Capital of the Conflent

Prades, capital of the Conflent region, nestling in the foothills of Mount Canigou is an important centre where the plains meet the mountains.

Prades was first mentioned in historical documents in 843 by its latin name Prata Virent meaning “green fields”. Charles le Chauve gave the town as a gift to Sunifred Count of Urgell.

Situated at the confluent of several rivers and the base of the Canigou mountain Prades enjoys a micro-climate characterised by many hours of sunshine. In Spring it is a delight to contemplate the landscape where the snow on the Canigou blends with the colour of the peach blossom.

It was this setting that inspired Pablo Casals to choose Prades as his second homeland. This famous composer and musician is honoured every summer during the renowned Pablo Casals Festival of Chamber Music.

Other major events such as the Journées Romanes (romanesque days) Ciné-Rencontres, (cinema festival) and Université Catalane d’Eté (catalan summer university) punctuate the summer months.

All year the towns eclectic and active associations ( ciné club, samedis musicaux, and a host of sports clubs) provide a variety of entertainment, sporting events, traditional fêtes, shows, and meetings. Prades also boasts an exceptional heritage with St Peter’s Church and its Treasure House. The church has the largest baroque altar piece in the whole of France.
Admire the Maison Jacomet, a beautiful 15th century Tudor style building found in the main square which is on the national register of historic buildings, and visit the two jewellers who will help you discover the ancient craft of making catalan jewellery by encasing garnet stones in gold.

Prades has all the shops and services you will need for your holiday. The Tuesday morning market is well known throughout the region and provides a wide variety of items, such as fruit, vegetables, clothing, household goods, and holiday mementos. The Farmers market is held on Saturday mornings in the main square, providing the shopper with local produce. Wander through the typical streets and discover the decorated facades of the houses, the artistic wrought iron work and balconies, the door surrounds made of local pink marble, the oratories, the fountains and the communal wash house.

Accommodation in Prades

1^st November in Prades Square Bio Foire and guided local walk.

Halloween in Roussillon

Some of the earliest Halloween traditions started in Europe, and indeed Halloween was born in nearby U.K., yet it was seen as primarily an American holiday with little or no fanfare with the French until recently. Now, Halloween is seeing a resurgence in popularity.

This renewed passion for all things pumpkin is quite recent. Just a few years ago, mention of Halloween was quite rare.

Now, chocolateries prepare delicate creations for the event. Children dress up, although you don't see nearly the vast diversity of costumes there that you see in America (ghosts and vampires are quite common).

Teens swarm McDonald's, apparently the mecca of all things Halloween (i.e. American). Disneyland Paris also has a Halloween celebration for visitors.

What has been taken seriously and has strong roots in French tradition is All Saint's Day, or November 1, or (to Americans) the Day We Feel Sick From All That Candy We Devoured On Halloween.

On All Saint's Day, which dates back at least to the seventh century, the French honor the dead. It is a wonderful day to visit cemeteries, where tombs are lavishly decorated with flowers and personal items.

If you plan to visit, your best bets for finding Halloween events are visits to big cities like Paris, Nice and Perpignan. Also keep in mind that November 1 is a major national holiday, and many spots will be closed in its honor.

There are also some Major Halloween and All Saint's Day events planned:

• Ok, so this is a little early for Halloween, but what could be more trick-or-treat-esque than the annual Witch Festival (Fête des Sorcières) in Chalindrey on October 29 and 30.
• Disneyland Paris puts on a major Halloween party, with Main Street USA turning into Spooky Street.
• Chateau De La Roche Guyon, about 50 minutes outside Paris, where visitors can get spooked and scared in a chateau dating back to the seventh century. For more information, call 033 01 34 79 74 42 or send e-mail to chateaularocheguyon@yahoo.fr.
• Halloween in Limoges, where this village attracts 30,000 to 50,000 people to its October 31 annual street shows, story telling and events organised by associations, town centre merchants, and the city of Limoges. For more information, call 033 05 55 34 46 87 or send e-mail to info@tourismelimoges.com.

This can also be a lovely time to visit France. While Paris can be blustery and rainy, much of the country has autumn leaves to gaze upon and a pleasant climate, especially the Roussillon area, where the temperature still frequently reaches 25 degs.

