Back in the real world

I'm back, hurrah, though l find London rather nice in the autumn. No time to see any of our friends, sadly.

The photo is of The Unknown Artist  and the caption reads Don't clap, just throw money.

Nothing to  report yet - only been back two seconds and am doing domestix - except that Eddies Uncle Martin, the photographer, has a vernisage at the Cafe de Fa tonight. There will be the usual shenanigans and music. See you there, from 7 .00 pm.

Big news -

The Big News is that the Cafe du Pont is closed for three months, due to some electrical disaster.
Needless to say, this is a catastrophe for the riff raff that used it - me and Kat, mostly.

The Good News is that Obama is back; *Phew* can be heard all over Europe.

I'm off to Blighty to check out some art. Heres a painting called The Dream of the Tortoise, just finished.

Andorra

 To Andorra with Alecia for the duty-free shopping. The bus now has little drop-down screens that show the road ahead - Puylaurens chateau can just about be seen on the monitor here.  They also play jolly music and people who know the words sing a long. Enormous fun. The mountains are spectacular though the shopping centre itself is at best dispiriting; the sprinkling of snow helped make it less ruthlessly commercial.

Vina and David

Vina & David came for a Ryan & Alicia special:) Poor Ryan has an extremely bad back due, we think, to an excess of mushrooming; Vina demonstrated her back exercises on the sofa.

Sadly she wont let me publish the photos.

Gruisson plage

Took the day off  with the team - here are Leroy and Lily pausing from racing about the beach. It was great.

morning by the river

OK not a good photo but normally they're on their toes and off before I get the camera out, so rather pleased with myself to have snapped this mornings heron... the dippers were out in force too.

too cute to hold a candle to

Theo was here to dinner last night with his Mum Margo, friends Anne and Monique,Ryan and Alecia... sorry guys but no-one else worth photographing, lets face it:)
I missed Richard and Vanessa's Halloween party the night before due to a ringing head cold which has still not quite left me. By all account the party was a gas; anyone want to share photies?
Today the captain is here, exhausted from a pre-dawn flight.Only here for the weekend alas. We will be joined later by London friends, then all decamp to England for a week or so.
Delighted to report that though the American weather stories are a nightmare our old friends Larry and Barbara (see www.tilling-sur-aude.blogspot.com s passim) are safe. Some of their family have experienced difficulties but fundamentally OK.