Living the outdoor life

I love last minute plans, they always turn out to be the best fun. Last night, some friends dropped in on their way home from Archachon after a week camping on the coast. Full of excitement and tales of their week away, nursing the burnt bits and shaking the sand from their flip flops with a car packed to the rafters.

A seafood platter later, copious muscadet and a belly full of laughter and we were done. We sat outside until the lights went out in the village listening to the faint hum of musique drifting across from Club Marpen where the last of the summer volunteers restoring the old priory celebrated their final night together. Another summer almost over, already. We huddled around and soaked up the gentle sound of summer, a blanket of stars above us and candlelight to guide us to our beds.
This, for me is summer at it's finest.

Farewell amigos

So it's a sad au revoir to our friends the Newtons who are heading home for their next adventure. This is Hannah bananas, words can't really describe what she means to us all here, but just to say thank you so much for being a wonderful new best friend, I hope it's for keeps.

This is Tim and Betty, we'll miss this double act and her chocolate chops. I'll even miss her screaming Grandma at me as I walk the dog up the lane, thanks Betty I am going to investigate botox.



And these are their fabulous twins Millie and Felix. Quite extraordinary.


This year with them has been as much about us finding our feet as theirs; they came to France to make some big life decisions and we ended up doing the same in the process. Hannah is brave and brought together many different people at her various soirees, childrens parties and cocktail fuelled fancy dress. She's made cakes so fabulous they should be framed and created death defying games for grown ups and kids alike, all the time grinning from ear to ear with that infectious big smile of hers. They've become an extension to everybody's families and we'll miss hearing the children singing from their bedroom windows, the baby shouting, the nappies by the bins and the staggering to and fro under the stars from each others houses, it's been quite unique.

This year, we've talked...a lot mostly about all manner of things, but we've also got blind drunk, danced, laughed, cried, drained the charity shops, collected vintage kitchenalia, cooked, grown veg, foraged, sunbathed, flossed, waxed and generally morphed into one happy bunch when we're together.

We laugh and wonder what will become of little Betty, an adventurer, explorer? She has enjoyed a few great espapes during her time here. Or whether we'll be reading all about Millie the star of the big screen in hello magazine or seeing snaps of Felix as he patents another of his amazing inventions. We'll miss seeing Tim in his full cycling get up and Hannah's big red specs.

We hope all your dreams come true Newts, you're a talented bunch and we love you a lot.

Au revoir xxx