At Saleilles, 11 October 2021

I had planned, this morning, to get up while the Swan Whisperer was having his run, and go to the nearby bakery for croissants.  Only he completely foiled me by not going for a run, and announced that "he was getting up now".  So I had to send him for croissants, instead. 

We left Limoux at about 10:00 a.m., having told the satnav to take us across country.  We were so very glad we did - it was a really, really lovely drive!  The roads were (mostly) excellent, and very scenic.  We did stop on the outskirts of Limoux for diesel and shopping, and then again for a bit because we could, but when we began to think of stopping somewhere for lunch, there was a lovely picnic area just outside Maury. 

The "train rouge" ran alongside the car park, and we were rather startled to see a train as we thought they did not run on Mondays. 

This, of course, reminded me of "Le train jaune" which runs up to La Carol-Latour, but, alas, it is out of service this month and I really don't fancy a replacement bus service!  Maybe next time.

We were going to be far too early at Mas Alart - it sells lovely wine, and is beautifully remote, but there is nothing to do when you get there except buy wine!  So we bypassed it and went to the Mediterranean where we watched - I don't quite know what you would call them; they were not conventional kite-surfers (there were some of those), and not conventional sailboarders, either (there was at least one of those, too), but standing on boards that had a sort of keel underneath that they rose up on to cut through the water, and carrying sails that had two halves, to enable them to steer.  The idea seems to be to do jumps and so on, but only one of the people we watched tried, and not very successfully. 

So we went back to the van and had a cup of tea, and then drove to Mas Alart - which is packed out.  Always before when we have been here, we have either been the only van, or at most one other, but there are five or six others here tonight.  We have bought a lot of their delicious rosé, and some of their white, although right now I'm drinking white from Juigné-sur-Loire. 

Meanwhile the SW's results from Saturday are in, and he had a time of 23'16", but not, alas, first in his age grade.  And I had a phone call from King's College Hospital confirming that I do not have cancer, but must have another colonoscopy in three  years time.  So all good stuff.....