Monday 30 March 2020

Good moaning, we are in lickdown ear in the sauce of Franz

2 Weeks BC we were on top of the world, sporting a jolly pair of knees looking forward to cycling to Italy - not over these mountains,
the other ones the way the Elephants went and to start cycling and doing shows again soon!




























The last live entertainement, the last time amongst people having fun and being close to each other was at Limoux carneval, the longest carneval in the world that usually carries on until the end of march.
Sad clowns and happy, joyous spanish dancers still allowed across the border....
 


These guys from the Antilles had a wicked groove going on!
Shaking Groov Antilles       https://www.shakinggroov.com/
























And the Venetians were there too! We hope to see them in Italy, maybe this year, definitely next year!! Carneval for sure! We'll do everything we can to celebrate carneval in 2021, participating, dancing , hugging and being joyful!

 
               
The Limoux museum of masks had a little exhibition of carneval masks.

These carneval masks of Noah's animals were already in quarantine, behind glass!
Let's hope they get released into the wild carneval in 2021!
We'll be there, dancing with the camel and the bear!
Cie l'Arche de Noé       https://compagniearchedenoe.pagesperso-orange.fr/Accueil.htm
 


We had our first few gigs lined up and we were very much looking forward to being on the road again, meeting lots of people, having fun, playing, making people laugh..... and then the lockdown!

Cancelled:
Le Patchwork café in Foix, the 21st of  March, part of a Swaporama freeshop style market in front of the cafe...
https://www.facebook.com/events/patchwork-caf%C3%A9-coop%C3%A9ratif/gratiferia/1059237957749890/

Postponed:
La Roue Libre de Thau in Sete   https://www.larouelibredethau.org/ 
was going to be on April the 3rd at the Fablab Ephemere, fablab open doors day.

It has now been postponed to the 15th of Mai, t.b.c.. Yes please!! We're crossing our fingers and toes.. there is a little glimmer of light and hope that things get back to some kind of normal again by then!
https://www.lapalanquee.org/event/fablab-ephemere/

Cancelled, maybe postponed:
Our show in Beziers with le collectif Nabuchodonosor in collaboration with the cafe associatif Barnabu and Velociutat Beziers who organised us a show in the cute little square outside the cafe Barnabu for Saturday the 4th  April
https://www.facebook.com/collectif.nabucho/
http://velociutatbeziers.blogspot.com/


That was our last contact with the outside world before we came down the mountain,
left a little snowman at the top and said good bye to the Chemin de la Liberté 
 https://www.chemindelaliberte.fr/
 
  
Fortunately we have found a magnificent old bakery to see out the lockdown. Thanks to our wonderful, cycling warmshower heroes and new friends Alex and Margot who welcomed us into their home Le Moulin d'Eoux.
If you want to get away from it all, as and when you can, we highly recommend this beautiful place in the south of France...
https://lemoulin.nl/
 


We've been amusing ourselves cutting trees, helping a bit here and there, cleaning old ovens, painting doors, cutting grass and having fun working on our new show (Jonny Jeegante and the Putabenshi) and following Holly Stoppits and Robyn Hambrooks Clown Workouts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/219905246053173/?fref=nf
 


Trying to go to the shop as little as possible. So we're experimenting with wild food, foraging for plants and finding recipes. So far we're eating mainly nettles and knotweed and hunting for oranges now that the spanish orange man at the market can't come over the border anymore.
 

We'll sign off with the words of the Spider Woman:

"Remember always to walk in the pollen path of peace and of blessing.
Be still within yourselves, and know that the trail is beautiful.
Whenever you are in danger walk carefully and quietly.
Your feet will be blessed with pollen and your hands will be blessed with pollen.
Let your mind and voices go forward on the pollen path
It's the pollen from all kinds of beautiful plants.
The wind blows the pollen along the trail and you travel on it.
It is everywhere.Your body is holy when you travel on that trail.
If you take no heed of these things then it affects your life, you get sick and everything is of no use.

The Pollen Path leads to the restoration of harmony and beauty. You can find it anytime you want it: "You can see it and travel on it and that's all you need to know."

From the book by Margaret Schevill 
The Pollen Path: A Collection of Navajo Myths