New Choir

I enjoyed my recent experience singing with the choir in Pézénas.  How could I go on from there? One of my fellow altos, whose talent I admired, is a member of the Choeur Symphonique de Montpellier. The choir has a dynamic new conductor, Vincent Recolin, who has been shaking things up and has revitalised the membership. Entrance is by audition and the standard is high. I was very happy to be accepted, in time for the first concert under Vincent's direction on 15 December.

Again Rossini's La Petite Messe Solennelle, but an altogether different experience. I was chuffed to be chosen to sing in a small group, creating a lighter effect, for two of the choruses. Fourteen intrepid friends made the pilgrimage all the way to Saint Thérèse in Montpellier to squeeze into the packed church. Everyone enjoyed it and said the choir was fantastic.

Joining any choir is a big commitment. Henny and I discussed it. The sacrifice should be worth it. So far this choir ticks all the boxes. The standard is challenging, it's all in French, the administration's professional, the people are nice, and most of all, I really enjoy it. Except perhaps the repertoire. Next up, the Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross by Haydn. I miss my show tunes.

Demolition Day 3

Diggers at dawn. The garage was munched by the jaws in about an hour.

Henny enjoyed the mesmerising action in the courtyard from a ringside seat. She sipped her coffee and quickly absorbed digger skills.

Later in the afternoon, she had a go herself.

Okay, I may be exaggerating just a touch. Note complete absence of garage. They've begun to dig the new foundations. This will continue tomorrow.

Demolition Day 2

The digger arrived first thing this morning. The walls didn't stand a chance.

Next it was time to attack the reinforced concrete cistern. The digger has various attachments, like a giant Magimix. We used to pump water into the cuve from the well. A gravity system would then take it, in dribbles, to the secret garden. The system gave up a while ago, but there was still water left in the bottom. The digger operator figured we'd missed a chance to make this into a jacuzzi. Brrrr.

We've lost trees and other vegetation, a fence and a building here. We've never felt so exposed to the neighbours.

At the end of the day, all gone. The little window is in our bathroom. It's never seen direct daylight. The remnants of the cuve are below, which will be cut out tomorrow.  We were advised to take paintings off the walls, etc. as the vibrations could make things fall, but it went all right. The tower's walls are 70 cm thick, yet you could feel them humming. Pou was very brave. He took to his apartment for the day. Rescue Remedy on his little head helps. Tomorrow, the garage.

Demolition Day 1

Henny nostalgically took a few photos over the weekend of sites around the house that will soon never look the same. Here's the shed and covered terrace. The cement cylinder covers our well. Sadly the pomegranate tree will be going.

Today two fellows with sledge hammers, crowbars and saws arrived. The roof was off the shed within the hour. I've never seen the tower from this angle before. The pattern of holes you see at the top is what makes this a pigeonnier, where the birds entered. We've seen birds nest here, but they're no longer invited inside.

By the afternoon, here's what was left. Tomorrow a digger will arrive, and I'm sure Pou will head for the hills. Stay tuned.

Before the builders arrive

In preparation for the tearing down of our garage and shed, of course we had to empty them. Many trips to the déchetterie later, we still have this left in our garden.

The first floor of the tower has always been a storage depot. It's now full to bursting. Other garage-type stuff has moved into our living room, including the clothes dryer. Henny organised it all brilliantly, but we're all going to have to get used to a different lifestyle for a few months. 

Happy Meals

We were driving towards Roujan recently when we saw what looked like a tornado or a huge plume of smoke in the distance. It shifted suddenly and with such grace, we quickly realised it was a murmuration of starlings. Enormous and elegant, amazing to behold. When we got home, we saw a few stragglers had stopped by for a snack. Our kaki tree is very popular. It's lovely to be a Little Chef for migrating birds.

The Plan

From the very beginning, it's been our intention to enlarge this house. First we sold Henny's house in Alignan, then we began plans in earnest for the extension. We received our permission to go ahead in July, have met various builders, and are now ready to go. Here's what's happening.

To the left is our garage, which will become a studio. The courtyard between the studio and the house is currently much smaller and slopes downwards rapidly following the lay of our land. It will be levelled with rubble from the wreckage of the garage, and extended to meet the existing terrace. This is Henny's dream. The new part of the courtyard will get the winter sun and should be more sheltered.

The structure to the right side of the tower is currently a shed and covered terrace. We make little use of this area, so it's perfect for rehabilitation into a laundry room/storage area on the street side, and on the garden side, a lovely new bedroom with ensuite bathroom.

Planners made us create parking for two cars, though in reality, it would be tight. But Henny will finally be able to drive down our narrow lane forwards instead of reversing the whole way. She's great at it, but she's over it. The parking area is also on the slope, so will be filled in with the detritus from the shed. Not everything pictured here is exactly how it will be, but we wanted to give you an idea of what's to come.  I'll try to update the blog regularly for Little French House fans.

Ich bin eine Berlinerin

Going through photos this grey Sunday morning, I rediscovered pictures of our trip to Berlin in June 2012. I've always had a fascination with the city, home of my parents. Henny very sweetly gave me this trip as a birthday present (yes, how lucky am I). We stayed six days and had an amazing time. The weather was on our side, which was unexpected from the forecasts.

We arrived the first day of Euro 2012. Spectators were coming in via Berlin for some of the matches contested in Poland, and the Germans are football mad anyway, so huge screens were set up all along the river Spree "beach bars". Even though we're not football fans, we parked ourselves with a few beers, mojitos and a currywurst. A convivial atmosphere pervaded as, unfortunately, we watched the Netherlands lose in the shadow of the Reichstag.

