SEPTEMBER 2008

My French lessons started again at the beginning of the month. I think learning French will be a life long endeavour for me. I definitely know more French than I did before I started the classes, including a lot about the French culture.

We had managing to keep another 3 nights clear of bookings and we went camping again for another 3 nights but this time to the Med, just south of Perpignan at Canet Plage, we had a great view of Étang de Canet from the front of our tent and could watch the flamencos and herons on the lake.

We enjoyed time exploring the area and spent time on the beach. Steve also did a little fishing. One evening Fiona and I were going to do a little shopping while steve fished from the harbour before dinner and out of no where it suddenly started to rain, then there was a tremendous storm, thunder and lightning & torrential rain, everyone was caught unaware and got completely soaked. Fiona and I sat out the storm in a café drinking coffee and Steve sat waiting for the storm to pass so that he could fish, but by the time it did finish it was too dark for fishing.

We visited Carcasonne on our way back to Bagneres. We had never been there before and will definitely return, you could quite easily spend a whole day there. We were pleasantly surprised that the price of eating out there seemed reasonable, with a good variety of food available. We were quite surprised that there were several places that you were charged to enter, rather than just one entry charge. There is enough to walk round see and without paying for entry into the other areas for a first visit and that is what Steve, Fiona & I did, as we were only there for a couple of hours.

We arrived back in Bagneres on Friday, Steve had to take friends to Toulouse at 5am on Saturday morning and Fiona was flying back to Edinburgh from Toulouse on Saturday, late afternoon. We had a quiet relaxed Sunday as you can imagine.

When we have guests it can be a bit of a struggle, as I have French lessons Mon, Tue & Thur mornings in Tarbes and I have to leave home about 8.20, and Steve has his building work, luckily he is working in town at the moment which makes things a little easier.

Steve went off for a golfing weekend with a group of Brits and French from Bagneres golf club, for a competition between the two groups which started last year and looks as if it is going to be an annual event.

I went to the UK on the 19th to spend a week with my mother while my sister Wanda and brother in-law Carl go on holiday in the sun for a week. As usual I have tried to fit everything in while I am there. I arrived in Stanstead and drove down to Owlsmoor where I have a dental appointment for a check up. Stayed the night with Gary & Eli and Wendy (my hairdresser for the last 10yrs) cut my hair on Saturday morning, before I drove up to the north stopping at Newport Pagnell for lunch with Andrew. Arriving at my mothers on Saturday afternoon. I was able to catch up with my sister Louise and brother William and old school friend. Nina. The following Saturday afternoon I will drive down to Gt. Gonerby just north of Grantham to visit Steve’s parents, his mum has broken her leg and is a wheel chair and being looked after by Steve’s father. They seem to be happy to be back living in England after almost 2 decades living abroad in Australia and France for the last 2 years. I flew from Stanstead to Pau on their 6.20 flight on Sunday the 28th.