As you will know from past blogs Phil gets very twitchy going through customs he can't stand the palaver of removing belts and boots! Jack beeped and had to be searched as did Harriet amazingly this time I sailed through. It was at about this point that Phil realises that he has left his mobile phone at home so it wasn't just the twitches for security he was twitching at not being physically attached to his phone especially as there was a front loader for the tractor that he wanted to bid on!
The next hour in the departure lounge was spent in weather spoons, I enjoyed my lunch whilst Phil tried desperately to get his email on to my phone which didn't want to play. So there he is on Harriet's phone to the provider and on my phone trying to sync it to his emails and he has Harriet on her MacBook trying to find the Beef Wellington recipe that he hasn't bought with him for Christmas Dinner!! What did we do before technology!!!!!
It was sleeting heavy and very windy as we left Edinburgh, the flight before ours to Bristol was cancelled as was one due to go south after us but we were safely taxing down the runaway and nothing was going to get in our way!
With a good strong wind behind us we arrived in Paris ahead of time and made our way into the city centre. We had hoped to stop off at Notre Dame to see the lights but time and the hassle it would involve with our tickets prevented us so we just went straight to Austerlitz and really didn't have that long to wait before we could board the train.
That morning the cat had been deposited off to the Cattery which I hate doing, so had got Phil and Harriet to do it. I was determined not to spend all the holiday fretting about her, she was warm, safe and being fed what more could a cat want! This was all going very well until we boarded the train at Austerlitz and a couple got on our carriage carrying a cat basket, the cat then preceded to miaow pathetically ALL the way to the stop before ours with me imagining Ginny pining in the Cattery :-(
All of this was soon forgotten as the train pulled into La Souterraine and our lovely neighbour Claude was waiting with his car to pick us up. Only problem 4 large adults, 2 big suitcases and 4 cabin bags just wouldn't fit in a Peugot 206. I squashed Jack on the back seat with a suitcase, me in the front and the rest of the bags in the boot and Harriet and Phil decided they would walk up to the house. It really isn't that far and although nippy not too cold just very very dark!
Jack and I arrived and took the bags in and unpacked and I got the hot water bottles out ready whilst we were waiting for Phil and Harriet. No lighting of the fire tonight as it was nearly11 pm and had been a long day so bed called. The house had had the heaters on for over 24 hours which took the chill off anyway.
It was so nice waking up on Christmas Eve in my new bedroom, it still smells of new carpet and newly decorated! The rain was coming down heavy outside but I felt warm and cosy and excited about our first Christmas out here.
Supermarket was our first stop, there was a few basic provisions in the house that Heather had bought in for me but we needed food for Christmas Day and the rest of the week. We all got stuck in around the supermarket filling the basket with goodies and Phil chose a nice peice of steak for the Beef Wellington. After the food shop we headed to Cafe Chaud for Coffee for Phil and I and Chocolate Chaud for the kids this made it feel even more christmassey.
The rest of the afternoon the rain poured down so we just lit the fire and settled ourselves in front of the TV to watch some films eat nibbles and have a drink. I put up the Christmas tree that Heather had kindly collected for me and enjoyed decorating it.
The kids and Phil couldn't believe that I had actually bought some of the Christmas cards from home with me to put on the mantelpiece!! Only the close family ones but as far as I was concerned it all added to the Christmas ambience and made it feel like home. Hanging the stockings on the fireplace was the last thing then off to bed.
We all slept a bit longer on Christmas morning Phil and I got up and dressed and got the fire lit long gone are the days of the kids waking us up to get up to open the presents. Once Harriet was up I decided to get my own back on Jack and went running into his room jumped on his bed and shook him saying "Can we open our presents now".. one not impressed son!
We had crepes for breakfast and I made a cafe latte for me and we sat by the fire and then opened our presents it was a lovely family moment and a lovely memory to treasure, it's times like this that you realise how lucky you are, you may not have everything in life you would like to buy but money can't buy a moment like this!
Amazingly Phil has done some Christmas shopping this year, I was very impressed all beautifully wrapped even if they didn't have tags on them and he had to try and remember who's was who! He had even bought the kids something each which I think must be the first I have ever known him do!! It's usually just me that buys the presents so it was a very touching moment!
Phil was head chef today and set too preparing our Christmas lunch once it was all prepared we decided we would take a walk up to the lake as the sun was shining. We all wrapped up in coats and scarves, Harriet and I wearing our beautiful Alpaca scarves that Phil had bought for us and we set off up the lane. We only got up to where the hill reaches it's peak and the rain came on you could see bright blue sky in one direction and nothing but dark clouds the way we were going so it was a sharp harp back home!
Rest of the day was spent eating and drinking and throwing another log on the fire - perfect! And the Beef Wellington was just perfect!
Nice rump Phil - Looks like you have been on the cooking sherry though!
Boxing day we invited Marie, Shaun and family over for nibbles and a drink. Marie and Shaun had been the first people to ever book with us and had stayed at the gite 3 times but have now bought their own place half an hour away so it was lovely to finally meet up with them all.
That evening we then headed into Limoges for a walk around and to see the lights, it was good to get out and stretch the legs and get some air even if it was nippy. The lights were lovely and once we got back home Phil made a lovely plate of bubble and squeak from Christmas Day left overs.. Yum!
These are just a selection of photos taken by Jack when we were walking around Limoges, it was very pretty and very festive especially in the Historic Butchers Quarter where all the timber framed houses are.
Friday we did a bit of Shopping in La Souterraine and went hunting out Gin Fizz for our friend Kirsteen who wanted 10 bottles, we cleared out the only place in town of their last 4 bottles and would have to look in another supermarket on the route home.
Friday evening we were invited to Heather and Steve's house which is about 20 minutes away. What a beautiful barn conversion they have done and it was roastie toastie inside. We enjoyed a lovely evening and met their friends Barry and Rebeka, Barry was from London and Rebeka from Germany. Phil and Barry had quite a lot in common and it all made for a great evening.
Sadly all too soon it was Saturday, Phil deposited Harriet at the station as she was heading up to Paris to meet us with 7 of her friends. They were having 2 nights in Paris then heading back down to La Souterraine to see in the new year at the house.
We set off at lunchtime and had a really good drive up to Caen stopping off at lunch time in Loches. This is a place we have passed a couple of times and never stopped off at so we took this opportunity to stretch our legs around the old town which was beautiful.
11:00pm we set sail for Portsmouth a bit of a roller coaster ride on some of the waves which didn't seem to bother Snorer and Sniffer who were sharing the cabin with me... think they would make good reindeer's for Father Christmas next year!
Have to say what a lovely christmas!!
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