Closing down routines

As ever, it seems no time since we got here, but the bedding's in the washing machine, and we have written our going-home shopping list ready for a trip to town later - bottles, BiBs* and some cheese and charcuterie.

Pierre was here yesterday to put the finishing touches to the hole in the bathroom ceiling, filling and plastering the sides and slapping a coat of lime wash on the outside surfaces.  It looks like a good piece of work.  He took his ropes and yet another cheque with him yesterday, but will have to return to recover a piece of coconut matting from the roof, laid on it to protect the tiles from said ropes.  I had a message yesterday from the joiner to say that he will fit the window today: we expect him around 09:00.

Felucca, Salins Saint-Martin, Gruissan

We like our trips to the seaside, so Tuesday saw us heading for Gruissan.  One of the reasons was to go to an exhibition of water colours by one Marie-Claude Canet that had been mentioned in the local rag.  As you'll see from her web site, her paintings are very competent, and of course I like the local scenes.  Her prices didn't send me reaching for my recently rather battered chequebook, however.

We wouldn't have seen the little boat in the photograph had the art gallery been open when it said it would be.  We therefore went for a look round to see if we could find someone with a key, and found a bustling bar by the side of the salt pans, with the colourful vessel beached nearby for decoration.  I say 'beached': it must have come in on a trailer, since there's no water deeper than a few inches of brine for half a mile.

We have gone bird watching here a few times.  There's a group that organises spotting excursions in the evenings.  (Wear long sleeves and trousers, and plenty of mosquito repellent.)

Things change a bit on the quai du Ponant in Gruissan Port.  OK, the place is packed as ever with floating gin palaces, but there are a few empty shop fronts, and the proprietrix of the restaurant where we paused for fish and chips (sans blague!) was sounding rather gloomy in view of low numbers.  Still, it's only mid-May: 'Yes, but it was a lot busier this time last year!'.  We wish them well: the welcome was charming, the fish and chips OK and not too copious, and the local chardonnay was very good.  We liked the restaurant when it was Le Mouton de Panurge and wish the new owners much success as Le Ponant. 

*Bag-in-box.  The 'fontaine à vin' gallicisation has failed miserably to catch on, and has given way to one of the many acronyms that plague the language of late.