** 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 

"" changing rooms

 how's the decorating going?

lots have asked

slowly is the answer

the stripped walls have been sanded

but are still incredibly lumpy and bumpy

you can't buy lining paper in France

stuck in the 80's when it comes to

all things interior design

yep anaglypta and something called

toile de verre are the wallpaper choices

we have been told to use this

stuff on our walls to cover the cracks

meanwhile the ceiling has been painted

after we borrowed a tower to reach it!

12ft is a long way up

we've used up this massive tin of paint already

paint here is expensive and not very good

you can buy Dulux but at a premium

so it's a challenge indeed

✦✧ 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

:: history

there isn't much I know about this house

despite it's age

La Famille Jammy

lived here for many generations until

fairly recently

a little story I was told

when GrandPere Jammy died

they held a wake in the dining room

all the family gathered in the room

to say goodbye

then they heard one of the hall stairs creak

since then it is called "Grandpere's stair"

}}{{ 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!