We've been in Céret five full days now. There's something very special about where we are, here in the middle of town. It's so nice waking up in the morning to the smell of the bread being taken out of the oven opposite, the sound of the doves, sparrows and swifts, the cathedral bells, and a little later on the sound of people talking French and going about their daily activities. It is so different to Nelson and living in the 'burbs.
It's taken a few days to unwind from the 90th party and all the travel, but by Friday I felt thoroughly relaxed. We've been trying to work out why life here seems so much more relaxing than back in NZ, and we can't really pin it down to any one factor. The apartment is certainly easy. There is so little to look after and tidy, and nothing is more than a few steps away. Things simply take less time, not just inside, but in the town too. We can collect or daily fresh bread from any of 4 bakers all inside 2 minutes' walk. Groceries are only a few minutes' walk. Our café is a minute away. One of the best things is the lack of an agenda - no Monday, Wednesday, Friday gym, no appointments or meetings or deadlines. Work is easier in some ways too, as at home I often have to work evenings when people are off the systems, but here I can do updates during the daytime.
We are again enjoying the quality of the food and drink. Summer has been very slow to arrive, so this year's cherry festival which we missed by a fortnight was notable for the lack of ripe cherries. We didn't miss out on their short season as we thought we might. However there are plenty of apricots, peaches and strawberries available. The cheeses are of course superb. We tend to keep three different varieties in the fridge, at the moment Roquefort, chevre and camembert, to go on our bread of the day. The breads are interesting. Each baker bakes in a slightly different way with different flavours, and both the degree of the cooking and the flavours change a little from day to day. Choosing where to go and which particular size, shape and flavour of loaf is our major daily decision. We've not eaten many pastries yet - they are just too tempting, but of course there has to be the odd exception, such as an amourette. We were told yesterday that the closest baker makes town's best croissants, but he doesn't like actually selling them. Apparently you are best to ask for bread, and then add the croissants on afterwards!
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| An amourette |
The town is in good shape. There are renovations all over the place, and a changeover of some shops. Two new restaurants have opened, with a third on the way. It all gives the impression that Céret is healthy.
We haven't met our 9-month tenants yet as they are away for a week in Provence. However they left the apartment in very good condition, better even than we had hoped. I had imagined it might have got a bit damp over winter, but there is not the slightest sign of mustiness, even in the closed-up storeroom. I've spent an hour or so on maintenance, fixing loose handles and the like, but it was remarkably little considering it's been 9 months since we left. Most pleasing.
Regarding the use of our roofspace, we've had some good news. Speaking to our builder (and fellow member of the body corporate) he told me that the next door attic to ours has recently had a roof terrace installed. That bodes well for our chances with the council. We'll spend some time this weekend looking at our options for using the space.
Yet again we have internet connection issues, but I have gone online and ordered a repeater which should lift our connection speed from barely OK to excellent. I've been able to work but the slow pace has been very frustrating. I had similar issues last year, and had hoped that all would be well this time, but the signal strength is down. All going well, we should end up better off than before, but we do miss having good, fast broadband. Paying for that here for all year doesn't make good sense.
