Yesterday was my birthday, so Julie and I planned a Girls’ Day Out. One of my students had raved about an amazing modern art exhibition in five locations in and around Condom so that was the wet weather option (so I thought), with a trip to some pretty villages, including Larressingle (little Carcassonne) for the dry.

It was grey, but the forecast was good; I’m slowly learning not to trust forecasters. The first restaurant we tried for lunch was full, the second was a creperie and when we tried to order the only thing on the menu I could eat, we were told that they only serve that in July and August, but that the crepes contained neither milk nor wheat flour, or I could have pasta……. we didn’t eat there either. But third time lucky; we did find a lovely restaurant in Condom and the rain was easing as we left.

So my “indoor option” – we followed little red signs along tiny, single-track roads that wound round parts of the Gers neither of us had seen before, till we found a building with a big art exhibition banner on it. We parked up, but could find neither door nor window in the building, so I went down the track to ask some workmen if they knew where the exhibition was. “What, in those sandals?” was the incredulous reply, “It’s over there, under that gazebo, but the track gets muddier, then it’s long grass. You’re going to get very wet!” I reported back to Julie; it was quite a small gazebo anyway, perhaps we’d give this one a miss and go on to the next.

Miles and miles of tiny, winding roads later we saw a ruin on the top of a hill; this must be what we’re looking for, and what a lovely setting for art; so we parked, the only car in a huge swathe of grassland, cleared specially for the event. As we approached the ruin, we facetiously wondered aloud if the red ribbons strung from the opening in the wall were the piece of art – Oh……..yes, they were! This information, from the erudite lady on the door (well, door-hole) reduced us to two giggling schoolgirls and left us with the impression that maybe we’re getting a bit old for this modern art lark. The explanation that the ribbons had been attached to arrows and fired from bows at the openings cut no ice at all….. it was beyond us! Should we go to see what else was on offer? No, tea and cake sounded a lot more appealing.

I had rehearsal in the evening for a gig we’re doing next Friday; French music – not at all what we usually play, and only one tune I recognised in the whole lot; a French version of “Camptown Races”. We had a quick run through each of about 40 songs; I jotted down the chords to each one as Alain played them; slick it won’t be, but should be fun as most French people know them and will be drunkenly singing along anyway.

Nick’s home tonight; I hope he’ll be impressed that I’ve finished the tiling in the arrière cuisine while he’s been away.