We are still in Collioure

Wednesday 6^th November

There were people sunbathing on the beach at Collioure today. 

Yes it is November, and we have been in coats and wooly hats and gloves. But today the sun shone with some force and the winds blew from the ocean, and the townsfolk all went to Collioure for lunch on the pavement cafés. All of them? Yup, pretty much as far as I could tell. I was in a bad mood because I’ve lost my gas spanner, but the sun helped me forget all that. It has been a glorious day on the Med.

Anyway we are now dab hands at improvising. So the lack of gas for a morning cuppa got me delving into the plastic crates in the garage for the old single ring gas burner, and tea was delivered shortly afterwards.

I then spent an hour looking for the gas spanner. The one I purchased when I had the French gas cylinder fitted. I made a list of all the things that turn up when you are looking for a spanner:

Half a packet of winegums

More winegums spilled into the depths of the van door pocket

My spare glasses

A half packet of licorice allsorts (handy since I had now finished the winegums)

A bottle of lemonade

Some alcohol hand gel (no I didn’t have a Russian alc gel and lemonade cocktail)

A packet of latex gloves for hands when checking tyre pressure etc.

My sunglasses, yay!

A book entitled “Organise yourself” – yeah I know what you’re thinking

Torch batteries and a spare torch

1 faded grey sock without its partner

a screwdriver marked DP on the handle (David Pimm?)

a triangular piece of moulded plastic with no known purpose

Anyway I didn’t find the gas spanner. I did find the original plastic bag from the shop I bought it from. Empty.

So I went into town and purchased another. I hate wasting €11; hey I’m a pensioner!

Carol was sleeping, so I left a note.

“Gone to the super U for

a spanner

Milk and bread

Lettuce

Petrol”

When I got back I sorted the gas out and put the kettle on.

Thursday 7^th November

We go into Céret to sign the offer to purchase Les Mimosa, in Villelongue dels Monts. James Edgecombe is expecting us at 0930, and we are a few minutes late, on account of always forgetting something after we have triple locked the van, and having to do it twice. We have our passports and will need our marriage certificate in due course. In France a couple usually buy “en tontine”, which ensure the surviving spouse inherits the other half of the house without paying inheritance tax, which would fall to the children to pay on death of the remaining spouse. One has to be married for this clause to be applicable.

The day is just gorgeous; the morning light on the mountains, and on the vines below seems to set everything in an optimistic mood. The ride into Céret is familiar now, and very pleasing. James offers us coffee and small talk while we settle in for completion of various forms. He has to be away to collect his mother from Montpelier airport at 1030, and we are done by then.

This leave us a little time to walk around Céret and see what banks there are in town, and then find a jeweler, and watch shop. I lost a pin from my watch strap, and my spare watch is not keeping to time, so I need a new battery and a new retaining pin. The man in the shop explains that he can fix the watches, but after taking the back of a watch, it is no longer guaranteed to 50 metres below water. I don’t take it below 5m; actually I don’t swim in any watch ever, so I am not bothered. “Pas de probleme”. €8 for the battery and pin and we are sorted.

In the afternoon we ride around Argeles and the next resort, St Cyprien, which has a waterpark, and a lagoon with boats. Lying on the beach in the sun, we watch various boats sailing just offshore, and go home for an early supper.

Did I tell you there is a commando training centre in Collioure; plenty of marines doing boat training every week.

Friday 8^th November

I need to exchange my French bottle of propane. Carol is not so sure about my plan, which is to take the empty on the bike and bring back a full one. It just seems easier than moving the van. This would require packing everything away, including the bike, and parking at the petrol and gas station. I have plenty of tie downs and bungees, and find a way of securing the used gas cylinder behind me, and take the ride into Port Vendre nice and slow. The Super U supermarket has a petrol and gas station, and I’ve seen the racks of various types of gas. I might just get a “cube” of butane to supplement what we have, but this will need to be kept from freezing temperatures.

Anyhow, the supermarket happily take my empty, and after paying €36 give me a key which will unlock one 13kg cylinder of propane. She explains that I should only take a cylinder standing on its base and not upside down, as these ones are empty. She has to tell me about three times, and mime standing upright and upside down for me to understand what she is talking about. I don’t have the French grammar for this conversation. But “like this”- Comme çi, and “like that” - comme ça get you by. Carol is astounded that I have managed all this on the bike. I am astounded that I managed it all in French.

Since I have done the “boy jobs”, she sets about what she considers to be “girl jobs” and tidies the van, and sweeps up. And sorts out dirty laundry.

Later we go into Argeles to do our laundry. We have the place to ourselves, and go down to the beach to watch the sea rather than the washing for half an hour. We then explore up the coast to St Cyprien. This town has a large seaside tourist culture. There is crazy golf, a waterslide park, a marina with power boats, and several hotels. The hotel we go into is closed for the winter, and there are few people about. St Cyprien also has a regular golf course.

In the evening we go into Port Vendre to see the enormous multi-million pound yacht in the harbour. And a lateen-mast old fashioned boat. 

Port Vendre in the evening sun is lovely

There are a few people fishing, and we go over to hut selling the day’s catch right on the harbour. The fish is cheaper than in the shops, and we buy a couple of whiting, a decent size, for €5.

Getting home, it is my job to gut and fillet the fish, while Carol prepares vegetables. The fish are delicious.

Saturday 9^th November.

We have a slow and lazy start to the day, and it feels colder this morning, and it registers 16’ until after I put the heating on for 20 minutes, and it is back to 19’.

At 9am there are already a few people playing tennis, and a few camping car characters chatting.

We chat to a couple of French folk (in English) who want to know all about camping in Scotland and Ireland. We have no more idea than they have really.