Christmas once again

View from the top of La Bastide

The month has been blue skies, cold and frosty, perfect for a walk with Lilou.  In the distance we can see the Pyrenees covered with snow.  I have booked a surprise holiday in Saint Lary in the Pyrenees for the kids to ski....subject to Omicron.  The snow tyres get fitted today and will stay on until April.  La Bastide is at the bottom of a hill so any rainwater that turns to ice makes getting out on summer tyres impossible.

It was my birthday 1st December and I spent a great time with my friend John and his wife in Brighton.  We celebrated at a fabulous Japanese restaurant and drank hot sake.  The next day we stayed in the boutique hotel, the Ruby Lucy near Waterloo and ate at the Sarastro restaurant in Drury Lane for a friends 60th birthday.  Another great event with the guys I setup in business with in 1994.  Getting back was eventful as the day I flew France, they introduces Covid tested.  Due to the poor online application to book a test at the airport I missed my flight,  which turned out well as I stayed with my brother in law an extra day.  We took the dog for a walk to the pub and I enjoyed a takeaway curry.

Lautrec

I have planned a Christmas lunch for friends and family, we will have a prawn cocktail starter, provided by a French friend JP and his son Fausto (Simon Hopkinson's recipe) followed by the Christmas turkey I ordered to collect the Wednesday before Xmas.  The trimmings will be roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots, pigs in blankets and devils on horseback, sprouts with chestnuts and lardons, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and two different stuffing's chestnut and sage, apricot and almond.  Washed down with champagne, and wine.  Orangina for the kids, though I am sure Evie will like a sip of champagne.  Xmas pudding, ice cream and another friends Martin and Felicity's chocolate dessert.  If we have space cheese, fruit and biscuits.  Mince pies will be on hand when the coffee is served.  I don't think breakfast or supper will be needed!

Our Christmas started with the kids opening stockings, then breakfast followed by presents.  The children, had all they wished for and were very happy.  Prior to this I had made the stuffing and put the two, three kilo turkeys in the oven (the French do not seem to do larger than 4 Kilos! so my six kilo order was changed).  Friends arrived at 11am and we started the preparation of all the trimmings and of course drank champagne.  The lunch was a huge success with everyone stuffed like a turkey.  We finished with a fantastic chocolate biscuit cake and of course Xmas pudding.  Everyone left around five pm and arrived home safely.

Lautrec pigeons

During the holiday we went for walks with the dog, went to Xmas markets in Réalmont, Lautrec and Castres,  The kids had friends over and the odd sleepover.  They played outdoors and caught up with friends all over the world through their computer games, chat etc, great they have good French friends as well as English, Scottish, Irish,  American, Spanish and a host of other countries.  I guess with the internet there is no barrier to communication.....wherever you are, we even have friends in Tahiti living on a catamaran, sailing the world.

Eight am view on way back from Toulouse

Well I guess I'll keep this blog short, just to say from all at La Bastide

We all hope you had a great Christmas and wish everyone, friends, family and guests a very Happy New Year 2022 or as we say in France.

 Bonne Année.