One Man Travelling...

The sun was shining this morning so, after the usual chores...feed and pet Camille the cat, sweep and mop the floor, wipe the bugs off the window which seems to be a summer 'thing', I decided that I would tricycle into Les Cabannes for a haircut. My nephew's wedding looms large on the horizon. I took the camera with me as I had been thinking that I had rather neglected life here. I have added to the Aulos photo album, now renamed 'Aulos & Les Cabannes' for it is difficult to separate the two but not mentioned anything in my posts unless they were from a specific topic. For example, I went down to Les Cabannes last Wednesday evening intending to watch and photograph the weekly petanque competition hosted by Le Mioure. Having sat down to a b-b-q steak whilst contestants warmed up, we all watched the dark clouds roll in over the mountains. Desert storm blew across the village square and all hopes of a match were abandoned. I mounted my tricycle to get home as fas...

Those of you who have seen the odd comment on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp will be aware of me hibernating in the midi-Pyrenees in a little village called Aulos, sometime home to my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. This is a beautiful place with dramatic views of mountains all around. An American friend of mine in Bulgaria sent me this information when he found out where I was headed. I cannot vouch for the authenticity but, looking at the road winding through the high mountain sides I can well believe it: Probably more chickens than residents An aulos or tibia was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology. An aulete was the musician who performed on an aulos. The ancient Roman equivalent was the tibicen, from the Latin tibia, "pipe, aulos." - Looking at the photo of the entrance to town, with grey looming massif of stone forcing the road to bend-a pipe-Yep! The inhabitants of the commune are known as...