Christmas in Montréal. Part II

The Christmas Fairy decorates the tree


Although Christmas itself was quiet, the last couple of weeks have been full on. It all started with myself and the girls' whirlwind visit to England (a wonderful birthday present for Cassi and Christmas present for me from Steve!) The main purpose of the visit was for Cassi to be able to go to the pantomime in Malvern with my mum and my nieces - she had been so disappointed not to be going! But it was fab to catch up with family and a few friends too, although there was simply not time to do everything! It was certainly an experience making the flights with the two little ones, but to be fair they were brilliant, even with a delay on the way back.


Out on the Friday, back on the Monday - not even time to play while the cats were away ; )


Heading back to Blighty


Cassi, Niamh, Bethan and Nanma waiting for Aladdin!


We then had a couple of days to get ready for Christmas, wrap presents, pick up the duck from the village boucherie, and settle in for a quiet family Christmas in France. The festivities kicked off on Christmas Eve with a firework display set against the backdrop of the cité of Carcassonne, which was truly remarkable.


Christmas Eve (and Christmas Cassi) at the fireworks


Christmas day was very much enjoyed by Cassi, as all we seemed to do was open presents and eat chocolate cake, and was observed by Edie who enjoyed eating the paper, and playing with and biting her new toys.


Like pigs in...


We had planned a trip up the mountains to find some snow on Boxing Day, but as it turned out we couldn't get far because the snow came looking for us. We woke up to white scenes and so spent the day building a snowman and then went sledging to try out Cassi's new sledge, near some woods in the village. Fantastic!


No, this isn't the snowman!


This is just what we bought the Landy for

Want to see something funny? Watch Edie in this clip...


[btw: Old video clip of Cassi's first ever crawl is now on Youtube for those who haven't seen it - or those who want to see it again]

Christmas in Montréal. Part I

No office parties, continual re-occurences of the same songs on the radio, and the other usual festive activites this year. Instead, here's a snapshot of the lead up to our French noél season.

We'll add to this over the next week or so, but to to get the Xmas ball rolling here's a quick vid clip from the concert put on by Cassi's school (Ecole Maternelle) and the Primary in the village, held in the Salle Polyvalente. The day started for the kids with a mass Xmas lunch, which looked like a cross between a scene from the work house in Oliver! and the canteen from Hi-De-Hi! Then us parents were invited to watch the performances as each class/year from the schools did their own thing. It was soo touching to see - but we would say that, she's our daughter!

For those with an eagle eye, watch as the lad on Cassi's left tries to hold her hand, and her reaction to this unwanted attention...



And here's some scene-setting pix from Carcassonne. The town had a full programme of activities taking place across various locations to celebrate the festive period, including a big ferris wheel, luge runs, fireworks and ice skating...


Cassi and I on the Reindeer and sleigh kids rollercoaster (fortunately, not too hairy that one!)


Square Gambetta, Carcassonne


Edie and me on the big wheel with the Cité behinds us - wicked view from up there


Place Carnot in the centre of the walled town, below the lights is an ice rink - video below

Visitors, Fetes and Big, Big Snakes

The end of November brought our first visitors to Montréal; Ann and David, Lucy's Mum and Dad, drove over to spend a couple of weeks in the Artic wasteland that is the Aude valley. Seriously, in a house with no central heating (or even insulation it feels like) it is v. cold out here. They can be seen here on a lovely visit to Toulouse, standing next to another of the omnipresent merry-go-rounds.


Merry-go-round in Toulouse


...and again

We've also experienced a handful of fêtes in the village recently. November hosted the Marché Gourmand and December the Marché de Noel, in which Cassi's school had a stall, providing Lucy with the opportunity to volunteer her services like all conscientious parents who can speak French should.

