After operating as a husband and wife team since we started out, we are happy to be doubling in size for 2012, and welcome John and Carol to the team. They are good friends and will be helping with changeovers this summer. This means we can take on more properties and cover a wider area, no more turning business away I hope! They have come along at a good time for us as (fingers crossed) we should be moving to Mailhac soon to start works on our barn renovation. We will be hoping to increase business in this area, so if you have a property in the Bize Minervois/Minerve/Olonzac area we will be happy to look after it for you.

some feedback from the first few afternoon teas and a Sunday Lunch we have done recently, as part of our Secret Supper Club

We just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the afternoon tea in the garden at Lamalou-les-Bains.  The food, the company and the setting were excellent.  Your attention to detail is superb and we would definitely recommend you to our friends.  Wishing you well for future events, very best wishes Yvonne and Derek  xx

Thank you so much for inviting us to your lovely home, and preparing a fabulous meal. It is such a good idea, we enjoyed meeting your friends. Good luck to you both, Carol & Mike

Food was great and it was a good way of meeting new people, Susan & Robert

 A few posts ago I was talking of the lovely weather. hhhmmm.

For the past 2 weeks we have had heavy rain, pretty much non stop, with a few storms thrown in too. It has been reported that some parts of the Languedoc have had a years worth of rain in 4 days. Not nice, I don't like it and can feel myself slowly going crazy... (How did I live in the north of England?) The autumn fair in Bedarieux has been cancelled, I suspect the chestnut fete in Olargues has too.

Driving home the other day we noticed quite a few trees had fallen casualty of the weather. Now the pompiers here will come out and remove the trees from the road, and cut them into sizeable chunks, then it's up to us Joe Public! What a great system. Most houses here are heated with wood burners or open fires, so a bootfull of free logs is very welcome thankyou very much! So there we were, in the pouring rain humping tree bits into the car. Afterwards, we were thinking about the elderly and how in the UK so many of them die in the winter. They may well have fitted carpets, double glazing, insulation, central heating - all the things we don't here, but what good is it when they can't even afford to pay for the gas and electric. We live in quite a rural part of France, gas is not common, central heating even less so. We haven't had it on yet, but when we do light the fire this winter there's a lot to be said for free warmth.

Now STOP RAINING!!!!!

There is a nip in the air this morning. The tourists have gone and the market is bustling with locals. The stall holders who put their prices up for the summer visitors have reverted back to sensible prices, it's funny how you can buy 3 cured sausages for 9 euros, then during July & August Mr Saucisson cheekily asks for 10 euros.

The old man in front of me at the veg stall pays for his purchases, then asks if he can take a handfull of nuts. Oui, avec plaisir monsieur. A little freebie to keep the old timer sweet.

I buy a bag full of green beans for 1 euro and move on. Great, a tat stall! Everything 1 euro, this is new. I buy a couple of baking sheets and some table decorations. You can sense winter is coming, gone are the swimsuit stalls, instead I find woolen jumpers and cardigans, some actually quite chic for 10 euros.

I am looking for inspiration, I have a lot of baking to do for afternoon tea on Thursday, not to mention cooking a dinner for 8 on Sunday. I move on to the stall which sells olives, nuts and dried fruits. The vendor sees me looking "taste what you want madame" I pop a pecan nut into my mouth, "you must try the walnuts from Grenoble" I am told. Yum. I spy hazlenuts and take a scoop of these too. Then onto the crystalized kumquats - to die for, yes a scoop please. "C'est tout?" Oui, mais.. as I am paying I notice crystalised ginger, when I take a scoop of that the man asks me if I am pregnant!! I ask if I may take a photo of his stall but the owner grabs me and marches me to the other side, thrusting a scoop in my hand and instructing his mate to take my photo. "Pretend you are serving olives madame" I should have brushed my hair before leaving this morning....

As I am buying some pansies I notice a box of fruity nutty things with a sign - servez-vous. I take one, what are they? Gingembre, ginger, grows by the Med. I think I misunderstood as the thing in my mouth I am trying to chew tastes nothing of ginger, in fact nothing edible at all....

