Livers Cazelles, Tarn - 10th Jan. 1974

Dear C. Thank you for the p. card that came today ( "Dinah" eh! that girl gets around!) Sorry to hear that your Noel was dull - mine was too, but "different" I must admit. I must look into my Boots "Scrobblers" Diary for 1973 to see what I last wrote to you. Must keep track of what I say. I can't find anything recently so it must have been well before Christmas. That gives me plenty of scope. Bill and I have been to Albi a couple of times to the market and the cinema. Neither are much good really. The market building is octagonal like a large engine shed or roundhouse ( where engines go on roundabouts, swings annd coconut shys etc. ) inside are all the grub stalls - pates, cheeses, fruit and veg, fish, sharks and squid! One doesn't stay long in there - mainly because it stinks! Then we move on outside past the old ladies selling ragwort and bullrushes, down the cobbled streets to the square outside - the large ugly cathedral where crowds of colourful French peasants are gaily bantering and strangling chickens and geese etc. One doesn't stay too long there either! Thru' more cobbled streets, past old weather beaten houses, churches and a rubber goods shop until we come to the more colourful stalls that line a large street that stretches a quarter of a mile or more. Large sunshades cover each one and it's rather like Blackpool beach during the roaring 40's! (You must remember them?) On these stalls are plastic knickers, cakes, 'orrible French clothes, cloth, shoes and bottles etc. A load of old tat! Then after quite a walk we find a few junk stalls stuck round a corner by the toilets. But they prove to be expensive and nothing but rusty gate hinges and chipped vases anyway. There's one book stall full of French detective paperbacks and dirty books - also an army/police surplus stall with a nice line in truncheons and berets! So much for the market. The cinema we went to was called the VOX , an English style flea pit of the 50's ( it still had faded framed photos of Tony Curtis and Doris Day in the foyer!) There were about ten usherettes who kept tearing your ticket in half until there was nothing left! No roccoco cherubs inside - modernised in early 60's by the local bus company. The films included - in order of appearance were as follows - first a delightful film about French trawler fishermen - slicing up live fish etc. Lovely! Next a grey cloured public service film about ladies with dubbed high pitched voices ( This brought titters of laughter from the audience of 14 - mostly Bill and me!) Then there was an agonising long interval when an old lady of 103 came round with a tray of what looked like frozen cod fillets, but it turns out it was the equivelent of ice cream over here. Then, the advertising curtain, which had slowly decended during this jolly break, slowly rose up and the main feature started! The classic all-time-great award winning western starring Henry Fonda - "A Man Called Nobody" ( whadyermean you've never 'eard of it?!) Produced by Italians, made in Spain with a cast of International stars and dubbed in poxy French! What? Not even sub titles? Sacre plonk! Fortunately it was a visual epic and one could follow the subtle plot quite easily although some of the finer witticisms were lost to us. I don't think we'll be going to the flicks for a while! I'm glad to hear you are leaving the VAT splatt! What are you gonna do now, eh? I thought that nobody would be gathering Xmas Eve as everybody seems to be somewhere else this year. ( or so I thought ) I went for a moped rise today over the hills and far away to borrow some discs and livres from the scottish girls jollie maison. It was jolly cold coming back- I'd forgotten to put on my thermal vest on ! Tut tut! Mummy will be cross! Do you like this butch lavender papier? My sister sent me The Goon Show Scripts for Xmas - it's very funny Ho Ho! I go. I bought myself Tim Buchteeth's "Safronia" album - check it out - it's a real groove! Hot cha cha! Bill and Lynne bought me two pairs of topless peek-a-boo socks and book mark. Dick and Cheryl sent me a Mrs. Peakes Xmas Pudding and packette de custard! What did you get? Write soon. Happy thingies and whatnots. Michele Kurtwangler.

