Our feet just haven't touched the ground. Which is why there's not been a blog for twelve days!! Since Chaumont we've been flat out. The day after we were at a Moroccan evening. We've a French/Spanish friend who loves cooking. There were about twenty of us in all eating couscous. Some other French friends had just come back from there. They are specialists in spinning, and dyeing techniques, so were visiting remoter village communities in the mountains, for whom these things are still the main industry. Great evening.
Next day fitted in a hair cut, a rehearsal for our next gig towards the end of June and in the evening we were at the cinema to see D'une vie à l'autre. The concept is based on a situation and events that actually happened. The story is set in Norway, both past and present. The story develops from events that took place in Norway during WW2 and which continued in East Berlin, as well as revelations following the removal of the Berlin Wall. Hugely impressive piece of work.Spent a lot of time afterwards discussing the implications, and also researching the activities of the Nazis in Norway and then the Stasi in Norway, and inevitably, elsewhere. Beautifully played and filmed and deeply unsettling.
The following week were in full music mode. Tuesday evening we were over for a concert in the church at St.Germaine sur Vienne. We often drive through on our way to Fontevraud, and there is a traditional boat builder in the village. But this time we actually stopped. The concert was in fact a memorial to French composer Henri Dutilleux. Our cooking friend Christian had told us about it. He was there as well. We took a French speaking Latvian friend with us, who lives in Chinon. A very very interesting evening, compiled and played by a superb cellist Xavier Gagnepain. What a gorgeous sound. The programme was a mixture of Bach, Benjamin Britten, and then three composers we didn't know Lutoslawski, Berio and lastly a piece by Dutilleux. The programme was carefully put together. All were shortish with an introduction/explanation between the pieces. The final three composers are all contemporary, with a preference for the atonal. So pleased we went. Fascinating.
The next night we were in Chinon for a concert organised as part of the 2014 season, by Musique and Patrimoine - which we've now joined. They have an eclectic programming style which suits the eclectic range of venues - anything from old churches and station foyers to multi-purpose halls.
This time we were at St. Mexme - a deconsecrated church, well established as a performance venue. It's a great space.I've mentioned it a couple of times in early blogs. We were there this time to see the Raul Barboza Trio from Argentina. He is in his mid-70s and plays the accordeon.The other two musicians are superb guitarists in their own right, probably in their forties/fifties. Raul Barboza started playing the accordeon when he was seven. He's a renowned performer of Chamamé - folk music from North East Argentina and the south of Brazil. There were twelve pieces in all. Just magical and effortless. They played from the heart and were also so in touch with each other. If you closed your eyes you could imagine the landscape, the river, the birds and animals. A truly wonderful evening of textures, images, rhythms and superlative musicianship, which started at 9pm and we finally left there around 11.45. There was a drinks/meet the artists afterwards. We also met up with other Chinon people we know, so there was a lot of chatting.
Thursday we had a call from our neighbours Jacqueline and Norbert to pop round for a drink and also collect some strawberries. Really kind of them - a huge container of the most beautiful strawberries. Mike had some neat. I can't eat them unless all the pips have been removed. Serious allergy. So I made some strawberry ice cream and put that in the freezer. With such an array of fresh fruit here, making ice creams and sorbets is a doddle. There's a huge range available in the supermarket, but making your own - it just tastes so good.
Yesterday, Saturday 31 May, Chinon was hosting the annual battle of the bands, otherwise known as Chinon en Fanfares. Six bands of between eight to ten young musicians per band play live all over Chinon throughout the day.Different types of music. You can follow them round town and get to hear their complete repertoire en route. Then in the evening they come together in the centre and play in direct competition with each other. Really good fun. Saturday morning is always busy in Chinon, particularly now that the tourist season has started. This time, as well as the bands playing, a motorbike club decided to coast through town by driving up the side-streets. There were about ten bikes in all. At the same time there was a 'see Chinon on horseback' group of about eight riders making its way right through the middle, all the regular shoppers in the market and visitors wandering around on foot, Chinon was really buzzing.
Left Chinon to go up to Leclerc which is on the outskirts of town. Hadn't intended to but I'd gone to the butcher and discovered they don't do minced lamb only minced beef. I was making a moussaka for some wine producer friends who are coming round for dinner next week. So at Leclerc I bought some lamb which I then minced here at home. You can't seemingly buy lamb mince anywhere. While we were there we had something to eat at the onsite restaurant. The first time we've tried it. It's always looked good. Various menu options. We had a salad from the salad bar and a glass of wine. Really terrific quality. Beautifully done. Very busy in there as well.
The porte-ouverte season is well underway now and today Sunday we were at that of Jean Louis-Loup, who you find en route between Cravant and Panzoult. Theirs is a three-day affair, with some other producers involved: an excellent white wine producer from Mâcon and an equally good red wine producer from the Beaujolais direction - and a traiteur with all sorts of delicious things to taste. We'd booked to have lunch there as well: entrée, plat, fromage, dessert, wine and coffee. Euros 15. We've been to this porte-ouverte a couple of times now. Always good fun. We were there last year with friends Di and Tony, or at least Mike was. I wasn't well unfortunately so had to cry off. But this year, no problem. Met up with various people we know from Cravant, and another couple from Chambray who we've only ever seen at this porte-ouverte. We always manage be there on the same day. They were staying for lunch today as well so we shared a table with them and had a lovely time. One disaster though, at least for Jean-Louie Loup. He's broken his arm - on Friday in fact, and has got to have an operation. He always seems to be doing something to himself. A couple of years ago he had a near miss when his car was totalled by a sanglier. He's fallen off ladders, off tables and has back problems, which is a constant hazard for wine producers. So at the moment he can't drive, lift etc. It will take most of the year to get right.
Mike suggested to him and his wife Isabelle that he should find a less dangerous profession - perhaps a fireman!! Fortunately Jean-Louis's sense of humour is intact.
This evening we're at home!!
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