Irises in the garden

Signs of spring in the garden – a lone snowdrop flowering at the right time. And all my irises flowering several months too early following a very mild winter! Shouldn’t become complacent in thinking winter’s over though - a little snow is forecast for the weekend ….

Truffle trip

I ventured south to the Corbieres to visit a truffle fair in the village of Lesquerde last weekend. I’d read that at 11.30 there would be a truffle dog demonstration. 

On arrival, things were pretty quiet and after enquiring, was told that it was a poor year for truffles, that just a few had been sold earlier and they knew nothing about a truffle dog! Not to worry, a few nice market stalls, including the biggest pot of stewed snails I’ve ever seen. 

And the scenery was magnificant, good views of the snow-covered Pyrenees, a drive past the Cathar castle ‘Queribus’ and a scenic if rather longer than expected drive back through the Corbieres themselves. 

Old doors

A year or so ago, I took a photo of this interesting old door of a small building at the edge of a vineyard near the Château de Sériège. Yesterday, we repeated the same walk and I see it’s a case of ‘out with the old and in with the new’.

Firewood

Hopefully this should see me through the next few cold months before spring arrives. I managed to fit  a whole ‘stère’ (1 cubic metre) into the back of the car and the front passenger space. It was rather a slow trip back …..

Birthday treat

While it’s not mine or Nic’s birthday for a while just yet, they are close together. And Paul treated us to a gorgeous early birthday present – lunch at Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier. It’s one we’ve been to before a couple of times (lucky us ….) and it didn’t fail to impress this time. Divine…… thanks Paul!

Heatwave

Weather in most of Australia is horrific at the moment. I’ve been talking to friends in Perth recently, during the heatwave there. And although W.A. seems to be through the worst of it, the rest of Australia is in dire staits, with even worse to come.

New Year 2013

In recent years I’ve not worried too much about seeing in a new year – and am often in bed before midnight! But this year decided to go along with some friends to Chateau Le Vergel-Authenac, only a couple of kilometres from here, towards Ginestas. 

To be honest I didn’t know it existed – it’s in the middle of vineyards and mostly hidden by trees. Apparently a few years ago, a couple bought it from a French family that had done nothing with it for a long long time, and have turned it into a gite complex and reception venue. And from what we saw of it, it looks magnificent. The reception hall we were in was huge and renovated beautifully. 

The food wasn’t anything to write home about, but the entertainment was excellent – similar to what the Maire in the village puts on here for us once a year. Cabaret/Can-Can style. A good time was had by all, and I managed to be in bed by 3am! And suffered the next day for it, but once a year I can manage.