found double parked, or even parked on bends or on white lines. No one complained but it did make turning out of small side roads a little difficult.

After all the tourists came the grape harvest. So, rather than traffic jams due to visitors to the region, we go traffic jams built up behind tractors either to too the vineyards or back. Traveling too the vinyards they bomb along at a steady 25km per hour. On the way back, laden with grapes, its more like 15km per hour. The danger is not in overtaking the tractor from behind, its the chap overtaking a tractor from the other direction. Often people maintain their 100km per hour speed and have to pull out into oncoming traffic.

It is also harvest time for olives and we popped along to Cabezac where we watched baskets full of olives being delivered. They arrived on the back of trailers, in the back of vans, but mainly, in the back of old beaten up Renault 5s or old Peugot 205s. Olive Pressing

We were both keen to participate in this years grape harvest. We have heard that it is hard work but we are broke and thought the cash was more important. One of our friends in the village gave us the details of a local grower who was looking for help. Alas, by time we contacted him, he had enough workers and we were left to watch them in the fields.

The Summer Condensed.

We spend many days on the beaches this year with visiting friends. Mid August the beaches were rammed, but we still managed to find a spot, often near the lapping waves. This often meant we were prime targets for the donut or peanut sellers. We eventually learnt to be lost in a book or listening to our iPods to ensure we did not make eye contact.

St Chinian held is annual wine festival which was well attended and ran thougout the day. People arrived around lunchtime and many were staggering around by 4pm and some, as in the snap above, gave up and fell asleep.

We managed to find nice new wine (to us anyway) and were pleased to discover that it was made in Cruzy. This means we can continue our commitment to buy and drink locally produced wines. Now if only they were diversify and start producing grape juice, coffee, and Coke.

With the Bezier Feria came the bulls, the steak and the dancing. We spent a few nights enjoying the activities and listening to music. This year we managed to buy a poster for the event which were all sold out within the first day of the Feria last year.

As a substitute for missing the bulls charging at men in pink outfits, we spent a bit of time at the Flamenco. Live music and talented dancers helped make for an enjoyable evening (although 3 Euros for a Coke was rather steep).

This years fete also included a rather nice second hand market. This year, unlike last year, we were treated to a display by the museum in Cruzy. One of the best finds was a folder full of old photographs of the village over the last century. We purchased copies of 5 photos, two of which our house can be clearly seen. Anyone who has a home in or around the village square would find far more photos in the folders. We even purchased a copy of an old advert showing a woman drinking Cruzy Water which used to be bottled and sold. Read our older postings to find out more.

This years Cruzy Fete was very popular. The first night we were re-introduced to Mission. A great little group who sang live with a nice troop of dancing girls, who were made very welcome when sliding up and down their dance poles.

The following night we caught up with Mercury who were more of a rock band with the odd costume change but managed to keep the dance floor beating.

The Sunday night entertainment managed to clear the ground by 11pm. Turns out 2 accordions and a vocalist are no match for dancing girls.

We met a lot of new people this year, many with holiday homes in or close to the village. We look forward to meeting many of them again and thanks to the wonders of email and FaceBook we can keep in touch.

Bastille Day and Capestang - Tour De France

2008-07-21T14:02:00.002+02:00

In France, it is called Fête Nationale ("National Celebration") or more often, “Quatorze Juillet” - 14 July; we called it Bastille Day and we chose to celebrate the day by driving all over the country trying to find someone celebrating the day… We were 4 hours too early in Capestang, so drove on, only to be too early at every village until we reached the sea. So, we sat down to enjoy the seaside and eat. We began with ice-cream before sitting down at a curb side restaurant. There were very few people sitting down so wandered for a couple of minutes before deciding to sit down. When we returned, the place was packed and we were lucky to be seated. People who followed were turned away. It took 3 hours to enjoy our meal before making our way back to Capestang for a planned firework spectacular. We got as far a Narbonne, and watched their display from the outskirts of the shopping centre. We then mad it to Capestang for midnight and spent a few hours watching a troop of singers attempting to sing every song ever written in the last 50 years. Sometimes we would get 30 seconds of the tune before they changed outfits and began the next snipet. 2 hours later our beds called out and off we went. It was relief as in the background local children were treating the old folk of the village to a barrage of firecrackers and fireworks.

The Tour De France came past again this year, so off to Narbonne to mingle with the cyclists on Thursday before getting up, making a picnic and settling in for the long wait along the route. This year we stood along the canal in Capestang. It was good spot to see the cyclists, but a dreadful spot for freebies. Far too many tourists with faster feet to and no manners all pouncing for plastic key-rings, cotton hats, newspapers and of course, washing powder samples. We walked away with a cardboard megaphone (roled up piece of card) and a daily paper.

Shortly after the freebie parade the cyclists arrived and this year, as we were on a bend at the top of a hill, the bikes were easy to see. Last year we blinked and they were gone.

Here they come

Swoosh

Shwoosh Shwoosh

Swoosh - Smile for the camera

The Summer Arrives

2008-07-11T15:16:00.006+02:00

For one day in June all of France comes together to celebrate music. It does not matter what the music is or where it’s played. This year Alan participated in the Fete de la Musique by playing his violin to a packed room in Capestang. The temperature was in the 40s so after Alan’s performance many of the Cruzyites went into Beziers to experience the atmosphere. There was a heavy punk band on the main stage, flamenco dancers wandering around, a lovely stage with gospel music and a very busy square converted into a nightclub complete with laser light show and thumping music.

With the sun and weather, came the gardening. We have worked very hard this year not to let our plants die. The sunflowers died the day the sun came out, but the twig that was a rose from last year came to life and produced the most dainty of flowers.

Last year’s strawberries are still producing fruit and for the first time, we have tomatoes. They are sweet and taste delicious. Our friends on the far side of Cruzy have a great selection of fruit trees in their garden and this year offered us a few kilos of apricots. We set to work making some jam. 4 kg of sugar, 4 kg of apricots, 1 vanilla pod and 1 pint of water later, we were the proud producers of 6 jars of apricot jam. Yes. It’s the best jam we have ever tasted and we are down to 1 jar.

Last week the local choir here in the village performed in the village hall. Everyone was dressed in white and we settled down for a night of entertainment. Two minutes into the first song, the power went on the electric piano. It was not a power outage which is all too common here, but the work of a saboteur: a 2 year old had found the extension lead to the piano, followed it to the wall, and flipped the switch.

With the sun came the opportunity to head to the beach. Out came the new beach towels, new parasol, new ice box, last year’s mats and rugs and a host of books, magazines, iPods and fresh sandwiches and drinks. The first day we lasted 1 hour, the 2nd we forgot the food (left by the front door) and the 3rd the sea was so rough we dare not swim. So, off to the river with friends celebrating birthdays. Now that’s the place to swim. White water rapids, whirl-pools and water snakes. We had a blast, and came home red raw and covered in bruises. We can’t wait to go again.

An now, to introduce the newest member of the L'Abeille household. Our washing machine. Yes, its been 19 months in launderettes and now we have our own little washer. It's the hardest working member of the team and has managed 15 washes in 5 days. It get's thursdays off.

Cruzy hits the headlines again

2008-06-20T16:12:00.005+02:00

On Monday 16th June at 4am, someone decided to throw two Molotov Cocktails into our little village bar.

http://www.midilibre.com/articles/2008/06/18/20080618-BEZIERS-FAITS-DIVERS-Cruzy-Le-bar-des-2-mondes-incendie-a-l-39-aide-de-deux-cocktail.php5

Thankfully the fire alarm sounded and the lad running the place woke up and managed to put the fires out before they spread. Apparently had the flames reached the plastic ceiling the entire place, would have gone up in smoke in minutes.The guy running the bar said in the local paper that he could not think of any reason for such an attack. Well, we who gossip have come up with lots of reasons... not justified, but it helps pass the time. Disgruntled customer? Jealous competitor? The little old lady who is fed up of losing her husband to the bar each night? The list goes on, send your suggestions on a postcard!Customers are not really a problem for bars in Summer as the villages are all full, but in Winter finding customers is a little more difficult. Why anyone finds it difficult I can not imagine. I'd rather be in a nice warm bar than sitting in an old house without central heating any day!

Moving on to brighter news, Alan is playing in a concert in Capestang this weekend as part of the Fete de Music, which is a national event. Many towns and villages open their doors to musicians and we believe all the events are free. He asks that we all keep our fingers crossed for him as this is his first solo performance since he was 17 years old… and that was quite some time ago.

http://www.ville-capestang.fr/siteville-capestang.fr/fetemusique.htm

May visits

2008-06-04T00:00:00.009+02:00

great deal happended in May.
L'Abeille was full of life as we had friends visiting almost every day during the month. We did get out and about a great deal and even managed a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, Avignon, Montpellier, Carcassonne, Perpignan and Auch.

Mid way though the month, the 61st Cannes Film Festival began. We love this annual event and this year was Alan's first as a delegate. We managed to see 3 screenings of films due out later in the year. Each screening was at 08:30 am, so we did not sleep in during the festival. We watched a lot of short films in the Short Film Corner and got to chat to some very intresting and committed film makers. Our only celebrity spot came when having a champaign cocktail in the Carlton Hotel on the seafront - It was Mr Spike Lee. Turns out he was in town to condem many of the film producers he deamed unworthy for some reason or another. We did get into an evening Premier Screening of a film and saw Tommy Hilfiger a few rows behind. We had no idea who the other "celebs" were.

