Paint Job

The things we do for blip. Even though it was dull and rainy this morning, I set off to Trausse-Minervois for the Fête de la Cerise. It was 12 degrees C and spitting with rain -- the poor stallholders looked pretty miserable, so I bought a kilo of cherries even though they cost 7 euros. Nearly all the customers seemed to be British -- I guess the locals had decided to stay at home, whereas a spot of rain isn't going to dissuade your average Brit from going out.

I haven't been to Trausse before, and it's quite difficult to find, tucked away on a back road. It's a classic Midi wine-making village, with the 1930s cave coopérative greeting you as you approach.

In the village itself, I searched for colour amid the greyness. I love these run-down old buildings with their peeling paint, and I had a hard time choosing what to blip. In the end I asked S to choose, and he chose this garage. I liked this landscape too, but it was less representative of the photos I took today.

Leaving Trausse, I took a detour via Caunes-Minervois, which was having an equally waterlogged Fête du Pain, featuring a pyramid of loaves about 5 metres high, which had been partially wrapped in clingfilm. In a marquee, a dozen bakers (or a baker's dozen?) bustled about making bread, so at least they were keeping warm and dry. Caunes is a much prettier and more touristy village than Trausse, famous for its pink marble, with cobbled streets, a lovely abbey, and a square with two of the biggest plane trees I have ever seen -- they must be centuries old.

It turned out to be a photogenic day, despite the rain, so I made a set on Flickr too.