Just Keep Going

7th-13th December:

A week spent preparing for the Christmas Market and worrying about the weather. Will it be fine and if it's not, how are we going to get everyone into the hall? Still, it wasn't all work. Sunday we went to the Auberge for lunch and Wednesday to a rather smart restaurant in Spain where we met a charming gentleman called Ramon with a rather less charming Frenchman. Got the impression that Ramon was well-heeled and the other was there sucking up to him. Anyway we came away with Ramon's address and an invitation to visit. Apparently he has a soft spot for our village as in his youth, his first love came from here. Friday evening there was the opening of the current exhibition. A painter/sculptress from Perpignan. We bought the bust of the African woman that you can see in the photo. Then Joëlle, Michel and Maggie came back to the house to share a basket of oysters that we'd bought and to drink lots of wine. Saturday it was the "Fêtes des Ecoles" where you could part with your money in aid of the school outing fund. Fater Christmas arrived on a horse but apart from that it was bitterly cold and there wasn't much to encourage us to linger. At least we showed face which is more than the Head does for events organised by the Mairie (he was beaten for the 3rd time in the elections; some scars never heal), got our ears blasted off and beat a retreat home to the warm and a pot of tea.