There’s a strong, cold wind blowing this morning though the sky is blue and the air lovely and clear and bright.  We decide that a stroll around the old part of Pezenas and a stop for coffee will fit the bill so we park in Parking Voltaire and have a wander through the narrow back streets, John taking photos and Ann and I browsing a few of the little craft shops.

We sit outside in the sun for coffee and Madeleines but the wind in the shady little lanes is biting.  On the way back to the car, we discover a little lane we’ve never seen before called Rue Francois Oustrin with a lovely art workshop called Hotel des Barons de Lacoste and a cafe mysteriously called O.Ju ex Au which we later discover has excellent Tripadvisor reviews.  We will return on a warmer day!

On our way home, I call in to the big greengrocer’s in a third attempt to get some logs delivered.  We’ve now ordered and paid for two ‘steres’ to be delivered on Thursday morning – fingers crossed!

We’re having a lovely few days gadding about despite the cold, and sometimes rainy, weather.  We’ve been for walks, sat in cafés and had long lunches as well as visits to Meze, Marseillan, Pezenas market and Montpellier rugby club.  Derek and John have already done three morning bike rides while Ann and I have made warming soups for lunch and strolled down to the boulangerie (which now has Xmas window displays and is full of chocolates and other goodies).

We’ve got our Xmas wreath on the front door, fairy lights on the balcony and I bought a big bunch of holly at the market – so it’s getting quite Christmassy at Les Trois Oliviers.

We were out on Friday evening for the rugby – a rather late kick off at 8.45pm in the cold and rain so Saturday evening was spent in front of the log fire, having raclette and watching ‘Strictly’.

After a long walk yesterday afternoon, we’re limiting ourselves to a trip to the supermarket after lunch and maybe a stop for coffee and chocolate chaud.

The rain has stopped and the storms seem to have passed but it is still very grey and the skies are very threatening. A walk around the village and up to the ruined chapel reveal severe flooding. The river has risen considerably and the road to Pezenas is closed (route inondee). We can’t get through to the Saturday market and we have heard that the Cassan Christmas fair in Roujan has been cancelled. The chateau was flooded three time yesterday and road chaos means exhibitors and stall holders are unable to get to the venue.

The gallery gives an impression of the Herault flood plain.

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No, we didn’t bag any online bargains or scuffle in a supermarket for a giant TV but it was certainly Black Friday here in terms of the weather.  Several days of storms were forecast and it hit here particularly badly yesterday – strong winds, heavy rain and thunder and lightning rolling around endlessly.

We spent a very quiet day doing some website design on the laptop, the main IMac switched off because of the lightning.  We managed to get outside a few times to sweep water off the front porch and to check for damage – the house with its window shutters and big heavy doors is fine.

It has stopped raining this morning, the wind has dried the porch but the vineyards between us and the river Herault are completely submerged.  The local online newspaper Languedoc Living is carrying lots of photos of flood damage and casualties and a big local weekend Xmas fair at Cassan has been cancelled because of flooding and road chaos yesterday.  Derek had a look through the binoculars and couldn’t see any traffic on the bridge, so we’re guessing the road to Pezenas is closed.  We’ll have a stroll out later and have a look!

We set off on Sunday morning to drive down to Valencia in Spain for a little city break and to meet up with Gay and Bob who were travelling there by train.  It’s a six hour drive from us, motorway all the way and all was going well until we stopped for lunch at a rest area and my handbag was stolen from the car.  I had stupidly put it in the front while we sorted out lunch at the back – the thieves distracted us, we knew it was happening but they were too quick for us to react.  Sick at heart, we made the necessary phone calls and comforted ourselves that we still had an undamaged car, passports, iPads and Derek’s cash, cards and phone.

We were a bit calmer when we reached our hotel which was lovely and very central and had secure parking and a safe in the room.  To our amazement, Valencia was buzzing on a Sunday evening with shops all open and outdoor cafés really busy.  Lots of people were out and about so we strolled about a bit and had a drink, the temperature still about 20 degrees.

