About turn !

October approaches - we are off again to close up for the winter and attend a Big Birthday Bash (Gérard's). Himself has already got going on his own digital diary so you will have a surfeit of doings to while away those long dark evenings.
We leave at dawn on 5 October via Poole to Cherbourg. Not for us that trek to Dover at this time of the year. Then rapidly down the peninsula to Laval. Thursday Brive and Friday via Mèze to see Peter.  That's his painting of Mèze Town Hall on our wall...
Arrival in Sablet estimated at teatime Friday 7 October. I am concerned that the wretched iPad has finally gone quite mad and twitches and types itself gibberish at the slightest excuse. Either I stump up for a replacement this week or I borrow Adrian's mini.
Big excitement this time is that we are going in 107. He has been cleaned out and polished, serviced and insured ready for the adventure. Berlingo is having a rest.

Click on older posts to discover a missing gem from the summer archive.

Send in the clowns

This somehow got lost in the system so I offer it up a few months late! Should have been 8 August.

Our last day. Fête is in full swing. Today on our way to the boulangerie for the final baguette à l'ancienne, we were startled by the sight of a bloke in full clown makeup and costume driving into the square in an anonymous little black car. Buggrit! I was sans camera so cannot bring you this Sablet Cameo. Close your eyes and imagine...
Then even worse, as we were exiting boulangerie he walked in. We were red nose to red nose for one horrible second. Fear not, he was here to entertain the kiddies.




Yesterday it was yet another menu du jour with Germans and Norn Irl. To say farewell. We've been doing a valedictory lap of eateries this week! Friday was Roaix, our favourite. I might have mentioned this... Well it saves cooking. Tonight there is a free concert on the Place des Barrys from a Canadian Choir who are here for the Vaison Choral Festival. We have seats in Terrace Towers courtesy of J and L. Plus 'light refreshments'. Knowing our dearest Louise these will be delights to rival any Masterchef winner.

Terrace plants are moved to shade and watered and given dishes to sit in. The bees are confused. They keep coming to where the plants used to be and buzz about in disbelief. Satnav tells them they have reached their destination but,  no plants. They do eventually spot them. They need to revise the waggle dance and recompute.

I am sad to go but will be relieved not to have to battle with this wretched keyboard any more. Sorry about mistakes but I have to retype just about every word. It deletes whole sentences (this one for example), doubles letters, misses them out, adds extra ones. Nightmare!

Just when you think nothing can surprise you, you peek over the parapet. There is a car. Earlier it had a sort of Moroccan throw over it and I assumed they were trying to keep it cool. The car that is. Then, another peek revealed there was now a thick carpet on the roof, dripping water. Obviously they are washing their rugs in the lavoir and using the car to dry them on. Of course!