Intimations Of Winter

Intimations Of Winter
We've started having serious frosts. They've pole-axed the begonias and french marigolds that were the last vestiges of colour in the front of the house and brought down the leaves that were providing an autumn display. The top of Mt Ventoux has had its white winter bonnet for 3-4 weeks but now the snow has descended to around 1500 ft, spreading across Mt Bluye and the hills behind Buis. That's still 1000 ft above the village but here the weather has been overcast for longer periods than usual and it has drizzled with rain quite frequently. In principle, this part of the world doesn't do overcast and drizzle other than for an occasional couple of days but this year has been an exception.

So, no boules for a week now. At the same time, the local cinemas have produced some very uninspiring programmes so social life has been limited to conversation while eating and drinking. One such occasion last week gave me the opportunity to try six people altogether in my kitchen, which actually worked quite well. I didn't think that many would fit in comfortably but they did. On another occasion last week I got to know Robin and Jill rather better. Robin (Marlar) is an ex-Sussex and England cricketer and former president of the MCC and was one of the earliest of the English contingent here. He owns a patch of land on the other side of the river that he'd hoped might become a cricket pitch but there's not a lot of cricket potential around here. I'd said to the boules team at the national tournament that if we won they would have to learn cricket (since I'd learned boules) but there was never much danger of either of those things happening. Robin and Jill had been coming out for just a couple of months in the summer but are now spending much more time here, which is good news as, apart from their both being excellent company, Robin is a fund of information on happenings in the village over the last twenty years or so.

And I received my first Christmas card. The French don't really do Christmas (or birthday) cards: the variety is limited, the quality poor and they are very expensive. So I now rely more on email and do any Christmas posting when I arrive in England before Christmas. I plan to spend two weeks there this year as my mother is increasingly fragile. That will also give me more time to get around and see friends while I am over. And I shall fly rather than drive this year, hiring a car at the other end; a 2500 km round trip on winter roads definitely lacks appeal and I shall have nothing that won't fit in a suitcase to bring back.

And today the Christmas street decorations went up in the village. QED.