Halloween Roussillon style:

Train d'Halloween

Halloween wine

Halloween for the Kids

Halloween in Thuir

Places to Stay

Yuk, Beziers style

Winter's here!

Winter has arrived! Well not according to the official French Calendar, apparently winter officially starts 21 December.

Anyway how delightful it was to wake up this morning, look out of the window to be greeted by the first dusting of snow atop Mount Canigou. So will this year be another fantastic year for skiing?

I thought I would have a sneak preview of the webcams, streaming live video from the ski resort of Les Angles.

If the snow is as good as last year, then the resorts in the Pyrenees Orientales will yet again be a fantastic location for a skiing holiday....or if you live here, the occasional day out. Can't wait

If you haven't experienced skiing in the PO then here is a list of ski resorts with there history and information.

If none of these whets your appetite, then you can always pop over the border to Espania where there is a further selection of slopes.

Collioure

any visit to the Roussillon would not be complete without a visit to Collioure.

Collioure has always been a coveted place because of its opening to the Mediterranean Sea and its two bays which are easily defended. Many Phocaean, Roman, and Greek sailors traveled to Collioure and left behind a very rich archaeological heritage. In 673, Collioure was occupied by Wamba, King of the Visigoths. He named the place "CAUCOLIBERIS" (Port of Elne) which confirmed its importance as a trading port.

From 981 on, the counts of Roussillon and the kings of Majorca began to develop Collioure and build a fortress which was used as the summer residence for the kings of Majorca from 1276 to 1344.
Throughout the entire 13 th century, many crusaders passed through Collioure, e.g. the knights of the Templar order (hence the famous legend of the treasure of the Templars) in 1207, the Cistercians in 1242, and the Dominicans in 1280.Later, the discovery of America in the 15 th century led to the progressive decline of the port of Collioure.

From 1462 to 1493, Collioure was under French occupation during the reign of Louis XI. In 1642, after the Catalans had freed themselves from Spanish supremacy, Collioure fell again into French hands. During that period, Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707), a French officer who built fortresses under Louis XIV, altered the fortifications giving Collioure its current appearance. Through the Pyrenean Peace Treaty of 1659, the Roussillon definitively fell to the French crown.

Read More......

This is one of the great destinations along the French Mediterranean. I have never found such a striking port, anywhere else and it has managed to a greater degree to retain the classical views, with little evidence of large built up hotels etc.

There are many sites to see, including the ornate church, the Palace or just meandering through the bustling back streets with their wide variety of shops and art galleries.

There are a wide selection of restaurants and bars to suit everyone pocket. You can pass away a few peaceful hours, supping crisp dry white wine with a platter of Fruit de Mer whilst watching the world of the Mediterranean go by. Or visit the famous Les Templiers, where Picasso, Dufy and friend used to pay for their bar bills by giving paintings to the owner. there is now a private gallery at the hotel restaurant - worth a visit.

Somewhere to stay, whatever time of year.

Depot d'Anchois 1

Depot d'Anchois 2

Depot d'Anchois 3

Villa Francois

Places to go in Roussillon

Villefranche-de-Conflent

This former commercial town was the capital of Conflent and has kept exquisite traces of its history and of its status as a defensive site. For instance, the ramparts and La Viguerie tower, both built by the Count of Cerdagne in the 11C, then strengthened with fortifications added by architect Vauban in the 17C and the Fort Libéria, recently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, or the stalls and houses that belonged to leading citizens or rich traders.

Villefranche is an eleventh century medieval town fortified by Vauban in the seventeenth century. It lies at the foot of the Canigou at the heart of the Pyrenees. Within the fortifications, its narrow lanes are home to local crafsment and picturesque shops.

Check out the Grotte Grandes Canalettes

The Grandes Canalettes Grotto is 300 metres from the Medieval City of Villefranche-de-Conflent on the road to Corneilla de Conflent and Vernet-les-Bains in the Pyrenees Orientales.

This is one of the largest and most dramatic grottes that I have ever seen and well worth a visit.

Some Accommodation in the area

Eus

Eus

Prades

St Feliu d'Aval

Vernet les Bains

Things to do in the Roussillon

There are loads of things to do in the Roussillon but I thought I would start with one of my favorites.

