December

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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/