I wander off to the bar for a hot chocolate, pick up a big fat flute from the bread shop then begin the walk home laden with my goods, tonights dinner on my mind

So here we are in the last week of September. The weather is just right - high 20's during the day but cool enough at night so one can sleep under the covers, rather than on top of them. Yes, the days are getting shorter and the  sun is lower in the sky, peeping between the trees for half  the day giving lovely shady areas. I know the shade will increase and the sunny spots in the garden will slowly disappear as the seasons move on, but right now it is really pleasant to sit outside, we will enjoy the last of the rose as to me that is a summer drink.  

The wild blackberries have been picked and are in the freezer. The flowers and herbs in the garden are happy - that is ,the ones which have survived the scorching heat of July & August. Must pay more attention next year to positioning when planting.

The roads all over the region are full of little tractors transporting the grapes to the wine caves. I don't know how many bunches are lost, bouncing out of the tractors as they trundle along the rickety bumpy roads, but you can almost follow the trail of grape splodges and splats, tracing the route from vineyard to cave.

It doesn't feel autumninal, not yet. It will come soon enough, the signs are there, but today is more gazpacho than pumpkin soup

we recently had a tea party in the back garden. very English!! lots of sandwiches, savouries, cakes and biscuits, all home made, even down to the bread and chutneys.

the weather was beautiful - for sunbathing!! slightly hot for drinking tea though..

an article by Olly Smith about the wines of our region. Is it a bad thing I know most of the wineries he mentions? I know it's definitely a good thing we don't have to pay the prices he mentions!!!

smug? me.......

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2027897/Languedoc-wines-They-change-life-.html

We were in Nimes this week, to see Portishead playing at the arena. Portishead have been around for over 15 years, we really liked them in the good old days. I must admit we had kind of forgotten all about them recently, but when we found out they were playing nearby out came the albums and tickets were bought.

Their support was 'Mogwai' and we got to the arena in the last 15 mins or so of their set. Which was a good thing - not because of their music which was actually ok - but it seemed their one and only mission was to deafen the entire audience. Now, you may be thinking  poor love she's getting old, only old biddies complain about loud music etc, but I was actually one of the more tolerant ones in the audience. Most people had ear plugs, many had tissue in their ears and some people had even stuffed cigarettes in their lug holes! How did they know? Is it a French thing to be so prepared? Honestly, never seen anything like it. And we have been to loads of rock festivals in our time.

Mogwai were so loud you could feel the bass pounding through your entire body, loose clothing flapped and beer bounced around in cups. ROCK!!!!

So. Portishead. one word. AWESOME

And to see them in the Roman Arena, such a stunning venue. Whilst other half was off finding beer I would find myself daydreaming, going off in a trance imagining the gladiators fighting the lions, (or was it the christians?) with the crowd high above jeering and applauding. Give them bread and circuses........

We had the cheap tickets - standing in the bottom, which was great as you got a real feel of the place. Looking up towards ths skies, over the many tiers of seats, you could really appreciate the magnitude and the importance of the arena in Roman times.

Nimes is most defintely worth a visit, as well as the Roman sites it has museums, shopping, lots of restaurants and a real feria atmosphere.

We stayed at the Campanille hotel (because we left it too late to have a choice) but it was actually fine. Easy to find just off the autoroute, and an easy 15 minute walk into to the town centre. 66 euros for a double, en suite, with a kettle!!!

The tour passed through our region today. I didn't watch it. Well I did, but on tv. Have watched it in the streets amongst the crowds the previous 2 years but to be honest they whizz past so fast and it's all over so quickly I thought it would be better to watch it on tv. Not that I'm a big fan, I just wanted to see how many places I recognised, and also to get an aerial view of the chateaux and circulade villages that litter the region. It was quite funny actually as it took a route we quite often find ourselves driving on a hot summers Saturday when racing accross the countryside doing changeovers. "Look, there's that little village we always get lost in"...

The weather has been cool today, practically chilly! Which is nice. Honest!! When it's over 30 degrees for a length of time, a cool day is like a breath of fresh air, really invigorating. I was walking home from shopping in town recently, it was so hot I thought my yoghurts were curdling in my bag!

For the past month or so cherries have been in season here, people have been selling them at the road sides for 3 euros per kilo, the lovely looking dark red cherries, and we have picked some just outside our local wine cave.Tthere is a little old guy who sells his produce on the main road from Lamalou, when I stopped today to buy some they were just 2 euros per kilo.

