My two pals at work - B & W - and I have our birthdays within 5 days of each other. This week in fact. Every year we get together and have some sort of a bash.
Sadly, this year will be the last time we can do this as both are heading back to the States at the end of the year. To celebrate this poignant event, we decided to have a picnic for the nuclear group plus partners/kids. First problem was where to hold it. Near, not so near, sea, river, wood - so many choices, so difficult to choose!
Eventually I suggested the spot near St Laurent le Minier which is half an hour away, with a proper picnic spot - ie with tables - shady, by a river, a old stone bridge and a waterfall. That was Plan A. In case of rain, we thought we should come up with a Plan B too, but this never transpired, so it was a good thing the weather held up!
Being bright, well-organised folk (pals B & W are scientists), we drew up a list of who'd bring what which is more fun than just bringing a bunch of sandwiches each, especially as pal B is nifty cook. Pal W was assigned the chickens - two roast chickens from the market, all freshly cooked, warm and fragrant. He was also assigned the bread, but forgot about that in his dilligence with the chickens, or rather he told his lovely wife about the chickens but not the bread...
I brought apero snackerals - houmous, Tzsizaki, Lebanese bread, cachou nuts - and dessert - watermelon slices, yummy sweet grapes and a Carrouf nectarine tart plus.... CHAMPAGNE!! Me pals had been there for me all through my divorce right from the earliest weepings, so it was appropriate to share our final birthdays with a bit of final divorce celebration. Veuve Cliquot, natch. I brought champagne glasses specially.
Pal B, ze cook, excelled himself with three salads: a potato salad, a pasta salad with roasted cumin, paprika and bacon bits; and a Turkish beetroot salad with lots of garlic. He prepared all this whilst showing prospective buyers around his house! He also brought some heavenly tip top wine which we devoured with pleasure.
My TWDB, traumatised that not a bottle of his favourite rosé Puech Haut was to be had in the whole region, brought some petit Puech which was tasty enough, but wasn't quite the same. Never mind, the weather was lovely, the food was delicious, and the drink was fab.
The children were fed first, then they went off to fish for tadpoles and tiny fish, and we settled down to a lazy lunch. I must say, it was a great success. Everyone got on - my TWDB hadn't met pal W or his wife and children before, but as they are both motorbike fiends, they got on like a house on fire.
After lunch, we went down to the river to stretch our legs. The children and their mother actually got into the chilly water to cool off because it was by now pretty warm. The wind had died down making everyone appreciate the lazy afternoon with its late summer sun.
We headed off just after 5pm so we could move my TWDB into his new accommodation just up the road, having enjoyed one of those little bijoux moments of a wonderful, no fuss, just being with friends afternoon.
We even got pressies!
Showing posts with label St Laurent le Minier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St Laurent le Minier. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sunny St Laurent le Minier
Last weekend we had a picnic in the mysterious mists of a drizzly day at St Laurent le Minier.
This last weekend, due to popular demand, from my youngest, we went back, this time in the sun, and what a different scene greeted our eyes. The river banks were no longer empty but full of life. Children splashed in the shallows, women sauntered about in bikinis and young men dived off anything over a deepish pool.
Picnics were laid out, babies were being changed on picnic tables, and beach balls tossed from one side of the river to another.
Young men hovered on the edge of the dam, others hovered on the edge of the bridge, some even having the courage to jump into the river below. It is early summer and there has been rain, otherwise this would be a foolish thing to do!
The atmosphere was light and airy with holidaymakers and locals wiling away a warm afternoon by a cool river. They probably didn't notice the extraordinary rock formations they walked on; plates of rock pushed up then weathered and eroded to provide shelves for bums and picnic plates.
There was no sense of mystery; no dark corners, no damp hideouts reeking of lush, rotting vegetation. All was brightly lit, a bit smelly with the stagnant pools, and frankly juvenile despite the evidence of ancient rocks and a beautiful bridge. The sun bleached all the dark corners and exposed them to the glare of sunscreen and nappy wipes.