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In the morning after not sleeping much, we headed to Valencia’s daily food market which cheered us up no end.  It’s a fabulous indoor market – the best we have ever seen (and we’ve seen a few!).   So much lovely food on show first thing on a Monday morning – fruit, veg, hams, bread, pastries, honey – a real wow!  We found a quiet cafe just outside for coffee and then strolled back through the fantastic architecture of Valencia’s central area to meet Gay and Bob.

We really enjoyed Monday and Tuesday looking around – the weather was sunny and ideal for strolling and outdoor eating and because Gay and Bob knew the city a bit, it helped us relax.  We had long lunches both days, in the city on Monday and at the beach on Tuesday and then strolled to the Mercado de Colon in the evenings for drinks and tapas.  I think it’s the healthiest I’ve ever eaten on a city break – lots of fish, salad and vegetables though we also succumbed to profiteroles.  We bought a two day ticket for the bus tour which was brilliant for getting us out to the further reaches of the city to see the new City of Arts and Sciences, the marina and the areas where the Americas Cup and Formula 1 were held.  The commentary also gave us the history of the city, albeit in rather flowery language.  Gay and I also managed a look around El Corte Ingles department store while Bob advised Derek about Rioja down in the basement food hall.

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We had a quick breakfast of coffee, juice and tostada outside the hotel on Wednesday morning, said our goodbyes and headed off on the Autopista for the long drive home.  The journey was uneventful apart from heavy traffic and rain on the Barcelona ring road and as we didn’t fancy stopping at a rest area again, we just kept going – nibbling quiche, cherry tomatoes, bits of bread and cheese and clementines we’d bought at the market on the move.

Castelnau has had quite a bit of rain while we’ve been away – the pool is full!  The forecast this week isn’t great but, as I write, we’ve got doors and windows open and the laundry is on the line!

We booked tickets to see Elton John back in June when we were in Gothenburg. We hadn’t been to a concert for years and thought it would be a treat on a Thursday November evening and a chance to see a bit of culture in Montpellier.

The Park & Suites is a bit like the LG Arena in Birmingham – a bit smaller, loads of free parking and easy to get to.  When we arrived it was already beginning to fill up with thousands of oldies like us, all very calm and sedate.  We played ‘spot the young person’ but couldn’t see any!

Not sure what we expected really but Elton was unbelievable in his sparkly blue jacket – a two and a half hour set, 26 songs and not a wrong note. His voice was better than ever, piano playing phenomenal and he was just a master in control of the audience.  Every song you can name was played and at the end we were on our feet along with all the other over 60s rocking to I’m Still Standing, Saturday Night’s All Right and Crocodile Rock. He finished with Circle of Life at 11.00.  His band, including a drummer and guitarist who’d been touring with him for 40 years, and a brilliant young percussionist were fantastic and really looked to be enjoying themselves.

Getting away was a bit trafficky and slow but not really a problem and we arrived back at the house well after midnight. What an adventure!  Elton definitely goes on the list as a tour highlight for us and now holds legend status in our household.

We’re having a few quiet days catching up with ourselves at the moment. The weather remains bright and sunny but is chilly first thing in the morning and we’ve started lighting a fire in the evenings. We went to Bricomarche yesterday to buy kindling and firelighters and Derek also bought a giant axe for log splitting and because it looked appealingly macho.

I walked into the village to get my hair cut at the local salon. The stylist was lovely and I had a good 30 mins French conversation practice while she snipped away. This was my most expensive trim at 29 euros but that did include wash and blow dry and the offer to trim my fringe if it needed it later.

Still in shorts!

This morning we cycled into Pezenas and did the St Simeon walk including the steep slope which leads past the home of ‘Hector’ the vicious guard dog which had accosted me a few weeks ago when the gate was open. Today the owner was outside so we stopped for a chat and it transpires that ‘Hector’ is in fact a three year old sweetie pie called ‘Delta’ who liked it when I tickled her under the chin. Her owner told us that Delta likes to snuggle up with the eight cats on the property and rounds them up like ‘un berger avec les moutons’ (a shepherd with sheep)!

Last of the afternoon sun

We’ve been catching up with some website work (sometimes on the iPad by the pool) and have even started to prepare our Christmas newsletter. We sponsor the Shakespeare Birthplace Xmas Lightshow by providing a free website and today received an email invitation to the opening next week plus a bit of a party with the celebrity guest, Christopher Biggins.
What a shame we can’t make it!!

