Well the world didn’t end 😉 Personally, I’d have been a bit miffed if, after putting all this effort into our life here, it had all gone up in smoke before we’d had time to enjoy it!

It’s been a while since my last blog; not because we haven’t been busy, but because I just haven’t had time!

The lads have put a bit of floor upstairs in the garage and moved all the decorating stuff out there, which has cleared what will be my workshop (at the moment I have to sew in a corridor). They have also finished insulating the rest of the house; it’s made such a difference; the kitchen used to be 12-14º in the morning, but now is 16-17º; much more comfortable. We’re just waiting for the last few estimates to arrive before we decide which sort of heating we’re having. Joel, the builder has been round and given us our homework; we’re to dig out the foundations in the new house before January 7th, when he’ll start work, “as long as it’s not too wet”(fingers crossed that it doesn’t rain). I can’t believe we’re finally going to get started on our major project, it’s really exciting!

This last week has been a round of Christmas “nibbles and drinks”; my English class, a French class I took, the Pilates class I go to……… So I made a huge batch of mince pies, which went down very well; I’ve also made several Christmas puddings and a couple of pork pies. Unfortunately, I only had one tin the right size for pork pies, but, necessity being the mother of invention, Nick came up with a cunning plan – he sawed the end off some left-over stainless steel chimney flue – it made a perfect pie tin! But I’ve spent most of the week making a present for friends; I’ll put up a picture after Christmas as I don’t want to spoil the surprise. There was the walking club AGM, followed, inevitably, by a slap-up lunch…. and today was Nogaro’s Christmas market, a much grander affair than the usual 5 or 6 stalls on a Saturday morning. There was pottery, hand-made paper, all things duck and goose, an amazing variety of wines and armagnacs, not to mention the dried fruits and nuts. And though it was busy, there was none of the manic rush of Saturday-before-Christmas in Britain; people still had time to stop and chat, the stall holders took the time to talk to you about their particular products; a very pleasant event.

But even after all that, it doesn’t feel at all like Christmas; today was sunny and warm and tomorrow is forecast to be another glorious day and 21º – ridiculous! Not that I’m complaining 😉