News from Andree

Found this photo of Andree with, erm, Msr X, on a friend's blog. It's from a while ago, 2012 I think. Anyway, Andree has been on the phone to say she is well installed and loves her retirement home; marvelous staff,  nice people, great food and they'll be re-doing the bathrooms soon. The grounds are especially good. She sounded so happy!! Told her we give her a month to settle properly and then we are coming to inspect her. Her place is close to Bayonne but we can make a holiday of it.
All good in Esperaza, windy and rainy and sunny in turns. Very warm. We have more builders in attending to our empire -

and a dozy rabbit.

Hail, joyful morn

on with 2018! Have a good one, everyone -

Mega New Year

 The Rushton family took us in last night to celebrate the passing of 2017 and to welcome the new year. As ever Rushton and Clare and Max and Frankie and Greg and Jo and Matt put on a wonderful show, being visually aware and big-time creative - oh, and foodies!  Brilliant night and such a special feeling to have been involved with this family since, golly, probably 1968.
Not that I'm feeling my age this morning.
Actually I'm not feeling anything, I'm knackered.

 In the afternoon we trotted up the mountains to see Pete and Clare who were having fun trying to re-establish their water supply - and succeeding, hurrah. And there we found ex-Esperazanaise Ali and Martin with their two grown-up sons, Saskia and Tormi... all extremely well with that tribe.

French TV this morning was full of highlights of Johnny's funeral...

spring already

 Local opinion says the weather is unnatural. Its very pleasant though :)

stop press

The post box outside our town hall is closed!! Story to follow - if there is one. 

Otherwise, all well. Slight sense of calm before the storm as we prepare for New Years Eve. 

The weather suddenly very mild with warm breezes, most odd.

Carcassonne in winter

Took the bus/train 1 Euro route to Carcassonne to potter about the shops which is how I discovered that after Jan. 2cnd there are NO TRAINS till March - but there are buses so all is not lost. And the line is closed because of works so at a guess they have stopped thinking of closing the line down.
Above is the skating rink in the town. All very calm...

Relaxing

 Richard and Eva were good enough to invite us to dinner last night. After the intense socialising of the last few days it was great to hurl  myself into someone else lap, as it were :) Overdid everything. Great.

Thanks both xxx

 Here's the square they live off... and below, the river between showers yesterday. We are getting occasional rain and a bit of wind as the rest of the region gets hammered with difficult conditions. Keep safe out there.