A week in the UK

As soon as we returned from Girona on Friday, we were preparing for a trip to the UK on the next day. This time, we were travelling by train to Chipping Norton where Helen was attending rehearsals of 'Jack and the Giant' for which she had designed the set. The journey went well and in the early evening, we arrived at the cottage that had been booked for Helen and Ernie and the Ernie sitters.

The cottage was very quiet, overlooking an orchard and within walking distance of the town centre. This lane was opposite the cottage




Soon, we were out with Ernie and finding our way around. We wandered into Chipping Norton.

Some typical stone houses and shops













The Town Hall and Ernie exercising his fascination for going up and down steps





As usual, we needed our coffee shop and found one, the Old Mill, very close to Sainsbury's. Ernie was happy with his baby cinno and croissant which he had enjoyed with us in Chester. The staff in the coffee shop were very welcoming, so we would return each day, sometimes more that once.

The next thing was to find the playground. While the equipment was good, it was all on long grass, which, in the damp winter, was something of a quagmire. Nevertheless, Ernie enjoys his swing.




Unfortunately, the slide was far too muddy, but we did try several pieces of equipment.

The weather was not particularly kind to us and so we had to find things to do. Ernie took a great interest in the escalators in department store, Beales, being determined to descend the up escalator and causing amusement to other shoppers.

One difficulty was that the TV in the cottage didn't have the ability to watch catch up TV, thereby depriving Ernie of his favourite 'In the Night Garden'. Fortunately, we were able to download episodes onto the iPad and before long, Ernie was galloping up the stairs, saying iPad and settling down on our bed to watch.

We took Ernie to the dress rehearsal of Jack and the Giant, fully expecting to have to leave after about 30 minutes. He sat on Helen's knee, mesmerized, for the whole performance, clapping towards the end.

This is the theatre





Inside, the stage is very small and the audience is about 200. The theatre is very well supported locally and has a national reputation. It is completely unsubsidised and David Cameron, who lives locally (Helen saw him and his family on their bikes) is going to see the panto, we are told.





Here a some photos showing the set









On Thursday, we returned to London to stay for a couple of nights with James. We needed to go across to Helen, to collect various items, including Pat's new glasses from Muswell Hill.



There were some good views across London.





Then it was time for Pat to go shopping on Oxford Street while John did some gardening at Helen's before meeting Pat at the Apple store to sort out her Xmas present - in the end she opted for the iPad Air over the iPad mini. Then it was back to James's and a meal in a local restaurant and some wine tasting.

On Saturday we were on our way back home by EuroStar and were surprised to see just how much snow there was over the centre of France



So now we are back at home for 4 weeks until we return to the UK for Christmas.

We have lots to keep us busy: Christmas fairs, carol services, meals with friends, Christmas lunches (retired association), wine maker open days and arranging two apéro parties, one French and one English speaking, not to mention Christmas preparations.

In a previous blog, I mentioned that I won a leg of lamb at a Lotto. An unforeseen result of this is how many more people now say hello and mention the lotto lamb!

- Pat and John on tour

The world's best restaurant

In February 2013, we booked a table for 4 at a restaurant, El Cellar de Can Roca, in Girona. At that time, the restaurant had been number 2 in the world ranking for a couple of years. We booked with our friends Martin and Sile Dwyer who run a Chambre d'Hôtes with Table d'Hôtes in our village. We had been talking about doing it for years. Deciding on a date that we could all commit to and that the restaurant had available was tricky, but we eventually settled on November 14th.

A couple of months later, we read that El Cellar was the top restaurant for 2013, so we were pleased that we had got our reservation and held on the to the date ferociously.

Clearly, for full enjoyment we had to stay the night, so we booked into a hotel in Girona where we had stayed before. We were lucky enough to get a suite, although we had booked standard rooms. This was our sitting room with wall feature.





We took a walk around Girona after a light lunch of tapas.








El Cellar is not a large restaurant, but it is spacious and very well staffed. It is run by three brothers, Joan, Jordi and Josep Roca and the tables are dressed with rocks.





This is the entrance to the restaurant with Pat and Martin



and the interior with its central garden of trees.



