Regular readers will remember that we had our first visitor (Mark) the day the furniture arrived, then another single (Daniel) at Christmas. Rachel and Sean came in February, and now we’ve had a ‘full house’ with the visit of Philip, Christine, Carol & Judi. However, there’s still the room above the garage, Harry wasn’t used as a spare room, and no tents were put up in the garden, so there’s still plenty of space!

The first step in receiving four visitors arriving with luggage at an airport is to hire a car big enough! Harry and Sally can seat only four people each including the driver, so the alternative is to go in convoy. Here in France most of the big supermarket chains do car and van hire so we chose our regular Super U in Mirepoix and booked a 7-seater Qashqai  which we picked up on Saturday evening May 18th, ready to head for Toulouse on Sunday morning.

Toulouse welcomed our visitors with a torrential thunderstorm before they even got into the car – fortunately we were all under cover. But Toulouse is two counties away and as we came through Arriège skies cleared and snow-capped Pyrenees were in sight.

The improving weather meant that by the time we reached Camon, the little village just over the county boundary from here, there was sunshine. This was fortunate, both for us and for the village, where this was their biggest day of the year. Camon’s ‘Fête Des Roses’ is an annual event which draws visitors from miles around. You can find information and pictures by entering ‘Fête Des Roses, Camon’ in your search engine, and I’m spoilt for choice as to which of our photos to show here. We were very lucky to park that big car right opposite the little snack van, ‘La Camonette’ where we had lunch. (It’s a French pun, which is very unusual; a Camionette is a van.)

  

Furniture is organised, drinks are in hand, now all we need is FOOD! (The big black car is centre left, behind Philip’s hat – how do you tag a car?)

Roses grow round almost every door in Camon and most were in full bloom, obligingly:

Local crafts and produce were on sale beside every street and up and down every alley, as were plants, herbs, and lots of rose bushes.

We bought olives and garlic and ginger, as well as a couple of patio plants.

Eventually tearing ourselves away from ‘one of the prettiest villages in France’ we drove the remaining five minutes over the county boundary to Sunejo, which, for that day at least, was living up to its name.

Once settled, people decided that a walk down to the river might be a good idea. Last time we took photos down there, there was a big log jam against the bridge; that has now been cleared:

Back at home, a leg of lamb had been in the slow cooker since 8am and, although this was no ‘perfect’ summer’s evening, dinner was served on the terrace. An unusually good sunset followed.

A priority on Monday morning was to go to Mirepoix and add Philip, Carol and Judi to the paperwork at Super U so that they could drive the car if needed. This didn’t add to the cost but the shop needed to see and photocopy their licences – cards and counterparts. That done, we went into the town to see the special Whit Monday market. (Some readers will remember when England had Whit Monday!) The market was a special ‘Brocante et Foire aux Plantes’ – Second hand goods and plant fair, so some of the same garden stalls were there as at Camon the day before. Again, spoilt for choice as to photos:

One of the cafés under the arcades is entirely vegetarian so that provided a suitable light lunch for everyone, then we went to look at the Eglise Rupestre, or Church in the Rock, at Vals:

A very unusual spot which we’ve been meaning to look at since we first saw the signs to it and Mark told us about it. You go in through a crack in the rock:

Then make your way up three levels:

Stopping to admire the Frescos on level two, or even taking time to study them:

Before emerging onto a balcony, with panoramic views towards the (snow-capped) Pyrenees.

Passing back through Mirepoix on the way home, the Nieces decided to investigate the ‘Voie Verte’, the long distance footpath, formerly the railway line which links Mirepoix, Camon, Sonnac and Chalabre, then on to Lavelanet.

They reported on a pleasant walk:

with excellent scenery, including views of the mountains:

But at Camon it was time to call in and say they had contact with the road and should perhaps be picked up or be late for dinner.

Dinner which, for the meat-eaters, was that now well-known specialité de la maison –

–Du Camping-Car!

Er, sorry, OK, Harry, secialité du camping-car, Lapin au Van. 

