^^ above

right up there
is Montsegur

I can see this Chateau
most days

when it's not under cloud

but this day

and I were

clear 

bright

up

'the point is, not to resist the flow: 

you go up when you're supposed to go up and down when you're supposed to go down: 

when you're supposed to go up, find the highest tower and climb to the top: 

when you're supposed to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom:

when there's no flow, stay still:

if you resist the flow, everything dries up:

if everything dries up, the world is darkness'

― Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

what a catalyst you turned out to be

time zips along

it's been two years since I moved here

and in that two years

much has bubbled along

under the surface of the water

while sifting through boxes piled high in a room

boxes of my life before

boxes unopened for many years

a realisation that they are no longer relevant 

to this life

the French have a phrase

'avoir le cafard'

to have the cockroach

the Ariege blues

it could be easy to let that feeling overshadow

but then someone shakes you

takes you out of the room

from the boxes

gets you drunk

and tells you to F off

take a look

think about it

the boxes have been emptied

some remain

much much less

just real precious things

leaving space for more living

less owning

more belonging ....

this morning

a moment

a reminder of why I live and love it here

crisp ice on the windscreen 

see your breath morning

pink sky behind snow topped mountains

music on {loud}

white frosted fields

soul filled

eyes watery

yep

bimbimbim

officially here 

to stay

take that Brexiteers

****

++ visites

Spring brings guests

family & friends

all curious to see the the region where I live

I take them to a market

there's one most days

somewhere

the newest lunch hotspot

Relais De Mirepoix 

three courses of heavenly food

a rummage in a brocante or vide grenier

a breather by Lac du Montbel

or local artisan beer on old lady bench

this is brewed 10 minutes up the road from my house

people ask me ~  

how's the house coming along?

there is no rush

and there's lots of distractions!

all good 

;-)

SaveSave

++ up in the roof

 rolled up my sleeves 

braved the scary cobwebs

{read that as avoided}

coughed at the dust

uncovered traces of owners past

sadly no rum within

a lost picture

graffiti from 1911

this space needs work

there's light coming in

;-)

++ if you want to know the things we see

the "Dread Room"

has gradually been transformed

the lower section of the wall 

had been painted in a very old

oil and earth mix

which proved problematic when painted

as it kept bleeding through

we scrubbed it with a solution of this

then carefully rolled a thin coat

of oil based matt paint

and prayed

it worked!

then the task of scraping off years of paint

from conduit and sockets

and finding a match for the skirtings and doors

it pains me to tosh over these beauties

on top of all the really bad paint already on them

but time and budget won't allow for now

all I need now is furniture 

and a lovely light fitting to replace this pathetic bulb!

now it's The White Room

like that scene in Bruce Almighty 

when he meets God

"we spin, we turn, watch and wait
as the world just creeps on by"

** out of season

most towns have market day

but my village only has a night market

in the summer months

so we visit Mirepoix on Mondays

their market is all year round

with it's stalls of produce

fresh ingredients

seasonal goodies

artisans

and shops

Mirepoix is a pretty medieval town

with 13th century houses 

supported on beautifully carved pillars

giving a covered arcade beneath

we recommend the coffee at 

Cafe Castigniolles and people watching 

✦✧ village life

every Tuesday morning 

three men arrive in La Place

outside my house

 this chap sells grapes and vegetables 

he has grown 

this man makes a huge paella

from scratch and sells it

for €9 a portion

by midday he has sold it all

then there is the knife sharpening man

this is him yesterday in Mirepoix Market

on Friday nights a little Pizza van arrives

a good sized pizza freshly cooked for €6

I like how people rock up, set up and sell things

in the Summer months 

there is a night market in La Place

with music and stalls

something to look forward to

}}{{ no back breaking

in the distance you can see 

my house to the left

and the covered square

la Place, to the right

this bridge goes over the river L'Hers

and over that bridge

is this gate

and behind that gate is my potager

well the land is mine

but it is worked by Pierre and Albert

who live in the village

they have chickens for laying 

and poulet for eating

a shed for their boxes and tools

a place for the onions to dry

there's a covered area for the chickens feed

and lots of green veg growing in neat rows

there is an arrangement with Pierre and Albert

which I have continued

in return for the use of the land

I get free vegetables and eggs

what a win!