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We started the new week with a walk on Monday morning around the nearby town of Montagnac – it was quite well signposted with ‘vert d’eau’ (aqua blue) markers though we did go wrong once when we got distracted by some rogue markers in powder blue.  Unfortunately these led us past some smelly sewage ponds – we won’t make that mistake again!  Yesterday’s weather forecast was for torrential rain and storms whereas in fact the morning was dry and it just drizzled a bit in the afternoon.  We did the San Simeon walk in the morning and caught up with work in the afternoon.

Today, the weather was as predicted – cooler but sunny and bright so we decided to have a day out in Montpellier.  We only went into the city centre once last year though of course we’ve done numerous trips to the rugby stadium, airport and the Odysseum shopping centre.

It’s not a particularly historical city and has all the usual city issues of repair and restoration involving scaffolding, traffic cones, diggers etc.  There is loads of building going on, particularly on the outskirts and a huge university population.

We really enjoyed strolling about today though.  We started at Odysseum sitting in our ‘usual’ spot outside La Brioche Doree for coffee and then caught the tram to Place de la Comedie.  We walked up Rue de la Loge past the lovely little covered market and across town to the cathedral of St Pierre, the Jardin des Plantes, the Arc de Triomphe and the Promenade de Peyroux.  Remarkably, as we strolled back through the old town, we came across The Shakespeare Pub!

We got into a couple of mix ups with the tram system but finally made it out to Park Suites (a bit like the NEC in Birmingham) where we will be going to see the Elton John concert in a couple of weeks.  We couldn’t get much information but there looks to be plenty of parking so we’ll probably drive there on the actual night.

Back at Odysseum, we revived with tea and tarte aux framboises and then did our shopping –  new headphones for Derek, a blender and baking dish for the kitchen and some toiletries from the fabulous Parapharmacie section in Casino Geant for Barb.  We were supposed to be buying some new bedding from IKEA but were too weary to face the mighty Swedish retail empire at the end of a long day so we headed home, calling in at Beziers airport on the way back to check out its location.  It’s about 25 minutes away for those of you flying out to see us and it’s tiny!

Yesterday was a public holiday here – la Toussaint – a day to remember the dead.  French cemeteries are very much a part of villages and yesterday was a big occasion to decorate graves with flowers.  Huge bowls of chrysanthemums were on sale everywhere, brightening up supermarket car parks with lovely colours.  I have learned that you shouldn’t give chrysanthemums to someone as a gift – they are for dead people!

Bouba has a little sleep at the market!

Pezenas market was on as usual in the morning though so we cycled in and really enjoyed our habitual Saturday jaunt.  We are getting a bit braver each week about what we buy and this week got some pork loin and sausages from the ever popular ‘vans’ that attend the market.  They are quite daunting as the confident French women always know what they want but in fact the stall holders were really friendly, chatty and helpful and once we got close-up, the meat looked really good quality and well trimmed.

We also bought local honey and eyed up the big nets of walnuts which have suddenly appeared.  I’m making a banana and walnut loaf this morning using up the last of the walnuts from the garden at Chevanceaux where they were lying around all over the ground.

Halloween is also celebrated here – the village had a communal family supper so that children could dress up.  There was a special menu including ‘dessert sanglant’ – something red and sticky no doubt.  As in the UK, it’s an American import and not really part of French mainstream culture.  We had a little group of four children knock on our door and had to raid our car sweets to give them some.

Danny flew in for a few days over the weekend.  We picked him up at Montpellier airport on Thursday afternoon and he flew back on Sunday afternoon.  The weather was a bit windy at first but lovely and sunny so we did a fair bit of gadding about including a bike ride to Florensac, the Saint Antoine walk,  Pezenas market, Montpellier v Glasgow rugby match and a stroll around the harbour at Marseillan.

In between all that, we ate a lot of French food on the patio and even had croissants by the pool for breakfast on Sunday.  It’s very quiet without him and the fridge needs re-stocking!

I’ve really enjoyed cycling here over the last three weeks and have used the Garmin to record my rides.  On average, I’m doing about 80 miles a week and have developed half a dozen different routes – sunshine, great scenery and some interesting terrain.

Friday morning was beautiful so I set off on a long ride and planned to do three climbs.

