It doesn’t seem two weeks ago that it was impossible to drive along our road because of the snow. It was beautiful to see the countryside covered in a white blanket but it was treacherous to walk on. Our two kittens loved it, Bruno in particular. They chased the snowflakes and ploughed the snow into snowballs.

As our cats love climbing, we had a dilemma this year whether to buy a real Christmas tree or an artificial one. We opted for the latter and it was probably a good choice as we have had to retrieve Bruno from the top many times. He has even taken a liking to chewing the fairy lights!

Christmas has been busy with the usual Christmas preparations, parties and apéros. Our daughter Sally was able to join us for a few days at Christmas as Duncan was away with his regiment.

Carcassonne has again been holding La Magie de Noël. Since we have been here we have never ventured on the Grande Roue. As Sunday was such a glorious day, we decided to give it a go. It was absolutely fantastic. We could see the snow covered Pyrenees in the distance and the castle walls of the Cité.

2009 is finally coming to an end. We have had another lovely year in France. I hope that 2010 holds as much excitement, the highlight of which will be Sally and Duncan’s wedding in the summer.


I would like to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! May 2010 be a good one.

Seasons Greetings from Carcassonne

Carcassonne has really come up trumps with their decorations and activities in the town this year. From the beginning of December there have been a wide range of activities for all ages.

There are bouncy castles and La Grande Roue in the Place Genéral de Gaulle. The Halle aux Grains has held an exhibition of magnificent crèches, or Nativity scenes, which are traditional in France (crèche meaning manger in French). Some of the little characters were even made out of Champagne corks.

There is an ice skating area in Place Carnot which the younger children enjoyed during the day then when it was dark, came alive with youths.

The revamped Gambetta Square has an amazing array of decorations plus lighting on the surrounding buildings which constantly change colour giving a wonderful effect.

Most of the attractions close on 31^st December.

Snow on Boxing Day

We woke up this morning to a white covering across the pool cover. At first I thought we had had a hard frost but on closer inspection I realized that it was snowing! It gradually began to snow harder and now the garden and countryside looks gorgeous. We had planned to nip into Carcassonne for a few bits and pieces but as we drove to pick up the bread we realized the roads wouldn’t be safe, so we decided to stick the fire on and stay at home. It was amazing how quiet everywhere is. The snow certainly seems to blanket out the noise.

Happy Christmas to everyone!