Blogs from Ariege, Midi-Pyrénées, France, Europe - page 5

We left Harrogate as Tesco was attempting to relieve the town of its status as the only postcode in England without one of its stores. The battle goes on, as opponents of the store try to understand why a town which already has 4 large supermarkets should have yet another, and one moreover in which more than 30% of all UK grocery spending occurs. We didn’t expect to find more of the same in Laroque. Here we have a struggling band of small shops, all excelling in providing a personal service to their customers, in particular those without cars, or with limited mobility. Although we have a car, we wouldn’t be without our local grocery, VIVAL, where we can get help, advice, and decent fresh locally sourced foods such as cheeses and wines, where we are ... read more

I think you know you’re more than just a tourist when you’re forced into having a haircut. I hate going to the hairdressers, and having got someone I was comfortable with in England, the thought of starting all over again was not enticing. Though not having to pay prices that seemed increasingly silly was an inducement. Where to start? I looked about me to see who had a haircut I liked the look of, and fixed on the owner of the local grocery shop. She sent me off to a small salon in Lavelanet, and when I saw it, I really wasn’t sure. Madame la Proprietaire is all there is. No juniors, no Saturday girl. Just her. She’s a woman of my age, though she looks older (um, I think). She generally wears chiffon leopard skin ... read more

When friend Barbara came to stay, I knew I’d need to have my walking boots in good fettle. And now she’s gone home, the walking boots are having a bit of a rest (DIY calling), but they did have quite an exciting week. We really wanted Barbara to see what a great variety of walking country we have easy access to here. We also wanted to have lots of good food at local restaurants at lunchtime, when the best food is often being cooked. Luckily these two wishes sit very well together. So here’s what we did……. ... read more

Now that we’ve acquired a reasonably decent vocabulary, and even (occasionally) remember to use the subjunctive, it’s time to turn our attention to The Gesture. Unless we become fluent in The Meaningful Gesture, our chances of being integrated into society here remain poor. Everyone knows about The Gallic Shrug, accompanied by an insouciant ‘paouff!’, but there are others to consider. Shoulders hunched with hands held wide in despairing abandon means something like ‘Well, I don’t know the Government’s intentions, but then I doubt if it does either’. Give your wrist an energetic shake, whilst holding your elbow fairly rigid, and you might be saying ‘He’s a big strong lad, he is’, or ‘It’s far too expensive’. Or you could shake your head, shoulders and both hands equally vigorously, when you’re in basic agreement, but there are ... read more

One of the pleasures of autumn has been the free food. Not because it’s free - not as such. But because it’s the best fun to set off into the countryside, bag or bucket in hand, enjoying the day-to-day changes in the trees as they turn yellow, gold, le Creuset orange and red. It started off a few weeks ago with blackberries and sloes. Blackberries are one of those things we just do better in England. Here they’re sweet alright, but lacking that punchy acidity which makes them so fabulous in puddings and jellies, so I’ve learned to ignore them. Sloes? Oh, I know they’re better when the frost gets at them, but I just can’t wait, and now there’s sloe gin, & sloe vodka, in the store cupboard - remember to turn them every day ... read more