Pierrefeu

Spring is here

2011-04-02T14:46:52Z

At long last, the sun has come out, the sky is azure blue and cloudless and it is beginning to feel as if the damp, chilly winter is behind us.

I'm in PF for a few days before heading along to Cannes to work at Mip TV for the week. But on a day like today, it will be very hard to leave the village for the bustling metropolis along the coast, packed as it will be with luvvies and endless meetings in windowless rooms. Not to mention the infamous bunker in 'Le Palais'.

It's been one of these days when I've felt like a real 'Pierrefeucaine'. I did my shopping in the market, saw people I knew and took advice on which carrots and green beans to buy. Simone was particularly solicitous that I should get my fruit and veggies from the right stall - a local chap (well, 'un Hyerois') - and not someone who imports vegetables from other countries. How we laughed at the idea of strawberries from Belgium, which were on display at the non-local stand.

Then went down to wonderfully-named 'Simply' to get some chicken for my stew and met Corinne from the Tourist Office, who regaled me with her poor experiences at Disneyland Paris (oops) and filled me in on various folk and their medical conditions.

Other bits of news from the village:

- There is now a pawnshop next to Dany's bar. Or rather somewhere that buys gold. Including teeth. Suzie wonders if he has a small room in the back for extractions.

- The former Petit Casino next to the florists is about to become a medical lab. They're midway through renovating it and all there is so far is, incongruously, a dentist's chair (linked to news item one, perhaps?) and a counter. I was hoping for something a little more exciting but the ever health-conscious Pierrefeucains are thrilled at the idea of speedier diagnoses from the village doctor.

- Talking of supermarkets, the Vival next to Dany's (which is patently where it all happens in Pierrefeu) has been sold and will re-open as another small supermarche. It's run by Simone's grandson. Another one works chez Dany and yet another owns the Blue Dream bar. The Milesi mafia is alive and well.

- The red boulangerie has new owners . And have done it up so it's all faux exposed brickwork to simulate a 19th century bakers, I suppose. The bread's good and I can vouch for their croissants. You still can't beat the Boulangerie du Mairie for tarts, though.

So my casserole got cooked (despite having to borrow garlic from Simone) and going without flour, following the shelf cull after Mr Mouse's visit last year. I'm about to wash and prepare some (non-Belgian) strawberries and rasps for supper. Then I think I shall retire to the terrasse with my book for the last of the sun, and in anticipation of a wee apero there with the girls later.

Vive le printemps!

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Making a list and checking it twice

2010-05-29T14:15:03Z

So, a week today I'm off to Pierrefeu for a long-awaited break. And for a fortnight too!

Beyond the standard suitcase-full of pluggery (who knew so many gadgets needed charged?), there are requests trickling in for UK treats for ex-Pats in PF. Such as:

- Jelly for Suzie who seems to have a yen to make some kind of traffic light confection, and has only got red.

- Snacks and light reading for Lu, who's had pleurisy. Thinking twiglets, wine gums and Grazia, Hello etc etc

- Maybe a little dress or something girly for little Arielle. Note to self - how big is she now? Last time I looked she was about two.

And I suppose I'll have to take some running gear for early morning (pre-heat!) runs down in the vines so that I'm semi-ready for the Race for Life at the end of June.

On a dreich, damp Bank Holiday Saturday, I'm counting the days...

A whole new maison

2010-05-15T11:32:58Z

Having been denied my Spring long weekend in Pierrefeu because of the pesky ash cloud, I wallowed in some old pictures from last year and found a few to show the work on the facade. So here's a wee look at the before, during and after on the front of my little 'maison de village'.

More news from PF

2010-02-26T20:38:30Z

With the new version of Vivre a Pierrefeu ready to download, here are the headlines from this quarter's gripping edition:

- A recipe for tasty - and seasonally - Pets de Nonnes - or Nun's Farts (seriously!)

- Details of new businesses opening in the village, including no fewer than two manicurists

- News of a competition of Pierrefeu photos, being run by the tourist board. If you're passing through over the Summer, apply here. Who knows? By the time you click on this link, I might even have done the long-overdue English translation of the site...

- Photos of various festive events, including the best-decorated house and Santa Claus visiting the village

- Quite useful information about the local gendarmerie's initiative 'Operation Peaceful Holidays' where you can register when you're away and they'll keep an eye on your house. Possibly one for folk like me

Bring on the bypass!

