Cat nap

Henry has his own particular style of sleeping ...

Painting

Have moved on from painting walls to furniture. Picked up some bedside tables at a brocante, to go in the gite. First they need a bit of a make-over so am making the most of the autumn sunshine to clean, sand and paint outdoors.

Spot the olive

Our new olive tree has produced ONE lovely, lonely olive this year. It does generally take around 4 to 5 years to get a decent olive crop. It's a start!

Jane's recent French lessons have included conversations about oliviers: growth, pruning, pests and diseases, plus how to treat them once picked. Eventually we'll be able to put this knowledge to use.

The Good Life ...

We had much better produce from one of the pear trees this year (having dealt with the 'puces'). However, we ended up with huge pears (Williams) and more than we could possibly eat before they went too soft. 

 So they went into a Pear and Cranberry relish. And here's the result. A friend from London stayed recently - also bringing the cranberries which I couldn't seem to find in the supermarket. But then we went to the market and found lots of them! We taste-tested the relish and can confirm it is delicious. 

 

Conkers

Conkers galore! It seems to be a great year for the chestnut tree fruit. Also quite dangerous when walking near these heavily laden trees ...

Autumn flowering

The weather has cooled now (although still in the 20sC) and the garden has started to grow again. It's a lovely time of year, still sunny and warm, but coolish at night - so able to sleep!

These are among the last of this year's roses. What a treat to have their perfume in the house in October.

Lunch

With a friend from London staying last week, we went to lunch - in what is rapidly becoming a ritual - at Fleur d'Olargues. Most of our friends visiting over summer have somehow found their way there for the superb food plus stunning location. Sitting outdoors under a cooling canopy of vines; fantastic view towards Olargues, the river and the hills beyond; plus the restaurants' own vegetable and herb garden below, all make it a special place. 

We asked for a vegetarian dish (not an easy thing to find in France) and were presented with this wonderful variety of vegetables from the garden.

 Jane had salmon which was superb. In the background you can see a bit of the 13th century bridge leading to the village. We chatted to a lovely Australian couple next to us, travelling for five weeks in Europe with their three children, aged from about 8 to 14. They cycled to lunch so, quite rightly, felt they could indulge in the best of the menu.