When I asked why, he told me today was his last day. Why I asked, have the cherries finished?

Non madame, but the weather is just too hot for me to stand here and sell them. He must be about 98 yrs old

Bless....

We have a new fountain here in Lamalou, it has just been built to celebrate the town being twinned with Misasa in Japan for 21 years. I think someone has been having some fun with fairy liquid...

Does anyone remember Chicaboo? he was my sisters fave toy as a kid, and I have been looking for one for her for ages.

We were at a vide grenier recently, which was more of an antique fair and although little Chicaboo isn't antique we did find him on a retro toy stall.

He hails from Japan, and in France is called Kiki.

Kiki le petit singe.

He winged his way to England in a Jiffy bag.....

aaahhhh

 Born to Brass playing at Olargues

Friday night we ventured into Olargues, it was the first night of the fete du music weekend. Having no idea what to expect we were very surprised (or rather bemused) to find a Slipknot style band pelting out heavy rock sporting totally bizarre costumes, and instead of lead guitar they played trumpets and saxophones! Wierd. Other half thought they were great - I thought what a racket! That was until they did 'Killing in the Name Of'' by Rage Against the Machine when I was overcome by the urge to grab the megaphone and join in, chanting the infamous lyrics!!! After they had finished we had a sausage butty (yes we do fine dining here) then a really cool thing happened.  The funny metal creature in the photo came alive, his eyes shone, he breathed fire, and to a fanfare of pipes, guitar riffs and fireworks he set off down the street, the band members beckoning us to follow. And so we did, a thousand people danced behind this contraption through the streets of Olargues. The music was great, really captivating and when they stopped under the bridge we had tons of feathers dropped upon us. An unexpected very different, but good night out! 

this was taken recently at the annual brocante fair in Pezenas

excuse me, I rather like the look of the chair at the bottom....

I love

vide greniers

bank holidays

lazy lunches

and yesterday we had all 3!

Yesterdays mooching took place at Lunas, a pretty place situated half way between Bedarieux and Lodeve. When a vide grenier is in such a pretty setting it increases the joy joy factor , you can imagine the film crew from channel 4 (or is it BBC 2) filming one of their antique programmes here.  Don't get me wrong, some vide greniers are rubbish, just like some of the car boot sales in England. This one was good, with over 100 stalls and lots selling antiques, or interesting 'old things' To be honest I wouldn't know an antique if it jumped off the table and hit me on the nose. I am trying to learn, studying the glassware here, the porceline, the linens and the silver. But I can never bring myself to buy something that a) costs more then 20 euros and b) I think is disgusting!!! I will be posting some photos of my treasures (or rather non treasures) soon. Yesterday I was over the moon as i found something I had been looking for for my sister for ages. Can't tell you what yet in case she reads this, have sent the said item in post today with a note telling her he will need lots of cuddles when she gets him.....

an article in the Telegraph comparing Provence with the Languedoc. Although Provence is our neighbour it does have a different feel, and Aix en Provence is a beautiful place to visit. One of the main things I love about France is you only have to jump in the car and drive a couple of hours and then once you are in a new region it is very different, the food and climate perhaps but the architecture especially. (I am always obsessed with rooftops)  It's no wonder the French stay in France for their holidays! 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/8568539/France-holidays-Provence-vs-Languedoc.html

We went to a music festival last night, just down the road in Les Aires. Les Aires is a tiny, sleepy little village but yesterday it was completely taken over by festival goers, who ranged from babies in prams to old aged pensioners, and everyone else in between. There were hippies too. Lots of hippies. And dogs. 'Never trust a hippy' says other half (think he got that from the Sex Pistols)

The concert was free, just small scale local bands but the one group that had us jigging about immediately was 'Le Peuple de L'Orb' A blast of a trumpet horn and the crowd went mad. They didn't even use the stage, instead they blew their horns and banged the drums whilst dancing about with the crowd. And what a riot of colour, their costumes are all tartan based, the clothing is as colourful and festive as the music. This type of music immediately lifts your spirits and throws you head first into party mode, whether you like it or not!