Wine tasting in Languedoc Roussillon, South France is boundless - as Languedoc is the world's largest wine-producing region, and has, as you'd expect, hundreds of wine domaines offering wine-tastings.

They're a great way to get a flavour of the wines now being produced in Languedoc - and sample the differences between appellations.

All the Languedoc domains I've listed have been rated highly by The Hachette Guide - and all offer wine-tasting without having to make an appointment.

Limoux
1: Domaine de Martinolles , Saint-Hillaire , €5-8 , 04 68 69 41 93 , (not Saturdays)

Clairette de Languedoc
2: Domaine Saint Rome , Cabrieres €5-8 , 04 67 88 91 60

Corbières
3: Grand Opera , Portels-del-Coirbieres €5-8 , 04 68 48 45 92
4: Roque Sestiere , Luc-sur-Orbieu €5-8 , 04 68 27 18 00 ,
5: Chateau la Voulte-Gasparets , Boutenac €15-23 ,
04 68 27 41 33

Costières de Nîmes
6: Chateau Amphoux , Beauvoisin €8-11 , 04 66 01 97 73 , (not Sundays)
7: Domaine de Beauchene , Saint-Gilles €8-11 , 04 66 87 26 86
8: Mas Carlot , Bellegarde €3-5 , 04 66 01 11 83

Coteaux de Languedoc
9: Domaine de la Coste , Saint Christol €8-11 , 04 67 86 02 10 , (not Sundays)
10: Chateau de L'Engarran , Laverune €15-23 , 04 67 47 00 02
11: Domaine Ferri Arnaud , Fleury d'Aude €11-15 , 04 68 33 62 43
12: Chateau Gres St Paul , Lunel €11-15 , 04 67 71 27 90 , (not Sundays)
13: Domaine Guinand , St Christol €5-8 , 04 67 86 85 55 , (not Sundays)
14: Chateau de Lascaux , Vacquieres €15-23 , 04 67 59 00 08
15: Mas de la Serrane , Aniane €5-8 , 04 67 57 37 99 , (not Sundays)
16: Chateau de Montpezat , Pezenas €15-23 , 04 67 98 10 84
17: Chateau Pech Redon , Narbonne €15-23 , 04 68 90 41 22 , (not Sundays)
18: Prieure Saint-Hippolyte , Fontes €3-5 , 04 67 25 14 25 , (not Sundays)

Faugères
19: Abbaye Sylva Plana , Alignan du Vent €11-15 , 04 67 24 91 67
20: Domaine de Rouge Gorge , Magalas €5-8 , 04 67 36 22 86

Fitou
21: Domaine Betrand Berge , Paziols €23-30 , 04 68 45 41 73
22: Domaine de la Rochelierre , Fitou €15-23 , 04 68 45 70 52

Minervois
23: Chateau Coupe Roses , La Caunette €11-15 , 04 68 91 21 65 , (not weekends)
24: Domaine Cros , Badens €15-23 , 04 68 79 21 82
25: Le Moulin de Nonnes , Azille €5-8 , 04 68 78 10 19 , (not weekends)
26: Chateau Plo du Roy , Villeneuve-Minervois €5-8 , 04 67 88 45 75 , (not Sundays)

Cabardès
27: Domaine de Cabrol , Aragon €8-11 , 04 68 77 19 06 , (not Sundays)
28: Cristal de Grotte , Conques sur Orbiel €8-11 , 04 68 77 12 90 , (not weekends)

Côtes de Malepère
29: Chateau de Barthe , Arzens €5-8 , 04 68 76 71 71 , (not weekends)
30: Chateau G Guiraud , Routier €5-8 , 04 68 69 02 71 , weekend

Côtes de Roussillon
31: Domaine Alquier , Saint Jean-Pla-de-Corts €11-15 , 04 68 83 20 66 , (not Sundays)
32: Chateau Belloch , Perpignan €3-5 , 04 68 50 25 92
33: Domaine Galy , Bages €3-5 , 04 68 21 80 49 , (not Sundays)
34: Chateau Planeres , Saint-Jean-Lasseille €15-23 , 04 68 21 74 50 , (not Sundays)
35: Pujol , Fourques €8-11 , 04 68 38 84 44 , (not Sundays)
36: Domaine Sol-Payre , Elne €11-15 , 04 68 22 86 14

