Fireworks!!!!!!!!

Today (Sunday 19 August) is going to be major great! The sun is smiling, and it's going to get swimmingly hoooot!

OK, first thing to do, is prepare a picnic! The best place to go to do your shopping for this is Brassac-les-Mines (in the deeep south of 63) at the open-air market. It's authentic (few if any tourists!). Buy nems for your starters, then a roast chiken (yum!), bread and cheese (St Nectair, of course, but also goat's cheese), then some chocolate shortcake from the Irish girl (!) whose stand is next door to the Peynet Museum (this is definitely worth a visit too!).

After you've done your shopping, have yourself an apéritif (orange juice or something) at one of the café terraces (children are a normal fixture here, not like in pubs!). This is a very French thing to do.

Then, go eat! The best place is the kids' playground (in the direction of the municipal camping ground). The children can play or sit in the apple trees whilst munching their lunch. Danger! on the way to the playground there's a spitting ogre!, also very snappy giant longnecks!

After your picnic, you can either go for an easy digestive stroll along the Allier river, or visit the town (a former coal-mining town with a fascinating history). Ther's a mining museum out of town which is not bad.

If you want to venture further, go to St Germain-Lembron (about 15km away) to buy your 'goûter' (tea time) at Mme Landon's biscuit and sweet shop (on the main road into St Germain when coming from Le Saut du Loup). This is a real Alibaba's cave of edible treasures! Good for souvenirs with a difference. Mme Landon is kindness itself though kids might be a bit in awe...

Then, go to Colamine-sous-Vodable for a wanderabout (see yesterday's article on the concert) before the concert in the church (if the wind is up, go fly a kite on top of one of the volcano domes!). The concert - violin and 'cello duets - is at 16:30.

Then, how can you top that?! Go to Vernet-la-Varenne (30 mins away on the other side of the Allier river, in the Haut Livradois). Pourquoi? Why? First, for a swim in the lake, and second, because today is St Roch's day and he's the patron saint of the town. So what? Because it's party time! I recommend you park outside town and walk in because the crowd is going to be humungous (it'll take you hours to get out again)! There's going to be a brass band, country dancing (not the local variety, Cowboy hoedowns!), a torch parade (?), and, of course (at 10:00), a giant fireworks (it really is huge and spectacular). And after all that, there's a disco (free) for kids and even oldies!

Have a great day!