Le Presbytere , Livers Cazelles - 14th December 1973

Dear petite chou, Thankyo' for your lettre of the 5th. So you have been lurking on the threshold of the twilight zone! Where grown men have been known to dive head first into a paper bag of stale tripe from the 15th floor and women dressed as nuns triple jack knife and folding body press and two pin falls or a submission rotate 40 spinning plates and recite the Omar Khyam in welsh from the roof down to the pier on 2 miles of one/fifth steel cable covered in cow gum. It's alright as long as you can see the ridiculousness of it all I suppose. But is it fun, I ask myself? I hope you get an offer you can't refuse soon ( know wot I mean?). On every patch of leeks a little rain must fall - how true these words are even today. Wev'e certainly had our share of rain here, veritable cats and dogs - poodles everywhere! Fruggin' cold too! Our pipes burts - our toilet froze over! I thought you were going to the Silly Islands or somewhere - I was expectin' a postcarte. Did it fall through? ( now there's a question ). We've had quite a horrible day here one way or another - firstly got your letter ( ho ho! just kiddin'!) then we went out on the hill to cut trees up in the drizzle and cold wind only to be told ( after we'd got a big pile of logs ) that it belonged to someone else - in fact the farmer was quite upset and muttered foul french words at us under his breath! We were under the impression that the trees belonged to another fellow, but because we only understand part of what people say it's difficult to to get the facts right and in proper order - it would be easier if they owned the land round about there particular farms and not spread out all higgledy piggledy all over the places, so you don't know what belongs to who, or where the dividing lines are ( they don't have many hedges or fences over here )! Anyway, we are quite depressed at having wasted two days hard work and to top it all, my wires have burnt out! The population of Basildon have turned into gran-boppers?! Vot dus dis min? No, she's (Dinah )not going back to the B.M. she's applying for a job as a play leader in Leeds. Everybody who is anybody is a play leader - didn't you know? Bill is making a Christmas woodcut of the Presbytere on a piece of cracked warped hogmany, carving out great chunks in the style of Adrian Hill ( do you remember him? Sketch Club? ) Now he's inked it up and making pressing noises and disgusted noises when he's discovered the ink hasn't come off on the papier! Try and try again. Enclosed is my Noel effort - not one of my best, but times are hard and the pockets empty. I do hope you won't be too disappointed if nothing turns up by way of a Christmas present this year but I haven't had much chance to do anything and I've got a collapsed lung and my legs are twisted around my trousers. I can't stand Mahler! I don't know anybody who does! Clang! the iron gate outside is rattling furiously in the wind. Have you read Cannery Row by old what-is-name? Ever so good. I may be back for Christmas - I don't know really. If my rebate doesn't come within the next week I probably will - 'cos Ive got no money to live out here! I don't fancy the trip back though - 24 hours! Gulp! Anyway, have a jolly time and don't get too drunk! Bon chunks, Michel le Squelette?

Le Presbytere, Livers Cazelles - Feb. 4th 1974

More Mouzay

More "lost" snaps from our holiday in France. Luckily re-discovered again through a useful bit of free software called RECUVA - highly recommended!

Mouzay and the Loire Valley

Lovely week in the Loire Valley with our old chums Roger and Jilly and their amusing doggy Jasper. Ate far too much of course as one does. Need to go on a diet. Excellent trips out to Emmauss and the junk markets and boot sales, fetes etc. Bought all manner of tat. Hazel got the most bargains. Too hot to walk around too much so trip to the garden festival was cancelled. Just as well as the temps. were quite ridiculous! Muggy too. Hard to sleep at night. Got stung by a bee or ant or something on the way to village to buy bread. Right on the knee. Thankfully it eased off after a spry of anti-bacterial thingy. Alos trips to river illuminations in nearby town with animations projected onto the chateau walls. Ethereal Satie like music playing through speakers all along the river. Lovely meal out and lots of picnics in the garden and by lakes etc. More pictures to come but lost a lot when camera played up sadly. Even recovery software couldnt find them. O well.

Loches - France

Lovely week in France with our old chums Roger and Jilly in Loches in the Loire Valley. A beautiful spot in a quaint old town by the river with a chateau, donjon, cathedral and medieval tower etc. Wonderful street markets twice a week that sell delicious home grown produce and many types of cheeses - goats a speciality of the area. Yum! We did eat well and need to go on a bit of a diet now we are home. I feel I've added a few pounds. The weather was perfect for the first few days then got really hot and humid when we went over to Charmond for the Flower festival which was a bit energy sapping - good fun though. Also got a cold whilst there so not ideal for sight seeing. Mostly we stayed in the garden and ate and drank. Roger and Jilly are excellent hosts and very laid back.They also took us to the local Emmaus charity shop come jumble sale which was wonderful too. We picked up a few bargains - most of which they will bring back for us when they return to England next week. Archie came too which was nice as we don't get to see him much these days now he is in Brighton.