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December Days

Hello everyone

I hope you are all well? It seems like ages since we last met up. Writing once a month about what is going on in our life in the Tarn feels very odd. I have missed regaling you with tales of our misadventures each week. November has been no exception! Time I started writing about some more things that might interest you – promises, promises I know.

Where has the year gone? Here we are in December, the last month of 2021. Like everyone, what a year and now a new Covid variant to worry about. In France face masks have remained in place for many places and have just become part of what we do. It is surely better to be safe for oneself, but also think about those you may come in contact with. Having said that, I am off to collect my Mother so that she is here with us over Christmas. It’s not really the time to travel but some things are important and just need doing!

November here has been a month of contrasting weather – I always seem to mention the weather these days! Is it an age thing?! We have had howling gales, heavy downpours, sunny almost warm days, snow, frost, fog and ice. The temperature has got down to -5° – the house felt colder than ever! The skies have been amazing, changing daily – I never tire of the views and the big open spaces. On the chilly evenings when out trying to coax a wayward hunting cat to come inside for the night, looking up at a blanket of dark blue glittery velvet sky is just perfect – even with a frozen nose!

November’s full moon was a treat. It is known as the Beaver Moon or Frost Moon. It rose across the valley from the terrace, casting its shimmering reflection on the lake below us. I have yet to get my camera into action, the phone version was not so good but you get the idea. The Full Moon also coincided with a partial lunar eclipse, visible mainly in North America. I did look out just after 7am the next day as advised and caught a fleeting glimpse of a huge orangey-coloured moon just before it dipped below the horizon before the partial eclipse.

November also saw us finally close the pool for the winter. A huge job in sub-zero conditions last year, same again this year but with new straps to go across the pool and a whole new system to drag the tonne weight (not literally but it feels like it to me!) cover across the 12x6m pool, we were an absolute dream team this year. The novices are finally making progress! Floats that prevent the water freezing were strung across the pool like a long black necklace, leaves cleared up, the pool cleaned and treated, straps hung across the pool, cover on and fastened down. It takes every ounce of muscle strength to stretch the bungees onto their hooks to make sure the cover stays firmly where we want it! My body ached but it was a moment to feel a great deal of relief and not a little proud of ourselves! Tea and cake were well earned.

Leaves, leaves everywhere. Now there is a subject. There are so many! The many trees are shedding their summer coats and storing up their energy for the Spring. We spent hours tidying just the drive and courtyard as a start, looked lovely, then the winds came and the trees shed their next batch of leaves. Back to square one!

However in the meantime I got ill. It doesn’t happen often and it wasn’t Covid (thank goodness) but I was bedridden for several days and it has quite knocked the wind from my sails. An odd virus type thing, fever, tummy pains, headache. The one positive, or maybe two – I got some rest finally – not by choice but nonetheless, and those stubborn couple of surplus kilos have gone! The cats thought it was great as they got to snuggle up on the bed all day. I think they were quite disappointed when I got up!

Just before I became ill, we had some awful news. A great friend of my younger son tragically died in a road accident. 25 years old. So senseless. We are all heartbroken for this lovely young man, always a smile when he used to visit us in Salisbury. He felt like part of our family. His friends are struggling to make sense of it all. Death is never easy but somehow seems so much harder to bear when someone is so young. I can’t begin to imagine what his family are going through. It makes you realise how fragile life is and how we should all live our best life every day. Easy to say as inevitably we all get bogged down in the minutiae of life, but we should try to take a moment to step back and enjoy the time we have. Use that crystal glass, or the best tea service that you never get out for fear of something happening to it, take some time out, don’t sweat the small stuff as they say. Tell those you love and care about that you are thinking of them. Find the time to talk to that friend you have been meaning to catch up with. Appreciate the beauty in everything around us. Get rid of the stuff you don’t need, donate to charity rather than landfill.

Oops – lecture over.

So on that note, and applying my preaching to myself, I have finally started sorting through mounds of paperwork, clothes and things that should have been dealt with before we moved. To be honest when I was too tired to do much after being ill, I wanted to do something (I am the world’s worst at sitting doing nothing – another thing I also need to learn). Anyway it has been satisfying and so long overdue. My mission to the end of 2021 – finish sorting, tidying and filing…. we’ll see!

Courtesy of being ill and then not feeling like drinking wine (serious stuff), we missed the Gaillac Primeur – the local wine’s Beaujolais Nouveau day. I have yet to try it but no doubt will in due course. Well you have to really don’t you?

As it has been so cold, we bought ourselves flannel sheets for the beds. It is a very long time since I slept in flannel sheets. What a difference they make in a freezing house. I nearly bought a flannel duvet cover, pillowcases… but stopped myself. All very cosy, but perhaps 100% flannel might be too cosy! We have also finally found an electrician so sometime in the next month or two the heated towel rails are being installed in the bathrooms – what a joy that will be – no more damp cold towels! While we wait to find the right woodburner for the salon (and the money to pay for it!), we are going to put the attic radiators in this room temporarily which will be a little more efficient than the plug-in heaters we are using (and less expensive). It will be nice to reduce the cold storage effect we have in the salon! On the subject of the woodburner, behind the salon fireplace there is apparently a larger fireplace so we plan to open it up, and thus have a larger woodburner for this room. It seems at some point many of the fireplaces here were reduced in size, perhaps due to draughts or not having open fires. So many projects. Hopefully 2022 will see us finishing some of the long list!

It snowed briefly last Monday. Fab – I love snow. Sadly it was a mere icing sugar dusting and didn’t settle for long, but it looked so pretty. We have also had a really hard frost – again so pretty. Everything gilded in ice, sparkling in the sunshine. Even the water on the terrace table cover froze and looked quite amazing.

In the house – very little has happened as I have had a lot of work on in November and then ill, plus trying to work out going to the UK. Painting jobs are stacked up, furniture to repair and reupholster and rooms to complete. Lots of plans and not enough progress but other things seem to get in the way.  In the garden I have managed to plant lots of bulbs. I still have more to do and the wonderful urns to plant up, which I will get done soon. As I mentioned there are masses of leaves to clear away and store to use as leaf compost in years to come. Max finally got his new chainsaw – very exciting so he is off to chop logs galore, now that he is off patient duty!

Our thoughts will be turning to Christmas in the coming weeks, a time for sparkly lights and warming mulled wine by the log burner. I am looking forward to some cosy evenings alongside Christmas baking and putting up our decorations. For me, however, first I have a trip to the UK to collect my Mother.

So on a chilly wet day I will wish you a happy December. I will be back soon with festive recipes and our news.

Keep warm and take care.

A bientôt

Ali xx

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