Sightseeing

Before we could take our visitors out, Christian had to put in a bit of time at the Mairie so it’s good that lunches are later over the border. Drove up into the mountains and over the other side where we were greeted like long-lost friends in Conchita’s café-bar. Well, it is a regular stop for us on this particular circuit. We also looked at several reminders of the "retirada" which never fail to leave an impression. Had lunch overlooking the river and then went to stock up on cava. Stopped off to see Joséphine and Juste on the way home and commiserate with him about his leg confining him to barracks but couldn’t linger too long as Christian had a council meeting. Michel came back with him afterwards and we all ate up the left-overs hanging about in the fridge.

1st Summer Visitors

Sylvie and Christophe, cousins from Normandy arrived for a couple of overnights. As a result, we’re now the proud owners of a bonsai vine but in order to have a better yielding harvest, I’ve planted it in a large tub. Fingers crossed. Had a very long leisurely lunch, a light evening meal followed by coffee in the bar.

Flying South

Arrived home in time to drop our bags, look at the post, listen to the messages and head to the bar for a glass of wine in the sun. Yeeeees, sunshine at last! Met Laurent who invited us to look around his new home and we ended up staying to eat some pasta with him and Samara.

Another Wedding

Took a quick trip into Stratford and managed to buy a couple of things in M & S. Weather still dull and showery. Had lunch in a small village in one of those olde worlde Cotswold pubs. Gammon and eggs set us up until the buffet in the evening at the wedding celebration. Kim looked lovely and all went well. Take a good look at the photo ...... I know my little sister dresses more trendily than me but do I really look old enough to be her mother as the mother of the bride asked ??? Boo hoo!!

Knit one, Purl one

Started the day with a trip into the town for a coffee, to buy some wool and have a look around a couple of charity shops. Then it was over to Mum's where Christian slept most of the afternoon while I went down to Chris's to meet the architect and talk about the prospects for our "inheritance". For the rest of the afternoon I attacked my knitting and Christian slept on (or maybe he was only pretending) in preference to watching daytime telly. In the evening we went down to Chris and Rosie's where we had take away fish and chips and no washing up to do.

A Real Find

Wouldn't you belive it? It's raining so our trip to Cheltenham was confined mostly to the shopping malls. Only bought two stripey tee-shirts for the forthcoming neighbourhood street party in the village which this time is on an Italian theme. We did however, find a nice bistro for lunch where heaven be praised, we all (including mother who went for the Cotswold sausages) found something to our liking. Would certainly go there again and it made up for an otherwise non-discript day.

To England

Bags packed once again ; this time we're off to England for the celebration of Kim and Simon's wedding that took place in Mauritius a couple of weeks ago. The flight was delayed a bit but Jill had laid on a good supper for us so we just relaxed in the busom of the family and tucked into the 3kg of cherries that we'd brought with us.!

A Wee Surprise

The weather is still warm and the thought of going to UK and the rain is well ... not very inviting; We had a lovely surprise this evening, a delegation of some of the participants in the Scottish trip arrived with a lovely basket of goodies by way of a thank you gift. Most unexpected and a great excuse to open a few bottles of cava!

Just Hanging Out

Making the most of the sunshine, we spent the morning on the terrace of the bar, first over coffee, then over a glass of wine and then over lunch. We were joined by James and Bev who were more than willing accomplices. The aim of our get together was for him to give us each a print from his collection for having been helpful with contacts in the village. A really nice gesture. all we offered in return was coffee chez nous. That then took us on nicely to the early evening and invitation round to Michel's for Mojitos followed by a viewing of the film "Cashback" which was original in it's take on time and space.

Picking up the Threads

Apart from a lot of people brought out by the sun, it was good to get back to the market and our regular apéritif at the bar. Here we were joined by Jea, Françoise, Michel and Kathy so there was plenty to catch up with. With nothing in the fridge (yes, again!) we decided to try the little restaurant at the lake which this season has changed hands. Good presentation, interesting food and of course a great view.

