After the Marathon

Tuesday 23rd June

I have never run a marathon, the longest apart from cross-country runs at school was the Run For Life in 1986 which was six miles.  Long enough I can assure you.  And you do see a few people collapse when completing their marathons but most are so elated.

A couple of posts ago I detailed the Music Marathon here at Eymet; three nights of music and not a few glasses of wine.  Friday night was le Pub Gambetta and Geoff and Elvis, a very good night as usual and I was home by about 11.30.  Up at 7 to make scones for the café.  Saturday was fairly busy and Antoine (the local artist/publiciste) had blown up an old biro drawing I had done and printed it on 16 A3 sheets for me to paste outside the café.  I must explain that Antoine had already put up his own (highly pixellated) image of a famous painting of a woman’s muff ; this was a scandal in the 1860’s when it was exhibited in Paris and still caused a few ripples when he did it here, even though the image only becomes clear when you walk some distance away from it.  Anyway – that evening was the local Rugby club evening in the Parc Forestier.   Wine was 5 euro a bottle, Calamari was 2 euro and a brochette of poulet et frites was 7 euros.  Bur the entertainment was free.  This was a rather large brass band who played some great tunes, including ‘We will rock you’ by Queen and ‘Those were the days’ by Mary Hopkins as well as standards like ‘Volare’.  Brilliant and great fun.  I was quite tired and left before the end but heard the fireworks as I was drifting to sleep.

Last night (Sunday) a stage was placed in the square and a few performers did their stuff, mostly old rock and roll.  My favourite was Kenny Clark, an Eymet friend who was a roadie for several bands in the sixties and seventies.  We have seen him playing a mean harmonica before but tonight he sang ‘karaoke’ to a great backing tape.  Old blues and soul numbers mostly, he belted them out with a loud and rasping but very good voice.  Then we had Geoff and a great solo set from Elvis before all three rocked until past midnight.  A great night again.

I had to get up this morning (Monday) at seven and not feeling too bad, maybe the wine is gradually anaesthetizing me, who knows.  Anyway the marathon is over but that feeling of elation remains.