Vernissage

Today's appointments: a haircut, and an early evening art show opening in the pretty Minervois village of Siran, which I've never visited before. The show was of three artists, including Chris, who seems to be making rather frequent appearances in my blips. The gallery is a former blacksmith's forge, a warren of tiny rooms -- with, in the case of the ground floor, no natural light. Not ideal for an art gallery. But Chris's big tree paintings worked surprisingly well on the top floor. The place was packed, and the food rapidly ran out, so we only stayed for about an hour.

Shay and Trish had given us a lift there and on the way back we stopped at Notre Dame de la Consolation for a 9 o'clock event in the Festival Son Miré -- known for its oddness. My, it was cold up there with the wind blowing. The show was in the pine wood outside the chapel; there were only about 8 people brave enough to huddle on deck chairs to watch. We put on all the clothes we'd brought, and Shay was delighted to find their beach blanket in the boot, sand and all.

Luckily the show, by a lone trapeze artist, lasted barely twenty minutes. We enjoyed the surreal experience but were glad it wasn't longer. Off home to warm up again.