November 2024

November 2024

Perhaps one of the highlights of November has been the visit of Drew & Dan and the splendid meal Drew prepared for the four of us along with Liliane, Susie, Joanne, Jessica and Pierre & Catherine. Everyone keeps mentioning that dinner. Otherwise, we have had a lunch at Yvonne’s with Joanne and Nadine, a dinner with Susie at the Lou Calen Bistrot, a tea with our neighbours Anne-Marie & Peter along with Boyaca & Hubert – our not having seen Boya for at least 30 years, a brunch with Drew & Dan at the Château Mentone, and a dinner with Marie-Laure after our delayed train to Paris from the Midi cancelled our original dinner plans that evening with Drew & Dan who were returning to New York early the next day.

In Paris, we had a visit to Toby & Camille on the extended Metro line 11 to just north of the city where we met a very darling 4½ month old Simon. We have been to the Louvre for the ‘Figures du Fou’ exhibition and also enjoyed the neo-classical sculptures as well as theVermeer and Rembrandt, etc. And we have also been to the D’Orsay and enjoyed the fascinating Gustave Caillebotte exhibition and much, much more as well. I also finished Roger Lewis’ Erotic Vagrancy: Everything About Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and enjoyed reading about two incredible lives – Burton’s being sad; Taylor’s amazing. She

refused to be cowed by anyone or anything and lived at an outrageous level that ultimately Lewis assesses as commendable. Burton was an alcoholic which shortened his life substantially. I have since begun reading Robert Macfarlane’s The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot.

I’ve had a couple of sessions with Scott though the DuoCircle problem with my inability to send email from my TSO-Host accounts has not yet been resolved. I also saw our ophthalmologist (Maistre) in Saint Maximin La Baume. My eyes are fine, but now because of my age, he wants to see me once a year. Richard and I have further attended two demonstrations in the village against the PACA rubbish plan. And finally, I had a delightful online conversation with Julian about Matter Matters for Treadwell’s Books in London the night before we departed for Paris.

The packing has as always been horrendous. Richard had to leave a huge suitcase of his work because of its weight. Closing down the house and farm is an endless ordeal, but we did it. Catherine drove us to the train station. The American election’s results have not been at all surprising but just completely disappointing as well as horrifying. The challenge now seems to be able to focus on music and what is still beautiful (art and friends) and ignore the rest. We have had a pleasant Zoom while in Paris with Nancy and Coral. Rosie could not make it; Anna did not know how to connect.

And the last couple of days, we have reached London for the winter months. The flat was cold, but the plumber has since come and got half the radiators working now well. It’s been otherwise a process of unpacking, sorting, disposing, re-rranging and shopping. Gin phoned just after we arrived. And last night, the last of the month, we had the ‘Roman Dinner’ with Padma at the ROSL.

For the rest, I treasure the support and love from Richard more and more – that as well as his unending artistic creativity and invariable sense of humour.