I enjoyed our picnic, as did the boys, especially with an ice-cream in hand. But... I think I preferred the one in the rain.
This last weekend, due to popular demand, from my youngest, we went back, this time in the sun, and what a different scene greeted our eyes. The river banks were no longer empty but full of life. Children splashed in the shallows, women sauntered about in bikinis and young men dived off anything over a deepish pool.Picnics were laid out, babies were being changed on picnic tables, and beach balls tossed from one side of the river to another.
Young men hovered on the edge of the dam, others hovered on the edge of the bridge, some even having the courage to jump into the river below. It is early summer and there has been rain, otherwise this would be a foolish thing to do!The atmosphere was light and airy with holidaymakers and locals wiling away a warm afternoon by a cool river. They probably didn't notice the extraordinary rock formations they walked on; plates of rock pushed up then weathered and eroded to provide shelves for bums and picnic plates.
There was no sense of mystery; no dark corners, no damp hideouts reeking of lush, rotting vegetation. All was brightly lit, a bit smelly with the stagnant pools, and frankly juvenile despite the evidence of ancient rocks and a beautiful bridge. The sun bleached all the dark corners and exposed them to the glare of sunscreen and nappy wipes.I enjoyed our picnic, as did the boys, especially with an ice-cream in hand. But... I think I preferred the one in the rain.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
TGO - St Laurent le Minier
Today is Father's Day and we decided to go out for a picnic, the boys being, suitably, with their father, leaving the way open to make such decisions without risk of moaning, whinging or sulking. Not that they don't like going off on adventures, but they prefer to do it under their own steam, with their friends.
So, where to go? Yesterday, I had a browse around the internet and came up with a lovely photo taken from St Laurent le Minier in the Gard, not far from Ganges. It looked just right with lots of sunshine, rocks, river, old bridge and happy people having fun. Waking up today, clouds covered the sky and it looked ominously like rain.
Still, being British, with memories of sitting in the car at the seaside looking out onto torrential rain lashing the sea whilst eating sandwiches with the windows misting inexorably up, we decided to go anyway. We packed a nice ploughman's lunch with crusty bread, cheddar, tomatoes from the garden, Branston pickle, pickled onions, sweet onions of Lezignan, rosé wine and crisps. You might think that living in France with all the wonderful cheeses on offer that it was a disgrace that we took a nice lump of cheddar, but quite frankly, you can't make a ploughman's with French cheese. That would be a 'déjeuner du laboureur' which doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?
Off we set, the clouds getting heavier and darker as we made our way inland and towards the Cevennes. Arriving at Ganges, we crossed over the river towards St Laurent le Minier and about 5km later came to a lovely bridge with people standing by their cars talking and looking at us. We went past them, not really realising that that was THE spot, and drove on into the village. It was a bit depressed, as well it might, as the zinc mines closed down just after the Great War. The general air of abandon wasn't helped by a steady dribble of rain, so we went straight through and came out the other side back to the main road.
Driving back, we came to the bridge again, and the people not being there to stare, decided to stop and have a look. The rain also stopped, which meant we could get out and discover, to our joy, picnic tables and a fantastic view. We took the driest table and set out our lunch under the trees which provided enough protection from any slight downpour.
Looking around, we noticed some young folk taking close-ups with super cameras (they had big flashes...) of various natural features. The rock formations there are very interesting, made up of layers which have been eroded into platforms which would be great fun to jump on when the water goes down.
We watched an extended family over the other side of the river come and set up camp. Considering the weather, they didn't seem to be awfully bright as they spurned any form of cover, out in the open. It took them about ten minutes to lay out all the floor covers and bits and bob, set up the barbeque and start cooking.
Then it started raining again, unsurprisingly. They braved it out for a while, then gave up and started the task of gathering everything up and taking it to a spot beneath the trees. I don't quite know when they were planning to eat, because it was by now gone 2pm, and the tiny barbie wasn't even smoking, and there were at least 10 adults, with half a dozen kiddies!
