That time of year again

St Florentin

Very sadly we have just said goodbye to our last staying visitors of 2008. (Bookings now being taken for 2009!).

Readers may recall this time last year when we celebrated our virtual Christmas with a virtual Christmas dinner, virtual gifts and probably thought we were all mad. This year was even better.

Our friends arrived from the UK on Tuesday evening (Christmas Eve). We greeted them with a glass of champagne and enjoyed a Thai meal before sitting in front of a roaring log fire. At 11.30, as is traditional, we sang carols round the piano.

Let me just explain something for the uninitiated: This couple are very old friends with whom we never managed to spend Christmas, so whenever we could have a few days together, usually a rented cottage at half term, we would have a 'Christmas Dinner'. The tradition has expanded a little over the years.........

On Christmas morning we were very lucky to find the shops open (?) and armed with a maximum budget of 5 Euros each, we bought presents for each other in a little shop. The ladies had separated from the gents, I had to buy a present for my friend's husband, he for me, she for Jon and Jon for her.

We had great fun trawling the aisles of this little shop and found some fantastic little gifts. However, as we left we noticed a marquee in the car park - Christmas gift shop! Wow, us ladies were in our element and had to go and look at (I must add) some of the tackiest Christmas decorations we have ever seen in our life! We had to buy just one or two as we couldn't believe our eyes.

After a light lunch we prepared all the vegetables for Christmas Dinner and, since it was drizzling outside, we stayed indoors playing silly quizzes and games all afternoon.

The traditional roast turkey had shrunk and became chicken, but it was none-the-less tasty. However, before that we had to open our Christmas presents to each other. Sadly my photos of the gifts didn't come out very well, so you can't see the fantastic cow socks that Mrs Y received from Jon or the wonderful mobile phone holder that I bought for Mr Y, but here is Jon's gift ....


.... and here are my lovely socks (Mrs Y also received the same pair) which came with a lovely knitted hat (not matching).


Not bad for under 5 Euros, eh?

Yesterday (Boxing Day) was a beautiful day so we drove over to Rocamadour a medieval village and pilgrimage site which our friends had not visited before. We had a lovely time looking around the sanctuaries and gift shops before coming back home for a traditional (?) afternoon of moving logs and burning garden rubbish.


We've waved our friends off on their way to Toulouse airport very early this morning, but we're looking forward to seeing them again at their home soon to celebrate New Year's Eve - on 6th December.