We got back from England to find the big pear tree in full bloom and the grass knee-high and gone to seed. The blossom didn’t last because the wind got up almost at once and blew it all off and the rain made us wait several days before tackling the grass. 

The challenge was too great and the little ‘tracteur’ gave up before the job was done ….

Looks like you’re giving up, too!

Hey, Harry, who asked you? I didn’t give up – I coaxed little Terrence back to life!

Terrence?

Got a better name for him? 

And that’s not “Get me a drink”; it’s TOAD doing a ‘POOP-POOP’!

A disappointment: the swimming pool – behind me in the picture – has so far been unuseable, and we don’t know what to do about it. It’s a long story and we don’t want to go on about it, but the water remains green in spite of several treatments and we can’t get the ph right. It also needs cleaning and maybe the liner is ‘past it’. 

A delight: Sunday May 5th – for the first time, we ate all three meals out of doors.

An amusement: one (or more) of ‘our’ great tits has taken to perching on  Harry’s exterior mirror and then gets very …… excited about his own reflections in the window and the mirror. So far we’ve been unable to  photograph this as he always sees us approaching –

and you should see the mess he makes! You could photograph that.

Hmmm ….. maybe not. More bird life – swallows have arrived and wheel and swoop at varying heights over the field which surrounds the house. The crop in the field is now recognisable as barley and in spite of being waterlogged for some of the time it has survived the winter and looks promising.

Now, ‘after much debate internal’ – and some with Carol – I eventually and belatedly decided to enrol for the French Esperanto Congress, which has just taken place in Bordeaux. Go on, Harry …..

Ja – Mittwoch den achten –

English!

Oops! Wednesday 8th, about midday HE and I left HER and Sally to look after each other and Sunejo and set off for this combination of new experiences. (Just the two of us and a French Congress) First event was that HE realised that although HE had taken quite a bit of food, which HE didn’t need, HE’d forgotten the chicken leg for his lunch, which he did need. We had to stop at Mirepoix and buy a sandwich.

We made good progress then for the rest of the 350 kms and easily found the ‘kongresejo’, which was very close to the motorway in Antigues-Près-Bordeaux. As we approached the main building a lady on the steps gestured to us to go left and all the way round the building. HE’d been told in advance that not only was there parking available but that we could stay there during the Congress (but without electricity), so the gesture seemed to make sense, and anyway we could see at least one other motorhome already parked up  (there were others). The way round the building was narrow, but OK, but then we saw the final approach to the parking area was down a steep tarmac ramp and there was probably no way I could do it without grounding at the back as the front levelled off. Backing off didn’t seem to be an option, though, so we carefully went down the ramp; a nasty scraping noise began as the front wheels got to level ground and continued for several seconds! Once we’d parked HE had a look at the back, but couldn’t see any obvious damage; there was a fresh white stripe on the tarmac, though, about 65cms long. Any thought of going to look for a camp site was abandoned; there we were and there we were stopping. How we would get off again was another matter …

That evening was the Congress’s formal dinner. I was lucky in where I chose to sit; French ‘Esperantists’ have a reputation for speaking French among themselves (that’s called ‘krokodili’) but I found a table where all five of my fellow diners were keen to use Esperanto and pleased to have a ‘foreigner’ to provide a reason to do so. (Though my Congress badge said ‘Francio’ – but I soon put that right!)

Two companions of the round table – a very nice couple, and quite a nice seafoody starter, too.

I am, of course, pouring wine for one of the nice people – that’s not MY glass, you understand ……

Nothing much of really general interest to report from Thursday, except that it rained most of the day, and maybe that’s not interesting, either.

But fortunately Friday was fine. Fortunately because I had booked an excursion to  see Bordeaux by panoramic bus. I didn’t realise that meant open-sided! I’d have worn an extra garment if I’d known. But it was a good trip, with a well-delivered commentary in clear Esperanto from a man with good microphone technique.

Here are a few pictures: An impressive square with statue / fountain.

One of Bordeaux’ surviving gates from when it was a walled city. 

Fascinating lamps on the Stone Bridge.

During the dinner on Wednesday evening one of the organisers had come round asking for contributions to the final concert on Friday evening. I said ‘I’ll sing if you want –  and play the guitar’. She said ‘You’ve got a guitar?’ – ‘Yes’ – ‘Really?’ -‘Yes, really’ – ‘Here at the Congress?’ – ‘Yes’ – ‘A real guitar?’ – ‘A real guitar’. And I added ‘Don’t worry; I have some experience’. She still didn’t actually believe in this guitar, but took a risk and said I could do three songs.

Wow! I don’t think anyone there (about 250 people) had ever seen or heard me before, and they loved it! The Esperanto versions of ‘If I Had a Hammer’, The Whistling Gipsy’ and ‘Down By The Riverside’ were as well received as ever by an audience who just didn’t know what to expect! There’s no photo (that I’ve seen) of that event, so here’s one taken on a previous occasion:

Saturday morning was COLD in Harry –

That was your fault for going to bed with the skylight open! So anyway, HE tried to use the diesel heater, but could get it to run; he tried to get some hot water to wash and shave with, but that wouldn’t work; he tried to fill the kettle from the tap, THAT didn’t work! Finally he had a look at the control panel, and worked out that the leisure battery was flat. Sorry, M’sieur, (as our little friend calls you), but THREE NIGHTS using the water, the fridge, the heaters and the lights with no movement during the day and no hook-up is TOO MUCH.

OK – I get it. Having brought some hard boiled eggs, as well as raw ones, from home, I thought I’d have a Dutch or German style breakfast, with egg and cheese. So I made coffee (with mineral water from a bottle) and got one of the eggs out of the fridge. Only after tapping it on my plate did I realise it was one of the UNCOOKED ones! Still, I hadn’t made a total mess of it, and I was able to change the plan and scramble it.

So then we had to get off that parking area. HE went up to the reception of the centre and came back with a very nice young lady who said ‘drive round on the grass’. It looked a bit so-so, but she said it was firm enough and the groundsman wouldn’t mind …. We drove off the tarmac onto the grass, well, more buttercups and daisies, really, then tried to turn up the hill towards the driveway above the ramp.  Skid, skid skid. ‘Reverse back to the level’ said the nice lady and try between these two trees’. We reversed. We tried between those two trees. Skid, skid, skid. ‘Back off again’ said the nice lady, ‘and stay on the level to the corner, then come up to that concrete stand where the bench is then back to the driveway.’ We did that! And it worked; a bit of manoeuvering to get between two posts onto the tarmac and then to face the right way and we were FREE! We said goodbye to the nice lady and went to buy some milk ……

We stopped at Pamiers for fuel and Mirepoix for a bit of shopping and just after 5pm, we pulled into Sunejo, where Carol was beautifying the terrace with tubs and hanging baskets and Sally was sleeping under her shelter.

Mais non! I was not sleeping, just standing by till I was needed again.

That’s what I do most of the time.

Alors, voilà. I’m very wide awake, tu sais ….