Cannes was a little wet with the rain falling all through the festival. After days inside, often after watching an 8:30am screening of a film, we skipped town and visited Grasse. Its miles and miles up into the hills but well worth the trip. It’s the home to the French perfume industry and a place we’d love to visit again. The station is some distance from the centre of town, and all of it uphill. A sign warns those choosing to walk that there are 280 steps to the town. They forget to mention the steep pavements and hazarders roads you need to navigate. Coming down is a delight.
http://www.grasse.fr/

We enjoyed the Popes Palace in Avignon with its private guided audio tour headsets, then on to the Pont d'Avignon where we danced and sang the old song - Sur le pont d’Avignon… well, we sang the bit we knew.
http://www.palais-des-papes.com/

A trip to the Pont D’Gare followed. What a lovely site to just sit and have a picnic. We enjoyed watching the bathers in the freezing water swimming by the sign that expressly forbid any swimming and we stared in wonder at the people who keep standing under an olive tree. We later found out the tree was centuries old.
http://www.pontdugard.fr/

Closer to home we visited the Abbie de Fontfoid. In small numbers, and in French, a man guided a small party of 7 tourists (we made up 4) around the Abbie. More and more of the Abbie is being closed to the public in favour of conference space or “private” functions, but the church itself is lovely. The white wine turned out to be lovely too.
http://www.fontfroide.com/

A lovely trip to meet friends just north of Toulouse ment we could visit Auch. Another large cathederal, and another roundabout where those cars wanting to join, have priority over those already on the roundabout. ITS MAD!!!
http://www.auch-tourisme.com/uk/index.asp

Cruzy makes the papers

2008-05-08T16:25:00.004+02:00

This week the papers and radio stations have been talking about our dear little village (it may be on TV too, but we do not have one).

On Sunday, a cycilist riding through the hills around Cruzy found a body at the side of the road. It was the body of a woman who was reported missing back in April. Two men, one from Toulouse and another from Beziers have been arrested for her murder. Her husband was found on Tuesday.We believe the men told the Police the location of his body. We believed the Police were searching between Cruzy and Villespassans
close to where the woman was found, but the papers showed photos of the site which is close to The Terminus restaurant on route to Quarante.

According to the local paper, the villagers are not talking about the murders. How very wrong they are. It’s the only news being discussed.

The couple recently moved to Argeliers, not too far from Cruzy. The two men were builders who had worked on their home. The papers have begun to call the men labourers to try and distance the local builders from these two men. Apparently the men were attracted to items in the home. They had been using the couple's bank card to withdraw cash. All the latest news can be found at the Midi Libre site - http://www.midilibre.com/articles/2008/05/05/20080505-FAIT-DU-JOUR-Le-corps-du-mari-retrouve-a-Cruzy.php5

In a largely crime-free rural area, this news has hit hard; all we were aware of before this was a story of missing flowerpots...

Beziers Airport

2008-05-08T16:15:00.006+02:00

At the beginning of May, a new route for Ryanair began between Bristol and Beziers.

The airport has a new terminal (a step up from a shed) and an array of new staff. Upon arrival, you are welcomed to Beziers by staff who smile. I am sure it will fade over time, but it is currently a nice alternative to the sombre faces of those at Carcassonne or Montpellier.

The transport links are still in their infancy. A bus is there waiting for new arrivals as are a host of small taxis, but with only one member of staff, the queue to collect cars was rather long. Outside of Ryanair flight times, there are not busses or taxis, and no sign of the Hertz staff.

Coffee is rather tasty at the café, again only open for flights, and only staffed by one person, but for 2.50 Euros, you get a nice big cup of Café Crème.

Leaving Beziers is rather a pleasure than a chore as with Carcassonne or Perpignan. The staff smile when offering up passports and the staff even step out to watch you depart. Well, they did for the 3rd flight. As with the other airports, there is no duty free, or even café, but just a machine for water and sweets. Ryanair continue to bellow adverts and marketing at you throughout the flight, but for only 9 Euros for a flight to Bristol including Taxes, it can’t be beaten.

The views of the area are breathtaking from the air. Below are a couple of snaps. One of Beziers, with the bull ring clearly visible and another

of the bridge over the river at Roquebrun.

Apparently flights between Beziers and Standstead are due to start in July.
http://www.ryanair.com/

Spring and official mug shots

2008-03-08T00:56:00.005+01:00

The sun is out and spring is clearly springing out all over Cruzy. The bland cement pots on the bridge are full of the colours of the season. The new cement paving over the bridge is big improvement over the loose stones which have been negotiating each day on route to the boulangerie. Along with the new flowers this spring, comes the new candidates for the local mayoral elections all over France.

To ensure true equality during the elections each party is allocated exactly the same amount of billboard space, alas, those in power have an A3 printer, and those seeking the keys to the office... do not. Those in power used their passport photos for their publicity and manage to look like mug shots rather than people viying for power, with the other side opting for a "family shot".

The old gard are predominantly vineyard owners and those knocking at the door have mixed backgrounds. Word on the street is that the old guard may win the day as many of the manifesto pledges of the other side have already been implemented, if not yet delivered, by the current administrators. The networking and campaigning has been rather gentle with most activity taking place at the village bingo or at the local bar.

On Sunday the 9th and all will be revealed.

Spring

2008-03-03T00:31:00.007+01:00

Spring is in the air and the flowers are beginning to show off.

We uprooted a number of plants over the summer and dumped them into our composter, thinking they would breakdown and disappear. How wrong we were. Our compost pile is the best part of the garden with hyacinths and daffodils shooting out all over the place. You can hardly spot the rotting cabbage or old tea leaves.

The fields of vineyards are full of colour too, but none of it from the vines. The fields are full of white flowers, we have no idea if they are weeds or planted to help the vines. The fields look like they are covered in snow from a distance as the flowers are everywhere. Its all rather pretty.

With some friends, we walked along the Canal Du Midi to a point where the canal floats over a river - its very cleaver engineering. We took our camera and managed to capture 20 images, mainly of ducks on the canal, all looking to be fed.

The courtyard got is spring clean, with Alan shooting up the trees like Tarzan to crop of branches to allow the light to bounce around the yard. We were a little more server that we intended to be, but we get to see a great deal more sky as a result.

With two friends over from London, we had an excuse to visit Montpellier again and for the first time, visited the little village of Lagrasse.
http://www.le-guide.com/lagrasse/index.html
The road from Carcassonne to Lagrasse was very picturesque and it is a rather nice little village, which is popular in the summer. Our friends kept asking us where all the people were. It was half term here in France, but not a sign of a tourist... just us.

With all the restaurants and shops closed in February, we had to make our own entertainment. This month we met a lot of new people living it the area, and we intend to take them all up on their invitations to drop in as we pass through their villages.

For Sale

2008-02-29T01:23:00.004+01:00

Well, with a few properties now on the market, I thought I'd share them.

This property has been on the market for over 6 months now, and the price of 150,000 Euros has been reduced. The house has a traditional layout with 2 rooms and a kitchen on the ground floor, and the 3 bedrooms. Up in the attic is a room, big enough for a bean bag.
This house has a good size garage with a large room above (yet open to the elements) and a courtyard. Both are separate from the house, but every close, being just the other side of the neighbouring property.

http://www.seloger.com/292167/29982951/detail.htm

We saw the following property when we were house hunting and the current owners have done wonders with the house. It is a large property on the main road out of Cruzy our route to Beziers. They have created a very contempary living space, creating a large open plan kitchen / living space by removing 2 of the former bedrooms, refurb the remaining 2 rooms to a high standard. The courtyard is a great space to host lunches and the views have to be the best in the village, with clear views of the mountains, and with vine-yards in every direction beginning at the boundary walls.

http://www.seloger.com/detail.htm?ci=340092&euro=1&idtt=2&referid=1&IMMOBW_ANN_QRYpg=20

Aigues-Mortes

2008-02-29T01:06:00.008+01:00

We decided that we should discover a little more of France, so we jumped into the car and headed east… for 2 hours. There we found Aigues-Mortes. This is a place we have heard a great deal about set along side the salt flats and a short drive from the Mediterranean Sea. We had heard it was a pretty version of Carcassonne. We arrived in time for lunch, so enjoyed a meal of home-made fish soup (is it supposed to taste of sea water?) and a plate of beef, cooked until it turned to leather… okay, you see where I am going with this…

The city is walled by large turrets and ramparts. Once we paid to enter the ramparts (6 Euros each) we began our walk along the tops of the city. We could look down on buildings of the inner-city or look over the car-parks outside the city. It was amazing to be able to look into peoples homes, over high walls into courtyards and even, into the private terraces created by destroying the 300 year old buildings. Oh, and once we began out walk, the loo was 1 hour away.

Carcassonne forever!

Winter Flowers

2008-02-29T00:24:00.009+01:00

The Mimosa festival is the first activity in which thousands of people descend upon the small hillside village of Rqueburn. We missed it last year, so followed instructions from a seasoned visitor to the festival and left bright and early to ensure a parking space. We left later than instructed, but parking was fine not difficult. After the event, there was not a space on the verges, left or right which did not host a car, motorbike or mini-van. Even the surrounding vine-yards had become unofficial car-parks.

