Congratulations!

I don’t usually write about things that have happened to family members but for once I would like to make an exception. I would like to congratulate our daughter Sally and Duncan on their engagement which they announced this weekend!

A Quick Trip to England

It had been a while since we had seen our children and friends in the UK, so on Tuesday we flew from Carcassonne to Stansted. It is so handy living only 10 minutes from the airport in France though it isn’t quite so convenient at the other end.

After a quick look round the Milton Keynes shopping precinct, (I think it is the only thing that we miss here in France) we drove to Nick and Julia’s who were putting us up for a couple of nights. As usual they were excellent hosts and wined and dined us well.

On Wednesday we were off to London via Tring, where we met Kate our youngest daughter. Following a pleasant lunch of tapas at La Viña, we left Kate sort out all her livestock at home whilst we carried on to London to see Sally our eldest daughter. As we had some time to spare, we decided to drive along our old road. Nothing much had changed. We decided to drop in on our old neighbour, Gaynor. (I mean old, in the sense of time, not age!) We keep in touch by e-mail but it was great to see her again and catch up with the more recent gossip.

When we arrived at the flat in London, Duncan, Sally’s boyfriend, was there. It was good to see him home, safe and sound again after his military assignment in Afghanistan. Sally had booked a table at Princess Victoria. Fortunately, her best friend Cassie was able to join us. We had a lovely dinner there and afterwards ate Sally’s birthday cake back at her and Duncan’s flat.

Another reason to come back to the UK was to see TeamGB parade through London on Thursday. Duncan’s father was able to pop over from Hereford and after a very interesting coffee with Sally, we walked to Trafalgar Square to get ourselves a prime spot to see the floats. We had watched most of the games in the summer and it was amazing to see all the athletes being cheered and applauded as they drove along.

After it was all over, we drove back to Nick and Julia’s again. Boy, I had forgotten how bad London traffic can be!

We had yet another evening of eating, this time at a very good Indian restaurant, The Grange.

On Friday we headed back to Stansted for our flight. We had had a super few days in the UK, but it is always good to get back home.

Sally's Visit

On Wednesday afternoon, I popped down to Carcassonne Airport to pick up our daughter, Sally, who was coming to stay with us for a few days. I went on my own as Richard was up to his elbows in paint. (He has begun to paint the outside of the house, a task which will be a bit like the Forth Bridge) Sally was a little disappointed that 4:30 was too early for a G. and T.! She would have to wait.

On Thursday, after the statutory paper and baguette buying, we had a coffee at our café in the village, meeting and greeting the regular customers. The afternoon was spent sitting by the pool, finishing the crossword and reading. At 23 degrees, the pool was still a little cool for Sally to test the water.

We decided that we needed to do a little exercise before dinner, so we drove to Villarzel du Razès, where there is a sanglier and deer reserve. It was amazing to see both the boar and the deer walking up to the fence to meet us. Photos had to be taken and sent to Duncan, Sally’s partner, who is serving in Afghanistan at the moment until October.

Friday’s forecast was good so we headed to Gruissan which is on the Med for a lovely lunch. Our intention was to spend the afternoon on the beach, but after being sand-blasted for a while, we decided to come home.

Saturday was another sunny day and as the pool reached 25 degrees, Sally went in the water the quick way.

On Sunday, there was another vide-grenier in the village, so before we set off to the airport, we walked around to see what was there. We resisted the 2 month old kitten which was being given away. We didn’t think that our 12 year old cat would be very impressed if we brought him home.

I hope that Matt Beake and Sally’s other colleagues, will still follow our adventures after she leaves the BBC on Friday. Good luck with the new job.