Yesterday was cloudy and chillier so the sweatshirts got worn for the first time in a long while.  We drove up towards the parc naturel du Haut Languedoc and the ‘black mountains’ that we can see from our kitchen.  We stopped in Bedarieux for coffee and a visit to Tourist Info to get some maps of the voie verte (green way) called the Passapais – a flat route designed for walking and cycling.  We parked at Mons and cycled to Olargues – a real beauty spot – and a bit beyond for a picnic lunch. It was a lovely ride – it’s a pity it isn’t closer.  We were really spoiled in Chevanceaux where the greenway was on our doorstep.

We did our two favourite local walks last week – the Via Domitia and the circuit de St Antoine and we’ve got some more ideas for further routes.  We’ve also bought a guide book to the Canal du Midi so we’re hoping to do some sections of that too.

Derek cycled 45 miles this morning including La Roquette – otherwise a quiet day at home doing some cooking, laundry, car cleaning, tidying, emails, invoices etc. Oh, yes – and preparing our annual accounts for the taxman – always a pleasure.

Had a lovely Saturday morning in Pezenas at the market – it was really busy and bustling with more stalls than we’d ever seen before (we didn’t arrive last year until December.)

We cycled there and back so could only carry so much home in my panniers and Derek’s rucksack.  We were pleased with our haul though so took a photo of it all on the kitchen table before we started munching through it for lunch.

There were lots of lovely  flowers and plants too but we just couldn’t carry them today!  We also eyed up the Chinese food stall which seems hugely popular and have decided to try it next time.  The prunes, olives and dates are really topnotch, the seeded baguette was yummy and the ‘poulet moyen’ €8.50 ( a bit cheaper than that one we bought in Fontenay Le Comte!!)

Lunch

Lunch

I’ve made two curries for supper tonight, veggie balti and a creamy chicken one which I hope will go well with several hours of Strictly!

Took a few photos of the house in this morning’s sunshine.  We seem to be back to normal weather conditions today after Monday’s extreme rainfall.  Montpellier saw half a year’s rainfall in a few hours and newspaper photos showed people kayaking in the city streets.  The Herault river flooded fields and roads here but the water seems to have receded now.  Derek went out on his bike this morning, took a few photos too of well ridden routes and all seems calm.

Time for some lunch – here are the photos. Click on them individually to get the captions!

[Show slideshow]

As forecast, it was pouring with rain when we woke up.  The shutters on the windows and doors kept the house dry but the huge cellar was flooded, with water pouring in under the garage door.  We moved a lot of stuff, took up drain covers and tried to clear them but it was all looking rather grim.

The rain eased at lunchtime and with visibility restored, we could see that the nearby Herault river had flooded  – we had a walk down to the vineyards which were all under water at the base – water running along the country lanes all over the place.  After lunch, the water level started to subside in the cellar so we drove into Pezenas to buy groceries.  We got there ok with only one large puddle to drive through, but on the way back, the road was closed so we had to do a long detour home via Montagnac.  We saw loads more flood damage on that route including abandoned cars and one vehicle wedged between two trees, presumably swept there by the river.  Country lanes are strewn with branches, rocks and debris – brown mud is everywhere! More photos of the damage to the area can be seen here.

[Show slideshow]

So, if you’ve been imagining us lying on a beach here in the south of France, gazing out at the Mediterranean – well, not this week!!

We had an easy drive on Saturday in the sunshine.  We stopped off in the village boulangerie for one last visit to stock up on croissants and bread before setting off southwards on the peage towards Bordeaux and then on towards Toulouse, Carcassonne and Pezenas.

We had two lovely picnic stops on the way, one beside the Canal du Midi.

We arrived at the house, Les Trois Oliviers, late afternoon, unloaded the car and in the evening sat munching chilli and watching Strictly.  Sunday was another lovely day – we unpacked, had a stroll around and dangled our feet in the pool.

Countryfile was on the telly and we noticed on their European weather map an ugly purple patch in the south of France – rain forecast for two days!

It’s hard to believe we have been here three weeks and we are packing up ready to head south once more. The weather here has been a real treat – hot days, warm evenings and mostly sunny. Although we have worked quite hard – see our new client’s online shop – www.jormaepourri.co.uk – we have also been able to get out everyday and cycle and/or walk.