The day began like may of the festivals we have come to know and love, but unlike those other festivals, every stall had mimosa cuttings in among the products, most of the crowd had mimosa peeking out of pockets, under or though hats, and even attached to their little dogs, of which there were hundreds.

The mimosa was on sale for only 3 Euros a bunch, but most people seem to think it okay to walk around the village, ripping great bunches off trees from private gardens, parks and event the Mediterranean Garden exhibition.

It was a long day, cumulating with a precession of floats decked in mimosa, which was unhooked when passing by those unwilling to pay for or steal from gardens.

As the precession passed, those who had already had the benefit of the floats, preceded to walk along side the floats, stopping to unhook more mimosa, stand in the way of cameras, and basically block the view for those not privilad to have been at the start of the precession. Upon the floats were young children distributing confetti to the waiting crowd, pulled along by tractors, driven by men who were smoking, drinking and at times spending more time looking at the exotic Brazilian dancers (who were the main draw of the entire festival) than the road.

December

2008-01-08T05:15:00.002+01:00

December had us all running around buying gifts for our Secret Santa gifts, and I found the perfect gift for to give away, and after a little waxing, I wanted it. We had a mini Christmas bash at L'Abeille, before inviting everyone back the following night to complete the meal, as we were all at bursting point after the main meal. With only 15 killos as our hold luggage allowance on RyainAir, we did most of our shopping online at Amazon.co.uk. We were able to travel rather light to the UK, but only just managed to make it back, with all cases being overweight.

December has been mild here in Cruzy, so it was a bit of a shock to arrive in Liverpool to -4 degrees.

Christmas

2007-12-20T13:18:00.000+01:00

Cruzy has been decorated and a lot of effort has gone into the decorations this year. The entire village has been adorned with small trees with boxes wrapped in colourful paper. The lights are up over Avenue de Narbonne and the villagers have lit up their homes with training lights, light droplets and of course, climbing Santas. They are everywhere and if last year is anything to go by, they will still be up at Easter.

9 Years

2007-12-20T12:35:00.000+01:00

Alan and I celebrated 9 years together by spending a weekend in Montpellier, the closest "proper" city to Cruzy. It is a lovely place to visit and we were impressed. It is a little like Paris, but without the coach loads of tourists or the queues. They even had a GAP clothes store. No Starbucks, but we can live without them. We intended to visit art galleries, walk in the parks and enjoy the atmosphere. We walked passed all those attractions in favour of the old town and the lanes and lanes of shops. We felt spoilt for choice with boutiques and chocolatiers.

We tasted and purchased many fine foods (all chocolate based) and thanks to the 4th Annual Wine Fare, we spent our first evening drinking many locally produced wines. We paid 2 Euros for a glass and visited 40 wine producers, all keen to top up our glasses with their finest nectar. We then wandered the small lanes looking for a place to eat. There are so many little restaurants in the old town, which it took a while to settle on one.

On our second day in Montpellier, we had breakfast out in the open at this little snack stall. The coffee was amazing and the croissants were warm and tasty. So much so, that we had another to set us up for the day.

Bingo!

2007-11-28T04:14:00.000+01:00

After months and months of wondering what our fellow Cruzy inhabitants did for entertainment we were invited to join in... BINGO!

Now we are not talking Mega Bingo or any of that corporate multi-million pound industry. We are referring to old fashioned fundraising bingo. Over 200 villagers, old and young, attend the regular bingo which aims to raise money for the local fire station, based out of the village and staffed by volunteers.

Most of the people in the village hall had their own bingo counters. These were little translucent coloured rings with a metal edge. The rings were placed over the appropriate number on the card when the number was called. At the end of the game, a large magnet is passed over the card, collecting up the rings. Those without rings used sweet-corn kernels. We fell into that camp until a fellow player shared her rings with 6 strangers.

We went to the bingo with some friends and we all thought we had grasped our numbers in French. Oh, how wrong we ALL were. Turns out the words we knew and use are incorrect. Yes, we are using the numbers as taught by Michelle Thomas and heard on the radio, but they are not correct... for this part of France. It will take days to talk though the differences so lets just end by saying that we laughed heartedly during each and every game - all 18 of them. Well, when I say 18, I mean 18 planned games. Out of our little party, we won 2 of the prizes. Alan won the 18th game - a voucher for the local butcher and 2 free pizzas, but one of our friends won a huge, and I mean HUGE, leg of dried ham. She donated the prize back to the event, and received not only the gratitude of the fire-service, but of the entire room. Shouts of cheers rang through the hall when a 19th game was announced.

We had three friends over from the UK and as two had visited Cruzy before and had seen most of the local sites, we drove to an absolutely lovely little costal town as recommended by one of the visitors. Collioure is apparently a city of painters with 30 art galleries, but it’s for the beauty of the town that people visit. It has a great history (read more at http://www.collioure.com/gb/index-gb.htm), with an impressive castle and church as well as small lanes in which to wonder around. We have heard that the town is very busy in the summer with cars queuing for hours for parking. We drove down into the town and parked along the seafront without any effort.

We were lucky enough to meet a couple with a little boy who own a holiday home here in Cruzy, so along with a group of other friends, we met in the local bar for a drink. It was the first time the staff had experienced such a busy bar before 9pm on a Saturday.

With the arrival of the new Johnny Deep movie, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, in the post, we invited four friends over to watch the film. To make the experience a little different, we decided it was to be watched dressed as pirates. The house was ransacked in search of treasure and curtains were removed from their poles to make sails. With the aid of a mini hacksaw and some nails we managed to cobble together a couple of swords. Our friends arrived in their gear, all with pencilled moustaches and pirate hats, one even arriving with a wooden leg. The food was all themed and the drinks flowed (does Coke Cola count?)What a shame the film was dreadful. It went on to two and a half hours, without plot and without us caring for the characters. At least we had fun calling out "shiver me timbers" and "Urg. That’s fine grub"

The internet

2007-11-15T20:39:00.000+01:00

The internet is a great place to find yourself... other than Googling your own name - (63 for Kieran - but 3 are fake).

For an unedited view of life in Cruzy, visit our friends fab website by clicking on this link.

http://gabian-village.blogspot.com/2007/10/china-girl.html

John and Jean-Maurice run the most beautiful B&B here in the South of France. They have decorated their home with taste and without a hint of pretention. We really do recommend you pay them a visit if you are traveling around the South.

Keep in touch with their adventure by visiting Jean-Maurice's very own blog, but for more about their B&B or their design work, click on these links.

Jean-Maurice - http://gabian-village.blogspot.com/

The Village House B&B - http://www.thevillagehouse.info/cdh.html

Interior Design - http://www.thevillagehouse.info/aboutus.html

Outdoor Living

2007-11-15T19:10:00.000+01:00

With the sun out and the open fire in need of wood, we joined a couple of friends in the village and went looking for old vines in the fields surounding the village. We picked up a bag of vines each and took them home. The following day, we needed to do the same thing. It turns out an evening of open fire burns though a great deal of wood, and with us enjoying our fire from around 5pm, it takes two bags to last until midnight.

After 5 days picking our way thought the vineyards, we picked up the phone and bought in a ton of wood. It took about 50 trips to get the logs from the back of the delivery van to the side path and then another 100 trips to transfer the logs into our little hut at the rear of the courtyard. The following day we both felt as though we'd been to the gym... who needs Holmes Place?

We were invited to take a little walk though the hills around St Chinian, which is just a 20 minute drive from Cruzy. We began by meeting a number of people at a small wine producer just outside St Chinian (wine available at Sainsbury’s) and we were guided up into the hills by the farmer’s wife.

She knew some lovely stories about the region and we could clearly see the Cathedral in Beziers (about 30 km away) and the sea behind it (about 40km away). One story was linked to the Caroux mountain which is said to have a woman lying on top, awaiting the return of her knight in shining armour who had travelled off of the Crusades (see above - her head is to the left).

The clouds darkened and threatened rain, but it held off. We walked on up to a small little church with was beautifully maintained. On and up, we walked chatting all the time to new people. Some had lived in France for years, others just 5 weeks. We were invited to a meal in exchange for setting up a computer to receive Terry Wogan (some argue we got the better deal).

On our way down, a woman from Belgium began to eat red berries from the trees. I was waiting for her to die… but thankfully it turns out these red berries were quiet harmless and rather tasty. They were Strawberry Tree Fruit. I’d never even heard of them and was most surprised at the fleshy innards (similar to ripe mango) but the seeds (on the outside) made the texture a little grainy (officially called Arbutus unedo).

Above is a photo of the Strawberry Tree blossom, which continues to grow even after the fruit has dropped from the tree.

3 hours later, we sat down for a meal provided by the vineyard. Each course come complete with two choices of wine, most of which were very easy to drink. At the end of the meal, chestnuts were served roasted from an outdoor fire. We returned to cruzy, Alan to work and Kieran for a 3 hour snooze.

October Roundup

2007-11-04T17:12:00.000+01:00

October is here and the vines have all been stripped of their grapes and the colours of the fields around Cruzy have changed from the green spectrum to the warmer colours. The photo of the road to Cruzy above gives you a taste of the changing landscape.

