Le Couvent Diary

Well, that might be stretching it a bit, but today was truly glorious. After a couple of hours bushwhacking in the vines at Chateau Mal Au Dos we went off to Grau d'Agde for lunch.

Short sleeves and ice-creams were de rigueur.

This dog was having the best time ever..

...as were these riders.

 

 

Adopt twelve vines for a year in a romantic French vineyard and watch your grapes grow and ripen into twelve bottles of wine labelled with your sweetheart's name.

 

For the past five years Ali and I have been part of a group of Roujanaises who meet to help local French, Swiss and Dutch women speak a bit more English. It is always huge fun.

 

 

Each time we meet in a different house - there're around a dozen of us. Today, after having spent an achy afternoon pruning vines, we met at lovely Sally & Paul's house. Sal was the headteacher in a primary school. As a result she always plans loads of fun things to do. Tonight was no exception. We spent an hour listening to, then watching a TV chef prepare a luscious-sounding orange and chocolate cheesecake.

 

 

A long list of new words and much concentration later, the group had the hang of the recipe and method. Just as we thought the lesson was over Sally, with a flourish, whipped out 'one she'd prepared earlier'.

 

 

And truly delicious it was. Now why wasn't school like that?

It's 5.30pm. The skies are clear blue and bright pink, but the light is fading fast on 2007. Tonight we're off to see in 2008 in Alignan du Vent and although neither of us particularly needs another seasonal party we'll have a good time, no doubt. We hope you have a good time, celebrating however you do in your corner of the world. We send you our love and hope you have a happy and healthy 2008. Perhaps we'll see you in Roujan sometime soon.

A happy time was had by all, great evening at Erzsi's on Christmas Eve, two geese and Bourdic wines on Christmas Day, before setting off camping at the mazet on Boxing Day.

Ali bought me a fab sleeping bag for Christmas, so what was I to do but agree to sleeping in a 9 square metre hut in the middle of the vineyards in December? After all, seven bedrooms all with their own bathrooms can make one forget the essential things like - will we be warm enough?

So off we trundled with the dogs, soup, breakfast and good books. (Actually the car was filled to the gunwales, but mostly dog-stuff - oh yeah?)

It was magical. I was never less than sweltering thanks to a roaring fire and zillion-tog sleeping bag. The books were excellent and it was wonderful to be away from the phones. But the real corker was waking at 2am when Kit the labrador decided on a comfort break outside. The moon was so bright you could have read outside. Looking back towards the lights of Roujan, Caux and Neffies just made me grin. It's hard to feel anything other than enormous gratitude when you look up at a billion stars.

Next day voices drifting up the hill announced the arrival of Erszi, Heather and Alex who'd come for a walk, some lunch and a bit of pruning. The views were beyond divine.