It is -3C outside, overcast and dark.  A day to snuggle up in front of a fire and watch Some Like It Hot. My daughter has either ideas and is slouched on the sofa watching endless episodes of Friends. Still, is there is no better time to look back on those heart-warning, hot summer days.
Days of cherry and almond pies, aubergine and honey tarts, BBQs and sparkly wines on the terrace. 
Days of pots full of flowering plants of bright pinks, reds and blue. Our roses bloomed, and the lilacs and buddleias exploded. We had  butterflies all summer which our guests, especially the younger ones, enjoyed very much. The fields in July burst out into sun flowers. So beautiful! 
Days of visiting friends and family. The children came and went, and happily for us, they all managed to be here at the same time. It is always special to have them here altogether. Family friends, with their 5 children and partners, arrived en masse and stayed in La Belle Vue. Many happy evenings were spent together, and of course a day together canoeing on the river. And of course it was a delight to have our rental holiday house guests here - some new ones and some returning for the second and even third time. We were delighted to meet everyone and were pleased that everyone left relaxed and happy. That is what we want! It makes us happy too!
Days of outdoor concerts and village fétes where we got together to celebrate another gorgeous summer evenings. Concerts advertised as Blues concerts were Jazz concerts and jazz concerts were rock and roll evenings and  rock and roll bands played Country Western. Always made for a big surprise! And the burgers and local wines were always good!
Days of exploring and discovering new restaurants, vineyards, little museums, galleries, and walks. We were delighted that a new restaurant opened in the area, serving great for a special occasion. The Moulin de Varen is definitely worth a visit. We found an interesting exhibition at Bruniquel tracing the architectural history of the castle. We discovered a few new vineyards which is always a good thing. There are some excellent red wines out there. And we always like a new walk. The countryside is so beautiful around here, especially in early summer with the fresh green leaves on the trees and the meadows smelling so sweet.
And it is the summer a kitten appeared on the doorstep. The younger guests loved the fluffy white bundle of joy and before we knew it, 3 lots of guests ended up feeding the little thing and we then ended up keeping it. We named it Louis, a nice French name. We found out that Louis is a girl so now she is Loulou. We will have to ask our lovely guests from refraining feeding kittens however, as with the number of feral cats around here we would soon end up with a lot more. Still, she is the sweetest cat and we are very happy that she is part of our lives.
It has been fun looking back at the lovely balmy summer days. What wonderful days they were. But now, we have Christmas to look forward to. The mincemeat is made, the christmas cake is being fed. And next week we are going out to get our tree. Not till after the New Years will I start thinking and wishing for summer again when we can open our doors to our guests, family and friends at La Belle Vue!

I decided to indulge myself and spend a little time digging into the history of our little fortified town, 'bastide', of Cordes sur Ciel, the town on the clouds in the sky.  So often we walk with friends up to the top of Cordes for an apero and to admire the views, and I fine it lamentable that we know so little of this fascinating town. This is what I discovered:​
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Cordes sur Ciel
A short history of a small fortified town in the Tarn
(Worth a visit!)
 
In 1200 the area was under the rule of the Count of Toulouse and wasn’t part of modern France.  Simon de Montfort, a French warlord, ordered by the King of France and the aptly named Pope Innocent III, arrived with 10,000 crusaders, to rid the region of the Cathars.  Thus started the only crusade on European soil: the Albigensian Crusade, so called as many Cathars inhabited this part of South West France around the town of Albi. The Cathars had their own ideas about God and more importantly they had their own banking system. The Pope didn’t like this very much and the King of France, Louis IX, quite fancied having the lands of the Count of Toulouse as part of his kingdom. Simon de Montford, in his enthusiasm, burnt many strongholds to the ground, raping, pillaging, gouging out eyes, cutting off ears and slaughtering thousands of innocent people along the way.  After the death of the ruthless Simon de Montfort in the siege of Toulouse in 1218, the Count of Toulouse regained much of his territory and started a building programme of ‘bastides’. These towns served to defend the Count’s northern territories from attacks from the French King, and to house the many homeless people. Cordes was built on the Puech de Mordagne rock in 1222.  Many of the new settlers were displaced Cathars. The persecution against the Cathars continued by the church, and they were eventually wiped out by the Inquisition. Not that the population of Cordes took this lying down. Local legend has it that the people of the town were so upset that a local Cathar was condemned to be burnt at the stake, they captured three inquisitors and threw them down the well at the top of the town. The town did not fully submit until 1321. The Bishop of Albi commissioned the Cathedral at Albi (well worth a visit) as a demonstration to the local population of the power of the Catholic Church. The then Count of Toulouse married his only daughter off to the brother of the King of France, and on his death, the area came under French rule.
 
