A busy time for all.......

Well, it has been a week since I last put pen to paper. That is not to say that we have been idle. Not for one moment.

Val and the folks at Fontfroide

Au revoir Bill and Sandra.........Fontfroide revisited.........

This week saw the departure of Bill and Sandra, Val's eldest brother and his significant other half. They had been with us for the better part of three bottles of gin and another of Cognac and we had a really great time with them. It was lovely to be able to take them to many of the wonderful places we have to visit in the region - a few of which we have not visited ourselves previously. One of the highlights was a day out to the beautiful medieval Abbaye de Fontfroide - a stunningly lovely 12th century Cistercian pile, in private hands for some years now and very nicely restored. Just an hour from the house, it is well worth a visit. We had been there before but each time we go there is a new discovery.

Local heroes

As well as B&S, we went with some good friends, Lynne and Aubrey Saunders, who have been living in the village for about 5 years now. These two guys are my heroes. They have thrown themselves into life here with total commitment to the 'local' way and have even, thus far anyway, resisted the installation of satellite TV. They can tell you precisely who won the French X-Factor but haven't got a clue who 'Subo' is. I love that!

The beautiful abbey cloister at Fontfroide

As the rest of our party (and the official guided tour) shuffled obediently outside to the cloister, I managed to linger a while longer in the chapel. I found the 20m high, vaulted ceiling just too much to resist and offered a bass solo of Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus to the two house martins and a swallow who had summoned up the courage to stay while the tour passed through this year's chosen home. What a buzz! I felt good being so flattered by the amazing acoustics. The birds however, being local, clearly preferred the Saint-Saens version as they flew off into the sunny courtyard after the first four bars. Philistines! I do hope they came back later to attend their nesting young.

The day was completed by a very civilised picnic lunch on the banks of the Canal du Midi and a slow, very happy meander home to Margon through the St Chinian hills.

The XVIth Century windmills at Faugères

From flour to flowers - in abundance

On Friday, we went to buy some wine at our favourite local vineyard. Bill and Sandra wanted to take some back for friends and family. As they were spending a week driving back through northern Spain, before taking the 24 hour cruise from Santander to Plymouth, I fancy not all of it will make it home. It is good stuff though and one needs to check from time to time to ensure that it is travelling well.

We took a short diversion on the way home to visit the 16th century windmills at Faugères, just 15 minutes drive from the house. Apart from the restored mills, one of which is now fully working and open to the public, the view is quite extraordinary. It is by far the highest point in the area, from which one can see forever. The best time to visit is on one of our crispy cold, sunny winter's days when the view is crystal clear and everything for miles around is perfectly visible. A local map is a good idea as it will save great lumps of time spent arguing over whether that distant place on the horizon is Agde, Marseillan or Florensac and other such significant trivia. There is an orientation table there but, rather than help decide what lies where, it merely serves to increase the doubt.

The broom ('genesta') on the Faugères garrigue

The glorious Pyramidal Orchid

It's a pleasant drive up the hill and, at this time of the year it is full of the sight and smell of broom - the bushy kind, that is. The whole landscape is daubed with great canary yellow blotches of colour and the perfume is heavenly. There is a risk that, in such 'heady' atmospheres, being too smitten by the overall splendour of the scene, one misses much of what is lurking, so often unnoticed, around and beneath it. A veritable, visual banquet of cistus (rock rose), speedwell, vetches of all kinds and dozens of other wonderful plants topped off with the 'creme de la creme' - the wild orchids. It's some show, I tell you!

But it's always nice to come home....

The 'Big Old house with the pointy roofs'

It has been a hive of activity, locally, today (Friday). This weekend sees the village's biggest festival days of the year. The Count and Countess of Margon ( they live in the big old house with the pointy roofs pictured above) open their gardens and, more importantly, their winery to a host of local producers of all things gastronomical. Something around 630 people will travel from all around the Hérault and neighbouring Departments (counties), to pay their 35 Euros and have a wonderful day sampling this that and whatever, taking a guided walking tour of the Count's vineyards being treated to a very nice 10 course lunch on the way. We have yet to book ourselves in, due entirely to other commitments and, every time, the Countess asks me where we were. Nice to be missed I guess. We WILL get there one year for sure.

I'll tell you all about the Chateau de Margon and its resident 'toffs' next time. For now then, suffice to say that they are lovely people and their beautiful home is one of the few remaining 'real' chateaux still occupied in the region.

It is late, approaching 1 a.m., and I need my beauty sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. My beloved Manchester United take on the mighty Barcelona at Wembley for the European Club Championship trophy. Many of us are meeting to barbecue and watch the match and then celebrate (or drown our sorrows as appropriate). Whatever the result, I will have to be up bright and early on Sunday to get the bread and pastries for our guests' breakfast. Fingers crossed for the right result.

Hasta pronto.