September and very hot

View from the top, Pyrenees in distance 

It's been a great start, first with the date confirmed, but not the time, my operation was cancelled.  I now have a new date 11th October.  The good news is my friend John who came over to look after me, enjoyed a number of days, including his birthday experiencing the best of the Tarn.

Puycelsi

Castelnau-de-Montmiral

We visited a few restaurants, bars, cafes and sites.  Including Castres, Carcassonne, Puycelsi, Rabastens, Lautec and Castelnau-de-Montmiral.  

John's favourite restaurant was "Le Jardin du Clocher" in Lautrec.  We enjoyed a fab bottle of wine and charcuterie in "Le Chevaliers" and in Castres, "Le Bistro des Halles" great wine and tapas.   John cooked some fabulous meals using figs and plums picked straight from the trees.  My favourite, duck (cooked perfectly - just pink in the middle) with plums, potatoes and kale.

Breakfast

Kofta

The day out to Rabastens (Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Bourg de Rabastens, church closed for repair) started with a walk overlooking the river Tarn along the ramparts (Remparts). Coffee and breakfast (petit déjeuner).  We then drove to Puycelsi for lunch.  We parked at the bottom of the hill and walked up, then due to the heat headed to the Puycelsi Roc cafe.  After a few panache, we walked around the town, enjoyed the fabulous views, architecture and went inside the Eglise Saint-Corneille.  There was a statue of Joan of Arc, an incredible blue ceiling and magnificent stained glass.  Quite a big church for a small village, apparently built by the town as the were saved from the plague.  Lunch was at the Au Cabanon, excellent food.  I enjoyed Kofta as my main and the friendly staff.

We walked around Castelnau-de-Montmiral, which had interesting architecture, but nothing was open, no bars, cafes, restaurants or shops!  Leaving thirsty we drove home for an apero.

Some history found in book about Tarn Names:

La Bastide

 - In 1460: land in the Bastide (E.57 p.349).  In 1604 the sieur de la Brunhié and the lord of Cuq, Jean de Capriol, each owned a 'borie' in the Bastide.  Places called: al Rouquet or Navarre, the Iron Cross.  Today above a large carriage entrance is engraved the date 1610 with a fleur-de-lys.

On August 23, 1645 Antoinette Andrieu wrote her will in this farm which belonged at the time to nobleman Guillaume de Chateauverdun.  (3 E 20/440.) - On August 22, 1660, Miss Pauline de Chateauverdun, daughter of Guillaume, rents the property to Antoine Gavanou.  There are then two pairs of oxen for ploughing.  (3E 20/448.)

 - On 8 April 1669 Raymond Monsahus and Bernard Puech, consuls, sold the Bastide farmhouse (6 E 1/453.) to Antoine Bayle de la Gousinié - Places: in Cabanes, la Hametié, and around 1950: the field de la Fon, la Combe Grande, le Bousquet, la Combe petite, lou Camp Grand, la Pointe, las Rives, le Travers de Boutegourg.

On the slope facing the Bastide was the priest's vineyard;  Father Cavaillès in 1949 was still working on it;  the young people did the harvest for him and he bought them a good meal.

Our last September guests arrive 11th and the weather, though thunderstorms have threatened, is sunny, bright and warm.  The pool looks great and the water 28°, sun out and temperature climbing, going to be hot again!  Unfortunately I need some pool equipment replaced, as glass beads for the filter have destroyed a new robot cleaning pump and I get a few glass beads in the pool,  A winter job!

Booked a holiday with the kids for Toussaint (half term).  We are all going to Roses in Spain.  Hopefully I'll go depending on how quickly I get over my operation.

Early morning walk

Daily, I walk early to Bald hill, watch the migration of birds, red kite and swallows mostly.  Bee-eaters are gathering in large groups (30-50 birds) and they will depart for Africa soon.  I think the Turtle doves have gone, as I have not heard them in the past few days.  The badger sett has grown, with a lot more burrows, they still walk to their latrine on the slope of the hill behind the house.  On Sunday Lilou and I walked to Bald hill, but due to the start of the hunting season, (mid September to February, Sunday and Wednesday mornings) took the view it was better not to be in the hunters crossfire, so returned for tea and breakfast.  I have seen a booted eagle a few times, hopefully it will stay in the area.  Along with the black winged kite, buzzard, honey buzzard, hen harrier, sparrowhawk, red and black kites and kestrel it's a good area for raptors.  I even think there maybe goshawk, but I have not positively identified one yet.  However, my friend Olivier who lives about 3kms away, lost all his chickens to goshawk, the chickens roamed through a wood and were easy prey, he now farms geese.  He's considering Brahma chickens due to their size.  Adults can get up to 12 pounds!

The bad news is that my father-in-law has been in hospital and will not be coming for a few weeks in September.  He has been every year since we arrived and even had his 70th birthday here, he will be missed this year.  Hopefully now on the mend, we can continue our weekly Zoom calls.  

Breakfast view

During the week I went to get some supplies for the pool, however arrived early, so had a typical French breakfast, coffee and croissant (dipped in the coffee of course) in Soual.

Jardin de Sirènes

Had a great Saturday, lunch with my friend Jean-Philipe in Soreze.  I visited the Dom Robert museum, which had free entry that weekend.  My favorite Dom Robert tapestry was of a saltwater aquarium "the mermaid's garden", where you could easily identify each animal or plant.  I walked around the exhibits and the old school, a mixture of the military and Benedictine monks schooling !  Very small bed rooms for the students. I then met JP for lunch of cassoulet at the Pub Saint Martin, a very eclectic place, incredibly busy (lucky I booked) and good value with a starter,  main course, dessert, wine  and coffee for 28 euros.

Unusually, I have a Canadian group arriving for a week in early October.  The pool is still 26°, let's hope they have good weather.  They will stay in the Grange and Cottage.

Well it's the last week of September, it's hot again 30°plus today.  Early morning walk with Lilou, great views of the Pyrenees, as it was so clear.  Lots of bird migration, the odd willow warbler or chiffchaff, black redstart, swallows and over a hundred house martins.  Small outside jobs, grass cutting, clearing young trees from the meadow and repairing a water sluice which runs under the road, that had been damaged by the WIFI boys and their mini-pel when they installed the fibre poles.

Swallowtail

A final September visit to Le Jardin du Clocher with Clementine, Martin and Felicity, we sat in the garden, ate fabulous food and wine.  A delight for a few hours in the warm of the day. The photo that Felicity took of a Swallowtail is shown on the right.  The UK has a slightly darker sub species found in the Norfolk Broads.

Puycalvel from Bald hill