I might have mentioned that we had another wild weekend at Marciac? Both of us were thinking that perhaps we had already done it, what would we see that was different? etc. Well, the reality was that it was a very different experience second time round, less urgent, more considered and still fabulous. I hired a bike because it felt such a slog the previous weekend, walking to and from the campsite; definitely a smart move. It meant that I arrived not feeling like a big sweaty mess. It was my first time using an electric bike and I did really enjoy the luxury of whizzing along under the stars. Of course we tried me being a pillion rider on the back of the bike, but we nearly ended up in a ditch!

We checked out the food trucks at the top of town and were very impressed at the range of vegetarian and vegan food on offer; there were Buddha bowls, vegan ice creams and burgers and wraps and curries.

We thought we wouldn’t see anyone we knew, but bumped into friends on both the Friday and Saturday. We drank cocktails from noon to dawn (not really, but it conjures up how we felt- really rock and roll with capital R’s!’) We lounged on sofas in sun drenched gardens, our heads swimming with jazz and blues and cuban music.

We ducked in and out of art galleries, watched buskers on street corners ( hello Alison and Peter! )

and drank mint tea at midnight. We revisited the experimental jazz stage and caught this guy scat singing

 The guitar player behind was fascinating to watch too, as he was the lynch pin for all the musicians. A wobble of his left eyebrow and a quick toke was the signal for ‘ go faster’ and, a crooked smile meant the drummer did a solo…and so on.

I’ve already booked a camping pitch for next year!

I’ve recently found myself thinking this has been my best summer yet. There are many reasons for this. I have been meeting my Mermaids regularly and it has become a huge pleasure to swim in the local lakes here. Being able to swim as far as I want is part of this, and I am aiming to swim right across Castelnau Lake. There is the issue of having to swim back again, to be fair, but the point is, I could, if I wanted. Last week the water was so clear that we could see the fish that were swimming right around us, with little flashes of silver. Yesterday, they were leaping out of the water in flashing arcs. We are planning a Moonlight Swim soon; PM message me if you fancy joining us and I will tell you when and where.

Another reason we are having such a great time is that summer is Party Season in the Gers. There is a Fete every weekend and the villages lay on food, music and they are great fun. Our local Fete is this coming weekend and we are going down on Saturday evening to show our faces and enjoy a beer or two.

Alongside going to musical soirées, such as this one in Ornezan,

we have spent wonderful evenings with friends. Liam built me tripods to hang lanterns and citronella coils on for one dinner party we had in our front garden.

And, we have weeks yet of summer fun still to come! I was relaxing in the bar last week at Lac Gimone after a long swim and was chugging a glass of wine, ice cream in the other hand and my friend said it looked like I was on holiday. Damm right! Thats exactly what life feels like!

At the weekend Liam and I jumped into the car and drove literally to the end of the D929, which is the busy road at the end of our chemin (lane). We drove through Saint Lary’s and then the road got bendier and windier and thinner the higher we went, with barely an inch between us and on coming traffic. Lorries and caravans were replaced by bikes and leaping aqua waterfalls so beautiful we kept stopping the car to have a look

Eventually we arrived at Col Cap de Long, which is a huge reservoir, the highest in Haute Pyrenees and part of the Néouvielle nature reserve. There are 70 lakes in this nature reserve

and I didn’t even know that there are 167 nature reserves in France. Honestly, the scale of my new country blows my mind!

It was strange being somewhere that was so busy, and yet, I felt so chilled all day. We squeezed the car in between camper vans, out of which bronzed, athletic types were emerging, in full climbing gear, like modern Olympian Gods. We sat here, enjoying our picnic with perhaps the best view in the world!

Just look at the colour of the water:

We wandered across the dam, high above the tree line, above the little birds that flew excitedly below us

and, this photo above is showing you just how clear the water is.

Can you believe it, we also saw snow! How awesome is that? Snow in August??

One of the best bits of the day was that the only time we had to dip into our pockets was to pay for parking at the bottom lake. The whole park is there for everyone to enjoy for as long as they want, and how they want, rather than it being turned into a massive money making exercise. And, here, next to the car park, was where we decided to take the plunge, literally, and swim in the lake!

And it was funny that, as soon as we waded into the water, other people followed suit.

Despite flashes of luscious green in the countryside, you can see that Summer is slowly making way for Autumn. There are dried and shrivelled leaves piling up at the side of roads and here, our harbinger of the changing seasons, the Horse Chestnut, is frantically pushing out conkers and dropping its mighty leaves.

The sunflowers, for the most part, are past their best and now follow the sun with pasty green faces. We are still boxed in with maize, which is always the last crop to go. I mentioned how nice it has been to watch birds feast on fat balls and grain so late in the year? But, bouf, just like that, the sparrows have gone. The other day, I counted eight of the little, fat fellas, but we are just down to Mr and Mrs Dove, who dutifully pop down to the bird table to have a snack, then flounce back to their telegraph wire.

Last night we took our camping chairs and a bottle of rosé down to the lake at Bologne Sur Gesse to watch the Asumption Day fireworks. Asumption Day? Quite. I don’t know either, so lets have a look:

The celebration of Assumption Day in France

Despite a dramatic decline in church attendance in cities and rural areas, Catholicism is still deeply ingrained in the culture of France. This may partly explain why the French people have kept the 15th of August a national day since Louis XIII’s vow in 1638.

Some mistakenly believe Mary “ascended” into heaven, which is incorrect according to the Bible. It was Jesus Christ who ascended into heaven, by his own power. But Mary was “assumed” or taken up into heaven by God.

Observed as a holy day of obligation by Catholics and as a public holiday in some countries, devotees consider the Feast of the Assumption as the Holy Mother’s “heavenly birthday” and this is not a day of mourning for her loss, but a celebration of joy for the union of the mother with her beloved son.

Ok. So now, we know.

Interestingly, 15th August is the start of the annual summer holidays in Spain and Italy, when many escape the heat of the cities to vacation on the coast or in the hills. Because of its date in the calendar, it is known as the “Feast of Our Lady of the Harvest” in some parts of Europe. But, in France, holidays started 1st August, on the dot.

Anyway, back to us, sitting in our camping chairs, waiting for the fireworks.

They were triffic!

The soundtrack was awesome too, all 70’s disco.

Time for me to go pack my swimming bag for my afternoon lake swim…

Bises,

Madame Boucliers 💋