Activities for us started on Friday with a very early morning walk to
the market in St Servan – we promise ourselves a luscious treat from the market
every week and on this occasion it was the most beautiful ‘bavette’ (a rich red
and surprisingly tender frying steak cut from what we would call the ‘skirt’)
and an ample bunch of fresh shallots to make the traditional sauce
accompaniment.
Back at the desks by 9.30am and a full day’s work! We are currently working for a client who has
been a little anxious about what her property budget will buy her – but on
Friday we discovered some real corkers and we are already looking forward to
viewing them and reporting back!
The ‘fete de musique’ is an annual event across France and in St Malo
it takes the form of an evening of live music in all its forms with what seems
to be every outside space taken up with stages, bands and individual
musicians. Intra Muros, there were 9
designated ‘en concert’ areas but many more ‘hot spots’ that played host to
buskers, acapella singers and bagpipe players alike. We were spoilt for choice – so with wine
bottle and disposable glasses in hand we wandered around the town stopping to
listen to what has to be some of the most exceptional talent from the local
area. Of course impromptu dancing was
plentiful and we ended the evening along with many of these dancers at one of
the unofficial concert areas listening to an excellent blues and jazz band that
were never once put off by the myriad of cars and vans trying to pass by (well
they were playing on one of the main street routes through the town!).
Saturday saw a rather more sedate event, ‘Solidor en Peinture’ an
annual painting competition around the beautiful ‘Tour Solidor’. Open to
professional, amateur and young painters of all styles the Kudos of winning one
of the categories in this competition is great – not to mention the €1,000
first prize. We strolled leisurely
around the artists as they put paint to canvas and envied much of their talent.
Now never let it be said that we would decry anybody’s efforts and we
understand completely that everyone’s taste in art is different but we did
wonder as we gazed over the views that were in front of some of these artists
what happens in the creative psyche to deliver the results that appear on their
canvases. ‘Vive la difference’ – we
suppose!
The prize we agree though was justly deserved by the winner……..
Sunday was a gentle lunch ‘chez nous’ for our friends Neil, Jennifer and Bouba of course! Paella, cheese and a
scrumptious home-made fresh apricot ice-cream was served and enjoyed by
all.
During lunch there was talk of yet
more events in the town that evening namely a beach bonfire to celebrate the
feast of St Jean. Apparently wood and
other suitable burning materials were delivered to the beach but sadly the
weather had other ideas and events were postponed due to rain! Spirits were not dampened however and a
suitably pleasant evening was spent in the local bar. It wasn’t quite as
dramatic as a raging bonfire but a glass was raised to the Saint!
On to the next pending activities, with next weekend the start of the
week long ‘folklores du monde’ a celebration of global folklore and of course the
eagerly awaited arrival of the tall ships.
Let’s hope the weather is kinder to sail and rigging than it was to poor
old St Jean!
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