December Sunday in Esperaza

 Voila, the market - I took this really early before the place filled up and the fog was still hanging around, because we had a breakfast date in Montazels with the dear folk who fished our car off their wall on Christmas morning.
Since they hardly know us and we have trespassed enough into their lives, I didn't photograph them... they have gone back to their various workplaces but when they get back here next - :) ha!

The evening saw us with Gracie and Tim and Kieran and Ann in the flourishing Creperie. It's still fab; and the only restro in town.
(With Kieran and Ann and Gracie and Tim we could probably sit under a hedge and have fun.)

Captain and Gracie

Tim

Bunking off

Beautiful weather caused me and himself to head for the hills...where we met this charmer, isn't he fine?
Went on to disturb Angus and Mary in their eyrie, interrupting their farewell tea with their daughter whose name I won't spell for fear of getting it wrong but it was lovely to see her again. And indeed her aged parents :)

Random Esperaza

 Some random shots of town; the river yesterday, the christmas lights by moonlight this morning. The day has become very beautiful and sunny...and I'm putting off the hoovering.

Cuteness on legs

All quiet here - so I lifted this photo of Etienne with his new puppy from Facebook, where his uncle Brad had posted it. Etienne ( as I'm sure you remember) is the son of Ryan and Alicia who moved in with us as HelpX, changing our lives most marvelously - and then theirs, when Etienne was birthed in my bath. Still miss them all. BUT they are planning a trip here in May 2019. Hope they can bring the puppy too :)

St Stephens day

Peter Dunn and Clare Miller, angels, invited us to theirs for Boxing day with their family. The snow was not deep, crisp or even. In fact pre lunchness happened on the terrace.

Peter

Ian

New Kelly

 Usual photographic shambles - can't find pix of Annette or Ken or their two, and only glimpses of Chris and her two babes. 

Clare and Annette did mostly vegan as there was a selection of regimes round the table

Ian, New Kelly, Peter and Rae

 Needless to say, we ate heartily:) And appreciated it all to the accompaniment of constant and fascinating chatter.   Gros Bis darlings xxxx

Bob and Chris

remarkable xmas

 Started the day, alarmingly, atop of a wall - we'd been making the last of the christmas deliveries and erm, don't really know what happened. Car went forwards instead of back. We ended up wedged across a track with a wall about to collapse under the font of the car.

Knocked on the door of the nearest house and disturbed a Frenchman in his pyjamas... he invited us in and there was his partner, mercifully already dressed. They'd clearly been enjoying a quiet morning together.

Incredibly, they were kind and welcoming.

After due deliberation Stephan drove his car out of the front, round Montazels and up the back of the track: drove up another driveway with a length of rope: anchored it to ours, while Katerine levered the car from the front with a big pointed length of tree. The car retreated, a large rock fell, but no-one was hurt and our new friends retained their good humour throughout.

The mist lifted and the sun shone...

Gus

Onwards then to our scheduled day at Chateau Rushton, where the pre-lunch drinks happened in a slightly too-hot garden ...

Jean-Christophe and Kim

Bob getting de-shocked

Clare doing the work

 John and Clare did the full number and we enjoyed it, massively and noisily and with joy :)

Chris, Clare, Bob

Jean-Christophe and Kim

Chris and pudding

Hope that you had a happy Christmas!


Back to dieting and clean living for us though not necessarily today - soon. Perhaps.

Happy Tuesday

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and loving christmas

Esperaza on Christmas morning...  part of the wiring for the 'phone (possibly), being subsumed into nature. Whatever; seemed like a good card but that was after a splendid breakfast of rice cakes and marmite, quails eggs and too much coffee. The sort of breakfast that makes anything seem like a good idea.

Ian is staying with us and the parrots are spellbound.

Prexmas continues

The motley crew of unusual suspects hove up to Pete and Nels yesterday at tea time - for cheese and cake and blanquette de limoux. Oh and Port. A convivial mix, for sure.

 Random snaps follow, missed out some friends but I'm sure they'll remember they were there :)

Rather odd being out in daylight but that passed.

Dale

Nel and John and Pete

Del and Dale and family

New Kelly and Rose

our beautiful hostess Nel

 Afterwards, it being a lovely evening, Le Captain and I took a stroll around moonlit Esperaza.

                                                                       Life is good.

Stemming the Swarm

👅 

Like a swarm of locusts we descended on New Kelly last night, her legendary cooking skills attracting us like a siren-call (if I may mix my metaphors.) Here she is, spooning stuff onto other stuff; days of work VERY much appreciated by her fan club :)

 Yup, we need an editor... but there was something pleasing about this snap of Kates arm, Gillies hands and Gracies back

Here's a better snap of Gillie...

and New Kelly and Roland

and (below that) Louise and Alan and Sheilas back

Roland and Ray

Roy and N Kelly and Gracie

 Norbert and Diana and blurry stuff -

and here was the view from outside Kellys house as we left; magic!

Saverias solstice

 Sav choose to hold her soiree on the solstice under a full moon with a massive corona which of course is barely visible in my photo - beautiful to see though naturally somewhat chilly...

Sav was on terrific form. I have no photos to indicate this and this may be due to the mulled wine she lovingly produced, which seemed to be hot gin coloured by brandy with loads of fruit. Worked for me.

Lots of friends there and interesting multi-cultural chatting. One lady was an Occitan speaker who confirmed Sebastian's word for 'putain'; 'maqkuaroau' (phonetically spelt -) 

 Gracie

Kells

Richard

Ian

Here's the now traditional random selection of snaps, no selection procedure beyond what comes out usable.

The astute observer will see Kells' new haircut - she is shorn for charity, a process by which her hair goes to make wigs, the proceeds of which go to charity. Or possibly the hair goes to make wigs for chemo survivors, I forget which - jolly Good Thing anyway and her new cut is really pretty.


Here's Mary, from Colorado where she does ecology-type thangs, nattering with Eva from Transylvania -

 ... and Mandy and Louise no doubt swapping travelers tales :)



Bob and I crawled off early before the carols and mince pies, claiming age and infirmity as our companions.

Sebastian and star