Halloween

We met a lovely family over from California and not only did they pop in to say hello, they came bearing gifts. Baklava. So after a pleasant visit we tucked in and boy were they tasty. We combined the Lebanese delight with a Moroccan mint tea. We look forward to seeing them again and treating them to tea next time they visit Cruzy… Alan seems to think they need not come bearing gifts, Kieran thinks otherwise.

Last Halloween we were not really sure what to expect, so we bought sweets and treats to fend off about 20 ghastly gules. 3 teenagers in jeans and old sweatshirts knocked at the door. We were rather underwhelmed. The following day we caught a 5 year old witch and insisted she take some of the haul from us otherwise we'd have to eat it all. It took until Christmas to eat the rest of the sweet so this year, we scaled down our basket. Kinder Surprises were available to anyone who knocked and the ghosts and ghouls we expected last year came knocking this year. The surprises were a great success... and I believe we may have to buy in bulk for next year.

Travel

We had some dear friends visit from us from the UK and rather than take them to Carcassonne agian we decided to drive a little further south. Spain.

We began our adventure in Fugeras as our friends were keen to see the Dali museum and it had been on our hit list for many months. The museum was packed. Far more people than the place was designed to hold and most were there as part of a guided trip. Many just walked passed the art, taking the odd snap and then down to the gift shop and outside in to the sun. I think they believe the quanitiy of visitors outweighs the quality of visitor. The museum is housed in an old theatre and it is lovely, but each room you visit needs to be entred and exited a small door.... Oh... I am going on. Basically nice art, crappy layout, rude staff and overpriced postcards but worth the visit. http://www.salvador-dali.org/museus/figueres/en_index.html

After lunch in a local square where we ate well, we all played in the local park. Alan had great fun slipping and sliding but he was in his element swinging.

The harvest has come to an end and land owners are now either digging up thier vines or buring the fields... I have no idea why, but the south of France seems to be alight. We went for a ride up into the hills and discovered this old Peugot motobike at the side of the road. It's more of a bike with an engine. We could not find the owner but as the hunting season is in full swing, we did not think to touch the thing.

Recenly we discovered this old sign on the side of a house in our street and wished we had the same sign on our house. Within days were were at an antiques fair in Pezenas and someone was selling the identical sign. Refurbing our kitchen was cheaper that buying the sign, so we left it for someone else to snap up. If we ever want to see the sign, we just need to walk up the hill for 30 seconds.