We thought we had arrived late at around 1.15pm, but with the extended family, there arrived quite a few other groups/families trying to find a spot to set up their picnic. Some sat under the arches of the magnificent bridge and aquaduct, others joined us at the picnic spot where there were 3 other tables. Eventually, we had finished and felt sorry enough for the people at the next table trying to light their disposable barbie on the only remaining table which was exposed to the elements, and packed up our things.
We mooched across the bridge to take in the views, and to the pitter patter of rain on the camera, we headed back to the car and left the brave picnickers to their fate. I did manage to get a picture of what I imagine was the former mine owner's chateau and very nice it looked too, if a little worn.
As a picnic spot, St Laurent le Minier is fabulous, although I imagine it gets pretty busy in the summer, and the waterfall is much less impressive. Definitely one to go back to, though, and comes highly recommended.
So, where to go? Yesterday, I had a browse around the internet and came up with a lovely photo taken from St Laurent le Minier in the Gard, not far from Ganges. It looked just right with lots of sunshine, rocks, river, old bridge and happy people having fun. Waking up today, clouds covered the sky and it looked ominously like rain.
Still, being British, with memories of sitting in the car at the seaside looking out onto torrential rain lashing the sea whilst eating sandwiches with the windows misting inexorably up, we decided to go anyway. We packed a nice ploughman's lunch with crusty bread, cheddar, tomatoes from the garden, Branston pickle, pickled onions, sweet onions of Lezignan, rosé wine and crisps. You might think that living in France with all the wonderful cheeses on offer that it was a disgrace that we took a nice lump of cheddar, but quite frankly, you can't make a ploughman's with French cheese. That would be a 'déjeuner du laboureur' which doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?
Off we set, the clouds getting heavier and darker as we made our way inland and towards the Cevennes. Arriving at Ganges, we crossed over the river towards St Laurent le Minier and about 5km later came to a lovely bridge with people standing by their cars talking and looking at us. We went past them, not really realising that that was THE spot, and drove on into the village. It was a bit depressed, as well it might, as the zinc mines closed down just after the Great War. The general air of abandon wasn't helped by a steady dribble of rain, so we went straight through and came out the other side back to the main road.
Driving back, we came to the bridge again, and the people not being there to stare, decided to stop and have a look. The rain also stopped, which meant we could get out and discover, to our joy, picnic tables and a fantastic view. We took the driest table and set out our lunch under the trees which provided enough protection from any slight downpour.Looking around, we noticed some young folk taking close-ups with super cameras (they had big flashes...) of various natural features. The rock formations there are very interesting, made up of layers which have been eroded into platforms which would be great fun to jump on when the water goes down.
We watched an extended family over the other side of the river come and set up camp. Considering the weather, they didn't seem to be awfully bright as they spurned any form of cover, out in the open. It took them about ten minutes to lay out all the floor covers and bits and bob, set up the barbeque and start cooking.Then it started raining again, unsurprisingly. They braved it out for a while, then gave up and started the task of gathering everything up and taking it to a spot beneath the trees. I don't quite know when they were planning to eat, because it was by now gone 2pm, and the tiny barbie wasn't even smoking, and there were at least 10 adults, with half a dozen kiddies!
We thought we had arrived late at around 1.15pm, but with the extended family, there arrived quite a few other groups/families trying to find a spot to set up their picnic. Some sat under the arches of the magnificent bridge and aquaduct, others joined us at the picnic spot where there were 3 other tables. Eventually, we had finished and felt sorry enough for the people at the next table trying to light their disposable barbie on the only remaining table which was exposed to the elements, and packed up our things.
We mooched across the bridge to take in the views, and to the pitter patter of rain on the camera, we headed back to the car and left the brave picnickers to their fate. I did manage to get a picture of what I imagine was the former mine owner's chateau and very nice it looked too, if a little worn.As a picnic spot, St Laurent le Minier is fabulous, although I imagine it gets pretty busy in the summer, and the waterfall is much less impressive. Definitely one to go back to, though, and comes highly recommended.
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