An easy 10 mile warm up through Nizas and the first climb up and over La Rouquette. A fast descent through Neffies and on to Roujan and Vailhan passing the Barrage d’Olivette and then two short sharp climbs up to Montesqueu. From there it’s all downhill so quite fast and easy. A total of 55 miles in just on 4 hours. The sun shone all the way and the ride was lovely.

After today’s very windy ride I topped 300 miles for the month. At one point I was doing 26 mph on the flat and not pedalling – that’s how windy it was!!

We bought a lovely guide book about cycling along the Canal du Midi and thought we might do some of it in stages, picturing ourselves like the couple in the Saga ads, rolling along beside the canal in the sunshine.  We tackled two different bits – east from nearby Marseillan towards Sete yesterday and just west of Beziers at Colombiers today, hoping to get to Poilhes.

At its best, it was lovely but the paths vary from quite rough to extremely rough and, although my bike copes ok-ish, Derek’s tyres are way too thin.  It’s bumpy and you spend too much time watching the ground.  The biggest problem though is that we keep coming across sections that are closed with diversions involving 4k detours or almost vertical down and up slopes.  Hugely disappointing and annoying.

Last year we got stuck at the Malpas Tunnel so we were delighted to find our way around it this time with the help of the lady in the Tourist Office but a couple of kilometres further on, we hit a ‘Route Barree’ again (which she had failed to mention!)

We made the best of it all and did enjoy both days but if we’re going to tackle the Canal du Midi again, I think we’ll get a boat.

Marseillan and Colombiers are both nice little towns and cycling along the shore line yesterday suited our bikes better.  We had picnic lunches both days – picked up a nice sandwich and pain aux raisins from the boulangerie at Les Rodettes today.

A quiet start to the week – on Tuesday afternoon we decided to re-visit an old haunt – Meze with its pretty harbour on the Etang de Thau.  Meze is not too far, about 25 minutes, and we pretty much knew where we were going. We’d forgotten how nice it was and we had a good wander around the port and all along the coast. It was livelier on a warm October afternoon than the last time we visited on Barb’s birthday back in January with Michael and Gillian. There were several nice looking restaurants with quite a few people sitting outside in the sunshine. We promised ourselves we would come back and have lunch.

On Wednesday we set ourselves the fitness challenge (well, challenging for Barb, easy peasy for Derek) of cycling into Pezenas, doing the San Simeon walk with its steep slope and cycling home in time for lunch.  The flask of coffee and panettone safely stowed in the panniers, hats and suntan lotion on, we did it in two and a half hours and completed this ‘old bids triathlon’ with a third stage in the pool – well, we dangled our feet and legs in.

A fabulously sunny day though a really threatening black cloud full of thunder rolled by late afternoon – we were on guard to close up and shut down but it just passed on by without incident.

Today, Thursday, we planned a full day trip along the coast beyond Montpellier.  Our destination – Aigues Mortes – an ancient walled town built in the 13th century by Louis IX from where he would set off on the Crusades.  It was really impressive, not at all busy but very warm (27°).  Walking all around the ramparts took nearly an hour but we got great views of the salt pans and waterways outside the town and all the houses and apartments inside. It’s a bit touristy but stunningly preserved and a great example of a stone built fortress.

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After lunch we drove to Port Camargue and Le Grau du Roi (only just managing to escape the car park as there was yer another ‘Route Barré and a whole set of diversion signs sending you around in circles) and had a little look around.  Port Camargue has a huge marina and lots of holiday villas; Le Grau du Roi was originally a fishing village, a pretty, touristy sort of place.  There are lots of canals, marshland and etangs and boats and we also saw a few wild flamingoes.

On to La Grande Motte – a much bigger town, beautifully landscaped and much more modern. It’s full of apartments and boats all set around a massive marina and it’s presumably where all the residents of Montpellier head to at weekends. Lots of cafes and restaurants and some of the biggest and most beautiful boats I have ever seen. Sea, sunshine and boats – awesome!

We stopped for a drink at one of the marina cafes and Barb ordered citron pressé – possibly the sharpest lemon drink I’ve ever tasted. Again, we need to come back and spend a full day wandering around and sampling the food.

