Another day another castle...

There was not a great deal we could do in the house with the builders in so as it was another sunny day we took a trip a bit further afield to see another castle!  Yes, life is hard. This time we went to Puilaurens castle, which is actually in the next department (Aude) but still only about 40 mins away.  I now take for granted empty roads, dappled sunshine through the trees and a stunning backdrop of hills and mountains.  It's such a change from my usual daily grind as I drive to work, through metropolitan Perth, stop starting at lights, and looking at the back of a 'ute' or bus. The views from the castle are not as spectacular as nearby Queribus or Peyrepertuse (which we visited a few years ago) but the amount of castle still remaining more than makes up for it.  For instance the cistern is still intact, as are some vaulted ceilings.

Afterwards we drove back but stopped again at Puivert (also in the Aude) at the Brasserie du Quercorb as I had previously enjoyed one of their tasty beers at Le Rendevous restaurant in Leran. I understand the brewery is run by an English couple who took over an old garage and converted it into a brewery.   They have a good range of beers I think starting at 3.8% and you can get it on tap there for €2.50 for a middy (half pint), which is comparable in price to the mass produced pression available in most bars.

 I think we missed rush hour!

The builders have been in!

Work has been getting done on the house....at last!  We had to move into the nearby Village Vacances for a few weeks to allow the builders to take over and work inside the house. We had no real concept of what levelling the downstairs floor and putting in a new ceiling upstairs actually meant.  It turns out quite a lot. On the first day we popped in to see how things were progressing. Well, our builders had taken over our place with an industrial cement mixer, a big truck,  and lots of bags of cement with what looked like polystyrene balls mixed in.

The downstairs floor being levelled and raised

I understand that in the normal process of laying parquet floor, when there is a slope they put in a layer of something called chape liquide to make the floor level before laying down the sous-couche (underlay). However, in our case, due to the more severe slope they had to put in a substantial amount of concrete instead!  It's probably a good job I didn't show them the top floor bathroom. Up there when you are sat on the toilet you are in the same position as a downhill skier!  Anyway the slope was a bit more than we thought and the floor is now 8 cm higher than before! Ah well c'est la vie.

Meanwhile the ceiling in our main bedroom was also being levelled. Before, it was simply floorboards, hence bits of sunlight and lots of dust coming through. Shame though to lose the beams.

The next step was to level it (we probably lost another 8cm in height there too!):

and finally put insulation in before creating the new ceiling:

We are also now very close to getting the floor finished. Unfortunately, although we over-ordered on the parquet we are missing a measly 3 cm wide strip - so close yet so far! - hence the job is not quite done.  However, we have a shed load of the accompanying skirting board left over so I suppose that evens it out!

We had hoped to get the wood burner installed as well but that's not now going to be fitted until we have gone back to Oz. Yup the dance floor is ready but no band arrived to play!  Plus those of you with a keen eye may have noticed that the kitchen sink is now more suited to hobbits as levelling (and raising) the floor has probably made it about 7cm lower than before!  Ah well, another job for another day!

So far during our adventure, downstairs has gone from this ...

... to this

Dubious Architecture

We were surprised to learn that there is an old abandoned thermal spa in La Bastide sur l'Hers. We were reliably informed that the water used to arrive here in three springs all of different temperatures.

Abandoned thermal spa

We were even more surprised by it's rather phallic architecture. Apparently this is a fountain.
Really....what was it modelled on, Casanova!?  Wonder what it looks like with water spurting out?! 

Furry Friends

One thing that has changed since we were in La Bastide sur l'Hers last year is the number of cats around. Last year, we didn't notice any in the village. This year, however, we've seen several including two (brother and sister we think)  that have taken over our square as their territory. When we moved in, they didn't waste any time coming over to say bonjour (I'm sure they weren't just after food!). Not knowing if they were owned by someone or feral, and not wanting them to starve, we (or rather, Richard started it!) began feeding them a little bit, not just any old cat food, but delicacies like smoked salmon because that was the only cat-friendly food we had! Since then, needless to say, things have escalated. The kitties now pass by on a regular basis - at least twice daily - for a feed and they often hang out on our window sill. They rub up against our legs when we're out in the street, and they often try and get into the house if we leave a window or door open. We have found out that for the time being, they live opposite us with a young lady who has been looking after them since they were abandoned and until she can find them a new home. Happily this means that they are probably not starving even though they often eat like they are. In fact we've noticed that they gobble down the fancy titbits much faster than the dry cat food that we now also feed them. Funny that!

Ahhh.. irresistible. This one we have christened 'fat guts' as the food doesn't touch his sides!

This is 'dumb-ass'. Although our assessment of her intelligence may have been a little hasty.

Feeding time..fat guts hogging the bowl.

Back to Montségur

We already blogged about visiting Montségur village and castle (le château de Montségur) in winter but this time we were here in summer. We thought we would escape the heat - it was only supposed to be 26 degrees up the mountain - but it turned out to be scorching. We were fortunate to get a reasonably early start for the steep climb up to the castle and were not at all envious of those starting their ascent in the midday sun as we were coming down. At least it was easier to get around this time with no snow or ice up at the castle or in the village. The scenery as before, was spectacular.

The château de Montségur perched on its 'pog'

Memorial to the Cathar heretics burnt alive at the stake here in 1244

It's a steep climb up to the castle

The castle ruins

Great views from the castle

A panorama of the surrounding countryside

After all that climbing, an organic light lunch was on the menu at Le Bitropot café in Montségur village

Foraging

One of our small daily joys is stuffing our faces with delicious fruit for breakfast - that's alongside the also delicious, but less healthy, croissants and coffee! My particular favourites are the melons and nectarines, and while I'm not usually a great fan of plums, I do enjoy a reine claude (a green gage) and the tiny mirabelles plums available over here. A lovely discovery during our local walks around La Bastide sur l'Hers, has been to not only come across plum trees with branches weighed down by ripe fruit, but to be able to harvest them as well. As a local lady explained the first time we stopped to harvest fruit, they are 'communal' plum trees. Since learning this, we have not hesitated to help ourselves if we see others doing the same. There is something really satisfying and especially tasty about eating a fruit straight off the tree!

Where to start?

A juicy harvest

Endless Summer

Nearly four weeks in France, and we've rarely had a day below 30 degrees. With the public swimming pool closed in La Bastide sur l'Hers since the end of August (the long summer school holiday is over in France), it's become harder to cope with the endless heat. We have continued to do a little decorating on most days but today, we gave in to the unusually hot September temperatures, and headed to Lodève to take refuge in Michelle's parents' swimming pool! Generally, we have dealt with the heat by doing stuff in the mornings before it gets too hot, then waiting until late afternoon or early evening to do anything active again. La Bastide sur l'Hers is quite close to a lake called Montbel, but on a recent excursion, we found another lake near a small village called Puivert. Overlooked by a mostly 14th century castle (the Château de Puivert), this is a very scenic spot for a cool dip. The castle is well worth a visit too.

Lac du Puivert with Château de Puivert in the background

Panorama of Lac du Puivert

Inside the Château de Puivert

View from the Château de Puivert