2009-04-19T07:17:12Z

Sunshine after the rain
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket

This is the view from my bedroom window in Pierrefeu. It'd be lovely to sleep with the windows open like this when it's very hot, but I can't. Why? Because from about 5am onwards, huge big lorries start rumbling through the village on the road below. Quite often they are bin lorries from Toulon and round about, heading to the dump on the Collobrieres road. And they are massive, smelly and dirty...

When I first bought my house in 2002, I asked why the village put up with this. Michelle, in the Bar Central, called it 'la honte de Pierrefeu' (Pierrefeu's shame) and hinted that the Mairie actually benefitted financially in some way for letting the village be a main artery for juggernauts. Others just shrugged, and watched as yet another huge trunker had to squeeze past a school bus or a tractor-trailer pulling a load of vines.

But there may be good news for Pierrefeu. Last week, an open meeting was held to lay out plans for a detour which will lessen traffic through the village - lorries and cars.

Var Matin's report outlined the options and some of the comments from locals - especially those who live in the area where it's likely to be built, down in the valley. However, when you see the numbers of vehicles we're talking about - 20,000 lorries a year and 6000 plus cars a day - it's hard to see where there can be valid objections.

It won't be cheap at 14 million euros. But I'm willing to start a small fund now, if it helps...

TV - Pierrefeu style

2008-05-21T19:29:00Z

Local TV has hit Pierrefeu. And I don't mean to be rude but I think the presenter, her cameraman and director could do with a few basic lessons...

Watch out for these classics in the Fete du Terroir film:

- Madame Poncho is in virtually every shot...

- The kitchen scenes with the cooks and their chums smoking over the bubbling pots and pans

- The lazy re-use of some shots by simply putting them in again - in rewind. There's actually a child running backwards in one scene.

- Monsieur le Maire everywhere and a guest-presenting slot by M Benentendi, who's the councillor responsible for these events

- The fascinating vegetable-carving gentleman

- Repeated appearances of sundry barnyard animals

Joking aside, it's lovely to see Pierrefeu on film and I even spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd. It does make me think I've missed a relocation opportunity, though, when I realise that the Var TV mob are pocketing 500 euros a pop for these wee videos. And they've covered Le Luc, Carnoules and many other places across the valley.

Oh, and if you want to see what a Christmas town hall meeting looks like when it's given Presidential Debate status, check this out. Lovely scenes of a festive Pierrefeu by night.

Some time later...

2008-04-21T19:15:38Z

Some time later...
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket

...I was on the beach at St Clair. Same day, mind. Apart from a bit of a breeze, who knew there had been a monsoon first thing that morning?

Lunch on the beach, watching children paddling, a snooze in the sun afterwards with a podcast of the Now Show.

And home tomorrow.

Curses.

Pierrefeu thunderclap

2008-04-21T19:06:17Z

Pierrefeu thunderclap
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket

Woke at 5 this morning to the sound of yet more pouring rain. So had to do the tour of the house to make sure all was secure. Switched on the radio but the monsoon continued. An hour later, thunder and lightning kicked in. I went up to the terrace to catch this thunderclap. Check out the next entry, though, to see how the day improved...

(Sorry - not yet worked out how to post two videos in one entry. Otherwise, you'd have got the before and after in one.)

New Hotel Univers website

2008-04-21T07:11:19Z

I've blogged before about the village's only hotel and their attempts at English translation.

Now L'Univers has created its own website and their English text is following previous form...

I think they've taken it a bit far in translating place names (Londe Moors = La Londe des Maures. Hyeres Palm-Trees = Hyeres les Palmiers) but have followed suit for some of the local vineyards. A shiny two euro piece for the first person to work out what on earth they mean by 'Would Square'.

Time for Mass

2008-04-20T17:09:47Z

Time for Mass
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket

The church in PF is about hundred yards downhill from my house. It's cool, smells of floor polish and candles and has a wonderful war memorial to the fallen young men of Pierrefeu from 1914-18 in the local language, Provencal.

These bells sound every day, summoning the diminishing faithful to Mass and sometimes for funerals. And on hot, sleepless nights I often count the chimes of church clock as the hours pass. Earlier on today, a friend of mine showed me an appartment for sale right opposite the church, with a terrace looking right onto it. That might be a little too close...

The Smoking Doctor

2008-04-19T08:22:00Z

After a week of facial pain and no improvement, I decided to go and see Dr Lienard here in Pierrefeu. The dentist had said that he'd thought maybe my sinuses were inflamed so, as you can't get anything over the counter here, I trundled along to the Doc's to wait in line with the halt and the lame.