I didn't take any photos but here's some from their website http://www.myspace.com/lepeupledelorb.

some news articles in the Independent about our local stomping ground

Canal du Midi http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/canal-du-midi-gently-down-the-stream-2252958.html

Pezenas http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/pzenas-a-stroll-through-the-past-2252959.html

Wine! http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/hrault-wines-2253129.html

this is a little coffee table book I have created - had to do somthing with all my photo's! It's only small, with a soft cover, click on the image to see what you think. If you like it you can order it direct from photobox, or buy one direct from me in France for 20 euros.

If ordering online use the code SHAREBOOK at checkout for a 20% discount

Our good friend Nigel has just opened his lovely house in Quarante as a Chambres d'hotes. The house has been beautifully restored, with spacious en suite bedrooms. Breakfast is served either on the terrace or in the sunny dining room, and wifi is free.

Quarante, located just near Capestang makes an ideal base for exploring the Herault and Aude areas of the Languedoc.

Nigel is a great host and excellent cook, and he will be offering evening meals which I can highly recommend.

Website - The Belvedere

Email - the.belvedere@orange.fr

Phone - 00 33 (0)4 67 24 66 96

Before I came to France I hated olives. Now I just can't get enough of them, (well the green ones anyway) and my favourite is the Lucques Olive. It has a lovely taste and texture, and an added bonus is they are grown locally. You can visit L'Oulibo the olive cooperative, it has a lovely shop selling lots of olive products. Situated just off the main road at the turn for Bize Minervois, and whilst there why not continue on to Bize and take a walk around the old village centre, it is worth a look. Look out for the ornate street signs

Read Olive Oil Times article here

Nestled in the hills about 15 minutes from Lodeve is the Lerab Ling Tibetan Buddhist retreat centre. Not what you expect in rural France! The centre opened in 1992 and has been visited twice by the Dalai Lama himself. It is a place of teachings, meditation and retreat, and open to the public for visits on Sunday afternoons. We went one afternoon in August, and as you might expect it was busy. The visit was in 2 parts, the first a guide was talking about the temple, then free time to walk around.  We didn't have a very good experience with the guide because a) the group was so large we couldn't hear her properly, and b) even if we did hear what she was saying it was all in French so we wouldn't have understood it all and c) she talked for far too long! We did, however, enjoy our free time admiring the temple, it's architecture, fantastic use of colour and the grounds. What did I learn? To walk clockwise around the temple!

Admission fee was €6, ample parking, souvenir shop, and one could buy a drink or ice cream here

To see more photos of the temple and it's grounds see here

A recent article posted in the Express, quite like this bit

"In the villages of the Dordogne or Languedoc, the most cultivated, soigné residents are the Brits.."

As our Irish friend says - the Languedoc is bogger France - And I am slowly turning into a bogger myself!!

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/209127/Vive-La-Difference

Jardin St Adrien is located near Servian, which is roughly mid way between Beziers and Pezenas. A quarry dating back to the middle ages has been transformed into magical gardens, open to the public on Sunday afternoons. Work started in 1988 by Mr & Mm Malgouyres, and since it's creation the gardens have won many awards. 

The landscaping is fantastic, and the whole experience makes for a lovely Sunday afternoon out. There is a little cafe on site too.

The gardens also offer guided visits which must be booked in advance, and they also host exclusive concerts in July and August, which are only advertised to people on their mailing list.

Website, in French only, here

To see my photos of the gardens click here

My father in law has a huge interest in anything Roman. Over the course of his visits here he has seen the big sites, such as Nimes, Arles, Pont du Gard, Narbonne, so one afternoon on his last visit we thought to take him to the Roman Villa Loupian. It was perfect for an afternoon out as not too far away, and a nice drive, located near the Etang du Thau.

The villa was a farm built close to the Via Domitia, and its main activity was wine making. In the 5th century the villa was rebuilt, and with a guide you can walk around the remains, which is basically the floors of the rooms, all with the most fantastic mosaic floors. If you know about mosaics you are going to be impressed, I know nothing but found myself oohing and aahing as we wandered from one mosaic floor to the next

The visit includes free time to peruse in the museum, and the guided tour of the mosaics. In the lobby they sell drinks and ice cream.

http://www.loupian.fr/Villa_Gallo-Romaine.htm

Now this is fantastic news, Flybe have announced a new route to Beziers airport for summer 2011 from Southampton. Connecting flights are available from northern airports such as Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle and Manchester.

