Boxing Day!

So..... to blow away the cobwebs and get out of the house for a bit We went to a nearby village called Rotherwick.... and came upon this lot!.... So, for those of you who don't recognise them they are "Morris Men" .... who drink a lot.... dance around a bit to some accordion music ....and hit their sticks on .... well anything really, (but hopefully not each other).... then drink a whole lot more!

Morris men are usually thought of to wear white.... but not this lot ... they are The Hook Eagle Morris Men, and as you can see, not only do they wear black.... they also put black polish on their faces.... and then wear black sunglasses!

As far as we know, no-one was injured.... and quite a lot was raised for charity.... and it was lovely to be in the sun..... (even though it was quite cold).

Hope you have all had as much entertainment and are now looking forward to the New Year celebrations.....

J xoxo

Happy Christmas to Everyone! Joyeux Noel !

And I'll be raising my glass along with Stuart to wish all friends, and especially those who may be reading this blog, a truly Merry Christmas...... and a great New Year ..... may 2009 become synonymous with good health, happiness and prosperity for one and all!

Joyeux Noel a tout le monde ! Nous trinquerons a la sante de toutes et de tous ! Profitons bien de la compagnie de nos proches et....

....gros bisous a Cecile, la "star" de notre photo en compagnie du Pere Noel sur la Place de l'Horloge en Avignon !

xoxoxoxo

Gilbert White's House in Selbourne

The festive season may be rapidly approaching but there's still time to squeeze in a bit of culture! .... On Sunday, Stuart and I visited the house and gardens of a British 18th-century local naturalist, Gilbert White... not a patch on Buffon (!) but the house also contains the Oates Museum... one member of the Oates family was with Scott on his fateful Antarctic expedition in 1911.... very interesting.....

The odd thing in the garden that I am sitting in is, well, your guess is as good as mine but it was gifted by the Bonham-Carter family (if that means anything to anyone!)

Anyway, time to get back to wrap up some presents....!!!!

xoxoxo

Christmas shopping!

I hope you're all enjoying choosing those presents.... whether it's a last-minute session or just for a few small bits to finish.... The lights seem to have been up for ages..... these in the photo are lining the main street in Avignon.

This end, we have already started on the mince pies.... trouble is, the home-made ones can't keep up with demand, so we're now cheating with shop-bought ones!!!!

Be back soon... xoxoxoxo

Back now ....

Well it was lovely to go back to southern France for a few days..... although there was plenty to cram in, so no time for lazing around..... two glorious days of sun followed by wind...then rain ....a good excuse for lighting the fire! Here are a couple of photos of places some of you may recognise .... and then maybe not!

Anyway, in the next couple of days I'll write a bit more to bring you up to date .......

Look at this! .....

I said Id try to find some stuff that might be of interest locally ..... and here are two examples of ...... well not really sure what the turkeys are all about .... but probably more easy to keep than the real thing!

The other one is of a local chap cutting a hedge ..... but actually sitting on the top of the hedge as he cuts it! .... amazing!.... Health and safety at work? ... whats that mean then?!

Off to France for a few days...more medical stuff and other gubbins...

Have a good weekend....Christmas shopping maybe? Have fun!

xoxoxo