Updated: 14 hours ago
Season’s Greetings from La Cour Carrée
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Season’s Greetings from La Cour Carree
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It was Mark Twain who said ‘Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men (and women Ed!) and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.’
Well, in 2025, Shelagh and Mike took Mark Twain at his word by spending time with friends in Andalusia, London, Hastings, Rye, Southwold (Suffolk), Devon and Cornwall, Brussels and Antwerp, Todi, Rome and Florence, the Lot, Perpignan, Nîmes, Marseille, the Ardèche and Alsace/Lorraine, and not forgetting Paris. We hope our views of men and women are broader, more wholesome and more charitable as a result!
Acquiring our first all-electric car in March opened up a whole new world of driving for Mike. The car is a combined toy and joy for him, and still holds many secrets that he has yet to discover!
In Andalusia in March, we joined Paul & Kirsty for what turned out to be a very wet exploration of the region though the inclement weather did not prevent us from discovering some beautiful hilltop towns and villages with them.
Closer to home Mike revisited Perpignan (he was first there in 1960 on a school trip!) and Shelagh discovered the Procession de la Sanch on Good Friday.Â
Our first visit to Mario and Una’s apartment in the historic hill-top town of Todi in Umbria in Spring was marred only by Una’s absence but happily, she is well on the way to full recovery from her health wobble.
Our second trip to Italy this year was to revisit our old haunt, Montegufoni, outside Florence where we spent so many enjoyable holidays with friends back in the ‘80s. Celebrating Christine’s 75th birthday was a treat for all of us who joined her at Montegufoni in early July. We spent a great deal of our time there in the Castello’s welcoming pool, avoiding the searing heat, and Shelagh introduced the gang to Aquagym!
By early September, things had cooled down, and our annual escapade with our friends, Jenny, Peter, Cécile and Greg, this year to discover Alsace & Lorraine, was most enjoyable, despite overwhelming numbers of tourists in Strasbourg and Nancy.
Mike continues to cycle and was very impressed with the magnificence of the Vercors in the Drôme. He also reconnected with his old boys’ group to cycle around Banbury, Oxfordshire in September.
Shelagh celebrated her birthday in September in the company of friends Catherine and Alan, with lunch at Rick Stein’s restaurant in Padstow. This gave us the opportunity to spend a month revisiting English seaside resorts in Southwold, Hastings and Devon and Cornwall, culminating in the delightful wedding of Ed and Kate in October in an ancient Cornish Fort. And the English weather was kind to us throughout our visit.
Back home we have continued to welcome guests to our B&B, with newly installed air-conditioning to offset the increasingly hot Summers with which we are learning to live.
Now, as we prepare to end the year in Suffolk, we raise a glass to you all this Christmas and New Year, wishing you health and serenity for 2026.
You all know where to find us and we will be delighted to welcome you!
Port Isaac, Cornwall - location of Doc Martin TV series
Le Jas de Bouffan, Aix-en-Provence. Home of Paul Cézanne
Cycling through Le Vercors (Drôme/Isère, France)
With Mario in Todi, Umbria
Castello di Montegufoni, Tuscany where Christine spent her 75th birthday - mostly in the pool
San Gimignano, Tuscany
La Procession de la Sanch, Perpignan, Good Friday
Tulips grown in Jonquières (Vaucluse) before they are shipped to the Netherlands
Me and the E Street Band! Marseille, 31.5.2025
The beautiful castle of La Clayette, near Macon
The Art Nouveau Mansions of Cogels-Osylei, Berchem, Antwerp
In Antwerp with Joke, May 2025
Colmar and the Weinstrasse villages
Last weekend In Paris - the rebuilt Notre Dame (to come)
