Sardines in Sardegna

It is time to roll down the hill, say good bye to our friends up in the mountain, down in Massat and St. Girons

In good timing for European Mobility Week we packed our bikes and cycled to Foix, to play one of the few shows this year, in a beautiful new bicycle workshop called Facile https://www.facebook.com/facilevelo/ Here Alex refurbishes old bikes into stylish touring machines, city bikes.... The workshop is also home to the association Maison des Mobilites Foix, who invited us to play for the start of their mobility week activities. https://www.facebook.com/MaisondesMobFoix

 

The show was fun, but playing to a socially distanced, masked audience just isn't the same. Real sweaty, germy, spitting communal theater is desperately needed.

We'll bounce back next year with an all licking all prancing giant outdoor spectacular!

For now we're of on a winter break, finding sardines in Sardegna and Cecile in Sicily.

Our camera got nicked somewhere in the south of France so we fast forward to the beautiful beaches of Sardegna.

We had a dip in the sea, avoiding the sea urchins....

... drank water from the dragons mouth, stayed well away from the cycle paths....

 

... saw some Nuraghi and found wild, rocky, cliff camping with a tragic lovers tale attached..

Cycling in Sardinia is very beautiful. The roads are quiet,  this time of year anyway. Lots of german and swiss cars on the road, however all drivers,  including the Italians behaving very well. Smashing scenery, clear, sparkling blue sea, paradisic beaches.  Just watch out for the potholes and the wind blowing at gale force.

A day will come when giants walk the earth once again. 

Latest Update - Las Laous

We have spent the last few months isolated up in the mountains 

looking after cows and pigs with the lovely Justin, Emily and Daniele of Las Laous.

Not a bad place for sitting out a global pandemic. We have been very lucky!

Sometimes, if we’re not in the clouds we get some beautiful views.

Very difficult cycling though! It is steep!

We have a little house to ourselves and are protected by the skull and scythes.

 

The cute little Galloway calves and the rest of the herd have gone into the communal grazing land, 

to spend the summer high up in the mountain.

The piggies are still with us, always hungry and mostly quite funny.

 

Sometimes we get to go to St.Girons market now that it’s open again, selling delicious slow cooked pork.

Happy pigs make for happy eating!

 

We haven’t been performing any shows , everything got cancelled.

We didn’t make it to the Ciemmona in Turin this year on account of cette funeste pandemie !

So we’re still not in Italy!

And le Festival du Roc Castel has been cancelled for this year. Boo Hoo ! it was their 10th anniversary !

We were really looking forward to going again this year, performing, playing, participating, having fun!

“Toutefois le programme de cette année est donc reporté en 2021.  Et il sera
augmenté de quelques éléments supplémentaires pour compenser le manque
occasionné ou simplement pour faire une belle fête et célébrer « le monde
d’après », pour employer un mot à la mode. En espérant que cette idée de
« monde d’après » ne se soit pas un feu de paille. Paraît-il que le
développement de la pratique de la bicyclette en sera amplifié et
constituera l’un des éléments de cet après. Souhaitons-le “

pour le CA de LVE et l'équipe du festival, Hubert Martin

https://festival-roc-castel.eu/.

However we are using our time well and are making great progress on our new show,

Jonny Jeegante and the Bici Benshi which could be ready to roll out by the end of the summer. 

 

We’ll be staying here at Las Laous until the end of August and then take to the road again towards the south east of France.

Life is slowly coming back to normal and at last we now have some dates to play our show at the local summer Marche Nocturne in Massat on the 23rd of July and the 13th of August!

We’ll continue to enjoy the views and will go up and over for a walk one day to swim in the Etang Bleu on the other side of the mountain!

 

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

Vive les Radis! Vive la Biere! Vive la Velorution!

And so we arrived in la Sarthe one hot summers day. First a beautiful forest, la Forêt de Bercé.
It was very hot indeed and the cool refreshing forest was the only place to be! Amongst our friends the trees!

 
 
Our friends in the village were also fun! The super, friendly, full of atmosphere cafe associatif
La Brass Vie de Jupilles hosted us. The heart of the village.
https://vlap.fr/labrassviedejupilles/
We stayed a while, visited La Maison Bleue, where Sammy was threshing rye. Just enough to last him through the winter. A bowl of delicious power food!
https://fr-fr.facebook.com/maisonbleue72/



And there in the woods we met a puppeteer, who sculpts the marionettes for his Le Petit Théâtre des Mains from the bois de Bercé.

BUT NOT THIS ONE! This one was made by the wild children...





C'est par là ! This way to Teloche! We have been invited, to play our show, let's go!
Spontaneous gig No.1 at La Pince a Velo, Sarthes first and only Cafe Velo! With Olivier, a real cyclist super lovely man who cleaned our filthy bikes, gave us new chains and set us free to continue our périple.
https://lapinceavelo.eatbu.com/?lang=fr
This must have been the sweatiest gig of the year! We thought nobody would turn up because of the heat... but they did! And it was absolutely brilliant!