Nowadays the population of Cordes is around 1000 (rising to 3000 at the height of the summer). In the early 14th century, the population counted 5000 inhabitants. Five more city walls were built to accommodate the growing population. Walking up to the top town you pass through several city gates. The town grew rich trading cloth, leather and wool, and became a favourite stop for weary pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela.  Many houses still have the scallop shell symbol of the pilgrims above the door.
 
Unfortunately Cordes suffered heavily losses, at least a quarter of its population, as a consequence of the Black Death and the Hundred Year War (1327-1453) against the English. The English captured and occupied the local castle at Penne (worth a visit!) for 30 years. However, after the war, the town recovered rapidly and from the 1450s it flourished from the production of pastel, a blue dye made from woad. There are no records on how the town survived the awful smell of processing the woad. In fact, Queen Elizabeth I had a law disallowing any woad production within a mile of any of her royal residences. Pastel was popular until the arrival 100 years later of indigo, a cheaper blue dye from India. Recently there has been a revival of pastel and there are small, artisan shops in Cordes and Albi, selling beautiful pastel cottons and other products such as creams and soaps (worth a visit!).
 
In the 16th Century, Cordes sunk away into oblivion, its population declining by further civil war and pestilence. However, in 1870 a local man, Albert Goorse, came back from Switzerland with four lace-making looms. Before long 300 looms were busy lace making in Cordes.  Sadly, the business was short-lived, and by 1930 the looms were no longer competitive. In 1960 the Lacoste crocodiles were the last order of embroidery works. You can see the looms and the photographic exhibition in the Art Museum (worth a visit!) at the top of the town.
 
In the 1940s, the artist Yves Brayer visited Cordes and stayed here with many of his artist colleagues. Today Cordes has survived largely because of the large artist community. The town now attracts thousands of visitors every year, drawn to its beautiful medieval streets, artist studios, history, architecture, and views. It is no wonder that Cordes-sur-Ciel was voted ‘Le Village le plus preferé en France’, France’s most preferred village, in 2014. Ah yes, it is definitely worth a visit!

We open the pool next week as the weather is warming up nicely. The garden, however, is out of control. Matt is working in London and the one-wonky-eyed 70 year old gardener with a dicky heart and I aren't quite keeping on top of it all.
​Watch this space....
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Winter definitely did not start in November. It did not start in December either. The sun shone and the temperatures were almost balmy. Time to go north, we decided, to get a blast of cold air. I love Brittany in the Autumn. The colours are stunning, the beaches wild and the moules frites at their best. A welcome break. I can recommend this beautiful part of France!
Upon returning to our lovely spot here in the Tarn,  it was perfect walking weather so we donned our boots and set off to discover some new trails. Our favourite was the Sentier de Patrimoine near Puycelsi: 12 km of going up and down hills, royal oak and chestnut forests and with stunning views of the little bastide town. My knees were sore, our legs ached, we got very hot and when I saw the final hill up to the top of the town I nearly cried! But when we finally collapsed for a citron pressé at the café we were very happy to have done it! Our poor dog Bonnie refused to get up and walk to the car. I think she was terrified that we would insist we walk all the way back! Happy dog when she saw that the car was in front of her in the car park. 
The sun continued to shine all over Christmas. We thought about having lunch outside but after a dog walk, opening some presents, a lazy breakfast, family phone calls, coffee, fizz and nibbles, lunch didn't actually arrive till 5pm so we decided to light the wood burner instead and stay indoors. The rest of the lovely holiday passed with family and friends and generally feeling blessed for having my children with us for a whole week! We had a wonderful time relaxing, walking the dogs, making trips to Najac, Cordes and Penne, cooking, eating, and enjoying being together, in that sunshine!
By mid-January the children had left, the sun had disappeared and it started raining...and raining...and raining! Everyone is moaning that is has rained for at least one week...two weeks...three weeks...a whole month! It is muddy and wet and cold. I keep telling myself that it will get better. The sun will come out again and warm our damp bones. In the meantime, yes, it is a shock to the system, but I can honestly say that Winter did finally arrive! And I don't like it one bit!  I am looking forward to those soft spring days, the sun on my face, and the prospect of a hot hot hot summer...dream on!
Bookings are starting so if you want to join us here when the rain has stopped, don't hesitate to ask! See you soon! 

