News from Le Sud-Ouest

It's been a relatively quiet week for me.  The big news is that winter is, if not finally here,  coming down the lane.  Today's forecast in the paper had a little snowflake just to the north of Carcassonne, in the Black Mountains.  The temperatures are above freezing here, but my poor face would have begged to differ during this morning's market outing.  The wind makes it feel much colder than the thermometer indicates.  I was happy to get back to my, if not toasty, at least warm apartment. 

This morning's marketing

It's a good day to make a pot of soup and I am going to bake another pumpkin cake.  I should go down to the church and practice tomorrow's music for an hour or so, but to tell the ttruth, I feel like staying in.  I have done two practice sessions this week, and I seem to recall some, saying about flogging a dead horse that seems to apply here.

The little pumpkin-- to be hacked, peeled and put in the cake

News in the paper the last few days--the avian flu has been hard to get under control, and yesterday's headlines wondered if we are heading toward a Sud-Ouest without ducks....they are talking about slaughtering the flocks to arrest the disease.  It would be a pity, but it may have to be done.

This morning's paper's front page headlines are about "Wayward Cows."  Apparently, just like on Carpenterville Road in Brookings, there are some livestock ranchers here who let their cows run free.  The mayors of the hamlets affected are up in arms.  Should be interesting.

Fennel, a favorite of mine

Oh yes, next weekend is the Festival of Saint Vincent, the patron saint of vignerons--the wine growers.  And St. Vincent's has started another round of desperately needed repairs and restoration, so maybe the church service will be a little warmer and less leaky.

True, it's not Paris.  But for me, Carca is like Goldilocks'  "just right."  It's urban enough to have something going on almost all the time, and yet rural enough that livestock can still make the news.