My memory is suffering under the effect of the various obligatory excesses during and since the wonderful summer we've just had. I am finding it hard to remember anything which wasn't good fun. Obviously this can't go on - I must try harder!
However, the year ends with a great party at Chez Kelly's Chateau, (This is relatively small as Chateaux(s) go - historic but tastefully modernised. Just click here for more information.) owned by a lovely couple of chaps, Brendan and Keld, with whom we are now well acquainted. For this party, all guests bring their own food in generous quantities and there is much singing, dancing and piano playing - not to mention a great firework display at midnight. Our visiting British friends, David and Marie-Jeanne Sevier, are staying here and join in the celebrations.
As a result of all this indulgence, I am, so far, clinging to my thirteenth day of a new year's resolution which I have imposed upon myself. Not a drop of alcohol has passed my lips to date and I plan to continue this regime until the end of January and thereafter to try a less excessive lifestyle. Lucie is also being sensible although perhaps her need to be is not quite as urgent as mine. But it is not easy, especially when going out visiting friends. It is France after all and, in particular, we do miss the local red wine.
1 L to R 1.Our view towards Bordeaux, 2. some of our neighbours, 3."Mirabelle" a hotel boat.
Just click on any of these to enlarge
One incident worth reporting happens
whilst Lucie is away in England seeing her new grandson Max.
1. Winter favourite walk
2. La Garonne, top. Camp site, middle Body and Soul, bottom.
3. Bleak mistletoe and vineyard.
Once again it involves Spud and a Coypu. This time Spud escapes from me whilst taking him for the usual morning walk along the Canal side. I let him off the lead as much as I dare even though I am conscious of his reputation. I allow him to break trust yet again.
This time, as I watch him hurtle with nose down, zig-zagging across a ploughed field I am able to cut across the field by jumping a dyke and I cut him off just in time to see the inevitable "Kill" in horrible detail. He is the other side of another dyke and I cannot reach him without wading in through the freezing water. He is barking with the same urgent high note that I have heard before. This time he is dragging the unfortunate beast from out of a hole in the bank. It is the same size as he is and has those horrid yellow incisors on show. He is growling weirdly, lunging, biting and shaking his prey by the neck. He is unstoppable and it is soon over with a final twist. The coypu is dead and the body is being dragged towards me for presentation. Spud is looking very pleased with himself having satisfied one of his most basic instincts and Teddy, who has just caught us up, looks on with admiration.
Ahh yes, there have been other interesting but equally unsavoury happenings. The appearance of the frightful giant asiatic hornet
It seems that there is a minor invasion of these frightful creatures, pictures of which can be seen by clicking on the highlighted text. There is a giant hornets nest nearby us, high up in a tall tree and which I mistook for an unusually large crows-nest. It is somewhat box-shaped and appears to be hanging perilously by some sort of a thread. Later I find some giant hornets cones lying at the bottom of a different plane tree on the canal-side. These cones, although badly damaged by their fall, perhaps in a storm, are about 18" in diameter and one inch thick, made up of a mass of interconnected, six sided cells. (There is a picture of a segment of what I saw in the above attached document ) A miracle of nature of which I am in awe.
It's Friday the 15th Jan today and our new computer - a DELL desktop - is much better than the Acer laptop and we are absolutely delighted. Thanks to Alex, (son of Di and Dave) who is a genius at pooters of all sorts, we now have greater speed, more flexibility, better internet access and all day BBC radio 4. What a difference this is to us depending upon it, as we do, for communications of all sorts (including the Archers!). Thanks too due to Mike and Cathy, (Port Capitaine) who have had to put up with us using their pooter in the office at all times of the day for at least a fortnight.
Me and the boys in our pontoon winter herb garden viewed from Body and Soul
Our Port Capitaine, Mike, is pretty shrewed with the supply of water to us during this cold spell. By keeping a strict eye on the weather forecast through the internet he warns us all to fill up our tanks before the hose pipes freeze. He turns off the mains water supply at the first sign of frost but turns them on again at the first warmer opportunity. It has been close but so far we avoid trouble by keeping our tank topped up. We plan to install a series of filters and a water pump to enable us to use the canal water for everything other than drinking water. Wild mooring then becomes much less dependent on access to water from port facilities.
On January the 10th the Maire of Meilhan (Regine is by now almost a friend, you could say) invites everyone to a special celebration at the Salle De Fete in the village. Tickets are........(to be continued)
16th Jan 2010
I must butt-in to these thoughts to announce, gleefully, the birth of Laura's baby girl Skya Alexander. I've just heard .....this morning. Nick was at the birth and everything went well. Skya weighed in at 6lbs 9ozs. Laura is fine and coming home today after being properly examined. Congratulations Laura, Nick and Gabby (Now 8)
Skya Alexandra born midnight 15th/16th Jan 2010.
Let's hope Nick will give us a link URL to more pictures of his family progress. Watch this space!
Note:
That makes five grandaughters and three Grandsons to date, between us. (Lucie and I)
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