Red, and white: Phase 6 continued/ (rose is good, too!)

The Gascony flag is everywhere now 

Well - as The Seekers nearly sang: "The canicule is over!" and quite dramatically so! Also Ruth is mobile, and Greyrocks' exit is planned! Last Wednesday saw temperatures around 36 deg C in Dax and high humidity. Not the best conditions for sitting around in a hospital with a plaster cast - but - oh so welcome! We arrived - as we thought - early and didn't mind spending time jump-starting a guy's car so we could have his place! Then we saw that everyone with an out-patients' appointment in any department had the same arrival time and a queue-ticket regime was in force, so a bit of a wait! When called, by a coincidence we saw our guichet was that of the blessed Valerie, whose English had greatly assisted Bob during Ruth's stays. She sorted out our programme for the day but said we would have to pay full whack for it as there was a problem with the EHIC! Panic! But at least the health outcomes were encouraging!

 The x-ray showed total success, the mobility of the arm was deemed progressing but needing continuing physio, the sling-thing (which has been disastrous with big boobs) could be discarded, and as an afterthought the surgeon arranged the removal - with a chainsaw - of the cast on the leg and said the tendon would be OK simply from 7 weeks' immobility and walking could be gently resumed. The next check-up in another two months can be done by any orthopaedic (traumatology) surgeon we know, and flying is not a problem. 

Ouch!! Not R herself of course!

So - within 24 hours - we booked a flight and have since been refining the plan and slowly returning to something like normal to include a lot of physio and walking with one crutch! We have kept the wheelchair for the rest of the week - but without the dreaded extension, and we have used it a little, but the walking is progressing very fast and the physiotherapist (unpronounceable in French:- kinésithérapeute!) is happy. She is, however, getting serious with the shoulder, = - including use of the ventouse - and this has given some gyp - especially at night! Rather less painful was the flow of emails to and from Newcastle to resolve the EHIC confusions!

After stunning temperatures on Thursday we moved into several days of dramatic thunder and downpours somewhat cramping the new liberated style! So we went to an afternoon cinema showing. The place was heaving and parking a nightmare as numerous families had the same idea - but not for the same film! As a result we missed five minutes and entered the salle during a very dark bit. It was not until the lights came on at the end that we realised there was only one other person there! Greyrocks highly recommends this intelligent and nuanced film, which ends amongst the refugees in Calais. The weather was still bad when we emerged so we drove to an industrial estate to eat at an outlet of the Poivre Rouge chain and enjoyed a very good dinner! By Sunday afternoon the rain had stopped and we saw some sun along the riverside.

We have begun packing and planning for departure whilst the town is gearing up for a major cultural event! The red and white pennants fly from many lampposts, and parking/access notices relating to August 14th to 19th are being prominently displayed! Stalls throughout are selling red and white clothes and accessories. Local TV features full-on coverage of the Ferias in neighbouring places! Beam us up!