A little competition for Ryanair, and another boost for the region.

See http://www.flybe.com/

I hope you enjoyed this as much as we did, huge belly laughs all round!

I have moved my blog.

In an attempt to simplyfy my life I have decided I don't need the whistles and bells my old one provided. 

Or having to remember yet another password.

Or the fee

So new blog posts will be here from now on. (And a selection of the old ones)

I am a total sucker for anywhere pretty and quaint, and luckily we have many villages in the area that fit the bill. However in the Herault region we have 3 villages officially recongnised and given the title ' les plus beaux villages de France' - Minerve, Olargues and St Guilhem le Desert. In our neigbouring Aude department we have Lagrasse.

 Minerve is full of charm and Cathar history, and set in a stunning location. The narrow streets are home to many artisans, and there is a good selection of eateries. It has a good bookshop, and the tourist office can provide information on walks in the area. In the summer months the river bed is dry and natural bridges are formed, look for the many pebble statues people have created. See our Minerve page  for more information

Lagrasse is a pretty village famous for its Abbey which is linked to the town by an 11th century hump backed bridge, and it's covered market. Located in the wild and rugged Corbieres regions, the surrounding landscape is quite stunning. A good day out is to combine Lagrasse with one of the nearby Cathar Castles

 Olargues is about 40 minutes north of Beziers and is famous for its chestnuts. It is beautifully situated in the national park region. Olargues holds quite a few fetes and vide greniers throughout the year, including the chestnut festival in the autumn. Olargues tourist office

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France  

La Fine de Faugeres is a high quality brandy which was made in Faugeres in the 19th century. Over the past few years a few producers have started making it again. We came across it at the Faugeres wine fete last year, the producer invited us to stick our finger under the tap for a taste. Ooh la la!

Beziers tourist office have put an audio guide on their website, available to download free of charge. So now you can take a stroll through the town, map in hand, headphones on whilst learning the history of the major sights like the Church of the Madeleine - the scene of the Cathar massacre in 1209. Ever heard the phrase 'kill them all God will recognise his own' ? It was said here in Beziers by Arnaud Amaury....  Learn more

you can download the audio guide here  

Les Halles de Narbonne is Narbonne's indoor food market, open every morning from 6am to 1pm. There is also an outdoor market every Sunday in Narbonne making it a great day to visit, if you don't mind the crowds. The outdoor market lines the Canal de la Robine and the stalls here sell mostly clothes.

Without a doubt the main attraction is les Halles itself. The building has been around since 1901, and the exterior is very attractive. Inside there are approx 70 traders, and as well as the many food stalls selling all sorts of varied produce from local olives to fruit and veg, from amazingly fresh fish to tempting pastries, there is a great choice of little bars. It was extremely busy this morning, and as we wandered around we were amazed by the buzzy atmosphere, the men drinking pastis whilst the women shopped, the crowded 'muscat' bar, the wine bar offering degustations for 2 euros a glass, the seafood bar where people where enjoying sea urchins with a glass of white wine.

The whole experience is a must for any foody visiting the area. I must admit I wasn't taken with the tete de veau though, you could clearly see it's nostrils! But I really did like the spice stalls, so colourful and fragrant

The second Sunday in July sees the annual wine fete in the pretty village of Faugeres. Sunday 12th July 2009 was a blistering hot day and the little village was packed, not only with the wine makers keen for all to sample their wine, but market stalls too, tempting us with home made jams and honeys, soaps and cakes. 

It seemed every available garage was being used as a cave, and with lots of stands in the street as well we had a huge task on our hands sampling the many wines from this region. So, we bought our tasting glasses for 3 euros, and made a start. Before long it was time for lunch, which was a jolly event, and actually quite good for something cooked for the masses. 18 euros got a tray with 3 courses,(charcuterie to start, a nice chicken stew for the main, followed by a tart) bread and wine. Can't say fairer than that, and it lined our stomach's ready for the afternoon's tastings

Locals and tourists meandered up the narrow little street and as the day went on the event got busier and busier, and the sun's heat got more fierce. After lunch we had many more wines to taste, and we even managed to attend an hours tutored tasting - all in French! Even if we only understood half of what the sommelier said, it was a welcome relief from the sun.