Côtes de Roussillon Villages
37: Chateau de Caladroy , Belesta €11-15 , 04 68 57 10 25 , (not weekends)
38: Les Vignerons des Cotes d'Agly , Estagel €5-8 , 04 68 29 00 45 , (not Sundays)
39: Domaine Fontanel , Tautavel €11-15 , 04 68 29 04 71
40: Chateau Planezes , Rasigueres €8-11 , 04 68 29 11 82 , (not Sundays)
41: Domaine Treloar, Trouillas, 04 68 95 02 29 (British winemaker running interesting vineyard and winery tours)

What's on in Ceret October 2009

We don't normally go out on a school night as the girl have to be up at 06:00 in the morning to further their leaning and get home at about 17:30.

Anyway many thanks to our lovely friends from Ireland who had us round for an early supper last night.

I find October one of the loveliest months to be down here in the Roussillon, you get a delightful mix of colours on the mountains and in the trees, yet you can still spend a day, or two, at the beach in brilliant sunshine.

The Primeurs have just arrived in the shops, not everyone cup of tea but interesting to compare the difference in the wines from even a small area spread. This also means that the grapes have all been harvested and the job of making the 2009 vintage begins. Good luck to all our friends in the wine game.

So before I ramble on for too long, the title of todays blog is, "What's on in Ceret October 2009" so here's the info.

du 26 septembre au 3 octobre
expositon "la semaine bio" avec la participation di CIVAM BIO des PO

Du 30 septembre au 9 octobre
semaine allemande :
samedi 3 octobre : choucroute pour tous à 13h au mas de Nogarède (inscriptions à l'office du tourisme prix : 15€)

Jusqu'au 15 octobre
exposition de peintures de Lily Masson à la Médiathèque

vendredi 2 octobre
signature di livre "Ludovic Massé" par Hyacinthe Carrera

samedi 3 octobre :
repas dansant - avec tombola organisé par l'ACAC (association des commerçants et artisans de Céret)
spectacle avec la revue de cabaret Touti Cancan
39€ par pers.(entrée, plat, dessert, café, vins.. et spectacle !)
salle polyvalente de Saint Jean Pla de Corts
renseignements et réservations chez les commerçants

"Neully sa mère" au cinéma le Céretan à 21h

Dimanche 4 octobre
Conférence-débat sur le thème : agriculture et alimentation, échange de graines, animations, restauration bio sur place (végétarienne et viande bio)
au mas de Nogarède de 10h à 18h
organisé par l'association VallespirTerre Vivante

Repas-Danse (spectacle Cabaret) 40€ organisé par Les Séniors en Fête à la salle de l'Union à 12h30 (réservation Jeannine Rivière au 04.68.87.63.21 ou 06.71.02.34.63)

du 6 au 10 octobre
expositon sur Berlin dans le cadre de la semaine allemande

mercredi 7 octobre
Conférence débat avec la participation de M. Berndt Kesting et nos amis allemands de Luchow

Du 5 au 11 octobre
semaine allemande Céret-Luchow

jeudi 8 octobre
Conférence de Claude Belime "Le paysage en photographie" à 18h à la Médiathèque

Du 8 au 11 octobre
Rencontre de théâtre amateur "Les Planches "

Cie L'Echapée Belle de Céret "une soirée entre amis" 20h30 salle de l'union
Cie Jeu à Nous de Fourques "l'augmentation" 20h30 salle de l'union
Atelier Théâtre des Pipelettes de Céret "cauchemars d'un metteur en scène" 15h salle de l'union
Cie le Petit théâtre de Saillagouse "côté court" 17h30 salle de l'union
Cie Les Beaux Masques de Thuir "quatres femmes et le soleil" 20h30 salle de l'union
Cie Théâtre de l'Apodose de Terrats "un beau men'songe" 17h30 salle de l'union