We headed back to Montpellier and the A9 Peage, drove back to Castelnau and had tea and cake by the pool.

Sunday was very windy and very cloudy with another red alert from France Meteo – a massive contrast to Saturday’s glorious weather. As a result there was no Sunday ride and no walking. We decided instead to spend the day in front of a screen working on a couple of new projects. Bensons Restaurant in Stratford is having a revamp so we are doing a new website. We also got ahead with invoices, checked all client sites and wrote a few blogs. Sometimes it’s good to have a day like this and keep on top of all the admin. I also finished the annual accounts and got them sent off to the accountant. Exciting stuff eh?

Today, Monday, has brought a return to fair weather. Well, stunning weather really. It’s very hot, very sunny and very calm. We did a long walk this morning from our old base from last year and wandered through the lanes to Tourbes, where we stopped for coffee. Back at the car parked near Coteau Moliere we had more refreshment and then did a quick shop before heading back to the villa.

Lunch by the pool was interesting as we spotted a small snake taking a dip! We rescued it using the pool net and sent it on its way.

The problem now is what to do with the afternoon – work, cycle, chill by the pool or drive to the beach. Decisions, decisions!!!

Despite some extreme weather elsewhere in Languedoc this week, we have survived pretty well. Pezenas seems to have escaped the wet weather and we’ve been out and about most days. On Friday I did a really nice ride. I’d planned a route where I could abandon if necessary but it turned out to be calm and very warm and I ended up doing nearly 30 miles. It’s a real treat to be able to cycle still in short sleeves and just one layer. In fact I’m having problems with too much sweat in my eyes. I’m guessing it won’t last.

In the afternoon we headed to Marseillan Plage and had a long walk on the beach. We expected a lot of storm debris but in fact it was quite clear. There were even people swimming!!

Saturday was always forecast to be nice and it didn’t disappoint. The day dawned with a clear blue cloudless sky and bright warm sunshine. We drove into Pezenas and after initially struggling to find a parking space, we hit the market. Again it was thriving and there were lots of people browsing the stalls. Fruit and veg stalls, meat, fish, dried fruits etc etc. After coffee at Cafe des Arts and lots of shopping, we headed back to the villa before taking to the A9 Peage. We had lunch at St Jean de Vedas, took the tram to Sabine and walked to the stadium.

Montpellier v Oyonnax was not a great game – all penalties and a penalty try at the end and marred by the fact that Trinh-Duc broke his leg. Although Montpellier won 25-9 it was rather dull. The weather however was stunning. Fortunately we were in the shady stand – the poor spectators in the opposite stand must have really been suffering with the sun and the heat. (26 degrees). We had a nice chat with another English couple (Arsenal fans sadly) before the match – the chap used to play for London Irish!

The journey home was easy (apart from yet another Route Barre) and we had a quiet evening eating chilli and watching Strictly.

It’s been a bit cloudy, warm, breezy and very humid yesterday and today – all mixed up together!  We did a long walk yesterday from Coteau Moliere through the vineyards and the village of Tourbes – one that we remembered from last winter.  The pyracantha hedges were in full bloom and looked very impressive.

This morning, we cycled into Pezenas, tried a different cafe, checked out the kitchen shop and picked up some milk in Carrefour.  After lunch, we drove to the nearby village of Aumes to do a short walk. Some of the route was a bit blocked by landfall, branches etc after the flooding and we saw several collapsed walls.

The road on the way there was stained purple where presumably bunches of grapes had fallen off lorries.  There were miles and miles of vineyards – I read that Languedoc Roussillon produces a third of all French wine.  There are wine ‘caves’ everywhere around here for tasting and buying but they don’t look open to the public out of season.  You can buy local wine at the supermarkets, mostly about 3.50 euros a bottle.

Speaking of local wine, we bought some Pineau des Charentes (made in Jonzac near Chevanceaux where we stayed last month) in the supermarket here, cheaper than we’d ever seen it.  It’s strong and sweet and is drunk as an aperitif or with dessert or cheese.  We had it chilled in a tumbler with ice, a bit like the complimentary digestif they bring you in Spain at the end of a meal.  It was dangerously delicious!

After both the walk and the bike ride, we dangled our feet in the pool to cool down – sad or what!