Blues

Yes, another pottery market, in Lagrasse this time. Quite a few of the same potters were there, including the one who made the basket of bowls. But there were others too, and this time I found something I liked enough for a small amount of money to change hands (saved for a future blip). More colourful pots in the extra.

This visit gave me a chance to experience the new and shocking policy of the Mairie in Lagrasse: charging for parking -- in a village with a population of maybe 600, which relies heavily on tourism. There are new and very sophisticated machines dotted all over the village. Every single one had a long queue of baffled tourists and annoyed locals, all trying to figure out how to jump through the various hoops presented to them (no instructions on how to use them, and the on-screen prompts are in French only). After you enter your registration number (obligatory) there's a long pause while you wonder if it's broken. "They're checking it isn't stolen," suggested K, only half jokingly. Even after you've put your money in, there is another long, pregnant pause before it reluctantly disgorges a ticket. All this for a charge of 1 euro for 15 minutes, or 3 euros for 24 hours. Ridiculous, and judging by the reactions of the crowd, bad for business.

Earlier I made some sourdough so spectacularly bad that I threw it away. This has never happened before. It was fine when I put the loaves in the fridge to prove last night, and basically dead when I got them out this morning. Weird. Slightly worried about my starter now!

And yesterday is backblipped.