We have had a busy month much to our surprise. France has come alive with the Rugby World Cup and the Bar in Cruzy opened just in time. The bar was absolutely packed each night and it was only after the South Africans had returned home did we actually pop in for a drink. And what a drink. We tasted the first wine from this years harvest. We were drawn to it and have managed to drink samples from 3 local vineyards (sample = bottle) and have stocked up our fridge.

We have been driving around in our Renault Megane Scenic for 9 months trouble free, but alas the honeymoon is over. The thing began to play up, normally at roundabouts or when pulling out in front of juggernauts. So, a trip to Renault Minute (a sort of Halfords but just for Renaults) and they said it would cost us 1100 Euros to have the car fixed. We were rather surprised at the amount, but thanks to a friend in the village who has her car fixed locally, we visited a small independent mechanic in the next village. It cost 54 Euros to have the car fixed, a nice saving of 1046 Euros. Of course, Kieran is still shopping for a new car…

We had two little visitors this month. One very welcome and one not so welcome. We loved having our larger picture frames on the floor until we had a young lad visit and we realised that our home was not as child friendly as we had first thought. So, the pictures are now in search of a new home, probably a wall.

Our second visitor was with us for 4 days and he managed to eat many of our treats. Not only did he eat 3 Flakes, specially delivered from Bristol, but he chomped though 5 chocolate biscuits. See the photo above for the evidence.

In January we had the chimney sweep come and clean our chimney in the kitchen. In France, you need to have a certificate to prove that your chimney has been cleaned or insurance companies will not pay up if your house burns to the ground as a result of a chimney fire. So, 9 months later, we installed a wood burner. The fires burn hot and the smell is lovely. Kieran now takes a stroll though the vineyards collecting wood each day. He fills a large Ikea blue bag (yes, they are the same the world over) each day, and Alan burns every single one each night. We have decided to ship in a ton of logs.

2007-10-12T14:53:00.000+02:00

Cruzy was awakened from hits slumber when a Peugeot 307 turned up with four very loud visitors from Bristol. They had arrived from Toulouse with bags and bags of gifts, so were welcomed with open arms.

It was great for us to be able to sit down and drink coffee while waiting for our visitors to arrive rather than collecting them from an airport. Well, that’s Kieran’s story. Alan would say it gave us more time to run around clearing up and preparing the first meal.

With a mini agenda, it was a welcome aperitif and meal prepared by Alan followed by an introduction to the wines of the region. The fist day was a misguided at times trip into the hills around Cruzy, ending with a trip to the supermarket for more wine and cheese.

The need for more wine was a direct result of the crew watching a couple walking along the edge of a cliff with their young child. None were tethered and at times, it looked like the adventure would end in disaster. At one point, the Father had to crouch down to scuttle under an overhanging rock, leaving his child and wife to do the same, unaided. We were all a little traumatised afterwards.

With Millau hot on the hit list, we left early one morning and heading inland and out or the Languedoc. We drove for just short of 2 hours to see the Millau Bridge. This bridge is now a major tourist attraction and it is easy to see why. We had some lovely views on the way up, but the Bridge was just spectacular. There are 100s of good spots to take photos, so we chose many of them. We took photos from the bridge itself, from a distance and from underneath.

Millau itself was a nice place to visit too. We arrived just as the weekly market was packing up, but we got a sense of the place and the atmosphere. A tricky moment came when Kieran had to pee in front of 4 women who were queuing behind the outdoor urinal for the cubicle. Worst of all, he knew two of them by name. But, when a boys go to go, he’s got to go, all helped when a French woman promised not to look and turned to face the wall… if only they could have put their fingers in their ears too.

New visitor, old places, new sites.

2007-10-12T13:36:00.000+02:00

With Alan working most of the time in the home office it was up to Kieran to play guide for our visitor who arrived from the UK via EuroStar and TGV.

We visited many of the same places as listed before, but this time instead of driving through villages, we stopped. At one point, instead of just driving over a bridged ravine, we parked up and clambered down the cliff to the water. It must be one of the most beautiful places in the area. Just the sound of the odd car passing over the bridge and the sounds of nature, until a cicada landed on Kieran, he screamed and jumped frantically.

A trip to Pezenas found our visitor falling in love with the old town. We wondered the lanes, taking routes unseen before and stopping for tea and cake in a lovely t-shop. The tip continued with a visit to Sete, and we did not find any of the “great shopping” we’d been lead to believe existed, but we ate a croissant with both pistachio and chocolate centre. We both fell for the charms of an old Renault 4 parked along side the harbour.

With the weather so nice, we spend a day at the beach, and Alan joined too. After a few hours sunning our bodies, we wondered around the town with our extra large ice-cream cones.

As our visitor was an early rise and often completed a morning run before we’d even opened an eye, Alan often joined her for a bike ride too, allowing Kieran to wake at his gentle pace.

Harvest

2007-09-15T12:00:00.000+02:00

Cruzy is very quiet at night. You hardly hear a sound. At 6am, it all changes. The harvest has begun in earnest and the tractors in the village all start up and thunder through the village at 6am, shortly followed by mini-vans, pickups and mopeds taking the fruit pickers to the fields.

Alan's relatives arrived from the UK and we collected them bright and early from Carcassonne. Instead of taking them directly to Cruzy, we stopped in the walled city for breakfast, followed by a drive in the countryside and a visit to Minerve. They arrived in Cruzy, 6 hours after arriving in Carcassonne.

The week was spent visiting some of our favourite locations, but each time we did something slightly different. We ate in restaurants we have never visited before, and took scenic routes new to us.

The last 6 weeks have been busy for the region, with thousands of tourists on the roads and beaches. Most went home at the weekend, leaving the beaches and roads to us. We stopped at a few beaches and could not get over how quiet they were with the sun beating down on golden sands. At one beach, we were just yards away from neighbours in Cruzy, but we did not see them... we were in our own little world of sun sea and sand.

A trip to Sete followed and the views from Mount St. Clare were fantastic, once we moved away from the viewing platform. Since the platform was built the trees have grown considerably and the view has been lost. A short walk down into the forest reveals the true views of the ocean, mountains and lakes.

We went to the local wine maker in the village, the home of Chateau Cruzy. We all arrived at the busiest time for the producer in the entire year, when all the local vine growers were backing up into the courtyard with about 2.5 tones of grapes each for squishing. The owner was not fazed and showed us around the production plant, allowing us to taste the freshly squeezed grape juice, which we all would have bought litters of were it on sale. In the end, we bought 5 liters of the 2005 red, pumped directly from a large wine vat into our plastic bottle, and walked away with 4 bottles that were ladled up for distribution to the local hotels.

After getting the bug, we drove up into the hills to St Jean de Minervois for a similar experience but instead of wine, we were after the aperitif, Muscat. We could easily become experts at wine tasting… we just need an allocated driver.

Spain and Carcassonne

2007-08-28T18:40:00.001+02:00

We picked up a friend from Perpignan airport on Thursday. Driving out of the airport we decided to ignore Perpignan and head further south. Infact, we drove out of France and into Spain. We decided a trip to see the Dali museum was in order. The further south we drove, the hotter it got. Again, I have to say thank goodness for airconditioning. We arrived in Figeras on Market day, so it took some time to find a place to park. Once in the town, we decided to skip the museum as the queues for tickets were long, and we timed them at over an hour, all in the blistering heat. We sat down and enjoyed a light bite before wondering around the town. I managed a hair cut which was well overdue.

Our friend was easy company and not too concerned about where to visit, so we showed her brocants, vied greniers and the odd shopping centre, all dispersed with quick trips to a vineyard, Carcassonne, Minerve and Beziers. If you are planning a trip over, expect to visit the same locations. Carcassonne was impressive, Minerve was pretty and full of life and Beziers was a hive of activity.

Beziers was busy with tourists and we managed to visit a few of the toursit hot spots, before lunch and discoverd a lovely old shop in the heart of Beziers. It sold a number of items but the window displays were very old fashioned and looked great.

We walked around the walled city of Carcassonne, which is just a perfect fairytail castle. It place was very busy and all daily menues had been dispensed with and so a burger cost 7 Euros and a Coke 3 Euros. We walked around the city walls and took in some ice-cream to help keep us cool.

While in Carcassonne we were introduced to a new drink... well, it was new to us. Absinthe (for the cinema junkies, watch Moulin Rouge). What a lovely smooth drink that is also a bit of a show piece. We spent the evening following an instruction card on how to make different concoctions. First came neat. At 55% this was a no go. 2nd came Absinthe in a glass, suspending a special spoon with a cube of sugar on it and tipping cold water over the sugar. This created a sweet smooth drink. 3rd, and the most showy of all, was tipping the Absinthe over the sugar, then setting it alight. This created a sweet caramel flavour and was just lovely.

On route to Minerve we stopped for some Muscat from St Jean-de-Minervois where we purchased a good bottle of the sweet nectar.

