Nick and Kieran spent a large part of yesterday breaking up the base of one of the wine cuves. We now understand why the builder’s estimate for their removal was as high as it was! Rob, our neighbour, arrived this afternoon with a minibus and large trailer, which he proceeded to manoeuvre expertly into the grange. Kieran filled the trailer with rubble, using (of course) Dougal the digger, then all three of them went to Rob’s to unload. They did this twice, so we’ve got rid of a good amount of rubble and Rob knows of someone else who might want what’s left.

I started decorating the next bedroom, to the sounds of what Kieran assures me is the best Christmas album in the world….EVER! It should look good when it’s done, though, with a slightly altered fireplace and the ugly gas radiator removed. My favourite song? Click on the link below to find out (yes, I know I’m showing my age, but who cares!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A8KT365wlA

We haven’t a clue where the box of Christmas decorations is, so I made some mini Christmas stockings to hang over the fireplace to make the place look a little more festive. All that remained to do then, was to bake another 4 dozen mince pies which we’ll take round to various friends and neighbours tomorrow. That’s 10 dozen I’ve made in total, and so many French people have asked for the mincemeat recipe!

So we’re all ready now for our first Christmas in Caupenne d’Armagnac; it’ll be very different from Christmas in Harrogate; another milestone in our French adventure.

Happy Christmas to everyone and thank you for reading our blog.