December...again!

View from the top

My guess is it's an age thing, Christmas is here again, this year seems to have flown by.  At the beginning of the year we travelled to St Lary in the Pyrenees for skiing, I went on a boys ski holiday to Baqueira in Spain,  Grandad came over in September for a few weeks, and we had a beach holiday in Corsica,  Lots of friends came to stay at La Bastide from the UK and USA, and I saw Charlie in his latest play.  Evie and Tom went to UK to stay with friends during the summer and I had a fantastic UK road trip after the season finished, seeing friends I had not seen for four years.  I went to London, Cornwall, Selsey, Weybridge and Maidenhead, just over three weeks.  What a great year!

Friend's pub in their house Apero night

The season was good, with visitors from Holland, Belgium, France, the UK and Ireland.  Bookings this year were later, starting in January, once people knew they could travel.  I think Covid has become something we have to deal with like flu and a cold.  However, more deadly.  I have had the fourth vaccine booster, but still wear a mask travelling and shopping.  Visitors enjoyed the pool and the coolness of the gites as it was a very hot season.  The garden looked good and my potager did well, until it got too hot.  Lots of cucumbers, tomatoes, chard aubergine, parsley and basil.  I have yet to dig up the sweet potatoes.

It was hot with little rain and we have a hosepipe ban...still.  Cambounet-sur-le-Sor nature reserve's water is lower than I have ever seen it.  Great for waders, like snipe as lots of mud, but bad for everything else.  Farmers have agricultural lakes to water their crops, most are nearly empty. 

Winter officially starts on the 21st December. It's definitely v cold, this week has been -4 in the morning with frosts.  Snow is forecast, but we really need weeks of rain to replenish the lakes.  Christmas day was 19 degrees!

Starter

Just add gravy

We have a Christmas tree (outside) and once the main room decorating and woodwork (new skirting and architrave) is completed, Evie can dress the tree.  We have friends for Christmas day, which will be a traditional turkey with all the trimmings.  I am currently planning the menu and have ordered the turkey.  I have also ordered a 2.5 Kilo smoked gammon from Bacon by the Box in Ireland.  This will be cooked  in cider and apple juice, then it will be finished in the oven with Muscovado sugar, honey and mustard lathered over the skin.

I don't normally recommend things, but at Christmas to get into the spirt, you should watch the following films. "It's a Wonderful Life", the black and white original version,  (I have the coloured blue ray still wrapped) "Bad Santa", naughty, but nice or as a reviewer said "inappropriately funny", don't watch with the kids!  "Arthur Christmas" a fun anime and my favourite Christmas film the recent "Klaus" another great anime.

Castres market

There are Christmas markets in most towns and villages, I will take the kids to Castres as the light show is very good.  Carcassonne has a large skating rink and Lautrec our local village is a must, small but very personal, as I know a few of the stall holders!  France does do markets well, with mulled wine, lots of Christmas food treats and stalls selling handmade presents.  They also go to town on the ambiance with plenty of trees, fake snow and Christmas lights.  This year the snow may be real as it is forecast and already the Pyrenees and Alps are covered.

 Castres Christmas video

Mistletoe

The birds and animals are busy feeding in the cold weather, I have numerous tits arriving for fat balls and seed, deer feed in the fields and I have seen at least three different Black winged kite looking for prey.  They certainly have extended their range as until last year I had not seen one in the Tarn (now they breed).  Winter wheat has been planted and is three to four inches high, the 2023 garlic crop is doing well as it needs frost and plenty of rain.  The fields have been ploughed and various winter crops are in and growing.  Farmers are cutting fresh silage for the cows.

Here's to another great year, with a good season, some travel, friends and family reunions.  Have a great Christmas holiday.

Festive Lautrec

Happy Christmas  Joyeux Noël 

Happy New Year  Bonne année

to all who stayed at La Bastide, friends and family

from all at La Bastide