The Faugeres wine region is north of Beziers, and consists of 7 villages. The schiste slopes and hillsides reach up to the cevennes, reaching an altitude of 600 metres at the highest point. The wines here are mostly full bodied reds, great with hearty meat dishes.

Our favourite wine of the day, and in fact one of our favourite wines of the Languedoc comes from Domaine des Trinites, owned and run by an Englishman called Simon and his lovely Catalan wife Monica. Their 'Le Tradition' red wine comes in the form of both Faugeres and AOC Coteaux de Languedoc, they are both totally delicious, and for white wine lovers they do a nice Viognier for under 5 euros.

Once we had reached saturation point we passed some time trying to figure out how to play old wooden games from the Middle Ages, then watched the procession, and finally went home to sober up. It was a great day out in such a pretty village, the date is already in my 2010 diary.

Anyone care to join me? 

We recently spent 2 weeks in a lovely villa in Lamalou les Bains, which is in the National Park. With no English TV or internet our nightly entertainment was a glass of the local Faugeres wine whilst laying on the sun loungers, stargazing. The meteor shower was amazing we saw lots, even a bright pink shooting star! Kate came to stay so the 3 of us laid out in the dark ' moonbathing' as she called it. Hippies!

The mud bath was one of the treatments we had at the spa, 49 euros for 4 treatments excellent value.

Moules are on the menu at the restaurant Petite Abbaye, and are to die for (and I don't even like fish much) Cooked in the pizza oven all garlicky and cheesy, yum yum

Mongozo is one of the hundreds of beers served at the Mary John bar in Lamalou - Mongozo coconut beer just has to be tried. I am a huge fan

so yes, amongst being rushed off our feet doing changeovers we did manage to fit a little R & R in

 lines, struts, leading edge, zenith, chicken loop..

 am I speaking double Dutch?

 Nope these are some of the words we learnt whilst trying our hand at kitesurfing last week. I have in the past been a bit fearful of kitesurfing. Having never flown a proper kite before it all looked a bit technical to me. But it's not that complicated at all, and we quickly learnt how to set up the kite along with all the safety checks. (the safety checks are VERY important). We were then shown how to launch the kite, how to fly it and get it into the zenith position, and then how to land it. Next you are taught 'boddy dragging' which is basically letting the kite drag you through the water and then you can progress to putting the board on and letting rip!

I didn't get as far as body dragging in my first lesson, but Iain went back the next day and had a go and found it quite easy, or so he said... 

The kitesurf school here is SudWind Sports at St Pierre la Mer. Run by friendly qualified English staff, they have a dedicated kite zone on the beach and the tuition is excellent

If you're visiting these parts and fancy learning a new sport, pay them a visit, or if you're in the Beziers area let us take you there , that way you can enjoy a well deserved beer in the bar afterwards

I love this time of year when flowers appear in the hedgerows and at the roadsides.

So pretty!

Running every weekend from mid Jan - March, (possibly the longest carnival in the world?) Limoux Carnival certainly brightens up the winter.

Centred around the Place de la Republic, the procession of masked people - pierrots and goudils - and musicians dance along beneath the arcades, and weave their way between the restaurant and cafe tables. It's a little wierd having an expressionless masked face stare back at you, and the pierrots carry a long wand and a big bag full of confetti to throw over the spectators. They slowly dance along, a dance that involves only moving their arms and legs.

We visited one sunny afternoon mid March and were pleasantly surprised by the fun and friendly atmosphere, which we soaked up whilst enjoying a glass of Blanquette, the local sparkling wine. I think we all expected it to be really busy, but the Carnival isn't laid on for tourists, it's quite a low key affair. As the sun went down we enjoyed a nice meal, then headed back leaving the masked ones to it!

This has to be one of the first fetes of the year, and a really nice one too. The sleepy village of Roquebrun came alive with thousands of people yesterday, the streets were lined with stalls selling wine, food and all the usual things you find at a French market. A nice touch was the free buses that took you into the village from the parking areas on the roads in. We followed the smell of BBQ and had a hot dog and hot wine for lunch, and we also bought a cone of delicious roasted Olargue Chestnuts. The parade consisted of floats and bands, the finale resulted in the spectators being covered in flour...        

We were in Cessanon today and I commented on how many beautiful door knockers and knobs there were. Then we came across some altogether different door furniture - this hunter is obviously very proud !

