DAY 1:  23^rd September.

(Don’t worry – you’re probably NOT going to get a daily bulletin!) 

 

We lingered in Harry to listen to the ‘Sunday’ programme (Radio 4) on the computer, then emerged to find ‘Sunejo’ living up to its name. With the house facing south, the sun rises to the left of the French windows (which the French call ‘portes fenêtres’) and stays on the terrace all day, moving round the corner of the house just before sunset. Today clouded over during the afternoon, but never mind, we were busy.

 Well, busy before and after a rather late lunch, that is; roast pork cooked in the OVEN – we’ve got a noven! And we found out how to work it, both for the meat and later as a grill for the toast to go with that ongoing, imported, almost-inviolable-since-Billing Sunday evening tradition – the Boyle Degg. (If you visit on a Sunday, that’s what you’ll get; you might get asked ‘Ow d’y want yer regg?’ but that’s just a formality.)

 Anyway, here’s Harry settling in and admiring the view: 

 

Schön, ja! 

And for the moment Sally can choose between one of two carports: 

Or the garage, if we move the ride-on mower:

Hmmm. Je ne sais pas, moi. I’ve never had a port or a garage! Je suis assez contente en plein air – I like the open air. 

Good, ‘cos I don’t think the garage will stay uncluttered very long! 

Our problem / dilemma is whether to wake up in the morning to this view: 

And be tempted out to swim, 

Or this one, and be called to climb the hill:

Of course, we could use the back bedroom and still swim first thing on hot days if we want.  

We’d love to say we celebrated our arrival by jumping into the pool, but it hasn’t happened yet. The previous owners moved out a few weeks ago and since thunderstorms were expected – and happened – they took the precaution of turning off the pool’s circulation & filtration, which can be damaged in storms. Unfortunately this has turned the water green and we have to add something called Chlor Choc (that’s to do with ‘shock’, not chocolate!). This product is usually in the supermarkets, but the one we went to yesterday has taken it off the shelves for this year because the ‘season’ is over!  

Here be dragons!

Carol found this chappie between the window and the shutters of one of the bedrooms when she opened up this morning. He was kind enough to stay put while she took his photo. 

Yesterday was something else! We knew we had a lot of work to do to break camp after two months, but I never thought we’d still be at Puivert after 4pm! At one point Carol was sceptical as to whether it was all going to go in to the two vehicles:

But it did!

And, as me father would have said ‘we’ll leave nothing but a good impression’.

But what an impression!

 

Serious business, folding an awning.

 

One last bit of leftover bread to feed to the fish