Sun and Snow

Tap, tap, tap. Mr Fluffy's underpants were frozen solid. That's what he gets for leaving them out in the snow.

Aubignas

We've spent the last week staying in medieval villages in the south east of France and the weather has been stunning. Christmas Eve gave us a one night break from Dickie when we stayed with an old schoolfriend of mine from Australia who now lives in the Templar village of Richerenches. There were 4 Aussies and a Pom at the table - a bit unusual for these parts I think.

Gordes view

Gordes was the venue for Christmas day followed by Moustiers Ste Marie - stunning villages which looked even better with the sun shining on the surrounding mountains. I've decided I love olive trees. The colour is so soft and welcoming - aaaaah! What a shock when we woke up the next morning to see snow all over the ground. A lovely walk to the local lake followed and we returned - drenched - to head off once again.

 

Moustiers through the olive trees

Sunset at Moustiers Ste Marie

As a suggestion I would warn against driving around the Gorge of Verdon in a snow storm. After a tricky drive to Castellane we spent the night below a gigantic statue of the Notre Dame Du Roq and walked up to her this morning. it was not as hairy as it looked but, due to the overnight snow, it was a tad slippery and Hugo did a few scrabbling dances on the rocks and Mr Fluffy joined in for an occasional unscheduled skating experience now and then.

As the Tom Tom knows all and Mr F will follow it no matter what it says, instead of taking the main road to our current location (Nice) we spent a couple of terrifying hours driving over un-snowploughed roads adjacent to bloodcurdling drops to possible death. Mr F's white knuckles gripped the steering wheel with such vigour that he needed a shot of whisky and a block of cheese when we finally (and safely) reached Nice. The Tom Tom was vindicated as it did help us find an alternative Aire as the main one is jammed with Dickies.

Now to settle down for a night of Antiques Roadshow and a spot of Inspector Morse. Surprisingly the satellite dish still works this far south - hoorah!