A Busy Week

We have had a hectic couple of weeks. When we moved to France, we had a long list of things that needed doing so that we conformed to French system. Over the last two and a half years we have been gradually working through it. Two things that needed sorting out were our French wills and tax situation. Because of this, we have had to make a couple of trip to Toulouse to take the paper work to the appropriate offices. We usually have lunch out, making the day much more enjoyable. Last Monday we were sitting outside in the sunshine, the temperature 25°, eating a very pleasant meal – not bad for October.

The weather continued to be lovely for my weekly walk with the Randonneurs. We had a superb route over the Malepère hills. The colours of the vines and hedgerows are amazing.

I have just started helping a young French boy with English. Planning the lessons and getting work sheets for his homework has been bringing back memories. I forgot how much time it took!

In England, Richard was playing golf 2 or 3 times a week. He has finally found a group who play at Carcassonne Golf Club. It is amazing playing golf and being able to see the snow capped Pyrenees.

From one extreme to another, we have also joined Les Fléchettes de la Malepère, our village darts club. Apparently it is the only darts club in Aude. We meet every Friday evening in the bowels of the Foyer. It is very well organised. When you arrive you pay €2 each for the evening and at about 9pm those playing are divided into groups or 4 or 5. We play on an electronic board, so my metal tipped darts that I brought from the UK are useless for club night, as plastic tipped darts are used. The first to 301 wins and fortunately you don’t have to finish with a double. The first week I felt quite chuffed coming 3rd by winning two of the four games. Last week Richard came 1st as he won three of the matches.

Yesterday we watched the semi-marathon that took place in Carcassonne. It started at the gates of the Cité with the fantastic backdrop of the walls behind.

I hope next week is not so busy.

Viva España

One of the advantages of living here in the South of France is that we can get to the Spanish border in an hour. We took advantage of this and have just spent a few days away in Spain. Several villagers have recommended a resort called Platja d’Aro so we booked a couple of nights at the San Jorge Hotel. The hotel was lovely, with lots of facilities, which we unfortunately didn’t have time for. After checking in, we headed to the beach bar below, where we had a very pleasant lunch sitting in the sunshine.

We spent the next day walking around the town. We were very impressed with the variety and quality of shops. Yes, there were some that sold the tat that is usually found at resorts but there were also some very up-market stores. One thing that was a luxury was to buy today’s paper. In Carcassonne we are always a day behind. There was also a wide range of lively restaurants. We ate outside, watching Spaniards of all ages, promenading up and down the High Street.

One reason to go to Spain was to meet my brother and his wife who were over from England to visit the Dali museum in Figueres and Dali’s house near Cadaqués. We all stayed at Hotel Rocamar which I would definitely recommend. We had a lovely room, facing the sea where we could see the lightning flashing over the water.

We returned home via the coastal road which was very beautiful. We were quite surprised that there was no evidence of custom police at the border – mind you it was lunch-time!

A Few Days Away

We had planned to visit friends who had moved to Spain a year ago. Unfortunately the cattery, Chateau Miaou, was busy and could only fit Tabby in for a couple of nights, so our ideas had to change. Tina and Kevin, we will see you later in the year.

We decided to visit Sommières, a town that we had heard much about. We booked a couple of nights at Hôtel de l’Orange which we had found by looking at recommendations on Alastair Sawday’s web page. We have stayed at several of his suggestions and haven’t been disappointed yet.

We had a lovely journey over the Montagne Noire. The weather wasn’t the best but we spent the time traveling around the area, visiting places that had been mentioned in a variety of Languedoc blogs.

We went to Uzès which was a delightful town. We were amazed at the choice of restaurants and bars. Before we left on Saturday morning, we wandered down to Sommières market looking at the wide variety of stalls. We didn’t see anyone famous!

On the way home we headed down to the coast and had a lovely meal in Sète in the sunshine. It is a lively, bustling port, great for people watching and well worth a visit.

By the way, when we got home there was a letter from CPAM informing that we were now back in the French Health system, bravo!

People Watching

The weather was looking a little dull at home, so rather than go stir crazy indoors here, we decided to go to Toulouse and walk around the town. Although it is only takes about an hour to get there, we haven't been there many times. We always seem to get lost on the way back. I think we made a wise decision. The sun was out and apart from a rather fresh breeze - it was lovely. I love sitting in cafes, drinking a coffee and watching the world go past, and the world in Toulouse is a very mixed one.

****

Since we moved here, we have enjoyed watching the birds in our garden. Usually about June, we have had Hoopoes on our lawn ( that is probably too grand a name for it) pecking through the soil for grubs. Anyway, one arrived today. It has spent most of the day eating, probably building up energy after its long flight from Africa.