December already?

Wow I can't believe it, it's December! The year has flown by and here we are planning our return to the UK at the end of the month. We plan to spend a couple of months back in the UK so making sure everything is weather tight is a priority and when the roof sprang a leak last week it was just another item to add to the long list of jobs that have to be completed before we hit the road. We now have one wall of the upstairs barn plaster boarded and have at long last reached the final section of the ceiling. We've also ordered the wood burning stove & are working hard to ensure the section where it's to be installed is ready by the end of next week when the roofer is calling to fit the chimney and hopefully repair the roof. It's going to be interesting to see whether we get withdrawal symptoms and need to go out and get a fix of plasterboard whilst we are in the UK.

As well as working hard we've also been partying hard over the last month. Rebecca paid us a visit in the middle of the month and we were able to enjoy a trip to Albi and a nice long relaxing and sunny weekend with her. The following weekend we were invited to attend a local ladies basketball match in nearby Lunac which was followed by tapas and a disco. Lunac is just one of many small villages in the area & like so many of them it has an excellent sports & social club. No sooner was the game over, which for the records they lost, than the social committee leapt into action and within 20 minutes the bar was open, tables & chairs had been erected, the DJ had set up and the food was on it's way. Whilst the food couldn't be described as gourmet and considering the speed at which it was prepared the standard was excellent and the dishes of whitebait, mini fish cakes & duck was well received by everyone present. Had we known what was coming at our next night out I think we both would have had a little less of the duck dish. Every year in nearby Sanvensa they have a fête to celebrate the canard and as you can see from the picture of the nights menu it features heavily in what's on offer. With over 600 people there, it was hard to believe that there were any ducks left in the region but we were informed that as every last bit of the bird is used only about 70 are sacrificed. As I've mentioned in previous posts these events tend to run on well into the following morning & this one was no exception with us finally flying home at 3:00 AM which wasn't bad considering that we didn't start eating until 10:30.

Whilst the fêtes are a good night out as I mentioned earlier the food is best described as OK, that wasn't the way I'd describe the food we had when were invited to a French neighbours home for supper. I'm still as clumsy as ever & when we sat down to eat at a table covered in antique glasses, cutlery and little crystal ribbons to rest you knife on I felt a little uncomfortable. The meal was excellent and was washed down with lots of Gaillac Primeur, the local equivalent of Beaujolais Nouveau, and the main course of paupiette, which are known locally as 'birds without heads', was delicious. When we finally have a full kitchen up & running we'll have lot of entertaining to do and given that our our host was a big Jamie Oliver fan and an even bigger fan of Nigella (although I'm not sure it was her cooking he admired) we'll have plenty of choice to show off the delights of British cooking.