Tarifs : 5€/ 2€ (- 12 ans) / Forfait 6 spectacles : 10€

"lâcher de clowns"
théâtre de rue samedi 10 octobre 10h sur les boulevards

atelier théâtre "initiation au clown"
dimanche 11 octobre de 10h à 12h salle de l'union

renseignements : Office Municipal de la Culture 04 68 87 35 83

Samedi 10 octobre
"Inglourious Basterds" au cinéma Le Cérétan à 21h

Dimanche 11 octobre
Piano et Soprano à 17h à l'église St Pierre

Vendredi 16 octobre
Fête du vin primeur au cellier des Arcades à partir de 19h "Castanyes i Vi nou"

du 16 au 29 octobre
Exposition des travaux des élèves de Mr Prats (cm1-cm2 bilingues)
"L'aspirant BUFFET, héros du Fort de Vaux" dans le cadre du concours de l'ONAC
"Les petits artistes de la mémoire" à la Médiathèque

du 17 au 30 octobre
Exposition des photographies de Jordi Navarro Fisas à la Médiathèque
le vendredi 23 octobre à 18h : vidéo-projection "Finestres amb historia"

samedi 17 octobre
"Le coach" au cinéma Le Cérétan à 21h

dimanche 18 octobre
Concert "Duo Orplide"avec Daniel Brun (violoncelle) et Edith Fellmann (harpe) à 17h ermitage St Ferréol - libre participation -réservation conseillée : 04 68 87 12 11

du 20 au 31 octobre
Exposition des photographies de Brigitte Julia "L'instant d'un regard" à la Médiathèque
vernissage le samedi 24 octobre à 11h

mercredi 21 octobre
Film "Entre deux feux"réalisé et présenté par Anne-Marie Martin, ethnologue organisé par l'association "Initiation à la forêt" thème : écobuage et pastoralisme

samedi 24 octobre
"District 9" au cinéma le Cérétan" à 21h

"Castanyada i vi nou" à la salle de l'Union à partir de 19h suivi d'un concert "Les castfiores" à 21h puis d'un Chabada bal - cremat et buvette sur place

Samedi 31 octobre
Foire annuelle

samedi 31 octobre et 1er novembre
8ème rencontre philatélique catalane, bourse d'échange toutes collections
au gymnase des tilleuls dimanche toute la journée

Flexible Pyrenees

One of the lovely things about living or visiting the southern part of Roussillon, is that the Spanish border is very close by. From Ceret it took us 10 minutes to reach another country and a further 10 minutes to get to this beautiful reservoir at Darnius.

It is also quite useful to have a friend with a sail boat. So after we have supped some wine, eaten the sausages, escalivade, quiche, salad........We thought it made sense to actually have a sail. What a wonderful way to pass a sunday in good company, a gentle wind and a three men in a boat. Thanks Tom. it is also great for the children who lost little time getting wet in the water, climbing trees and generally going doolaly.

There is a plethora of sites to visit, just over the border in Spain so not only do you get to rent a vacation home in the sunniest part of France but you also get two countries and cultures for one.

Have a look at some of the holiday properties that are available in the region.

If Heineken did rugby

So it's thursday in sunny old Ceret and billy no mates has nothing planned for friday night, except watching the rugby on sky sports. To achieve this, I only have to convince the family that it will be more fun than that film with George Clooney in it.

The phone rings and I am suddenly not billy no mates any more and whats more, I'm going the USAP to watch them play the Northampton Saints. Yeah baby.

So friday evening arrives and as promised my friends arrive and I'm not driving. We make our way over to Perpignan and park with ease, some 100m from the ground. Things are going well and we find a nice bar just outside the ground to start soaking up the atmosphere. I'm there in a bar full of Northampton supporters with my USAP cap and chatting away.

15mins before kick off we wander the last 50m to the ground an make our way past the very pretty ticket collector who is trying out her school girl English on the overseas punters. There really is something nice about the French talking English.

Anyway I digress, we get our tokens for the beer go to the bar - no queue - and make our way to our seats. Now we bump into Jon Hesford, who has come with some friends from Domain Treloar (see my blog from a few days ago) so we have a chat about wine for a while and make our way into the bear pit.

The cheer leaders are on the pitch giving it their all and then all of a sudden the crowd erupts in a cacophony of noise to welcome the visitor. It's just like a gladiatorial arena, the noise was amazing.