You don't make appointments in France so it's basically first-come, first served. So I joined a small room-full of folk, all reading three year-old magazines, whispering conversations about last night's torrential rain and greeting each newcomer with a 'Bonjour, madame/monsieur'. A woman came in with two toddlers and, remarkably, managed to keep them both amused and in line simply by whispering at them.

Soon it was my turn. Now, I've seen Dr Lienard before when my ears got a bit bunged up after some ill-advised snorkling at St Clair. I remember her as a lady of a certain age, in a jaunty red suit with a packet of ciggies on her desk but assumed that, with the new laws about smoking in France, this would be a thing of the past.

Nothing of the sort. I start my tale of woe, desperately trying to remember the french for jaw, x-ray and pain, and the phone rings. In fact it rings several times. Not only does she take the calls (fair dos - there were probably folk much worse off than me) but during the second one, she reaches for her pack of Lucky Strikes, gets her Bic out and lights up - all one-handed. Inhaling deeply, she informs Monsieur So-and-So that she'll call him after her consultation. He carries on talking and she cuts him off, rolling her eyes at me. I nod sympathetically, leaning back to avoid the cloud of smoke.

Actually, she was very nice. She did far more than the English Doc in London had done - including checking me for spots, oddly - and commenting on the British propensity for sticking cotton buds in their ears. How we laughed.

Twenty two euros later and I had a lengthy, scrawled prescription and a note to get me a sinus x-ray in Cuers. (Well, if it keeps raining, what else will I have to do?)

Oh, and a faint whiff of cigarette smoke, clinging to my clothes.

Rainy evening in Pierrefeu

2008-04-18T20:10:27Z

Rainy evening in Pierrefeu
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket

This time last year I was on the beach at St Clair with Linda R and Linda M. Now, it's monsoon time in PF. Not that the vines don't need it, but it does prompt me to inspect the house and its every nook and cranny every ten minutes. So far so good...

Not sure whether or not this is good news for the sailing teams from all over the world who have amassed at Hyeres this week, for the French Olympic Sailing week. They were all congregating at the port yesterday - young and bronzed to a man/woman. And scarfing down food at the Tocco as if their lives depended on it. I popped in there straight from the airport, as is traditional. What was less traditional was my choice of Orangina instead of the pink stuff. Dashed antibiotics.

Once I got up to Pierrefeu, I parked at the top and started trundling through the village with my suitcase. Got a cheery welcome from an elderly gentleman who pointed out that he'd not seen me for ages and then joshed that he'd not slept or eaten for missing me. It's amazing how much you can enjoy a bit of light flirtation with a seventy year-old.

House looked great. And before long I was back in peasant mode, with the Evil One lit, the Powerbook playing back-to-back Will and Grace and a pizza in the oven. (Actually, I don't think peasants a century ago had the last two things.) It's good to be home..

Wine time

2008-04-06T20:18:16Z

Despite today's snow in London, the milder weather last week made me think it was getting time to start filling the fridge with rosÃ© again. Surfing about, though, I spotted that Pierrefeu's wines are beginning to permeate the web a bit.

The local winegrowers have launched their own website which, despite its awful translation - apparently 'those wines have a preserved gustative quality, typical of a unique provenÃ§al land' - is a pretty useful guide to the very drinkable rosÃ©s of the area.

And my friend Corinne from the tourist office also has a starring role in this site, which features the Maison du Vin next door to where she works. A good way to get a wee free taste of the great wines of Pierrefeu and, as my brother has clocked, cheaper than paying a mighty one euro for a glass of the pink stuff in our local bar. Skinflint...

Memories

2008-04-05T20:42:53Z

It's five years this month that we took extended, long service leave and went out to Pierrefeu to paint, build Ikea furniture and get to know the area. The weather was just getting warmer so the Evil Stove wasn't pressed into service too often. And, as you can see, much of the Ikea furniture work was done outside. Actually, that's about all I did. T did most of the hard graft with the Allen key while we both donned overalls and painted the house from top to bottom.

It was a wonderful three or so weeks and it was over that time that the house became a home. Albeit a long distance one.

A whole new street

2008-02-08T09:31:45Z

The local council have been in my street over the past few weeks. No more odd bumps, cracks and loose stone work in Rue de la Chapelle. Oh, no. Check out the new look.

Of course, I'm already worrying about drainage and moss. But it does look a lot smarter...