Christmas 2018
What a fabulous years 2018 was! We were so spoilt and blessed.
Christmas Greetings!
Winter
We spent a lovely Christmas with the boys and their families in London. We arrived back in Contentigne on the 28th and then drove to Crachepot on the 30th. We spent an enjoyable New Year’s Eve with Kerry and Steen. It was a real eye opener for them – they hade never participated in a French New Year’s Eve celebration. When we told them that at midnight you kiss everybody, they were a bit bemused. When it actually happened they couldn’t believe it. The whole room gets up and everybody kisses everybody, by walking around the room. We then spent a lazy New Year’s Day with them.
I had started teaching English in a private university in Limoges in December and started back in January. This was an experience.
And as is normal in the country, not much happens in the winter. It is a time to catch up on recordings (aren’t we sad?) and perhaps do the odd puzzle.
February was almost a carbon copy of January. Really, what is there to do in dark, cold, damp and perhaps rainy February? But we celebrated our anniversary (20th) in Biarritz. It is a lovely place, but best enjoyed when the weather is warmer. It was cold, blustery and rainy for most of our stay. But I had found a super restaurant (L’Entre Deux) that was literally around the corner from where we were staying. If you ever find yourself in Biarritz, it is a must!
Peter had become very involved with the Liberal Democrats in France – in fact, he is on the executive committee as Membership Development Chairman – and spent a fair amount of time working on attracting members in France. We had meetings of local Limousin members regularly at our favourite restaurant in Gorre and started to expand into other areas.
Spring
During spring with the willing help of Sara we started in earnest to garden. A vegetable plot was created.
Peter left for China on 1 March and as usual when Peter is in China, I went to London for Easter. But this time, our French friend, Annie went with me. Her two sons also live and work in London. She and I went to to the Tate Modern. This museum is worth a visit. And this time, I had a new granddaughter to see. Hilary and Ashley presented us with Freya Ellouise Randall Berlin-Taylor on 12 March. Of course, she is adorable!
My English teaching continued and a great deal of my time was taken up preparing for them. Teaching English is so different from teaching IT! The learning curve was high.
Peter arrived home on 2 April so a nice, relaxed rest of the spring was spent at home – often in the garden. Spring is such a lovely time here.
At the end of April we went to near Bergerac to organise a Lib Dems meeting. It was here that we first met Dame Sue Miller of Chilthorne Domer. She is a Lib Dem peer and is such an interesting person. Sue and her husband, Humphrey Temperley moved to France in 2009 to run a vineyard. You can see how they began by watching A New Life in the Sun, on Channel 4 On Demand. See also episodes 10 and 24. Their wine is very good and very reasonable.
In the middle of May we went to Paris for Lib Dems gathering to talk about the rights of British citizens’ living in France. Catherine Bearder (MEP) and Tom Brake (MP) addressed the assembly. There was also a representative from ALDE (Association of Liberal Democrats in Europe) on the panel. It was an interesting evening. Catherine and Tom are not your typical politicians. They were very accessible and passionate. As usual the evening ended over the dinner table. We had breakfast at our favourite bistro on the Ile de St Louis. On the way back – literally – we attended a meeting in Limoges hosted by the British ambassador, the Right Honourable Edward Llewellyn. He is a really nice guy, but he wasn’t able to give any real enlightenment about the lives of Brits living in France after the UK crashes out of the EU.
At the end of May Peter went back to China for a 3-week stint. On his return we left for a week on the Ile de Ré (yes, again). We do love it there – it has the flavour of the Cote d’Azur, yet closer and less expensive. This time we stayed in a small bijou flat in the centre of a town (Saint Martin de Ré) and were ideally placed to see all parts of the island. We discovered an oyster bar about 1.5 kilometres away from where were staying, so ventured out one evening to sample their wares. It was idyllic (and not to mention very, very good).
Summer
The rest of June was fairly quiet with the highlight being a trip to the Charente for a LibDems in France summer party. We had visitors for most of July. Pete, Jenny and William came in the middle of July for a few days, then Hilary and Ian arrived for a week and then Ashley, Hilary and Freya arrived at the end of the month for a few days. It seemed like we were rushing around a lot – well, in reality, we were. But it was really great to spend time with friends and family.
At the beginning of August we went to Crachepot to spend a long week-end with Kerry and Steen. They hosted a barbecue on the Saturday, which was fantastic and the weather was sublime (even a little too hot).
We dined out for lunch and dinner quite a few times with friends who only come for the late spring and summer. A highlight was a farmer’s market and meal with our friends from ‘the north’ – Baildon – and going to quizzes. At the end of August Peter left (again) for a 4-week stint in China to develop Higher Education opportunities.
Autumn
While Peter was in China in September, I went with our friend Annie to watch the waiters' race (this will test your French!) around Limoges. It is an annual event and attracts participants from all over the country. It was a very interesting day. And fortunately, the weather was glorious.
Sadly, my teaching of IT and English has come to an end so I have come to appreciate the joys of lolling in bed reading in the morning. Especially as the days begin to draw in. Helping newcomers to the area Gordon and Jacqueline with French admin and language has been a pleasant diversion.
Peter returned from China on 1 October and on the 14th, he celebrated his 70th birthday. I took him to Paris for a few days to celebrate. It was a real surprise for him. The accommodation wasn't so good, but the location was. And the events I planned were fantastic including having a glass of champagne at the top of La Tour Eiffel. On the Friday night, we went to Au Vieux Paris for an excellent and very different experience. And, as sometimes happens to us, as we were paying, the owners and two friends were having their dinner behind the payment desk. They spotted us and invited us to join them. Who could say no to a glass of champagne! And on the way back to our flat, we popped into a pub that had live music. It was an English duo (piano player and singer) and the people we sat with were from Miami via Peru. And then a memorable birthday lunch on Sunday in the restaurant Le Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon. And if you are ever in Paris and want a different experience, hire Nancy for a fantastic private tour (contact us for her details). It sounds posh but it was worth every penny and made the trip so enjoyable and is highly recommended! The trip was completed with breakfasts again at our favourite bistro.
After one false start and with help from Sara, Peter was able to erect a new garden shed – a good addition to Sara’s great work in revitalising our garden with lots of TLC.
In November, we went to London for Thanksgiving and while we were there, we saw ‘Motown the Musical’ at the Shaftsbury Theatre. The play was good and the music was even better. It was our early years revisited on stage. It is the story of Motown Records and Barry Gordy’s life while there.
On the way back home we stopped off in Poitiers for the Lib Dems in France (2nd) AGM. Dame Sue Miller spoke about what was happening with Brexit in Westminster and delivered our Christmas wines. I was elected to the executive committee.
Well this was our 2018 – except to say that during the summer we reflected upon our future. Winter can be quite challenging in the country so we decided to think about moving to the town in the winter and living in the country the rest of the year. To this end we started to look at flats in Limoges. Our search has been successful and we are in the process of buying a flat! So this will be our focus for 2109. Watch this space!!!
We would like very much to hear about your 2018. (the.rumbles@outlook.com).
We hope that you and your loved ones all have a great Christmas and prosperous 2019.
Peter and Pat