Great game of rugby that could have been won by either side but in the second half USAP pull out a commanding lead and take the honours 29 - 13. By the way, I forgot to mention that as you know, when you have a few beers there is a need to remove the excess liquid. Normally this is greeted by a 10 minute wait in a queue for a smelly hole in the ground. Not at USAP here there are no queues, shared facilities and private cubicles, how good is that.....Anyway after the game, we still had a few tokens left, so we popped back to the bar for a quick one for the road. No queues again. Half way through our Demi, the barman leans over and asks whether we would like another beer. We point out that we are fine, as we have now used up all our tokens. No Monsieur you do not understand, would you like a FREE beer.

OK so we have stood up again and said thank you very much (well dragged up me) and are now merrily supping on free beer, at which point the bar lady (did I mention that she was also very pretty) leans over and asks whether we would like a baguette with our choice of filling. Yup you guest it, she is also offering us her wears for free. So politely saying thank you again, we now have our free beer and baguettes, good company and .....

I then notice that someone has kindly left the gate to the pitch wide open, well it would be rude not to, so ther we are at 11:30 at night, wandering round the hallowed turf of Aimé Giral with free beer and food to hand.

As we walk across the pitch, some of us are hailed by a couple of young ladies, who turn out to be cheerleaders and would really like to have their picture taken wiz some Englis men on the pitch.................Time to end and contemplate about whether this was truly a Heineken rugby event. That depends on whether they can do something about my hangover.

It was great to see some 2000 Northampton supporters who made a great vocal contribution to the match and displayed an eery quite respect when there was a conversion attempt. Great ambassadors for the game.

Next time, why not make a proper visit to the region and tarry a while longer.

And finally, our man of the match award goes to Dennis, Geoff's Godfather who travelled all the way down by train to watch the match.

Cathars

Montsegur, one of the biggest Cathar attractions in all of France.

Montsegur has almost a cult following, attracting Cathar history enthusiasts, hikers and lovers of charming small French villages. While its magical allure has been relatively undiscovered by Americans, this tiny Midi-Pyrenees village is simply oozing with atmosphere. It is located in France's Midi-Pyrenees region (and the lovely Ariège Pyrenees department) on the edge of Cathar Country. Montsegur Chateau is arguably the most significant monument to the Cathar religious sect. The Cathars believed in a natural, humble lifestyle and criticized the Catholic church relentlessly. It is in the Montsegur castle ruins that hundreds of Cathars held off Crusaders for months. When they were finally conquered, they were given the choice to renounce their religion or walk into the flames. Most chose a fiery death. Click on the next step to follow a photo-guided walking (and hiking) tour of Montsegur, with its magnificant chateau ruins and challenging Mount Pog. Read More

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The British love affair with France shows no sign of fading. Ten Francophiles tell how they made a second life across the Channel, and offer a few tips to anyone thinking of following in their footsteps

• Sir Terence Conran
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• Cap d'Agde, "Naked City"

  Visit The World's Capital Of Nudism

Cannes

Have just passed a lovely, lively weekend in Cannes, thanks to the family for the Christmas present, Alex for all the driving and Steven for organising the accommodation, via his parents. Before getting to our final destination, we made a visit to the foot of Mont Ventoux, where we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours, racing through the vineyards of Bedoin in buggies. This is a great way to have some fun, see vineyards and then taste the wine. For those of you who have watched the Oz & James programs and have listened to Oz going on about terroir, well here is a place where you can see the results first hand. The Vignerons de Mont Ventoux have taken the same mix of grapes (75% grenache & 25% Syrah) from their grapes, planted at 400m, 450m and 500m. There is a distinct difference between each of the wines. Well worth a visit.

Anyway off we went to Cannes for a weekend of ............Found a couple of golf courses and used our golfy cards for some great digging practice. Went to the harbor, as one does, to have a look around the yachts. Rather like the rest of the Cannes area, I found it very over populated. On land, you have grand villas rubbing noses with 1970 apartment blocks and the view of the hills is suburbia gone madd. In the harbor, it is the same with the massive gin/drug palaces rubbing shoulders with the local fishermen. I wonder which of these is feeling the recession worst.

At the end of a great weekend, We were all glad to wend our way back to the rolling hills of the PO and so great that we could still see the hills with their olive groves and vineyards.

Who do we have today.

St Teresa d'Avila - aint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, (March 28, 1515, at Gotarrendura (Ávila),Old Castile, Spain – October 4, 1582, at Alba de Tormes, Salamanca, Spain) was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI......... Read more

Who is it today

Domaine Treloar is a small, high-quality wine producing estate in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.