Both of these were held at the Salle Polyvalente (Sports Hall) which is just down the road from us. And interesting events they were too. They run all day and offer an eclectic jumble of stall holders and entertainment. For instance, at the Gourmet food market - which was the better of the two, alongside the expected Caves and sellers of fine fromage, the local hunt (Chasse) had a stall (with accompanying stuffed dead animals). There was also a brass band, the Montréal majorettes, helium balloons at only 9€ (what?!!! Why did I promise Cass a Dora balloon?) not to mention large pans of a snail (l'escargot) dish (looking too much like witches cauldrons the way the shells and their contents were bobbling around) and general 'tat' (to be kind).


Marché Gourmand

While I was in the UK, posters went up around the village advertising a reptile show, so Lucy dragged Cassi down to the Salle de Fêtes (or was that the other way round?) for a show that sounds like it was a real highlight, and one that I missed out on.

Lucy's note: This was really a sight to behold and I am sure that this kind of thing would never be allowed in England! The first worrying sign was that after a recount I could only see 9 fingers on the hands of the guy handling the animals. Hmm- I would love to hear the story behind that one. He then introduced us to a range of beasties- a scorpion, a big whoppa spider (in Cassi's words) and snakes ranging from little king snakes, to boas, pythons and even a viper, which he demonstrated injecting its venom onto a sheet of paper.

All was presented to an appreciative audience sat in a horseshoe around a trestle table, on which various creatures were left while the guy went off to get the next delight. The highlight was a crocodile whose party trick was to relieve himself down the man's trousers. Still at least no more fingers were lost! I have to admit that I had to put a brave face on for Cassi's benefit, but it was certainly an entertaining evening and Cassi still recalls the time we went to see the snakes and ladders!


Big, big snake


Reptile Show

Up in the mountains, up in the woods

Here in France, l'Armistice Day, November 11th, is a National holiday. So, with a spare day to fill we headed north into the Montagne Noire to see what the place looked like close up. Our destination was Mazamet, but our plan was flawed. Being a holiday we hadn't realised that meant that everywhere would be shut - not even a cafe to get a drink from. So, after driving for an hour, walking around an empty town for twenty minutes (it was like driving around the UK on xmas day), we headed home. In the end, we couldn't really pass any verdict on what Mazamet is like, it was too closed.

Our return tooks us via a precarious outcrop, on top of which was perched a statue offering merci to the Virgin Mary. Yeah, I didn't quite get it, but the view was pretty cool.


Three pretty girls up very high


In the valley stretching out beyond the outcrop is Mazamet

At the end of the month Cassi and I finally got round to venturing up into our local woods. No idea how big it is but we walked for an hour without seeing anyone else. Well I say we walked, I did most of the walking, Cass did most of the sitting on shoulders.

Knowing that the hunt head up there sometimes, I was sort of hoping that we might have seen sanglier, but to no avail. Mind you that might have been a good thing - not sure I would have fancied a run in with an adult boar, although I did have a (nother) cunning plan - dress Cass in bright pink, and make sure I can run faster than her!

Two other major bonuses that week; Cassi did her first school lunch, although we suspect it was the mini-bus drive to the canteen that really appealed to her (and unfortunately as much as we would have loved a photo, but we haven't), and lastly, switched the TV on to discover we now have Channel 5. Bonus.


Decoy


Something about this photo sort of sums up France for me

Out and About

Couple of quick posts to bring things up-to-date(ish), first of all (this shows how long it's been) Cassi dressed up for a Halloween party we went to at some friends who live just outside the village. Just in case your not sure, yeah, she's a bat. Not a bad attempt as she only got the invite a couple of days before.

A few days later, we decided to head over to the Med and spend some time strolling along the beach at Leaucate Plage - a bit chillier than the previous time we were here in 2004 when it was Cassi who was only five months old. Grabbed a bite to eat nearby where Cass not only tried moules for the first time, she pretty much finished off my bowl. The rest of the afternoon and evening we spent in Perpignan.

Here's some snaps...


Too scary! Too scary! Who let the bat out?


Not quite the same as it is in the summer.


Someone got cheeky once too often...


Someone makes a run for safety...


There seem to be quite a few of these 'traditional' merry-go-rounds in these parts. On this one in Perpignan Cassi had to be rescued from too much speed. If only I had judged the speed correctly before I lept to her rescue...