Three weeks in one place has also been good and we feel we’ve got to know the area quite well and know where we are going (most of the time).

The car is all packed – nearly – the roof box is back on and the bikes are ready to be loaded. A few beers tonight I think and we set off in the morning on our 5 hour journey to Castelnau de Guers. It’s nice to be heading to somewhere we know and we should be all settled by the end of the weekend. We already have tickets to see Montpellier v OYONNAX on the 11th October and Montpellier v GLASGOW on the 25th. The walks should be familiar although we shall search out some new ones and I have a already planned my first bike ride once the bikes are back together.

We will post again after the weekend.

Our last Monday and I decide to go for a very long ride. We visited local markets on Saturday and Sunday which were quite disappointing really. I think we were spoilt by the size and variety in Pezenas – the markets here have been very small and quite basic. Not the range of products we have been accustomed to. We did do a couple of lovely walks however – the booklet of 30 local routes has been well used and we’ve not found a dud one yet.

So – having skipped my usual Sunday morning ride I set out on the longest one yet and planned to go through several local villages. The weather was bright and sunny but cooler than of late and the early start meant a base layer and arm warmers. It was windy too so the new Sky gilet also got an airing.

The ride went well even though I was chased by a dog at one point and the combination of hills and headwind were, at times, a struggle. I stopped twice to replenish lost calories – the usual baguette with butter and jam – and drank a lot in the heat ( by the end of the ride the temperature was hovering around *80 degrees). Into the last few miles I was feeling good and started to push for home through a short stretch of woodland – at that moment the wind seem to pick up and unfortunately I was right under a horse chestnut tree. A small hand grenade size conker, wrapped in its protective spiky casing hit me from above and managed to take out my arm and leg. A serious wobble but I thought no more about it until I looked down to see a bleeding leg and blood stained shirt. The spikes had left their mark and managed to do a fair bit of damage to my skin! The shoulder is now seriously bruised and pock marked.

I must be the only rider to nearly get taken out by conkers!!

The weather continues to be glorious – lovely blue skies and temperatures in the high twenties. The last two afternoons have seen some thunderclouds rolling in and some incredible thunder and lightning and rainbows. It rained quite a bit on Wednesday night but sure enough, Thursday morning looked lovely so we set off on a 12k walk – Circuit de la Foret de Chaux. We really enjoyed it but the humidity had us dripping hot – we had to dip in the pool when we got back to regain our composure!

Luckily, the house here is really cool throughout and the little patio at the back is nearly always in deep shade. Derek did a short bike ride this morning but otherwise we’ve had a quiet few days, doing some Flashback work and pottering about the house.

Derek made a very nice pasta dish last night – spaghetti with roasted veg, mozzarella balls, basil and olives and I made some mushroom pate and for tonight two more recipes from Jack in The Guardian – baba gosht (lamb and aubergine curry) and green beans with cumin, mint and yoghurt.

We’ve been here two weeks now – time flies!

We are not far from the coast here in Chevanceaux and the Gironde River Estuary is only about 45 minutes away. The lovely spell of weather is forecast to end mid week so we set off to explore the Route Verte which runs north from Bordeaux to the coastal port of Royan.

We started off in Montagne sur Gironde because it had been recommended and we were promised some nice restaurants. Unfortunately, Monday out of season, they are all closed so we settle for coffee next to the marina and then head to Talmont, Meschers and Saint Georges de Didonne. Lunch beckons but still no beach cafes offering Monday repas! We settle for a picnic having spotted SuperU and buy the usual baguette, cheese, ham, fruit etc. We find a lovely park by a lake and sit in the sun with our al fresco lunch.

Suitably full we set off for Royan, park up and discover a huge expanse of golden sand, a marina full of boats and a fair few cafes still serving – ah well!! We wander about, take lots of pictures and find a beach side shady cafe for a drink. It has wifi of course so I am able to spend an hour pretending to do some work – well at least dealing with emails.

A long drive back to Chevanceaux – a welcome cup of tea and our now ritual dangling of the feet in the pool while we drink it. The folks at Saga would be proud of us.

The harvesting of the sunflower seeds has now begun and we were treated to some close up views of the combine at work!