CUDDLE THE PORCUPINE

Carrie's favorite activity: fixing a meal for large parties (and so good at it)
Carrie's favorite activity: fixing a meal for large parties (and so good at it)








I agree my title is far-fetched.

It refers to Peter Gabriel's

last real effort with Genesis,

to my friend Arthur (Schop ....),

to Sigmund (there's only one)

and, last but not least, 

to this charming lady's invitation

to a "Pork & Pink" party.


And please, could we bring

some rosé wine with us,

while we were at it?













Only to glad to oblige, both 2013's intensely coloured rosé accompanied us and the younger 2014 version, orangey in shade.

But what is this all about ?


It's Carrie's fault. Let me explain. 


Does Salem (not Winston Salem, that's for Camel's not females), or Portland, let alone Willamette Valley, ring a bell? Yes, of course, Pinot Noir county on the Pacific Coast. Never went there, and no intention to alter the situation, the more so because I've been declared non grata in the US, for reasons not entirely known to me. But our Carrie was born there. She's got that funny accent - first thought it was NY - but no, it has something definitely more rural, although not yielding to southern vulgarity. 


How did we first meet? Easy, man: on the occasion of one of our Trilla's appearances, some years ago. This beautiful young woman cooked for all of us, and she cooked well on top of that. Alas, I soon found out she was Marcel Bühler's companion, of Domaine des Enfants fame and, alas again, Christine had spotted her as well. I'd better behave myself. As Brussels dialect would have it: "C'est pas du speck pour mon bec". 


Fortunately, Marcel and I, and Christine and Carrie soon became good friends. He's a charming, considerate, direct and friendly man, and she is a very enthusiastic and dynamic woman. Some time later, Dirk Niepoort paid me a visit and I could lay my hands on a few friends to share the pittance I intended to prepare for him. It all ended up very late at night, yes even very early in the morning, with lots of bottles uncorked or unscrewed. I couldn't help but notice a slight belly bulging out from our friend's slim figure, and this "special expression" on our face. But I kept it to myself (and to Christine to be honest). And, sure enough, Jordi

- as this solid kid would later be christened - made an appearance in June last year.


Oh yes, I forgot: apart from being Marcel's wife, catering for large parties, possessing a devastating smile, increasing this blue planet's population, she's in charge of the wine cellar at Domaine des Enfants. 


Keen on celebrating the "end" of Summer - kind of - and on announcing the harvest soon to come, the Bühler pair has gathered a bunch of friends in the gardens of "La Maison du Terroir" in Maury. We should have "draped" in pink but this is really not my colour, and Christine failed to react although this very tint does her complexion justice. 


We all had a good time: Fanfare Felue, the music band of which Mechthild (Domine) is a member, André (Domine) and his friend winemaker in Limoux, Michel (Smith), other "expat" villagers from the Fenouillèdes, local colleagues, and especially Jon & Elizabeth (Bowen) from Domaine Sainte-Croix in Faissé des Corbières with whom we spent a large part of the evening. We also met an ex-nurse who now breeds horses and caresses their fascias (!), when she's not accomodating her B&B guests on the premises of the ancient local cooperative winery. We ran across a lady from Brittany who has been sailing the world for 20 years with her husband before settling in Trilla as well, breeding Alpine goats and learning how to make cheese ... from their milk I suppose. We even chatted to an ex-UE civil servant who spent ages in Brussels before becoming a local here as well.


Thank you so much for inviting poor Christine and myself to this classy get-together, Carrie and Marcel.

Pink with confusion for not appearing in the expected colour upon our arrival,

it is pink as well we left the company in the end: the colour of happiness.



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