 


Finally sensible signage, made by cyclists for cyclists! Hurray!




An unexpected interlude at our friends farm Radis&Co.
http://radis.et.compagnie.free.fr/



We arrived to stay the weekend and do our show at the local super mini market of Montflours organised by Anim’Montflours. Because of torrential rain we played the official opening of the Archipel, the new home of the Brasserie Associative de Montflours - BAM.
http://biero.free.fr/brass.php?n=7
This must have easily been the wettest gig of the year.
But we was under the Archipel and everybody came running towards us in the rain.
Well well, because of a grande appendicite we ended up staying a month. And how lucky we was to be struck by a stroke of luck here amongst wonderful people who were all going on holiday and let us use their luxury pads to get Kevins digestive system back in order.
Ready for the next show! Ready for Le Bruit qui Court, a super, mini, friendly festival back at the farm.
Vive les Radis! Vive la BAM! Vive Montflours!



Whoa! bicycle bunting!

And then, a month late, but actually just in time for the end of the holidays, we arrived in the legendary village of Langouët, Commune écologique bretonne, where the mayor is fighting for less pesticides and is inspiring the nation!
We had a great time with the lovely people of the Cafe La Cambuse and were very glad we had finally made it! https://www.assolacambuse.org/ 

And there comes another invitation. A volunteer from the council at St.Sulpice La Forest is asking us to come and play at the Forum des Associations. Voila! On y va! Spontaneous gig No 2. 
Thank you to the kind person from the Epicerie- Taverne- Agriculturelle Le Guibra who forwarded our contact! https://leguibra.fr/  

After another little bike ride and a pique-nique....

 

....we just about make it up the Col du Plessis - Altitude 1000cm




... and onwards to Valanjou. A broken seat post later we get ferried of - in a van! to play at L'Asso 7, under a tree in a little room. What an adventure, taking a lift in a van the day before World Car Free Day! Tut tut tut!
https://fr-fr.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Lasso-7-Valanjou-680806482059831/

Next stop Redon!

 


To meet up with new and old friends. New friends from Un Velo pour l'Afrique, https://fr-fr.facebook.com/un.velo.pour.l.Afrique, a fabulous workshop that sits on the edge of an industrial wasteland that has been managed by a community group called Le Transformateur, for ten years or more and is slowly being transformed by allowing nature to regenerate itself , creating a post industrial jungle garden. Yes! Lush!
http://le-transformateur.fr/

New friends from the wonderful world of warmshowers, Coralie and Laurent who hosted us in Redon and inspired us with their playful art of mobiles, flip books and early cinema.
https://www.colorant14.net/ 

And we got a letter! A real, papery letter with words written in it! Delivered by our old friend Vincent, Le Facteur Humain https://lemessagerduclepscycle.blogspot.com/p/chroniques-du-clepscycle_44.html
Our first letter in 6 years on the road. We're chuffed! Plus it's an invitation to the 10th anniversary of our favorite festival Le Festival du Roc Castel, Eloge du Voyage Lent! https://festival-roc-castel.eu/
We will be there!

We stayed with our friends Mimi et Fabien in St. Hilaire de Chaleons. Made some puppets with them. Please meet Belle Pou and Elk.
Verything-Love-Incorporation
and
La Compagnie de la Mitaine

A superbly lit theatre dans le jardin which led to our spontaneous gig No 3 the very next day at the very wonderful, newly opened

 Cafe Associatif
3 Francs 6 Sous in Le Pellerin.
https://www.3francs6sous.org/

And then southwards to Perigueux! It's mushroom season and the woods are brimming with mushroom hunters. We had no time for mushrooms as we had to cycle really fast to get to our rendez-vous with La Velorution Perigourdine and the Cafe Pluche in Comberanche et Epeluche.
https://velorution-perigourdine.fr/




Back and forth we went. Through the forest, over the hills, past the mushrooms to do two gigs in two days, rapidoo giddy bee.
https://lecafepluche.fr/




France 3 came to interview us! Oh lala!
Cafe Pluche et Spoke'n'Chain sur France 3

Onwards onwards to another set of beautifully enthusiastic people, to the valley of the Dordogne!

First off  in the heart of Sainte Foy la Grande a long standing community project, weaving and building peace and love in the Coeur de Bastide.
https://www.coeurdebastide.com/




Then to see our lovely friends Françoise and Dominique and play our show for them in a truly glorious venue, a right proper theatre setting. The garage of their friends Fabienne and Jean-Marie all part of a new Cafe Associatif and Castillon in Transition.
But what a garage it was!
https://www.facebook.com/castillonnaisentransition/



 
Les Amis!

  


A rare sight in France - a square that isn't a car park. A common sight in France - a closed down shop.

 


Cycle, cycle, cycle, cake, cake cake to our last show of the year with the sister of Jean-Marie in Lescar Pau. Theatre a la maison, around the fire place, a perfect way to finish off the year!

 



Before we spend the winter as russian, constructivist peasants.....