It is owned and operated by Englishman Jonathan Hesford and his Kiwi wife, Rachel Treloar. Rachel's Maori and Cornish ancestry is reflected in their logo.

Jonathan is a qualified Viticulturist and Oenologist. He graduated top of his class at Lincoln University, New Zealand's premiere wine academy.

He was then employed for 2 years as the assistant winemaker atNeudorf Vineyards, one of the most highly regarded wineries in New Zealand.

Here in the Roussillon we bring together a passion for good wine, New World techniques and the wonderful local terroir.

Our aim is to make the best wines possible from every vintage.

Read the full story ...

St Juste

Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just (IPA: [sɑ̃ʒust]) (25 August 1767 – 28 July 1794), usually known as Saint-Just, was a French revolutionary and military leader. Closely allied with Robespierre, he served with him on the Committee of Public Safety, becoming heavily involved in the Reign of Terror and was executed with him after the events of 9 Thermidor. ..........Read more

St Geraud

These are the traditional fishing boats, tied up in Collioure. Look at that beautiful clear sky and sea like a mill pond. Well it wont be like that today, the Tramontana wind arrived yesterday and the white caps are looking stunning.

St Geraud is todays Saints day.

Gerald of Aurillac or Saint Gerald (c. 855 – 909) is a French saint of the Roman Catholic Church, also recognized by other religious denominations ofChristianity.

Gerald was born into the Gallo-Roman nobility as the son of the Count of Aurillac, to which title he succeeded. The details of his life known today come primarily from the The Life of St. Gerald of Aurillac (c. 930–931) written by St. Odo of Cluny. According to Odo, Gerald suffered various illnesses as a child, and in later life was to suffer blindness. He seriously considered joining a religious order, but was persuaded against it by Geusbert, Bishop of Cahors, on the grounds that with his social position he could do more good by remaining in the world as a layman. Nevertheless, he consecrated his life in service to God, gave away his possessions, took a personal vow of chastity and prayed the breviary each day.^{[1].......... Read more}

St Wilfried

Wilfrid (originally spelled Wilfrith)^[3] (c. 633 – c. 709) was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered the religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon. In 664 Wilfrid acted as spokesman for the Roman "party" at the Council of Whitby, and became famous for his speech advocating that the Roman method for calculating the date of Easter should be adopted. His success prompted the king's son, Alhfrith, to appoint him Bishop of Northumbria. Wilfrid chose to be consecrated in Gaul because of the lack of what he considered to be validly consecrated bishops in England at that time. During Wilfrid's absence Alhfrith seems to have led an unsuccessful revolt against his father, Oswiu, leaving a question mark over Wilfrid's appointment as bishop. Before Wilfrid's return Oswiu had appointed Ceadda in his place, resulting in Wilfrid's retirement to Ripon for a few years following his arrival back in Northumbria.........Read more

So why the photo of USAP (Perpignan). It is amazing how things change so quickly, even down here in sunny Pyrenees Orientales.. About this time last year, as the Heineken Cup got underway, we went to watch USAP against Leicester and had the privilege of watch Dan Carter steer the team to success. One week later and Dan was out for the season.....Somehow, this seemed to bolster the rest of the team and later on in 2009 USAP were champions of France!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

So now the new season has started, the team are lying about 4th in the Top 14 table and Heineken Cup Fever has started all over again. STOP. Benetton Treviso 9 USAP 8.

Allez les champions

St Firmin

Saint Fermin of Amiens

(also Firmin, from Latin, Firminus; in Spanish, Fermín; in Basque, Fermin) is one of many locally venerated Catholic saints. Fermin is the co-patron of Navarra, where his feast, the 'San Fermín' in the capital Pamplona, is forever associated with the Encierro or 'Running of the Bulls' made famous by Ernest Hemingway. Fermin was long venerated also at Amiens, where he met martyrdom.........Read More

Glad to say that the sun is back and the temperature is due to reach the heady hights of 24 Degs. Not bad for the middle of October. we have been keeping an eye on the Pic de Canigou but as yet there is no snow. If we get a year like last year then The Pyrenees will be a great place to visit for your skiing holiday. We went up for a short break last season and had some of the best snow that we have every skied on.