We spent one day driving through small villages and one of the most lovely was Roquebrun. All the restaurants were full but me had a snack in the canoe centre which gave us fantastic views of the village. They say this village has a micro-climate and boy are they right. It was baking but the water helped cool us all down. We met a lovely man who said he wanted to give us a smile as we had such good smiles. This encounter could have gone any way. The man introduced himself as Jean Luc and had two little booklets on him. One with Luc on the front, the other with Jean. Alan is now the proud owner of a French language Book of Jean, bible stories.
One evening we met up with others from Cruzy, and headed over to a neighbouring village to catch Kripton, the entertainment from the first night of the Cruzy Fete. Well, they were good, but again, the villagers were not bothered and did not really participate. We all left after a few drinks. At least they sold wine at this village Fete.

We dropped our friend off again on Monday, but alas, our plans to spend the day on the beach were cancelled just 30 minutes after landing on the beach. It was far too hot and we were frying rather than bathing in the sun.

We returned to Cruzy and the shared our new discovery with a neighbour. She was taken, but not converted by the concoction.

Bull Fighting and Dancing in the Streets

2007-08-21T12:42:00.000+02:00

Bulls, Dancing in the Streets

We have done a great deal in the last week and its diffucult to know where to begin. On Tuesday last week, we joined our friend John for a trip into Beziers, our nearest large town. Beziers has a large bull ring where concerts are often held and of course, bull fights. The full fighting is part of the Beziers Feria (festival) that takes place every year with is a mix of live bands, street entertainment, wine festival and all night dancing. We began with the bull fighting which consisted of a busy stadium of eager sports fans. Bull fighting is a sport which has a league table just like in tennis or football. As freshmen to the sport, we had no idea how the scoring worked, but by the number of boos some bullfighters received, we guessed they were at the bottom of the league.

The bulls were large creatures and very impressive to see in the ring. After some taunting, a little spearing, some more taunting and a sword to the heart, the bull lies dead on the floor. It’s complicated to describe, so I shall not bother. Some aspects of the fight were interesting, but the killing of the bull was rather gruesome. I was often impressed at how a Toreador could sometimes get a bull to charge in circles around him, or how they could stand in front of a charging bull without moving. 30 million people alone in Spain watched bull fights last year and 25, 000 bulls are killed each year. We watched 7 bulls enter the ring and only 1 walked out.

After the fight, it was off to the main festival for bull-steak and chips. Alan chose paella as he could not face meat. The festival caters for 25,000 plates of food per day during the Feria and the place was heaving. Families were out with their pushchairs, elderly couples were drinking and chatting and large crowds of French holiday makers were enjoying the live performances on the many stages. We parked at one end of the town and it took and hour to talk down one road due to the crowds.

The following day, we descended on the Feria again, this time with two friends from the village. We did not arrived until 9pm and began our evening with a jug of white sangria and a flamenco dancer. Then it was on to see an equestrian show, but all 2000 seats were taken, so it was back to the centre of the town for a live show from some dancers from Fiji followed by wine, then a concert by a band singing in Occitan before heading for one of the many makeshift bars with DJ to dance in the streets until the early hours. Below is the video to the song we loved the most.

The following day were met a new couple to the village and have seen them every day since. We have eaten them our of house and home but its been great fun.

At the weekend 9 of us from the village popped along to our neighbouring village to catch their festival as may of the acts we had seen in Cruzy last week were playing live again. We were all under whelmed at the event. The acts were the same, but the performance space was small, the villagers were not at all interest in the acts with most choosing to prop up the bar that DID NOT sell wine and we all left after an hour. It was a shame, as the act was just a good as they had been in Cruzy with there was just no atmosphere in the village. We shall not bother with that villages act next year.

Cruzy has become a hive of activity as the grape harvest has begun early. Each morning a convoy of tractors leave the village and return laden with grapes by lunchtime, and they every 20 minutes throughout the afternoon. The road outside our house is littered with white grapes and juice. Its smells lovely but makes walking in the street a little sticky.

Cruzy Festival

2007-08-13T18:23:00.000+02:00

What a weekend we have had.

It all began on Friday with the first of 3 concerts held in the village.
We joined most of the villagers in the grounds of the community centre where a large stage had been set up with lights, a full crew of technicians, a bar and loads of tables. Candyfloss, and arcade games were on offer too.

The night began by rounding up 4 other people to share the night with. Two moved to Cruzy as full time residents just this week. We found a table and were delighted to discover that the bottle of wine and another of water were ours and were free. It was not long before we were up at the bar buying more... much more.

The entertainment was outstanding. We were all astonished at the quality of the show and the duration. The entertainment was similar to that found at the Moulin Rouge in Paris.

Beautify girls danced on stage in little outfits while music played (very loudly). The dancers came and went and the music played on with the dance floor filling whenever a Spanish song played, or a good 80s pop song blared out. 4 hours into our evening I popped to the portable arcade area for BarbaPappa... see the snap.

We left in the early hours with the music still clearly audible from out house, half a mile away.

Saturday we woke but Alan to a bad head and me to the groups.

Of course, we had booked dinner and entertainment in front of the stage, so off we went again with our friends from the night before. Again, free wine and water, accompanied out meal of chicken and a desert of French patisserie.

The entertainment on Saturday night blew Fridays out of the water. This time we had live singing from about 6 vocalists, but it was the troop of dancing girls who won the night. Outfit change after outfit change was emphasised over and over again by their outstanding dance routines. Again it was the early hours when we left them to it and were in bed when we clearly heard YMCA. It was a great night but long.

Sunday came early. It was up and to the village car boot sales, then off to neighbouring villages for bread and more car booting. We managed to secure 2 door stops for a fantastic price (15 Euros) and returned home for a mini sleep.

At 9pm we met in a neighbour’s home for an hour. 1 aperitif later, we headed for the show ground. This evening we were hit heavily by a rock band sing rock hits in English, French and Spanish. It was a great show, but the best entertainment came from the local children.

We were witnesses to an 8 year old winning a pump-action air gun, which she promptly loaded and went off to shoot the local pets. She returned again and again and had clearly become aware of the authority she commanded walking around with the loaded gun. Later we found instructions on how to load a pump-action sawn off shot gun. We assume another 8 year old was walking the dark streets looking for Fluffy.

Sun, Sea and Sunburn

2007-08-07T22:26:00.000+02:00

I set off for the beach with 3 other residents of Cruzy and 6 hours later, we returned. I returned with red knees and a shinny balled spot.

We found ourselves a nice beach, without a toilet, but a wooden hut that sold ice-creams. The beach stretched for about 3km and was busy when we arrived. 3 hours into our tanning session, we were surrounded by people, sun-shades and 100s of children.
The water was crystal clear and the waves were pounding the beach but we could wade out for quite some distance thanks to the shallow banks.

I chose to slap on Sun Factor 20 as I had been liberally plastering myself in Sun Factor 30 for the last 2 months and I looked just as translucent as the day we moved over. Apparently it was water resistant and only needed re-applying every 3 hours. Well I did all that, but I sat cross-legged on the sand and may have forgotten to re-apply on the knees. Boy was I stinging for the following few days.

Alan was home up in the home office and felt the need to enjoy the sun too, so off we went a few days later with the same crowd from the village. This time we headed for Valras, a popular tourist destination. We arrived at 12:00 and managed to find a parking space (Parking is still free along the beaches). Within hours the busy beach became a mass of people and sun-shades. Car loads of people were turning up, even as late at 6pm. Most were from Paris. This weekend was the big exodus from the cities for the coast.

The roads around Cruzy are busier than usual and there a 1000s of cars on what we consider our small country lanes.

We doubt we will make it to Valras until September now as it will be impossible to park or find a spot on the beach until then.

Daytime

2007-07-27T21:57:00.000+02:00

We have had a few phone calls this week from friends in the UK talking about the weather. We see from the Internet that most of the UK is wet, but down here in Cruzy, it is hot. Too Hot.
It was 37 yesterday, and 36 today and its expected to be in the 40s over the weekend.
Today, I had to change my t-shirt twice as the heat was not quashed by any wind. After lunch both Alan and I had to have baths to cool down.
I spent most of the last week in the garden playing with my post and making a mess. Poor Alan was up in the Study working hard.

I found a great use for an old Star Wars toy... do now worry, I have 3 still in their boxes.

I found some new friends in the garden, all with lots of legs.

We went out for rides on our bikes this evening and found a new route out of the villand and a different view of the village. Its rather nice with all the vines in front and the church dappled by sunlight.

2007-07-24T19:38:00.000+02:00

Lastnight we drove to our nearest multi-screen cinema some 30km away on the far side of Beziers. We went to the newish 12 screen cinema to watched the latest Harry Potter film, The Order of the Phenix, but as it was the French version (without English subtitles) it shall be know as its true name, Harry Potter et l’Ordre du Phénix.

Click below to watch the French advert and notice name changes. For example Hogworts is called Poudlard (sounds like "poo-lard"). Professor Snape is called Professor Rogue.

It was easy to follow the film as we had both read the book and everone speaks slowly and clearly in Harry Potter films, exept when screaming or running from Dementors.

The French version of the film is a little shorter the UK release and has a number of small, scenes missing. Very strange. Also, there were no adverts in the French cinema for future releases. The adverts were show on a small screen in the lobby of the cinema.

