Rob and Jan

We have spent a lot of time in the garden lately, there is a lot to do at this time of the year, especially as the leaves are now falling in large numbers. It?s very nice to have the trees in the garden but not so good when we have to rake all the leaves up.There is quite a lot of snow on the Pyrenees now, especially on areas above 2500 metres so I guess winter is well and truly on it?s way.

Matt and his friend Marcus came out for 3 days last month, it?s the first time we have met Marcus but he fitted in well at the madhouse, we all had a really good time. Marcus?s wife works at Virgin Atlantic (as does Matt?s wife Debs),

We went back to the UK for a quick visit at the end of October as it was my Brother?s 50th birthday, and only 10 years since his 40th, unlike many women who take anything from 15 to 25 years to get from 40 to 50!! Please Note: this does not include any women I know!

We had a great time at the party, spent ages chatting to my cousin Marianne and her husband Ian. They have just bought a house in France and hope to move over permanently in the not too distant future, we?ll soon have the whole family moved out of the UK!
The picture is Birthday Boy (Boy, Ha!!) David, pity about the Pompey shirt but someone has to support them. He looks a bit pissed but in fact he was really pissed!

This picture is of my Sister?s eldest son Stephen, taken at my Brother?s birthday party, I understand he is available on Halloween nights to frighten the life out of Trick or Treaters? and give them nightmares for weeks. That?ll stop the little buggers coming round next year!

Apologies to all those friends and family we didn?t get a chance to see, we will try to get round to see everyone next time, better still, come out and see us!

Many thanks to Ray and Trish for looking after JJ and Rokxy while we were in the UK, Rokxy got on fine with Ray and Trish?s dog Ugo, which upset JJ as he was the odd one out, he just couldn’t keep up with all the running around they did.

Rokxy proving there was plenty of room for her in Jan’s case for the trip back to England and therefore no need to leave her with Ray and Trish!

While we were at Rays we picked up all the remaining garage bits and plants we had left with them before we moved to France, so we had a trailer load of junk to bring home from Nomandie. The garage here is now full to overflowing, I?m not sure where I am going to put everything as it is all obviously essential as I might need it some time in the next 25 years!

Matt is over again at the moment, going back today(Wednesday). He has been helping me cut down some more trees that were either rotten or in the wrong place for the great master plan for the garden.

We all went to a local vineyard last Saturday to taste the wine and have a meal, we met up with our friends Lynn and Barry who live in Marciac , plus Bob who lives close to us in Lascazeres. Unfortunately (or more probably, fortunately) I was driving, so my tasting was somewhat limited. I could always taste it and spit it out like the ?connoisseurs? but that always seems a complete waste to me!

Matt and I spent last Sunday walking in the mountains with Bruce, Ollie and David (not my brother David), we covered about 20km, walking up to Cagire (height 1900m). The weather was beautiful in the morning but after lunch the clouds came down and we finished the walk in the pouring rain. Hat?s off to David as he had never done a walk like that but he got all the way round without us having to call for Mountain Rescue!
This was the view North on Sunday from just below the summit of Cagire, Bruce and Polly’s nearest mountain, about 1 hour later the clouds had cut visibility to less than 100 metres

The weather in October was mostly very warm (picture below taken late October at sunrise in our garden), we had the first frost in the early part of this month, but it can still be warm during the day, no need for a coat. Having said that, it pissed with rain all day yesterday! With any luck Matt will take the bad weather back to the UK with him.