Along with the menus, we were presented with a trolley containing 3 wine menus - one each for the white, red and rose wines. Clearly, choosing the wines could take some time .....






We had the choice of an 8 course or 14 course menu - we decided that, as this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, we would go the whole hog and chose the longer menu with accompanying wines. (By the end of the meal we had decided that it would most likely be more than once in a lifetime).

We started with Cava and apéros which were beautifully presented in a black globe there were five tastes from around the world.




This was followed by caramelised olives stuffed with anchovies and presented on an bonsai olive tree



And more apéros














Then we started on the menu - everything on the plates is edible including flowers and prawn tentacles.


Vegetable stock





Asparagus viennetta




Chestnut and smoked eel




Mackerel



Boletus edulus





Sea anemone





Prawn



Steamed langoustine, cooked in situ by pouring sherry onto hot stones




Sole




Lamb with artichoke flower


Pigeon




Sour dough ice cream




Candy Apple, as presented, what was inside and a tiny sugar maple leaf.









Walnut lemon and ratafia.




We finished with petit fours





Martin is a professional chef himself and ran a restaurant in Waterford and on request we were allowed to see the kitchen. Here we all are with the head chef, Joan Roca.






It was truly a great experience. The next day, we returned home to France. Snow had fallen on the Pyrenees overnight making the scenery that much more interesting.


- Pat and John on tour

At home and to Spain

Since Halloween, we have been busy with trips to Spain, wine buying, catching up with friends and other domestic tasks.

Early in the month, we joined friends to go to a small restaurant near Lamalou, up in the hills, where we passed a very pleasant evening over a meal. There was a set menu with wine included.




This was the first course, artichoke.




The restaurant is small and tucked away in the hills. If it were more accessible, we would expect significantly higher prices for the quality of the meal we are.

The following day was bright and sunny and so Pat dragged John away from his laptop and we walked to the next village, Cornheillon. The first signs of autumn were evident with yellow and red leaves. The grapes have all been harvested, but some small bunches that escaped the machines are looking more like raisins.




This butterfly was sunning itself



A view of the village




Later in the week, we went north towards St Chinian in search of wine to top up our cellar. We called into one of our regular suppliers where we saw a perfect rainbow straddling their duck pond.





On the following day, Wednesday, we joined other members of the UNRPA (the National Union for the retired and the old) on a bus trip to Spain. This is an annual event, the main focus being to top up with alcohol and tobacco for Christmas.

The bus leaves at 8am, which means that our doorbell rang a 7.15 as a neighbour headed down to the meeting point a hundred yards away. Naturally, one has to greet (kiss, kiss) every other person on the bus and check on their well being (ça va?).

After an hour, we stop for breakfast and then continue to the first outing. This year we were going to a village in the Pyrenees where they make espadrilles, the rope soled shoes.

This is the village, St Laurent de Cerdans




A tour of the factory




A view of the Pyrenees from St Laurent




The bus then took us on to La Jonquera, through small villages along the French Spanish border in the Pyrenees, for lunch. There was an extensive 3 course menu at a very reasonable fixed price, including wine. We took a couple of hours over lunch, then it was time to shop. The bus drove us to a new shopping complex and before long, the storage space in the bus was full. We returned to the village at 7.30 pm.

Our next event was the armistice day ceremony. As usual, we gather in the village square, buy our cornflower which we wear next to our poppy and at the appointed time, process to the war memorial 50m away for the ceremony. Children lay flowers at the memorial and there are readings by a couple of children, the mayor and others. When we have all done our duty, we adjourn to the Foyer Rural (village hall) for apéros where our poppies are admired and we explain their significance to those interested.








In the evening there was a loto (bingo) session in aid of the old soldiers. We went along to practise our numbers and Pat won a leg of lamb, which is now sitting in our freezer.

On Wednesday, John had an appointment in Beziers, so we took the bus into town and looked in at a monument historique, the Chapelle des Penitents Bleus which is just off the main drag, Avenue Paul Riqet. The 'altar' is a trompe d'oeil, a painting on the wall.






The following day was a packing and sorting day before our next trip to Spain to eat at the world's number 1 restaurant.

Pat and John on tour