September...where did it go? So this year was a big year - Maisy started in Petite Section, so I now have all 3 girls at schoolQuite a difference for me - I come home to a quiet house, have a coffee in peace and get on with some work. I say quiet but in fact September is far from quiet here in Languedoc, the buzzing sound of Les Vendanges, our neighbours tractors humming and whirring as they ferry deep violet grapes back from the vines.
The funny little noises that Madame makes to signal from one side of the cave that her son or husband should ‘allez’ or ‘stop’ but instead of saying this she has her own curious signals which made me chuckle every morning.
The village is a hive of activity, huge oversized garage doors are opened for what seems like the first time in almost a year, its always interesting to look inside and see the old wine presses or big modern vats of wine. One chap still uses a sturdy horse and cart and has an elite team of local pickers to hand pick all his grapes. It's always a pleasure to see him clopping along through the village with his team sat on the back of the cart.
Not always a pleasure is to come across one of these though either when our running or driving:
I have a lovely nice scratch down the side of my car as I decided to take on the vines rather than this bad boy (not that I am bothered in the least but Mr F did comment on it at the weekend and it has reaffirmed his belief that I treat my car like a tractor). Something about these industrial machines scares me - they look like real monsters with all their teeth in the middle.
I decided to change my route to avoid the machines and took a detour up high - wow what a beautiful view
It’s amazing how the blue sky and mild temperatures can really lift your spirits and clear your head.
One of the other perks of knowing you've been out for a nice run is of course the reward at the end of it...and there can be no better reward than a glass of local wine - so how lucky am I that one of my good friends has just opened a new wine house Maison du Vin in Pezenas.
Aurelien Carron @ La Maison du Vin
We also enjoyed a lunch picnic and tasting at Le Peyrat with the girls (benefits of Wednesday afternoons in France)
Ancienne tomatoes on bread rubbed with garlic, olive oil and salt…delicious.
The girls enjoyed discovering the surrounding olive groves too - though we did have to explain multiple times that the olives on the tree don't have quite the same taste as those they get from the olive man.Well that was the first couple of weeks of September flown by - time to crack on with getting the house sorted.