We picked John and Christine up from Beziers airport on Wednesday evening and caught up with them over supper at the kitchen table.  Thursday morning dawned sunny and bright so Derek and John walked down to the boulangerie to buy baguettes and croissants, and after breakfast on the terrace, we headed out for a walk – we did the Circuit de St Antoine to build up an appetite for lunch!

More walking in the afternoon but at a more sedate pace along the harbour front at Marseillan stopping to admire the boats and have a coffee of course.

Friday’s weather forecast was for rain so we called in at Carrefour for the French supermarket experience and then drove out to Meze for a long lunch which we really enjoyed – fish soup, moules frites and creme caramel though John was brave and had the local oysters.  The weather got worse before it got better but after a cup of tea at home, the skies brightened and we tackled the St Simeon walk to burn off a few calories.  We used our new raclette grill for supper and all agreed that the potato, cheese, ham combo was a real winner.  I’m embarrassed to admit that we also managed creme brûlée – our second dessert of the day!

Yesterday was the weekly Saturday Pezenas market – always a joy and as usual we came home loaded up with fruit, veg, salad, cooked chicken, bread and cakes.  A long, leisurely lunch on the patio, an hour or so sitting by the pool and it was time to take John and Christine back to Beziers for the RyanAir flight returning to London, Luton.

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Another really enjoyable weekend – we are vowing to cut down on French bread, cheese, pastries etc – well for a few days at least!

We were fourth time lucky at the Millau Bridge – on our journey home from David and Blandine’s, the weather was fantastic and we were at Millau in bright sunshine and blue skies.  Previous crossings had been in the dark or with wet, cloudy, breezy weather.

The Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge in the world, opened in 2004 and designed by British architect Norman Foster and French engineer Michel Virlogeux.  It crosses the Tarn river valley.

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In fact, the whole 5 hour journey home from Cour Les Barres was enjoyable.  The first part was through pretty countryside and villages – oddly, it reminded us a bit of South Warwickshire and The Cotswolds.  We joined the A75 at junction 11 and even the motorway drive was scenic!  It hadn’t looked that way on the previous Friday when we drove up – so what a difference a blue sky makes.

We stopped at Millau for a late lunch and walked up to the viewing area to take photos.  It was only about an hour home then – a nice ending to the weekend.

Last Friday we set off after breakfast to drive north to Cours Les Barres near Nevers in central France to stay with Blandine and David for a long weekend.  We were last with them in April when we had a lot to catch up with after about 20 years had flown by since they left Bermuda to settle in France.  We had a lovely time – going for long walks with their Dalmatian Indy, sitting around the table eating Blandine’s fabulous French food and chatting endlessly about times past and present.

Their house was in slight disarray as they had just had a complete re-fit of their kitchen, the workmen leaving just a few hours before we arrived.  The new kitchen was fabulous but empty and untried with all their kitchen equipment stored away temporarily in the loft.  Blandine still  managed to serve delicious food all weekend using one ring and a microwave/combi oven down in the cellar/utility area.  I always pick up cooking tips from Blandine  – my quiches will be improved by cooking in a hotter oven, my pasties will be much easier if I buy an ingenious folding and crimping gadget which I have yet to track down and we were introduced to the table grill called a Raclette – brilliant, we’ve already bought one and used it.

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Indy provided a lot of fun – he’s an incredibly handsome dog and full of energy, always wanting to cuddle up and be part of the action.  We really enjoyed walking with a dog again and the weather was mostly bright and sunny.  It rained a little on Sunday afternoon so Blandine suggested the garden centre Botanic to while away an hour – we were really impressed.  The plants were tip-top and arrangements were beautiful with all sorts of new ways of having plants indoors – magnetic pots and picture frames with greenery.  They had excellent kitchen and household accessories and had just opened their Christmas section too so Derek tracked down some battery powered fairy lights for a festive outdoor display!

We set off home on Monday morning – Blandine went off to work and David was tasked with beginning to sort out the kitchen.  Tuesday 11th was the Remembrance Day public holiday so we could all recover from a delightfully busy long weekend.