Bonne Année

Lots to catch up on-but this time it is a mostly pictorial account of events! December was a busy month, which began with Cassi's birthday and my Mum and Dad's visit. Due to both parents having been poorly recently, and of course the snow which plagued December in England, on the morning of the day they were due we were still not sure if they were actually coming! Thankfully, they made it and it was a lovely surprise for Cassi to arrive home from school and find Nanma and Dats here for her birthday.

The birthday princess with Dats. 

Enjoying her birthday present!

Our friends who we are renting the gîte from flew out to Australia over the Christmas/New Year period - rashly leaving their animals in our charge! - ponies, chickens, dogs and cats, which meant Steve had to stay in France looking after the zoo, while the girls and I made a long-looked-forward-to return to England for a few days.

Again, the snow looked like it might have either prevented the trip, or extended it if we had been unable to fly back, but apart from the disappointment of not being able to do all that we had planned whilst there, we were fortunate to be able to get there and back, catch up with immediate family and go to the pantomime!

Cassi and Edie with Bethan and Niamh. 

Waiting for Sleeping Beauty to take to the stage.
Oh no it isn't.....

With their other cousins- Hannah, Tom and Emily, and Auntie Em.

Smiles all round!


 Christmas itself was a quiet affair- just the four of us on Christmas day, and dinner and drinks at various friends houses over the festive period. We also managed to fit in some ice skating in Carcassonne, and of course a fancy dress party for New Year's eve. 

Me 'n' my gorgeous girls!

Enjoying the festivities in Carcassonne.

Father Christmas came!!

This arrived a bit late for the trip to sub-zero England! 

No caption necessary! 

The snow fairy, Sandy and the Man with No Name! Unfortunately Tinkerbell was asleep!

November's News

As I glance at the last entry which opened with a comment on the chilly weather, I realise that we have been lucky with the amount of sunshine and the mildness of November. We even had a day out one Saturday in early November to the market in Revel, a small town whose market had been widely recommended to us, and indeed lived up to its promise. There we bought cheese and saucisson to go with our baguette, and then went for a picnic by the Lac St.Ferreol in the sunshine, where the upside-down photo of Edie was taken.


The last month has also brought Halloween and a traditional English Bonfire party, complete with pumpkin soup, hot-dogs and sparklers. Yes, we really are in France, but we still have to develop a bit of cultural background for the girls!

Half term at the end of October which was a week and a half long, brought lots of creativity at home as well as a great day out to the Cité d'Espace in Toulouse where Cassi learnt about gravity and Edie sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star a lot!

The girls are both getting into the swing of things at school. Edie still loves the creche and tonight she tried to attract my attention by calling me 'Maman'. More amusingly though she has taken to calling Steve Pipi, instead of Papa!! Cassi has had a tough ride at school but seems finally to be getting a little more settled, and is doing great -she even got 19.5  out of 20 in a controle recently, frequently comes home with 'Bon Points' and seems to be gaining a bit of confidence. As you can see, she is generally very happy!

Other than that, the house has progressed, and we now have  a completed roof, sanded beams, and will soon have new windows and new shutters in place on the top floor, which means that the house should be weather-proof ready for whatever winter throws at it. (For anyone interested- see Steve's latest account of the building progress at http://standachanceinfrance.com/french-house-renovation-pt3/ )
We have also had our planning permission passed for our extension, which as well as being a relief, feels like a feat over French bureaucracy!