Bikes and heros

2007-07-24T18:42:00.000+02:00

20th July 2007

Some would say standing in the summer sun waiting for men on bikes for 4 hours was a waste of a good day. We disagree. While waiting for this years Tour de France to blow through a nearby town, we joined friends from the village and took along picnics to help pass the time. Little did we know that just 45 minutes before the frontrunners were due, a large procession of cars, vans, trucks and ... well plastic floats, come bombing past.

Now this is nothing ordinary, but when you discover that 11 million freebies are thrown from those passing vehicles, you may begin to appreciate the sense of excitement felt by the crowd, and the Cruzy contingent. We were inundated with freebies. hats, key rings, foam hands (special favourite) food, drinks, purses, papers, posters, banners, sweets, florescent straps and best of all, fabric bags (great for shopping). We were in competition with the 8 year old and his mum just to our left. Often we had to let the little guy win the prize, but we managed to catch items faster than they could at times, otherwise we'd have very little in our bags. They walked away with a larger bag of bootie than us, but we believe we were after the quality freebie, rather than just the quantity of freebies.

Hands up those with Freebies.

If you look closely, the chap in the Yellow Jersey is "winner" at this point, althought he came in 47th and is being investigated for taking drugs... well he did not attend 2 drug tests. 3rd time and he's out. Turns out it was his own countries national paper that ratted on him... poor show!

14th July 2007

Ah what a day for the meek, geek and hero worship. Kieran met his Hero of Heroes, Luke Skywalker. Yes, I know its Mark Hammil, but to my 8 year old heart of hearts, it was Luke Skywalker himself. Now, I know paying to meet a celebrity is not really counted at meeting, but when I have photographic proof and video evidence, it counts to me and in 20 years I can change the story to meet my fantasy needs.

Kieran and Luke sitting in a tree, K. I. S... you get it.

Mountains and bugs

2007-07-10T12:08:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, we drove out from Cruzy to visit a friend who lives 55km away towards the Pyrenees.

We enjoyed lunch and decided to walk around the village to help burn off a calorie or two. Our host then took us off track into the local undergrowth, and I found it rather difficult at times in my Nike flip-flops. Of course, our guide knew what she was doing. The other side of the vegetation we emerged onto a rockbed with running water and glistening pools everywhere.

Here we saw fish, frogs and cigale. See snap for the image. These things make a wonderful noise. There are 1000s of them all around and they create a sort of "muzac" wherever you go - a bit like piped music in a shopping centre.

They are a lot larger than we ever expected.

After the water and the rocks, we walked up into the hills and around the vineyards. And yes, I began to point out that the village was to the left, and we were continuing to veer right and away from the comfort of the dinner table... and coffee.

Later that night, back in Cruzy, Alan came downstairs, and on his way back up screamed out like a man possessed. I came running thinking he was tumbling down the stairs. No, it was worse. He had just brushed his hand inside his t-shirt to discover a scorpion (the largest so far) in the small of his back. Having brushed the scorpion, he looked down to find the scorpion now in his hand... so screamed some more.

Suffice to say, we are now paranoid about scorpions... anyone know if they sell a scorpion/fly spray?

Sun, Mountains and Lakes

2007-07-07T14:16:00.001+02:00

With such hot weather demanding we leave the cool comfort of L'Abeille we headded off into the Montains. Just 30 minutes away are the thick forrests of the Haut Languedoc.

The day before we had spent the evening on the beach just 20 mintues away from home, but we decided that the lake would be a lovely place to spend an afternoon.

Its all uphill on very bendy roads, but what a lovely drive. Luckly the Renault Scenic has enough room for picnic hamper, extra ground sheets and the iPod.

The closest lake to Cruzy is about 20km away. so I drove up and up into the mountains. The views were lovely and I was a little overcome by its beauty, but also the sence of being miles from anywhere. I drove around the lake and saw a few fishermen and a couple out on a dingy.

We popped the boot, and got our our beach kit (always in the car) and made our way to the shore.

We had cheese, fresh bread and fresh cherrys. What a delight. Alp read Harry Potter in French, and kept updating me with the French versions of popular Wizarding terms. I shall share what he told me. So, Harry goes to Hogwarts in the English edition but to Poudlard in the French book, and the four houses are called Gryffondor, Poufsouffle, Serdaigle and Serpentard. I think i need to see the film in French now.

Amazon sell the French verson of the Harry Potter book. Click on the link to see it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/2070612368/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwfreshlysta-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=2070612368">Harry

The rest of the lake was ours and the picnic was the best one ever.

Of course, on the way home we tried a new route... at it took almost another hour to find our way back home.

C.R.A.Z.Y. - Space Oddity

2007-07-02T21:24:00.001+02:00

Such a good film. Well worth watching - and reading - its in French with English subtitles.

No TV - Watch DVDS

2007-07-02T21:17:00.001+02:00

I'm known as one not to miss an opportunity to watch a good film. Just imagine how hard the last six months have been without any television, French or English.
Many would argue I've missed nothing on TV, but when it comes to the cinema, boy am I behind.

This week I watched Jean de Florette followed by Manon de Sources. Both were excellent and have been out on DVD for years, but they were new to me.

Above is the punch-line, so do not watch it if you have not seen the films. Its is a proper spoiler.

To round off my week of French culture I watched C.R.A.Z.Y. Beautifully shot with a good soundtrack. The script and the acting really shone through and I thought I'd share the trailer with you.
Above, is a YouTube video of the lead, singing along to David Bowies Space Oddity.

Catch it if you can.

Everybody Party

2007-06-27T20:38:00.001+02:00

This weekend was the beginning of the summer season in Cruzy. The season begins with the Cruzy Fete which is a huge party open to everyone in the village.

The main hall in the village hosts everything from the Rugby team celebrations to the afternoon activities for older residents. It’s a very well designed building with an indoor stage, which can become a large outdoor stage. The back wall opens up. The dance floor was popular when the Spanish songs came on and groups of small children had the floor to themselves during the pop songs.

Wine and water were on the table and food was cooked in the open air. The bar became very busy as the night progressed and live band played on into the night.

We met some new people this weekend and it was lovely to spend time with others living in Cruzy.

The following day was the Vide Granier. This is little like a car boot sale, but with class. Many items were on sale including a quad bike, radiators, 1940s US Willie Jeeps (well, 1) and a large assortment of candles, picture frames and Barbie dolls. I walked away with a tray for aperitifs and a small clock.

Sweet Chario... (t)

2007-06-22T23:18:00.001+02:00

This evening was spent in the heart of the village. The Church.

We were there to hear the local choir fill the space with song. 16 song were belted out, two were in sung in English.

The church was packed and it was a delight to meet new so many new people too. Tonight the church alter was not host to the choir. A blackbird flew in and joined-in some of the hymms.

When singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, none of the choir pronounced the "t" in Chariot. As I have learn't from my French lessons here in the village, there are many words where the last letter is not pronounced. Chario is just one.

Somehow, to my ear, it sounded odd and I wanted to add a "t" every time. I left knowing that every time I heard the song in the future, I'd recall the Cruzy Choir and smile.

Windy

2007-06-22T16:19:00.003+02:00

Just a few miles away fellow inhabitants of this area are regular recipients of the Mistral winds ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistral_(wind) ).

Last night we experienced the Mistral in full bellow. The wind blew and blew, and doors rattled, shutters banged and flower pots flew.

Alp got up at 3am to walk the dark halls in search if open doors or windows, and to ensure that none of our shutters were banging. We were safely battened down when he returned ten minutes later. Alas, our neighbours property had one shutter that was not locked down. It banged and banged as if it wanted to jump off its hinges.

We woke to find our garden had not really survived the winds. Many of the lighter flower pots were either on their sides, or feet from where they normally resided.

The Japanese Lawn looked like it had been brushed from left to right with a large comb . The ground was full of leaves, mostly dead, so I guess they flew in from our neigbours gardens as we had only cleaned up the court a few days ago.

In amongst all of this mess, was a handful of cigarette butts. Our neighbours builders are keen on using our garden as their ashtray. We are looking forward to them leaving when the project is completed - end of June we have been promised. The morning ritual of trucks, shouting and banging at 7am is begining to grate.

My French teacher arrived on time and completley unprepared for the lession. We revisited some old lessons and when a young lad walked passed she tutted and infomred me that she did not like him. When I asked how she knew him, she informed me that she had never spoken to him and never would. All because he was no of French heratage. I'm not sure our relationship will last long.

Ryanair

2007-06-14T10:26:00.002+02:00

Ah, the joys of traveling.

Gone are the days when you paid your sacks of money to an airline and they then took you from point A to point B with a smile. Yesterday, the lovely Ryanair cancelled our flight from France to the UK just minutes before boarding. They said it was due to a staff strike. Well, surely the strike would have been planned. The incoming flight arrived and the passengers got off the plane.

Anyway, they refused to help any of the passengers re-book flights or help them to alternative airports. All they did was list the other airports that flew to the UK from France and Spain. No appology was offered. But Alp was told he could ask for a refund if he wanted to contact the UK call centre, which would cost a small fortune per minute.

We managed to get online and head for Girona in Spain. The airport there was packed. The Ryanair staff were all very rude, and best of all, nearly every passenger was forced into a 2nd queue to pay for excess bagage. If you decided to re-pack (i.e. take you jacket out of a case) you were forced to the back of the queue. It was hellish.