Increasingly uncertain weather did allow Tuesday morning’s breakfast to be taken outside, but that was the last of al fresco eating till the final morning. Most of the rest of the week was spent dodging showers during trips or weather-watching from inside the ‘french’ windows!

Nevertheless, the under 40s did manage to get in one or two more walks and a bike ride without getting TOO wet

(I’m sure there’s an over-40 in that photo!)

And these occasions gave the over-65s the chance to play several rubbers of quite evenly-matched bridge.

On Wednesday, and in spite of the weather, which did at least dry up for the afternoon / evening, the visitors chose to ride ‘Le Train Rouge’  from Axat to St. Paul. We did this on Carol’s birthday last year, so we have shown photos of it before, but this time we ‘stalked’ the train in the big black car, which gave us the chance to take pictures OF the train, not FROM it:

From St. Paul we drove up the Galamus Gorge, which we have done several times before, and shown you pictures of it. Actually, this time we drove UP it, down it, and back up again! Many, many photos were taken, though it’s difficult to capture new views, but here are a couple from that day:

That evening we were treated – many thanks – to dinner at the Café du Fleuve in Quillan (Mike & Vincent’s), where we were very well received, of course, and the Irish Coffees which the Thompson Brothers indulged in at the end were served with particular flair:

On Friday I had an appointment in Carcassonne, so – again, in spite of the weather – everyone decided to DO Carcassonne that day. April showers in May is the best way to describe it, and no sooner had I dropped them off at the gates of the Citadel, than the heavens opened and they scurried into the first café they found and had, in fact, quite a nice lunch. Then they chose to ride in the little tourist road train, rather than visit the Castle as Carol and I had done, and they say it ‘validates the blow’.

They also visited the Cathedral:

And after I picked them up again we drove to Castelnaudary to look at the big harbour on the Canal du Midi. The Brothers played safe and sampled the wine at the ‘Cave du Bassin’ but the Ladies walked around. Maybe they just failed to keep an eye on the weather, or perhaps it was the excitement of spotting a coypu in the water:

but they got caught in another terrific downpour, and they were off-road so ‘rescue’ was difficult!

After dinner that evening there was a musical (sort of) interlude:

[Philip made a video of one the songs from this session; a bilingual, semi-toothless version of ‘Down By The Riverside / Apud La Riverbord’. Those who can’t resist it, or who are just curious, might find it here: http://youtu.be/NnH7dY2wQCo ]

On Saturday there was a horse display in Quillan and some wanted to go and see it.

So I got to do my bit for the week! Only four people wanted to go down the squiggles, so I took them, instead of Big Black Bertie, or comment il s’appelle.

You did! Did you see any horses?

Erm, non, but M’dame and the others did.

Outdoor eating was still not an option, but we tried to put on a last evening special, including steak-frites with sauce aux champignons.

(And a cloth on the table!)

And so came Sunday morning; with the party having nothing to do but pack and have an early lunch, the weather finally turned sunny again, so as on day one, lunch was served on the terrace, as it should be at this time of year – or any time of year, really.

Two happy diners – and an uninvited guest??

Whose pet dragon is that?

Lunch over, we were on the road to get to Toulouse – no thunderstorms – with comfortable time to check in, and plenty of opportunity on the way to take pictures of those snow-capped Pyrenees:

With a last one after take-off:

Footnote: We (the remaining residents) had to get up early on Monday (27th) to return the big black car to Mirepoix at start of business. That done, we went into the town for café-croissants and to see the regular market. (There’s always a market on Monday, but last week’s was different for Pentecost) It was just as busy as a week ago, but with more foodstuff, crafts and clothes.

 

In the café, we found ourselves sitting next to some people from Exeter who were part of a choir (unaccompanied, close-harmony) who were giving a concert that evening in the Cathedral. They were just going out to sing a few numbers around the market as publicity, so we followed them:

They were so good that we went back to Mirepoix in the evening and heard the concert, which we enjoyed. Not only that, but we’d never set foot inside Mirepoix cathedral before, which is well worth a look. Sometimes it’s good to get up early!