It’s a hot one here in Mazeroux today. In fact, barring the weird blip the day we got back from our trip when it was 18 degrees and rainy, August has been fairly amazing out here. It’s been above 30 for the last week and is set to continue like that for a while longer too. The high for today and tomorrow is 34, which even I admit is a bit too much for comfort. After 6 solid months of rain, though, all I can say is “bring it on”!
I’m obviously late with this entry but that’s because we really hit the ground running since getting back off our hols. Friday evening was our last ever rehearsal with Musique en Herbe. It was also the first time we got to see the final set-list for our gig the next evening, which was vast – 33 songs in total. The rehearsal was fairly appalling, especially given that some of the songs were freshly learnt and very far from being gig-ready. We left in our usual grumpy state, feeling ominous about the concert.
Most of the following day was taken up with the gig. We got to Nontron just after lunch and helped get the stage set up under a blazing hot sky. If you’ve been to Nontron before, there’s a roundabout in the centre of town that we go by to go to the supermarché. At this intersection is a terrian de pétanque, or boules ground, and this was where we were to play. Our stage was at one end and at the other were various merchants selling local produce and fast foods. In between were enough benches and tables to sit easily 100 people.
Our sound-check was long, tedious and ultimately fruitless as by the time we played it was, as ever, the two Astiers (one on keyboard, one on guitar) that drowned out the singers and other musicians. The songs that had seemed hopelessly under prepared at the previous evening’s practise did not disappoint either. All told it was a typical Musique en Herbe gig – and that would have been fine except that it was not what we’d agreed to. When Alain came by to beg us to play it was on the promise of doing a real quality concert, but clearly that was never what he’d intended. It didn’t help that neither of us was at all in the mood so our hearts weren’t in it. Of the 33 songs we played, many were ones we’ve been doing with them since the beginning and are now utterly sick of.
All that said, at any one time there were around 100 people watching us, we got applause (of variable enthusiasm admittedly) after each song, and some people even got up and danced at some point, so it could have been worse. Personally, I’m just relieved that the weird psychological warfare between me and the other guitarist is now at an end and I don’t have to put up with him drowning me out any more.
We were home and alseep by 2 am, which was good as we were invited out to lunch the following day, to Benoit & Virginie’s. Last summer, we had a similar invite and, due to an unscheduled and exeptionally booozy evening the day before, we barely made it on time and were in a poor state when we did. We’d been warned to be on time too as it was a big family lunch and Benoit’s dad likes to eat promptly.
This time we managed to get there, fully functional, on the stroke of noon. But it was to a seemingly empty house. In an amusing reversal, it was our hosts who’d managed to tie one on the previous evening, having all crashed around 5 am. They’d been celebrating Benoit’s brother’s 50th. And in style too, by all accounts. They all surfaced individually and after a coffee, were soon back on the sauce. We had beers and margaritas before sitting down to a delicious meal of marinated pork. There must have been at least 30 of us and it was a gorgeous day so we had a great time. After the meal, we jumped in their pool and cooled off for a bit before returning home.
After our busy weekend, things calmed down at Port 80 for a couple days. This to the immense relief of our cats who were still traumatised after our trip away. The calm was short-lived though! On Wednesday, our friends Cyril and Cat Goonan came to stay, bringing with them their 3 children: Erin (12), George (10) and Islay (5). It was the first time we’d been seven in the house so I was a bit apprehensive, but in the end it all worked out fine. The kids are generally very well behaved and, as the weather was nice, were able to run around outside a lot. They all arrived at dinner time on Wednesday so we got them all fed and watered and had a few drinks with the parents.
The next few days it was hot and sunny so we entertained the kids with a trip to the local cave, to some pretty towns, and twice to a nearby swimming lake. Cyril also very kindly treated us to lunch at the Hotel de France, where the food was as stellar as ever. On the last night, Cyril cooked us all dinner at ours – a leek pasta dish that is a family favourite. It was delicious so we pinched the recipe.
The family left us on Saturday just after lunch. They’ve rented a gite in the Charente, about an hour’s drive from us, which has a pool, so I’m sure the rest of their trip will be enjoyable too. And that’s about all I have to report, so I shall leave you there and go take advantage of the sunshine.