When we eventually go to the front of the queue, the sultry Ryanair check-in girl said her paperwork did not show our booking. Her paperwork was printed out before we booked our flight but she refused to get another copy. She told us to join another queue to sort out the problem. So, 4 hours after arrving at Gerona airport, we left as our flight left without us.

We drove back to France and stopped at every service station to buy Spanish sweets, cheaper fuel and bags of corn snacks.

Do tell your Ryainair stories and share your experiences on www.ihateryanair.org or counter the stories by posting on http://oppositeofryanair.wordpress.com/

Laundry

2007-06-12T22:55:00.001+02:00

Today was Laundry day. We have allocate one day each month to do our laudry. We have so many items of clothing that we do not need to wash any more often. We have loads of t-shirts, socks and undies not only to cloth ourselves, but an army. Well, if they all wore medium sized t-shirts and had as 34 inch waste.

One day, not sure which, we will buy a Washing Maching. I am all for a washer-dryer, but the bank ballance insists we look at washing machines without the capacity to dry anything. Alp insists that he has never had a dryer and there is a 500 Euro difference in price at our local supplier.

With only 3 washes today (turns out shorts, t-shirts and bedding take less space than winter wear), we were able to pop into Narbonne to shop. One magazine for me with a free Van Dutch baseball cap (pink and baby blue) and a guide to the Cathards for Alan. Gifts for an impending trip to the UK were aquired too.

Car hire came in cheaper direct with Hertz than via websites. It was amazing how much I saved by just calling their booking line.

We are in line for a Ford Fiesta for our 7 days in the UK, costing a meer, or whapping, £113. The original price was almost £200. Now, if you were coming to Carcassonne the same week would cost you 99 Euros. If you fancy house sitting while we are in the UK, give us a bell.

www.hertz.co.uk for the an online quote.

( UPDATE: I have since found that Ryanair often offer the same car by clicking on the Hertz link from their website www.ryanair.com )

NOW, Here are our older BLOG entries from our first attempt at a website

Over time we will add photos etc

9th June 2007 In the last 3 weeks we have travelled many many miles in our Renault Scenic. We drove for 4 hours to see our friend who was working at the Cannes Film Festival, then drove back the same day. The following day we drove to Barcelona, then down to Murcia. 5 days in the sun and a lovely wedding later, we returned via Valencia and spent a couple of days around the city and the Americas Cup. Once back in Cruzy, we stopped for a breath (one day) and then drove on to Lourdes, returning the following day and managed to catch a site of the new Airbus 380 coming in to land. Boy is that plane large. Today was spent at the market, where we bought two ornate mirrors for a bargain, and promptly hung them in the garden.

29th April 2007 Vive Le Rugby Club, Vive Cruzy Imagine a quiet country setting. Imagine a light brunch of freshly baked bread, local cheeses and good wine, all shone down on by a bright yellow sun. Now imagine you are sitting around with friends talking about the setting. Now imagine hearing loud horns, cars racing by and cheering and chanting crowds. Welcome to Cruzy 30 minutes after Cruzy Rugby Club beat a lively opponent and moved into the Finals of the Languedoc Rugby Cup. All I can add is…. VIVE LE RUGBY CLUB, VIVE CRUZY! Catch all the latest news about the club via http://perso.orange.fr/rc.cruzy/ or for photos of the team http://coco.sport24.com/7.php Tuesday, April 17, 2007 Rain, Churches and Choppers On Wednesday, Alan and I did our laundry and returned home to add the tons of bedding, jeans, towels - you get the idea - to the washing line in our back yard. It began to rain, but undeterred, I told Alan it was an April shower and would pass, and to leave the items on the line. How very wrong was I? It rained constantly for over 24 hours. When it did let up, we popped out only to be caught in a second wave of rain that lasted all of Thursday and Friday morning. It was heavy rain with loud claps of thunder and bright flashes of lightning. At one point, I walked out to my car, sponged over it with washing up liquid, and returned 10 minutes later to a shining car. Saturday saw the rain dissipate enough for us and a visiting friend to experience some of the countryside before the heavens opened again. There was little rain on Sunday, but puddles and fast flowing water was everywhere. Here in Cruzy our little river which is little more than a stream most of the year looked capable of hosting white water rafting competitions. By Monday, the sun was out and making up for lost time. By 2pm it was baking and the car air-conditioning was on full belt. By Monday, the temperature was 34 Degrees and the air-conditioning gave out and I began to moan. I have managed to turn a golden brown in a very short spell.
This weekend was spent visiting the sights with a friend over from London. Key places included Carcassonne, Minerve, Beziers, Pezenas and Perpignan. We visited a church in each location. Some were large, some were impressive but the most interesting was St Jean in Perpignan. Each of the 6 chapels off to the side of the main atrium was a mini art gallery. It is now my favourite church in all the world... until I see more of the world. The statues of Joan of Arc, the live organ music (not a cd, but a real person playing) and the wonderful artwork make it a great place to visit.