Celtic Connection

18th May:
Suzanne had previously told us that Eamon (who I first met at the end of the 70's when I moved to Glasgow) and Liz rent a house every year near here but we'd never made a connection. This time, as she was with them, there was no excuse. Under sunny skies we did the tourist route to Mas Salelles for lunch, tea and a look at the Retirada monument a nearby village and an apéritif at our local mountain hostal.


20th May:
Today it was the Scots who were the hosts and they did us proud. BBQ, good wine, lots of chat and laughs on the terrace which looked out over wooded mountains. I can quite understand why they keep coming back here.

Fill the Till

A good journey home in the company of some Barça supportes who were in great form after their team had beaten Manchester United in some European final or other. Stopped on the road for a cheap and cheerful lunch and arrived home to find that there were no problems arising from the open-window saga. The sun was shining which was such a relief after all the cold and damp of Scotland so an apéritif at the bar was called for then when Jean-Louis said that business had been far from brisk, we decided to eat there instead of opening a tin of beans at home. Helping the local economy and all that ...

Escape to the Country

On to the final leg of our visit .... it was time to say "cheerio" to Andy and Maureen and "hello" to June and Willie who are now living in the converted chapel of a very grand looking Victorian country house with its own lake. The rain kept on, Christian had to take a trip to the out-of-hours GP service as he'd miscalculated and run out of some of his medication, we watched a good French crime film and had a wee walk around the estate. Sunday, we all went to the Craigie Inn for lunch. The food was good but merited a better dining room than an uninteresting pub lounge.
But as they say, all good things come to an end .... time to pack our bags and get a relatively early night in preparation for the 9.30am flight home.

Lure of the City

10.5.11
Umbrella at the ready we set off on public transport for the city centre where we wandered aimlessly around and had lunch in a non-descript Chinese restaurant. dinner at Maureen and Andy's was a much more interesting experience.
11.5.11
Over to Marlene and Brian's for lunch and a catch up, then a stroll up to Suzanne's for dinner and an overnight stay.
12.5.11
Coffee with Suzanne at the art gallery where we didn't go to see Dali's painting of the Crucifixion which no doubt would have been incomprehensible to the mayor who has it high on his Scottish "wish list". Next it was down to "Tattie Macs" to meet Ann and Blair for lunch. Took the subway back to the southside but got totally lost walking back so covered more ground in the rain than we needed to. Had dinner locally in "Cookies" .... who says that the southside doesn't do "trendy"?

Off Again

Today the change over took place at the Burn's Centre; Bill dropped us off and after a bit of difficulty finding it, Andy ans Maureen picked us up. A coffee and then without looking around, we set off for their new flat in leafy south side of Glasgow. A nice lunch in a local café was followed by a stroll in the nearby park where there were ducks, swans and other birds to be seen and where the heavens opened!

Friends and Neighbours

We were out of our impersonal B&B after a cold breakfast that could be eaten 'on the run'. Obviously a place for people with an early start for the airport that was 5 minutes walk up the road.The owners as it happened lived next door to Colin and Sheila and only came to the house when summoned. The rain came down on and off but fortunately by the time we were ready for lunch at the Beresford in Ayr it was starting to dry up. We were able to take a stroll along the sea front, have an ice cream and then afternoon tea before Colin and Sheila drove us out to June and Bill's, our ex- next door neighbours.
A couple of bottles of wine were opened before they headed off home and Bill set to to cook dinner for the whole family.

Moving On

Moved down from Mauchline to Prestwick to the B&B that we'd booked. Despite the rain, after settling in to our rather sad looking room we took a stroll down memory lane passed the Registry Office (for some reason the spire is missing ) where we got married 20 years ago and went for a drink in "The Dome" which was our regular haunt at that time.
Had a phone call from Françoise who had been contacted by one of our neighbours to say that our front window was wide open! Can only think that Thérèse had had not closed it firmly enough when she'd cleaned it and the wind had blown it open. The moral of the story is obviously, is make sure the neighbours can contact you when you're away.
Met Colin and Sheila in the evening who had booked for us to eat at "The Lido" in Troon. Of course, being a Saturday night, it was busy and very noisey. 20 years ago we'd have loved it now ....