The glorious month of June, a month of endless summer days of sunshine and warmth. How wonderful it was. Cherry picking, jam making, pie baking and simply enjoying the start of delicious sweet summer fruits. Heaven! Our fields were harvested and the countryside turned golden, and was littered with hay bales. The harvest moon came out specially. Just breathtaking. But best of all, the children came over and the family had a lovely week together. Always such a treat as they are all growing up and moving on...

One daughter sang in the Edinburgh Chamber Choir which toured Berlin. Her twin, my best friend and the long-term Belle Vue gite guest, who by now was part of the family, and I had a few days in that amazing city, ate some wonderful meals (thanks to the Michelin app) and went to a stunning concert with the ECC! I felt very privileged to be part of it all. Nothing like a bit of terrible history to make me feel more grateful then I usually do. I remember talking to a friend, aged 16, and deciding that we would probably never see the wall come down in our life time. How wrong we were and how moving it was see it and how grateful we can all be able to be able to see it from both sides.

In July the weather continued to warm up and we ended up having a heatwave. We had no rain for about 8 weeks. Hot summer days! We got our act together and installed a pump in the small well so we could pump water out for the newly planted orchard. We welcomed our first La Belle Vue gite guests. We were excited and nervous for this was the first time we had 'strangers' staying. Would they like it? Would they be happy? Had all our hard work to get our beautiful gite ready paid off?
All I can say is that everyone was delightful and enthusiastic and happy! Big relief all round!!

Visitors came and went! We took them to the Bournazel village BBQ, several canoeing trips down the Aveyron Gorges, swimming in the river, and and acro-braching in Najac. Of course the apero-evenings, watching the sun go down over the vineyards of Chateau La Combelle continued to be popular. In fact our La Belle Vue gite guests thought it was a highlight of their trip, watching granny dance to the music of The Pulse, a local band, with the teenage grandchildren under the stars. 

Our youngest, Georgia, had friends over from the UK. My sister and children came  and cooked for us for a week. Friends came from New Jersey to celebrate my birthday. La Belle Vue guests came over for drinks and nibbles, or we were invited over the fence to have an apero with them. All in all, the summer was one long party...except that I was working of course...

The esate agency business deserves a blog of its own. I am not sure I am cut out to be a cut-throat agent in the cut throat world of estate agency. But I did spot a wonderful herd of beautiful prize giving cows in the field of one of the houses I selling. And that was very exciting! Beautiful girls!

We discovered two new restaurants. Chez Nico in Castelnau de Montmiral and L'Inédit in Cordes sur Ciel, both serving lovely local produce, beautifully prepared and served. Sitting outside with a chilled white wine...what more do you want? Heaven! Again!

At home we continued to enjoy the market produce, and our own home grown tomatoes and courgettes. Maybe next year we will expand the range a bit. This year we concentrated on getting the Vue gite's garden ready. We did it! The boule pit and lawn look great. What a difference it makes. We shall enjoy planting more shrubs this Autumn and see a riot of colour next summer. Fingers crossed!

The Bournazel Féte marks the end of the sumer festivities. Friends came over and all of us went and enjoyed the last big party. Tressle tables, fairy lights, disco music, tapas, Gaillac wine, fromage and dancing! Such fun! 

And so, the summer has come to an end! Thank you to all our friends, family and above all, our La Belle Vue gite guests who joined us here and made it so very, very special!!

The beautiful month of May! The month that starts in Spring with fields of bright yellow rapeseed flowers and ends in Summer with poppies growing on the wild verges, out of stone walls and in fields of red. The countryside has turned into a lush green paradise with the sun shining over the endless hills and dales as far as the eye can see.  Just lovely lovely lovely!
Our Australian visitors have settled into La Belle Vue, and French life. You know, the life where you go shopping everyday in local 'alimentation' and 'boulangerie', find your favourite market, attend the Wild Asparagus Festival and eat rabbit in wild asparagus sauce, and visit lots of castles. Bruniquel , the 2 castles in one, was an eye-opener. A castle, perched on a cliff (aren't they all around here?) divided by centuries of familial feud is always good, but it was the small exhibition of pre-historic wood and bone carvings I found most fascinating. Art really is one of our most early forms of expression and communication. I can get quite emotional about these things. I think the children found the intact 10,000 year old skeleton more interesting though. 
Still, there is more to life then a castle, and a market. There is Rugby of course! Our brave Australian 8 year old joined the local rugby team and we watched him train in his Aussie colours, on the village pitch! No french was necessary. Rugby is an international language! We treated our guests to the real thing and took them to a game in Toulouse. Toulouse beat Bordeaux and everyone was happy, chanting and cheering. In the evening rugby continued on the lawns outside the house. Such fun! 
There have been plenty of boule- games on the new 'terrain de boule' but most exciting of all is of course the pool opening. Temperatures range from 30C to 15C from one day to the next and you never quite know what you are going to get, but one thing is certain, Georgia loves her evening swim after school! 
The biggest news this month is my joining the team at Beaux Villages Immobilier. After a few days training I was ready, apparently, to join the world of estate agency. I don't pretend that I always know what I am doing, but it is a great way to meet some very nice people and see some really gorgeous houses. Lucky me!! 
 

