julian's studio-to-be

An exciting day at les Cougieux. It's minus four degrees. Ouch! Long walks became very short and grumpy as the wind bit into our faces. Thierry came to measure up and do sums and here Julian is holding the tape to the future studio..! Several single mothers rang up meanwhile about accomodation chez nous in Crillon and tomorrow morning one who is a cellist from Mazan is coming to have a look. I secretly hope she will like it and can carry on the tradition of solo Bach pouring out of our windows, provoking Monsieur Giraud opposite to ask if we can "baisser la musique" - as if there were a knob on the fingerboard we could turn to do so. (Many an afternoon in Crillon I have wished there were a knob on his voice-box!).
The afternoon was spent, then, at Crillon. For me it consisted of wiping a thousand gourmet dinners off the sides of the crap fridge and washing machine. Julian decided (poor sod) that painting two new little jewels - an oyster shell and two chilli peppers - for his Duane Keiser-eat-yer-heart-out website was preferable to ruining his babysoft skin with Cif cream cleanser. (Who has a performance with the Musiciens du Louvre tomorrow?). Anyway, job done at last! (Oooh that ancient cheese still waiting in the fridge from Adam Glover's first still life essai did rightly pong. Sadly the picture remains unfinished because we bought a house just before the last apple could be perfected and Julian became a plumber and electrician for the following six months.)
On the way home the Ventoux was shrouded in a pink frilly snow cloud and the shepherd brought his various horned- herd through the streets of Bedoin to their February home.
We are spending a last evening with last night's leftovers (minus choc cake, dam!)and Manon and Oscar; we are going to miss them terribly. Luckily Nadine and Manuel, who call them 'Princesse' and 'Grisonier'are very huggy and they will probably be fattened on foie gras and spoiled to bits. Julian and I will have to channel all our lovey dovey towards each other instead this week. A good thing!