Henny and I easily found my grandparents' house in Tempelhof, the house my mother grew up in. Here's the city gate that spans the street almost next door. I remembered when I was last there even though it was circa 48 years ago.

Our friend Burkhard came from Hannover to spend a couple of days with us. He organised a very full programme which included delicious meals at some of his favourite haunts, a trip to the Neues Museum (the building is a beautiful marriage between preservation and renovation which houses treasures of the ancient world, including the bust of Nefertiti), a drink at Clärchens Ballhaus on tango night (one of the last surviving Weimar-era dance halls), and a trip to the top of the Reichstag. Erste Klasse, lieber Freund. Grosses Dankeschön und dicke Knuddel!

Pure glee at the sausage counter in the KaDeWe food hall.

Although we were busy the whole stay, we hardly cracked Berlin. There's so much going on and so much to see. I can't wait to go back. It's a city that will always hold a powerful attraction for me. Henny, you're the best. Thank you for an unbelievable birthday treat.

Some enchanted evening

For the past 6 years, Pézenas has hosted a festival that celebrates singing, Pézenas Enchantée. For a fortnight, there are daily concerts, and each year a well-known singer comes to pass on his knowledge by way of master classes for young singers. You can watch their progress in daily sessions. I've managed to miss it every year until now. I discovered early on, for the first time, they were offering a choral masterclass. Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, neither particularly small nor solemn, conducted by Michel Piquemal, renown in these parts.

Rehearsals began in late June. There were about 60 singers drawn from surrounding areas, but mostly made up of a Béziers-based choir. It was their conductor who whipped us into shape before the maestro came for two weekend rehearsal sessions earlier this month. Due to my house move, I'd missed 8 rehearsals. I wasn't sure I could show my face on masterclass weekend, but I went anyway. Glad I did. It was a worthwhile experience. I met some nice people, it was great to sing again, good for my French (and Latin), and slightly nerve-wracking. The two fugues are taken at a fair lick. 'Amens' for page upon page, but fun to sing once you learn it. The piece was originally scored for two pianos and a harmonium. Ali said, I wasn't expecting the accordion, the modern-day harmonium stand-in. It's a bit of a bonkers piece, really.

There were three performances, Pézenas, Ballaruc-les-Bains, and even the cathedral in Montpellier. We weren't recorded, but to give you an idea, here's the Cum Sanctu Spiritu conducted by M Piquemal with the same accordionist, sung by a different choir. The photo is of us. Spot my little white head.

Our Local

Our favourite café is in the next village 4 kms away. We eat there at least once a week and I always look forward to it. The food's good and so is the welcome. The other night, Nilda and José had a BBQ for their neighbours and regular customers. We were honoured to be invited. I've never had a local before, and well, now I get it.

Today we met up for lunch with our mates, Erica, John and Pudsey, possibly the world's most laid back Chow Chow.  John took the photo. A stunning October day. Another great lunch.

Double Rainbow

There was a double rainbow the other day. From the tower, we could see the glorious arc from start to finish. The colours at the end seemed to wash down close to our friends Hans and Christa at Domaine Bourdic. They were hunting wild mushrooms after the rain, but I'd also be keeping an eye out for that pot of gold.

The Move

On 13 September 2012 I moved out of the London apartment I'd lived in for 25 years. The new owners wanted possession far earlier than expected, but after an exhausting few weeks, it happened on the appointed day. Here's the before shot.

And here's moving day. Going, going, gone.

Shopping Trip

Summer parties are in full swing. Ours is Saturday night. 90 people. We've just seen storm clouds and lightning bolts on the Méteo app. Fingers crossed folks.

The Queen's New Throne

Many of us find ourselves in this little village because of Nicola and Teddy. They owned the biggest house in town for over a decade where they ran courses and created fantastic events. People fell in love, with them, with each other, with the village and its surroundings. I think of them as the trunk of the family tree, and we're their branches. Lizzie and Ali attended a wedding there, bought the big house 'round the corner. I bought the house above, negotiations assisted by Nicola and Teddy. The English class they ran for local people accelerated my meeting Henny...the rest is history.

We were dumbfounded when they announced they were going to sell up and move back to the UK. It's been a tough decision for them, and we're all silently weeping into our pillows at night. Nicola gave Teddy a birthday present this year. 3000 sqm. of river land just outside town. Now he can always wiggle his toes in the local earth he loves so well.

Today the mates were summoned for a work party on this exquisite, tranquil patch. The weather's been dreadful for weeks, but today the sun shone, just the right amount. Not too hot to be productive! We cleared, chopped, slashed, burned, planted and created. These beautiful steps appeared.

And they work, as tested by Teddy and Ted.

We cleared an area for the eco-latrine, complete with privacy screen, the bambooloo. Here's Nicola on a dry run.

Teddy and Nicola have generously urged us, one and all, to use the land whenever we like. I can see myself dangling my feet in the cooling stream after a bike ride. A superb day.

Proof cats smile

Short back and sides

Henny cut the vines back further than ever before. The freezing temperatures had left everything rather bedraggled. The new crew cut had the added bonus of making our architect Christine's measuring yesterday a breeze.

The Cammock

Anticipation

We've been dreaming of putting in a wood burner since we tore the old one out 5 years ago. We finally got around to ordering one just before the coldest protracted temperatures this region has seen in years. Yesterday it was installed by the very affable Jérôme Coq.

Now we have this on the roof...

and this in the living room.  We're not allowed to light it for 24 hours while it cures. So we just stared at it. Daytime temperatures are predicted to hit 18 today, but no matter what, matches ready, tonight's the christening!

Cat's fancy

Pou doesn't often hop into my arms like he does daily to his true love, Henny. But today he did, and when we had company, so it made me feel extra special.