August and the season is almost over

Tractor fair at Cuq

It started with a visit to the Marché de Producteurs in Mazamet.  With seating under the trees, great food, good wine and fun company.  It was a very warm evening with a live jazz band, playing great music, our outdoor apero went quickly.  We followed this with a visit to the Lautrec garlic festival, great to watch the pleating of the garlic, ice cream, hot indian food and the purchase of some wine from Guy who owns Le Vignes de Garbasses for the honesty bar.  We purchased sparkling rosé (Bulles de Gourmandise) which is fantastic, and a great sparkling white called Marginal.

Bread and Tractor festivals

There is a tractor (tracteur) fair in Cuq the same day as the bread festival, the 15th August.  I will visit the Tractor fair, then on to the Lautrec fète du Pain with Evie and Charlie.  This year's theme is threshing machines and there were a number on display, as well as military vehicles, cars and motorbikes over 30 years old.  My favourite a Renault Alpine.  I met a few people that I know, including the mayor (marie) of Puycalvel, who was working behind the bar.

I have included a few photos at the end to give you a flavour of the event.

I had my first Welsh visitors staying in the Grange, who enjoyed eating out (Le Jardin du Clocher, Resto des Halles) visiting markets and BBQs on the terrace, before a cooling dip in the pool.

Nature

It has been a good time for nature with Roe deer calling most mornings, doe with fawn on the road from La Bastide.  Hares in the cut wheat fields with partridge.  Black woodpecker called while Evie and I fished in the agricultural lake as fifty or so bee-eaters flew overhead with a chorus of 'prutt'.  There are red legged partridge families in the fields and I quite often see a family on the road from La Bastide.  At night amongst the usual tawny owls calls,  a solitary long eared owl hooted.

The weather has been changeable with very hot 30° plus days, possibly 40° this weekend (nice to have a breeze) to overcast, showers and the odd thunderstorm.  Not a typical year, the woods are very green and the grass not as yellow as normal.  At least I have stopped cutting the grass weekly.

Toulouse visit

British pub in Toulouse

I enjoyed a rare night out in Toulouse with a few mates. A visit to a British pub the Frog and Rosbif, a good micro brewery that opened in 1998.  I must say the beer was good.  We followed this with a mexican meal, fantastic margaritas (possibly the best I've had outside Mexico) and super authentic food.

The Perseid meteor shower

The kids and I went outside at 12am to watch the night sky, as it was the best night for shooting stars.  We saw twenty or so, as it was the night of the Perseid shower.  Every year this phenomenon occurs, this year optimal as a very small crescent moon, so very dark.  The kids were excited to see very bright shooting stars overhead.  A day earlier I saw a shooting star and a strange train of lights, which turned out to be Starlink satellites.  They appeared and travelled in a line overhead, I guess miles apart.  They have solar panels to power the satellite and I think these are what I saw reflected by the sun.

Canoë Tarassac

A long way down!

This week we went canoeing in the Haut Languedoc, along the river l'Orb.  There were a number of small rapids and one "dangerous rapid" which Evie and I managed to go down 2/3rds backwards. We were stopped abruptly by a rock, which put an eight inch gash in the back of the canoe, a bit of whiplash for me, but overall not too bad considering how quickly we stopped.  (Two days later, I had very bad sciatica and my back that was healing after a tractor accident three years ago has returned and now aches again)!  The highlight was a man-made slipway at the hydro electric plant.  The drop was considerable and at the last eight feet we were launched into the air before landing in the large pool below.  It was cloudy overhead for most of the trip, which made it comfortable to paddle.  The trip was fun and we finished with a super lunch of steak haché, chips and salad at La Barraquita.  Eating outdoors under the trees, which kept us cool.

Tuesday I had a supper engagement and Wednesday a funeral and wake.  It will be a celebration of my friend's very full life.  The eulogy at the church was quite long, but very interesting, he was very religious, kind, knowledgeable, funny, proud and very courteous.  I feel blessed he was my friend.

Sunflowers on way to Lautrec

Golden field awaiting baling

All the wheat has been harvested, next the corn on the cob (cow fodder) and lentils.  Sunflowers are starting to go over and once the heads are dry, will be harvested in September.  Farmers have cut silage again and fields that are not full of crops are turning golden in the sun.

Cuq Tractor fair pictures

1927 Verrot

1934 Motobecane

Brace of Farmall

Pannard engine

The mighty Fordson

Too hot NOT to sleep

Wheels taller than me

Tank carrier

Tank carrier drive chain

Well that's it for August, happy times and sad.  We had a heat wave with temperatures up to 41°, at night slightly cooler indoors at 30° when outside it was still 34°.  Cooler weather is due at the end of the week, which will be welcome.  The kids really had a good time during the holidays.  They enjoyed spending time with their mates, swimming (a few times after midnight), fishing, canoeing, star gazing,  going to various local fetes and markets.  Eating sushi (a favourite) and lunch at Le Jardin du Clocher, and of course computer games.  I have a number of bookings in September when the season normally ends, however this year I have a Canadian family who will take the whole place for a week in early October.  Based on the current weather it should still be warm.  I am also getting enquiries for next season, which shows things are getting back to normal.

At the end of the month apart from my usual aperos, I have a lunch engagement to catch up with friends, I have not seen that much this year.

Evie and Charlie go with their mum to the UK for a few weeks to see their Grandad and stay with friends  before going back to.....school.  I have a friend John arriving the 29th, as I have an operation 31st.  John will look after me for a week or so.  Clementine will look after the September bookings and I'm looking forward to some relaxing time before the October Toussaint holidays.  Maybe Spain this year, as not too far to travel.

The final picture is from a friend Peter who put his present of Irish bacon to good use. YUM!