On Wednesday we woke yet again to dry weather. We really would like a good dose of rain so the water systems in the area can start operating better - the 9-jet fountain below us in the square (Place des Neuf Jets) is bone-dry, and we miss hearing its splash. First call was a read and a coffee at Le Comptoir. Friends arrived so we had a good catch-up.
We are working our way through unpacking the clothes we tucked away in the spare room. It's something we do each year so that anyone who rents has space for their belongings.
Heading out for a walk it began to drizzle so we contented ourselves with a visit to La Capella, a little exhibition space, which had a photographic collection. Not as good as some we've seen there.
Thursday was back to fine again, and we did our first run-walk around Le Ventous behind Ceret. We surprised ourselves with how well we went! It was our first attempt at running for quite some time. Having done that we deserved a coffee at the new cafe, Un Cafe Ceret. Rather good. The people there take coffee seriously, and it appears to pay off as they had most of their tables occupied. Nice to have another option. Karen's coffee at La France yesterday was dreadful.
An old friend from Ceret had died during the year and had left a sum of money to be spent on a meal for those who knew her in Ceret, so 10 of us headed over the border with Spain to Vilanova de la Muga for lunch. As we hadn't yet retrieved our car from storage we went with friends. The lunch was very good. A good range of very non-French food. I did my normal thing and chose something I had not had before - an entree of cocks' combs. Yes, it really was those red wobbly bits on a rooster's head. I don't think I'd have them again. Crunchy at the tips, and tender at the base, but not particularly tasty.
As our main course, Karen and I shared a Campo Special which was a giant seafood platter of lobster, prawns, shrimps, razor clams, ordinary clams, baby octopus and cuttlefish, with a couple of lettuce leaves on the side as a nod to vegetables. Spectacular to look at, and very good to eat. We look forward to Spain and its seafood each year, and this couldn't have been a better start.
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| Wow, does that platter look amazing! |
On Friday we finally headed off on the 1E bus to Le Boulou to collect our little car from its garage. On went the battery terminals, away went the engine without the slightest hesitation. The tyres were pretty soft at the front as expected so first stop was the gas station to pump them up and fill up with diesel. Not all was perfect as the aircon was not working. We had hoped last year's sort-of fix would hold but it wasn't to be. We are now left in a bit of a pickle as the gas it uses is very hard to get, and the source of the leak isn't clear. A compressor replacement would be as much as the car is worth, and a refill of gas, if available, would only be temporary and environmentally bad. We may just ignore it and run without aircon given we don't intend to be here in mid-summer again.
There's now a Lidl at Le Boulou so we took advantage of its better prices and did a full shop to restock our very empty pantry and fridge-freezer. We're now ready for a famine.
Back from Le Boulou we needed to park. As residents in the inner part of Ceret we are able to use Parking des Tins for a very reasonable 10E per month. So I tried to collect a ticket from the machine. No go. OK, I could get the advertised 2 hours free while I sorted it at the mairie. No go. So off to the mairie to renew our entitlement. I was armed with an electricity letter to prove our address, and our recent car insurance receipt to prove the number of our car. No go. The electricity letter was older than the required 3 months, and they wanted to sight the actual car rego papers. You might have assumed that one-month-old car insurance papers would sufficiently prove both the car rego and our address, but you'd be wrong! As often happens in France, the council person was a stickler for the rules, but was also very helpful and found a way to avoid them. She let us send copies of the required documents by email.
In the evening I bumped into a friend who lives here now. He'd just recently bought a house in the centre, and had not the slightest difficulty putting in both good-sized skylights and a roof terrace! Ten years ago this was impossible as the planning staff then were adamant that nothing close to the church could have either. Apparently the new mayor has sacked those staff that were holding up redevelopment of the inner town.
We have again noticed that Ceret is in good health. A few new shops have opened, and existing shops seem to be a little more upmarket. In our square the three restaurants are doing a good trade, but the 4th which closed following the death of the proprietor 18 months ago remains closed and the building is for sale. It has a couple of sitting tenants who are rather obnoxious, and it is extremely difficult to remove a tenant.
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| A saxophonist serenading evening diners in the square below us |
The market was as busy as normal, and we picked up our normal pottles of olives, some fresh veges, and fruit, plus a few geraniums for our window boxes, currently very dry and empty. Sitting at Le Comptoir watching the market going on around us is a particular pleasure. We topped it all off with a tartelette myrtille from the grumpy baker under the arch. It is very nice being back.
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| Spoilt for choice at the olive man |
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| The market is as good as ever |
