bert very kindly invites us for lunch at Mas 
de Roux which we take outside, on the terrace, with spectacular views of the hills and vines. The menu is, as ever, very good value with reasonably priced local wines. It is Sunday lunch and the place is packed. Even the children eat well which is a good sign. Recommended, if you are ever near Bragassargues.***
The year end Festival of Manades took place this afternoon in Montagnac, a small village 10 minutes away. Several manades, got together for a very big abrivado. An abrivado is a tradition left over from pre-truck days when gardians (the French version of cowboys) would round up the bulls grazing the wetland plains of the Camargue. I can't think why the above picture (left) took my fancy but alongside 40 horsemen there are a fair number of ladies who match the men at displaying their horsemanship. Basically, bulls are released from a holding truck at one end of a huge meadow and the gardians show their skills by controlling the bulls at full speed across the meadow (above right), through a huge crowd of foolhardy bystanders (note the man in blue), through the narrow streets of the village and into a waiting truck at the other end. The fun comes when the bulls break free, charge the crowd, which scatter in all directions, and disappear into the vineyards. Charging the crowds is quite a regular occurrence and certainly gives you an adrenalin rush. We have seen quite a few of these now and the one at Montagnac is probably the best.
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