And when I have run out of scenery to take photos of I am going to start again with a knobs and knockers album. I'm not kidding there are some lovely ones around, and also gutter spouts too

yesterday was 'Journee des ateliers' part of les Grands Chemins

it was also FREEZING !! yes something I am not used to. Single figures - not seen 9 degrees for a while... Anyway we went to Aigne as it was advertised visite du chemin des installations. We didn't have a clue what this meant but as we huddled in the square a lady told us to get our car and meet by the fountain. So we did, and the lady led a convoy of us out to a field in which was this creation -  

for a brief moment images of the Wicker Man entered my head....

the artist was waiting to answer questions and explain what her creation was about. She said when she was thinking of making this she thought of Tibet, an army, the colours of the wine, and she also wanted to do something to bring the artists and winemakers of the Minervois together. It was quite impressive actually. Upon leaving this site we followed the car in front to see another 'installation' -   afterwards there was a circus and wine tasting in the village but honestly we were far too cold so headed home.

Aigne is one of the many circular villages in the Languedoc, or circulade. Also know as escargot due to the snail like narrow street in the shape of a spiral with one entrance. Very pretty, here's a few pics 

Spurred on by our mountain biking experience last week, we tackled a 27 km ride around the lovely Lac Salagou yesterday. Thinking we could beat the heat we set off early but oh no at 9.30 it was already 27 degrees, rising to 33 as we were halfway round. Now 27 km doesn't sound much, and I'm sure it's not on a road bike, but this course was very technical,with lots of gravel, shingle, rocks, jumps, streams and hill climbs. Of course I fell off. And Iain's wheel fell off. And about a third of the way round we both got so very tired, I am sure we suffered heat stroke. Of course we had water bottles and half way round there was a water station but after an hour I swear you could have made a goodly cup of tea with the water they heated up so much! To top the experience off the very last few km was a steep hill climb, never really used gears 1 and 1 before!!

So we made it back to the lake, ordered giant Coca Cola's, drank water, Orange and more coke then dived into the Lake to cool off. Picnic to follow, but even later when we got home we were still so thirsty, so we topped the day off with a nap then a juicy steak dinner out.

I so love my Sunday's off now!

For information Lac Salagou is fantastic for mountain biking, they have trails graded like ski runs, ie green, blue, red, black. We did a red, graded difficile. Yes more fool us. Also at the Lake you can hire canoes, windsurfs etc but most people seemed to set up camp for the day with tents and picnics.Very chilled!

ooh aren't we lucky? Dionysos twice so far this year, AND they're playing not too far away next month so who knows maybe it could be 3 times.

They played a great show at the Theatre de la Mer in Sete last night, and what a lovely place to watch a concert - an outdoor ampitheatre overlooking the med. Very civilised. Our typical haunt back in the North of England was Manchester Apollo, need I say any more? (dodgy rip off parking, agressive bossy bouncers, overpriced beer, the drunken mob of a crowd etc..) In fact I did suffer the French security last night as being a smart arse I smuggled my camera in and I was fine taking photos of the support band (what a load of rubbish, tell you later) but just before Dionysos came on a big chap came over, and as much as tried to act the foreign fool they confiscated my camera. ( I had to join the naughty queue at the end of the night to get it back)

Anyway, Dionysos were awesome as usual, and for once it was great to be looking down onto a band and being able to see. Babet is amazing on the fiddle and vocals, Miky Biky is a very talented chap and the singer, Mathias is a legend. He has unlimited energy and is well known for his crowd surfing. Last night he managed to surf all the way to the top of the ampitheatre and back down again head first, and believe you me it was a long drop down. Too many great songs to pinpoint the highlight, but Olivia Ruiz made an excellent appearance performing tais toi mon coeur with Mathias, and always my favourites are La Métamorphose De Mister Chat and Neige. Highly recommended (unlike the support Camille Baz Baz, sorry but totally not our cup of tea we were SO BORED by them, and the singer with his drainpipe jeans, bare chest, flat cap and scarf - HELLO???) But that's just my opinion and plenty of others seemed to enjoy them. Yes the very same people would enjoy the organ music pumping out of Blackpool Tower Ballroom on a Saturday lunchtime...