Winds

Gosh, we have had two days and nights of very strong winds, 45 kilometres an hour with gusts over 100 Km/h. It was amazing that there has been was no damage in the garden. That was probably due to our high hedge, the height of which would not be allowed in the UK. We seem quite prone to winds in this part of France. The only time that there isn’t any wind is when it is changing from one direction to another!

Some You Win, Some You Lose

Since we moved to France,we have been following the fortunes of ASC XIII, our local Carcassonne Rugby League team and in the last 2 weeks they have had 2 local derbies. The first match, was at Limoux which, as you can see from the scoreboard, was a win for ASC. Unfortunately, the second match against Lezignan who are top of the league, was not as successful. The final score was 14 - 28. To be honest, the better team won. They created more opportunities and capitalised on Carcassonne's mistakes. ASC are still third in the league and if they continue to play well and keep this place, they will be in next year's English Cup. There were large crowds at both matches and the atmosphere was great.

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We went for a walk across The Razes this afternoon and saw this snake. I am sure it is a viper. It was just crossing the footpath and not interested in us at all, fortunately.

Health Cover - Progress?

Yesterday we thought that we would have another go at getting our Carte Vitale reinstated. Armed with all our paper work, passports, birth and marriage certificates, and “impôt sur les revenus”, we headed back to CPAM in Carcassonne. Realising that one of the ladies at the accueil was the same that we had seen last time, we were expecting the worst. When it was our turn, she couldn’t have been more different. She smiled, even tried a little English and as the queue was so long, arranged an appointment for us today. We shall see what the rendezvous brings.

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We have had our rendezvous with CPAM. They accepted all our paperwork and taken our completed form. All we have to do is to wait for our new attestations confirming that we now back in the system. How long that will be, I don’t know, but the process has started!

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.

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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.

Sunshine and Snow

We looked at the mountain webcams and as the sun was shining we decided to head up to Monts d’Olmes, which is near Lavelanet and about an hour and a quarter for us. We were amazed how little snow there was; much less than our last visit on Christmas Eve. The last fall had been on 4th February. The resort was fairly busy with groups of all ages having their skiing lessons and families enjoying the winter sunshine. About a third of the runs were open but the snow must have come from the snow cannons. Unfortunately there was no snow at all on the little toboggan run, which is probably about my level. Instead we sat outside watching everyone else skiing down the mountainside whilst having a very enjoyable lunch in the warm sunshine.

Health Cover Encore!

OK, I thought it was too good to be true. It was announced last month that “inactive, early retirees” like Richard and I could join the French Health Service, rather than having to take out very expensive private insurance cover. We waited a few weeks to allow the information to be passed down to the staff and, armed with all our documentation (even a copy of the French Minister of Health’s letter) went to the CPAM in Carcassonne. We weren’t expected to be welcomed with open arms but we did hope that they may help us. The lady we spoke to was less than helpful and wouldn’t even acknowledge that there going to be changes. I am sure that it will all be sorted out in the end, but it is very frustrating in the meantime. I suppose that is French bureaucracy for you!

What a Boar!