March arrived with a bang! The sun came out, the temperatures soared to 22C and we threw off our winter coats! We shopped in the market and exchanged many happy greetings with the friendly stall-holders. The pottery lady came out of hibernation and waved at us. The tourist train chugged up and down the little cobbled streets. Hurray we cried! This is why we came here! It lasted a week. The rains and the icy cold blasts of winter returned and we re- lit our wood-burners and put our coats back on. Still, as ever, there were many glorious skies to keep us happy. 
We managed a quick trip to Edinburgh where we froze, especially on top of the castle. It was a good thing that our lovely daughter, performing with the Edinburgh Studio Opera, warmed the cockles of our hearts as we nearly burst with pride. Such talented young people! We flew down to Bath, still glowing, and stood for hours in Queen's Square, cheering on runners for the Bath Half, one of which was our other daughter. She ran to raise money for MENCAP, a charity very dear to her heart as she has been a volunteer for the Saturday Club for handicapped children for 4 years. We experienced another burst of joy (and relief that she finished it in one piece) and had hearty dinner to warm us all up again. Was Spring ever going to Spring?
Well, it has. The delicate Almond blossom is out, the hawthorn is blooming in the hedges, the cowslips line the lanes and paths and the daffodils is swaying in the breeze. Gorgeous! 
I am obviously missing the fields of yellow sunflowers and the bright summer sun.  I had started to paint the furniture on the mezzanine of the main bedroom grey to match the rest of the subtle coloured furniture but in a moment of madness I painted over the whole lot in bright Annie Sloan yellow! Glorious! 

So how did that happen? I have not even published the March bloggy bit (I think they are called 'posts' ) and I find myself at the end of April! April?! Where did that month go?

We had our lovely daughters back for their Spring break from University, and a surprise visit from our nephew, aged 18, sent over by his parents so he could be buried in the French rural countryside whilst I supervised him during A' Level revision. Having got 3 of my own through A' Levels, I really thought I had done my bit, and didn't relish the role at all! We did let him off occasionally to help make icing rabbits for the Easter cake and paint some eggs. Some traditions die hard in our household. Considering he is an 18 year old lad with facial hair, who enjoys such things as drinking, smoking and clubbing, he got stuck into the challenge!

After Easter we dashed up to Paris. I had an appointment with the Dutch Embassy to renew my passport which included having special photos taken, finger prints, eye recognition, tedious paperwork, lots of money, and a long wait. I regretted not having taken British citizenship again, as I do every time I have to go through this process, as I could have sorted it all out by post. Anyway, it did mean we had a few days in Pareeee, the city of LOVE! The whole of Europe was bathed in sunshine and Paris was no exception. We 'did' the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Le Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, the Pompidou Centre, Versailles, Catacombs and the Latin Quarter. The latter meant an hour and a half traipsing through streets looking for a burger restaurant which Matt insisted we go to. It was actually worth the hunger pains, and moody teenage moment. Happy days, sore feet and a very empty wallet. We especially enjoyed Marie Antoinette's crazy farm and village, made especially for her, the Bonnard exhibition, and the hilarious Jeff Koon exhibition. It was Georgia's first time in Paris (we can't really count the last time as she was 4 and didn't remember it at all) and it was wonderful to experience how enchanted she was by the city.
We took the train home, muggins here having no passport, or ID, and being temporarily non-existent, and were impressed how civilised it was. We have decided to travel by train more in the future.

We had a week to finish spring cleaning the gite. So Matt took off to do some work in the UK and left me to scrub and polish and mop. Georgia loved the new window cleaning machine and washed all the windows for 3 hours. We went out and bought fresh geraniums and spent a happy afternoon potting and re-potting. The sun was out. We made an apple cake and welcomed our first guests of 2015! Roll on May! Surely it must be time to open the pool....