Going up in the World

Another leisurely day and another meal out. This time it was just the 4 of us as Ellen had come around to stay with Ann's Mum. It was our treat and we went up to Highgrove House for a meal in a different league over looking the gardens. Feeling in need of a walk afterwards we went down to Irvine for a stroll along the sea front and although the weather looked a bit ominous we stayed dry.

Life in the Slow Lane

4th May:
A leisurely start after a hearty breakfast before wandering around to Ann & Noel's. There was nothing more energetic on the agenda than going over to the "Waterside", a new café cum tearoom overlooking a fishing lake. Ann's Mum was able to come too which was nice for us especially as it was her treat!
5th May:
You'll be surprisedto know that this afternoon I went along with Ann, who is the new President and her Mum to the Prestwick Baptist Women's Union for a flower arranging demonstration. Afternoon tea anad homebaking was served and proceeds went to charitable work in Japan. In the evening we went out to Laigh Coylton for an early dinner so that Ann's Mum could come with us. The last time we were here was years and years ago when it was the venue for Ann & Noel's "thank - goodness - the - house - is - finally - finished" celebration. It's definitely come up in the world as far as the restaurant is concerned but glad to say that the bar has stayed the kind of place that the locals are happy to go to for a pint and a blether.

A Lie In

The others left Comrie for the airport at just after 3am but we, along with Patrick and Nicole had the luxury of a 9.30am start. Laura drove the four of us into Dunkeld for the train into Glasgow. From here it was a bus down to Prestwick where they picked up a hire car and Noel came to collect us. As Ann's Mum was away for the day we were able to go down Failford for a pub lunch and afterwards a drink outside by the river.

Another Full Day

Headed East today and took a look at Gleneagles. The highlight of the morning was a guided tour of Falkland Palace and a stroll around the grounds. Due to traffic hold ups in Coupar, we were late arriving for lunch in St Andrews. What a good job that I'd taken the list of evryone's pre-ordered meal as half of them didn't remember. The witress was pretty fed up with us and at one point abandoned meals on the table and told us to sort it out ourselves so yours truly took on the role and ended up with a tepid stirfry. Still, all in a good cause. The restaurant overlooked the home of golf and the sea so everyone was well pleased. Next it was off to coast and a walk around Crail where there was next to nothing open.
Our last dinner at the clubhouse and Bill did a splendid ribeye steak for ourselves and our hosts who came as our guests. Just imagine everyone's delight when they arrived and were piped in by Laura's godson. Of course there were speeches of thank you and David said the Selkirk grace which needless to say, the French "didnae unestanit". We had "Flower of Scotland", a song from the mayor, sardane, passo doble and "What shall we do with the drunken sailor?" from Nicole who is normally such a serious woman. so came to an end a great trip with everyone overwhelmed by the hospitality, enamoured with the countryside and pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Even the haggis and Iron Bru went down well!
For us, we were also pleased with the trip ..... we didn't lose anyone, everyone kept to the schedule and even better there were absolutely no complaints.

Full Steam Ahead!

Another early start for a visit to Stirling Castle which was good as we were there before most of the tourists. Had lunch in Callendar but with no time to look around as we were booked on the good ship "Sir Walter Scott" for a sail on Loch Katrine. On our travels we saw wallabies, yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you, even a white one, little lambs skipping around and highland cattle looking idly on at the world. There were regular requests to stop for photos and we all filled our eyes and memories with images of wonderful scenery. Scotland is just sooooo beautiful!
Came home tired but happy and ready for another of Bill's dinners in the clubhouse followed by a drink in the pub for a handful of us.