Health wise, we all experienced a ride along the Canal Du Midi. We had 2 mountain bikes and a Chopper. the 1970s design did not hold up well to the mud and bumps along the route, but everyone had a go, each coming up with tales of woe linked to childhood experiences on Choppers. Our friend from London had a new tale to add by the time we arrived home, having narrowly missed the actual canal after splashing down into a large muddy puddle just yards from the end of our journey. Tuesday, April 03, 2007 Fitness Up and all the shutters open by 7am. This is a first for me so the day was only going to get better.
Today a resident was buried and the village folk dressed in black to see her off. She was driven off in a blue mini-van beautifully decorated in flowers. Late in the afternoon with the sun still shining we went for a little bike ride to look back at the village from a nearby hill. Well, lets just say Alan has ridden this route a number of times, and I have yet to master the gears on my new bike, control my breathing when exerting myself, and more importantly, I need to find new excuses for getting of the bike to catch me breath, other than saying, oh look - butterflies.
Spring has truly arrived. This morning the birds were all at it again bright and early, and I spotted my first bee while watering the plants. Out on the bikes, we saw loads of butterflies, many in colours never before seen, and the vineyards are beginning to show some colour with the twisted trunks of the vines now showing us buds. It is all rather pretty.
Of course, with spring comes thunder and lightning. Its like a free show, just the sound is up a little loud and the flashing lights a little too bright. 30 Mar 2007 Bike Today was spent searching for a bike for me. Alan has his mode of local transport, but more importantly, he has an easy keep fit machine. Off we drove in search of a keep fit machine for me. We ended up in the same store Alan bought his bike, and I got the same thing, just in different colours. I also stocked up on mudguards, puncture repair kits, tool kit, helmet, bicycle clips, lights, and of course, a pump.
Once kitted out we returned home, set up the bike and rode off into the sunset. Well, Alan rode off as after 15 minutes travelling uphill in the saddle, by ass was numb, my thighs were rubbing my jeans and the sweat was getting in my eyes. It only took 4 minutes to travel back down the hill. A coke, packet of crisps, bite of cake and a scoop of ice-cream later, I'd recovered. 28 Mar 2007 Birds This morning I woke as usual to the sound of birds outside my window. Today though it began at 4 am and went on and on that by 9am, I'd had enough and got out of bed. . Later, in the courtyard, all the bird food was gone from the trees (we leave out fat balls full of bird seed) so it appeared a feast was held in our yard by our flying guests and we provided the catering. Lying on the ground was a bat. Not only was I deprived of my sleep by to the birds, but it looks like the bats joined in too. Alan put up the new clothes line and I am sure the little fellow's sonic boom was off. That's what comes of mixing with the local birds.
20th February 2007 Today I tried to DIY shop and use more French. I managed to ask staff in one store “Je voudrais un prop. la plateforme n'est pas bonne”. This was my attempt to say that I needed a joist to hold up my floor. The floors are fine but I needed a prop for one of the windows as I want to use some cement to fill in a couple of large crack masonry. They did not have any so off I went. I came home empty handed but was out of the house for 4 hours. Two men did come up and ask me a question. I had no idea what they had said, but lucky one was using his hand so I worked out that they too were looking for something so I directed them to staff. I think I must have looked like a staff member. I was unshaven, dressed in jeans with a green T-shirt, but most importantly of all, I think I looked ready for lunch. I think I would have worked out what they wanted if I’d not been distracted by the overpowering scent of tobacco.
19th February 2007 Like many mornings before this one, someone drives through the village at 70kmph and screams out on a blow horn. Usually around 08:45. It could be vegetables, local fruit, fabrics or furniture vans full of stock heading for the village square. Then, about 20 minutes later, “Allo, Allo” comes blaring over the village speaker systems informing us that whichever van it was that drove through, is now set up in the village square and is ready to accept our Euros. This morning was different. The blow horn sounded the same, but with more authority. My guess the owner of the powerful voice had been to voice projection classes. To my surprise the same message was being projected at regular intervals from the moving vehicle. By the time I got out of bed, dressed, eaten and prepared the house to welcome our French Teacher, I’d heard the bellowing about 6 times. Imagine my surprise, and excitement, when I opened the door to in time to watch the van go by. Yes. The Circus is coming to Cruzy. For one night only and that’s tomorrow. Yes the circus is going to take over the village square and for just 5 Euros all the villagers will be there (well, not our teacher – she does not approve). Rest assured, I shall be there. Now, what’s “It’s Behind You” in French? After an hour of French talking about hours, minutes, quarter-pasts, middays and midnights, it was time to buy more polyfiller. We have managed to use 2 full 20kg tubs of the fine paste filling holes in our walls. Just as I was setting off there was a knock at the door and jumped beat in my heart. “oh my god, I’d have to answer the door and use my French.” Please oh please I hoped they wanted to know the time.
It was the village police man. In his hand was my new Carte Gris. This piece of paper had the new registration number of the car we bought in Provence. All he said was “Bonjour, le Carte Gris pour le voiture.” I was saved.”Ah. Bonjour. Mercy. Perfecta” and closed the door. I waited until he was down the road, and I jumped in the car and headed for the DIY stores. 5 hours later I returned. Not only did I buy the polyfiller, but an olive tree, food for a week and most importantly of all, I spoke to 8 people in French and even managed to help another shopper using my language skills. Yes, they are skills.
This is a shameful cut and paste from Angloinfo but it made me dizzy.
(http://languedoc.angloinfo.com/ )
"Trois sorcières regardent trois montres Swatch. Quelle sorcière regarde quelle montre Swatch?"
Et maintenant en anglais:
"Three witches watch three Swatch watches. Which witch watches which Swatch watch?"
Maintenant pour les spécialistes:
" Trois sorcières suédoises et transsexuelles regardent les boutons detrois montres suisses Swatch. Quelle sorcière suédoise transsexuelle regarde quel bouton de quelle montreSwatch suisse?”Et en anglais (accrochez-vous):
"Three Swedish switched witches watch three Swiss Swatch watch switches. Which Swedish switched witch watches which Swiss Swatch watch Switch?”
17th February 2007 Well with one of us in London and the other all alone in France, it’s the first time apart since the beginning of December. That in itself it not a problem, but the French speaker is in the UK and the non-French speaker visited a garden centre and tried to ask for bedding plants. He walked away with a Fig tree. It may have been the large hand gestures. On the 9th February two friends from London came out to visit for four days. The sun was out when they exited the airport, and 30 minutes later, we turned up to collect them. It was Sunday and all the petrol garages on route to the airport were closed, so we had a slight detour via the motorway service station (20km). If you ever wondered about life in the 1950s? Ever hankered for the simpler life with the local policeman greeting you each morning as you popped to the bakers, considered life in the countryside with its tractors and woodlands or even just live in a rustic house rather than a magnolia box? Its like that here. Of course the baker only bakes enough bread for 100 loafs, so you need to get in early, and the local policemen may smile at you in the morning, but give you a fine in the afternoon if you have left home without your car registration papers, your insurance, your ID, your MOT, your medical insurance details, so its no wonder all French men carry handbags. Of course, if your lights do not work, your car is held together with masking tape or you have farming equipment sticking out of all your windows, its not a problem. On the 9th was the first festival to announce the arrival of Spring. Roquebrun hosts the Mimosa Festival where the entire town comes together to show off their brightly coloured flowers. Apparently they have a microclimate. We visited 3 days later. Only the paper confetti remained. (I do not think it was pidgeon-friendly). We walled up to the Mediterranean gardens to find them open. People we have spoken to and have lived in the area for years have never entered. Its not dangerous, it just has a reputation for always being closed. We were lucky. We spent 18 Euros to get in and promptly remembered we had a lunch appointment in Pezenas, a 45 minute drive away, so rushed out having only seen a few cactus. We were 30 minutes late for lunch. Car keys are such a basic necessity for car owners, yet our electronic door opener for our Renault was playing up, so it was time to buy a new one. It cost 118 Euros for the electronic bit, than another 10 Euros for the key bit and three trips to the Renault dealer, 25km in each direction. But it works a treat and we got a free Renault keying (worth 12 Euros). All our neighbours own little Renault 4s which are made of iron and painted white. They are all over the place. I actually think you can start them with any key you have lying around. I’d love one, but having seen the Renault 4 junk yard just 20km away, I’d say many of them end up on their roofs. Anyway, who would want a Renault 4 when for only 2000 Euros you could drive a 30 year old 2CV. 08 February 2007 In one day we have managed to strip 30 years of wallpaper from the main living room. It’s an achievement worthy of folklore. Not only was there paper over paper, but previous owners had thought it wise to plaster, paint, polyfiller and varnish over wallpaper too. All we can do is thank Argos for the wallpaper stripper and our local DIY store of the scrapers. A lot has happened this month already. We popped down to La Manga to visit the relatives, staying in Sitges on route. Rather nice holiday town just outside of Barcelona out of season. It has the feel of a town on the French Riviera – just smaller. We arrived on a Sunday evening and managed to secure a room in a seafront hotel for a reasonable price. The parking on the other hand was 15 Euros for the night. Not so reasonable. It was a three and a half hour drive from Cruzy to Sitges but going through the tunnels in Barcelona was crazy. People drove like they were possessed and speed restrictions were ignored. As a result, we were contently entertained by driving slowly passed crashed vehicles. La Manga was sunny and we’d like to say we ate well. We ate a lot, but well was restricted to the Owners Club on our first night. Court Ingles was our eatery of choice a few times and Uncle Sams in La Manga managed to serve up the worst food any of us could remember consuming – ever! The chicken was transparent after having been microwaved a number of times before reaching the table and the staff could not be bothered with attending tables after the order had been taken. Do keep clear if you ever venture close by. On the way back up to France, we stayed one night in Valencia. What a delight. Not only was the hotel a gem, the staff helpful but the location made for a good nights shopping, (cashmere jumper 49 Euros – reduced from 140) but we walked through the older parts of the city and saw some of the delights on offer. It was dark and rather quiet at 10pm on a Friday night, but after a meal in a Itallian run baroque come shabby chic restaurant. We returned to the streets around midnight after a hefty bill, to find it heaving with people enjoying the night. Skateboards and Americans featured heavily. The following day, this is Saturday now, we met up with a friend over from the UK in Barcelona. We stayed closed to the tourist traps and again paid little for the hotel, but this time paid 25 Euros to park the car. Our friend very kindly treated us to a few bags of PG Tips and a few bars of Dairy Milk. We are eternally grateful for them. After a good catching up session along with meeting new friends we spent most of the evening eating Tapas. The following morning we all met for breakfast which consisted of super thick hot chocolate and a local donut mixtured item for dunking into the chocolate. What a great start to the day. After that it was a guided tour of the city by an expat who knew her way around. Back home the same night but alas, to a home without power, and it was cold, so off to bed early. Monday we discovered that the former owner had not transferred the electricity into our names so we were cut off after 6 months without payments. All this is sorted thanks to the intervention of our French Tutor, only taking 3 days to switch on again. Sorry to say that some update managed to be deleted. Oops. 16th January 2007We bought a car. We had very solid list of "must have’s for the car that included, space, air conditioning, diesel power, MUST be French, power steering, luggage space, sunroof and a cool audio system. Well, we bought a French car with air conditioning and a good boot. We visited Montady which looks to be a small village with a hill and a tall tower atop it. Turns out the village is a huge Desperate Housewives neighbourhood within commuting distance of Beziers and the motorways. The tower looks great from a distance, but up close it’s rather run down and unloved. Views were good and so we popped off to see the same view from 30 km away. Mad, but a nice drive. Missing text included Christmas and New Year. Kieran and Alan expect to move into l’abeille early in December 2006. November began with Kieran's folks returning and joining in the DIY adventure. Thanks to John and Alan, half the ceiling is of the dining room is now stripped, sanded, filled and undercoated ready for December when Alan will stretch to completed the job, all 3.5 meters away from the floor. October 2006 - saw both Kieran and Alan spending a great deal of time in Cruzy. Kieran’s folks dropped in for a few days to help organise the lad’s DIY schedule. A brief trip to Disneyland Paris helped the lads recover from paint pots and paint stripping. The dining room became the first room to receive the DIY treatment. The walls were stripped, holes were filled and white paint was applied. One wall became a shining example of what can be achieved organised team participation. Of course, the rest of the room looks dirty now and the ceiling looks grey rather than white. September 2006 – the final papers are signed and Kieran and Alan move into L’abeille. The following morning Kieran is rushed to hospital and spends 2 full days enjoying French hospital service. The poor lad had a kidney stone. Alan meanwhile bombed around the countryside looking for phones as both lads mobiles died. 18th August 2006 - Alan's last day at work. Will he miss not being so close to Buckingham Palace after 6 years of having lunch in the Queen of England’s front garden? 1st August 2006 - Alan and Kieran sign for the house, but do not complete or receive the keys. Kieran discovered that the new Renault Cleo was a great car to drive. The lads met the local pest control man who informed them that the house was lovely and should he have seen that the house was for sale, he would have snapped it up. This made the lads feel secure that they had made the right decision to purchase the property. Of course, the man also informed them that the 5 marble fireplaces in the bedrooms would catch about five thousand Euros each should they ever need the cash. 23rd May 2006The lads put in an offer on the 100th and something property they’d seen in France since beginning to look for a home in France. They chose the very first village they ever visited back in August 2005 - Cruzy. Kieran believes it to be 130 properties but Alan refuses to believe it… although Kieran does have 100s of snap shots of French properties.