At last it’s done!

Poppies in a nearby field, just outside Margon

At last it’s done! Our inaugural blog. After many years of thinking about it we have finally allowed our selves to be dragged into the twentieth century; the 21st C is a further step yet to be taken. Our grateful thanks go to David and Cristina at www.newton-smith.com our wonderful web site designers and managers. For a couple of old sceptical technophobes this is a major achievement and I hope we can do them justice by making our blog interesting to our readers.


Our aim will be to impart interesting aspects of life here in France our home for the past eight and a half years. As you see, we have some catching up to do on the story, which can be done in instalments over the next few weeks. Suffice to say, we have never once regretted our move to this beautiful area, close to Pézénas, in the Hérault Department of the Languedoc-Rousillon region.

One effect of living here is that one becomes very quickly intolerant of inclement weather and seriously impatient for the passing of what is a relatively pleasant, short winter. We await, eagerly, the arrival of the first signs of spring and then of summer. The area seems, suddenly, to come alive with the colour of spring wild flowers. And then come the birds – first the great spotted cuckoo, then the wonderfully polychrome bee-eaters and finally the golden oriole, who really does announce that warmer weather is here.

As good as it gets...
But more of them and others later. For now the sun is shining, the air is warm, the birds are singing and life is, simply, as GOOD AS IT GETS! Val & I are looking forward greatly to welcoming this year’s visitors, many of who will be first timers at the house and from far away places such as Canada, USA and Australia. For now, repair to the terrace with an evening drink and listen to the nightingale as he calls perpetually for a mate. We wish him luck.

More soon...