What funny old weather. I don’t know about you but this water shortage thing has put the wind up me. I’ve got a garden that needs water. I’m sure my plants are discussing amongst themselves the variety of waterings – one day muesli, another day a touch of tarragon omelette – yes we’re using washing-up water.

As I write this I see that the rain has arrived and I feel like popping on my Wellingtons and going for a splash. The pine forest smells divine after a shower. Heaps of needles and chopped down branches are all that remains after a massive cull in the middle of last year. Things have pushed up though, just as they said they would. More light and more space. Regeneration they called it and I have to admit they were right.

We spent a very enjoyable morning at our our Open Meeting on April 20th. 19 of us sat down to listen to Jill and Penny talk about events and meetings over the past few months. Jill also spoke about what’s to come, most of which is included below! Then it was time for our speaker Carolyn Lomas. She describes herself as a retired family doctor but that is a bushel behind which she hides her amazing light!

From a very young age, she left her Aberdeen home and went in search of a life with purpose and meaning. The title of her talk was Health in Emergencies and this turned out to be an extremely detailed account of life at the sharp end of humanitarian aid in places such as Ethiopia, India, the Ivory Coast, Myanmar, Guinea and Serbia.

Working for Médecins Sans Frontières, she was treating victims of serious natural and manmade disasters. Food shortages, poor drinking water and lack of equipment made treating epidemics and diseases very difficult. HIV and Ebola. Desperate refugees who walked miles to get to safety and medical aid. And governments and government organisations often not helping the situations. As you can imagine, a lot of us had questions at the end. Someone asked Carolyn how she had found the whole experience. She said it was challenging and frustrating.

Bric-a-brac & tombola prizes

Please bring your donations to Drop Ins and/or events or email me to arrange collection.

We are still collecting Bric-a-Brac for our Vide Grenier table on May 21. Small pieces of jewellery or china, DVDs & CDs, plus anything else which is suitable for a Vide Grenier. No books please. The Drop Ins are listed below.

As well as this, we need Tombola prizes and bottles for the Walk for Life in September and the Autumn Ball in October. That box of hankies you’ll never use or the unopened bottle of Martini you’ll never drink will find another life on a Tombola table. Unopened presents and all sorts of glass or plastic bottles, water, oil, jam, mustard and even washing up liquid. Reach into the back of your cupboard and see if you have anything on which we can stick a raffle ticket.

Remember – we are very grateful for all your donations and your support.

English greetings cards

We have had a very large donation of really good quality English cards – cards for lots of different occasions and beautifully designed boxes of notelets.

We intend to bring the cards along to most of our events and Drop Ins, where I hope you will be tempted to have a look at them. We are not expecting you to buy but just to donate whatever you wish to CSF.

Drop Ins

Wednesday 3 May, Pablo’s Bar, Céret, 10.30

Monday 15 May, Café des Artistes, Laroque des Albères, 10.15

Come along and buy a coffee and take away a book or two. If you have books to bring, they must be paperbacks please. No large books and no hardbacks or non-fiction.

Wednesday 17 May, Villa Lafabrègue, Prades, 10.15

Catch up with friends at this splendid villa. It’s in a beautiful area on the edge of the village. Coffee, tea and books and maybe a few cakes.

Looking ahead

Sunday 21 May Vide Grenier St Cyprien 9 – 5pm

The Vide in St Cyprien is a well attended event which is held every year in the large car park at the port.

As in previous years, we will be sharing a table with La Ligue. As well as CSF products there will be a good selection of bric-a-brac – see above for details of how to donate articles.

I’m pleased to say that some of you have very kindly offered to help in the morning. However we could still do with one or two people in the afternoon.

If you can spare an hour or two, we would be very grateful. Please email me as soon as possible and we can arrange times to suit you. Many thanks.

Thursday 7th September, Walk for Life, Maureillas

Our Walk for Life will be at Prat De La Farga again this year.

This is always a very well-supported event with two walks to choose from – an easy one and a not so easy one. The only information we have so far is that the long walk will be 9kms.

It’s a fun day for all ages! There will be a game of pétanque, various stalls, a Tombola and music.

We walk in the morning and then enjoy a picnic lunch together. More details to come but please make a note of the date!

Saturday 7th October, Autumn Ball, Bages, 7pm – Midnight

It’s been too long since the last Autumn Ball.

We’re in the early stages of preparation but I can tell you that there’ll be music, dancing, raffle prizes, tapas, wine, beer and much more. Entry will be by tickets purchased before the Ball. These will be on sale later in the year.

You will also be able to reserve a table for up to 10 people so please tell your friends and put the date in your diary.