Frac, Fruc, Lac n' Crac

and Frig as well, while we're at it. As in, it's so friggin' hot I can hardly bear to turn on my 'pooter, and I certainly can't be arsed to blog that much... (as if i could in the first place). It's 21.48 as I type, and our thermostat cum temperature gauge jobby in our hallway says 29.5 degrees centrigrade. We've just come back from a totally cool place (in every sense of the word) in the Lozere, called Gardoussel. It's a lovely green (in both senses of the word) place with gites and chambre d'hotes, run by a smiley zen scottish couple called Sharon and Alex. Alex is well into his ayurvedic medicine and yoga, but YOU don't have to be to go there and just enjoy the peace and lower temperatures. Check it out, it's THE place to get cool this summer. www.thesuncentre.com

And if you're wondering about the Frac/Fruc reference, I'm just that I'm all excited about ART at the moment. Helen has just fired me up about the reopening of Montpellier's Musee Fabre (read all about it at http://cafeandmarmite.blogspot.com), which prompts me to rave about the whole homage to Marcel Duchamp show that's being held at umpteen venues in ten different towns across the Languedoc this summer, until October 29. Organised by the Fonds Regional d'Art Contemporain of Languedoc-Roussillon (FRAC to its friends), this is a feast of all kinds of thought-provoking state-of-the-artiness. Coming from London, I feel starved of this stuff, so I get all hot and bothered when it comes to town. So far we've seen the big show at the Panacee (a former School of Medicine in the centre of Montpellier, fab atmospheric show space) and another smaller offering at the former Chapelle de la Misericorde. Next up on my list is the LAC at Sigean (Lieu d'Art Contemporain), showing Robert Morris, and the CRAC (fruc knows what that stands for) in Sete. Dunno what 's on there, but I'm going anyway. With any luck they'll have aircon.

The title of this Surrealfest is Chauffe Marcel, which is something that someone famous (Jacques Brel, perhaps?) once said to his drummer (or some other muso type) as they cranked out a jam (un boeuf, as they say in France). Chauffe Marcel? I don't bloody think so.

And finally, le FRUC. As in , le fruc, c'est chuk. We recently met a really nice bloke called Stephane, and his partner Sylvia. Visit www.lefruc.biz and you'll get directions from the FRAC to the FRUC. Arguably the FRAC has more to look at, but the FRUC is a more creative space, and you get a warmer welcome and a better cup of tea there. Tell him I said so!