I've been remiss in recent months, but I am making an effort today.

( Yesterday under the cut. )

We left the Narbonne area on Saturday morning. The place we stayed, Chateau Prat de Cest was lovely, though the wedding during the middle weekend was somewhat noisy. Our apartment was extremely comfortable.


( Read more... )

Firstly, many thanks to all my kind friends who condoled with me on the death of my friend Rob.

It's been a hell of a fortnight. Not hellish, quite, but pretty intense in all sorts of ways.

( The holiday in France )

Seriously. I don't feel out of my twenties yet.

Many thanks to friends who sent me their good wishes. I've tried to thank people individually - if I missed you I'm sorry.

While Storm Desmond was soaking the country and causing all sorts of shenanigans Oop North, Dave and I went to meet the girls at a National Trust house in the Chilterns. ( Hughenden Manor. Picspam below. )

My entry this month for monthlydiaryday. A somewhat unusual entry this month, as we are in Tuscany, at the end of our annual holiday. Indeed, as I write, Dave is Tetrising the baggage into the car, an activity in which I am not welcome, so I stay out of the way.

( A day under Tuscan sun. And clouds. Warning: picspam. )

I've not posted much of late, mainly because 'busy' has been an understatement. Here's a quick round-up, though.

( Under the cut so you can skip my rambling. )

January was the wettest winter month since records began, in the 1750s. Apparently all the snow and ice in North America is meeting warmer air from the south and causing rainstorm after rainstorm ( Read more... )

We made it home on Tuesday, but since then it's been a whirlwind of appointments, meetings, putting together an order of service, planning flowers, phoning people and so on. Paris was very good for us, though, even if my poor creaky knees suffered.

( Thus below the cut there be pictures... )

More hill towns, too.

( Thus more picspam )

Umbria has hills. It also has a long history of violence and warfare on an epic scale. Consequently, people were less likely to build their towns on the plains, near the farmland and river (and mosquitoes, as it happens) but on more or less any convenient hill.

( Here are some amazing hill towns we visited. Multi picspam. )