April in the South of France can be unpredictable but I have to say it’s been the best one I have enjoyed in the 7 years that I have lived here.  And our season has started with a flourish of guests (both paying and non-paying) who arrived with gifts of Cheddar, Cadburys and Grazia all essential requirements of an Ex Pat living practically everywhere!

Our pool is open and as far as I am concerned Summer has arrived and I am sticking to my shorts come rain or shine. The Asparagus is growing everywhere (wild and cultivated) there is nothing quite like the taste of it with melted butter (or if you have good guests, a bit of Holman’s mayonnaise) and maybe a poached egg!!

The wisteria has been amazing and I don’t even mind the mess it makes!

Easter has come and gone with too many bunnies storming our supermarket shelves and my kitchen has been installed (you can’t believe what I have been cooking in, for the last 7 years) and I am becoming a right Domestic Goddess! No names, but a certain well known Baker visited my home and taught me how to make bread, which would be very useful if I didn’t happen to be surrounded by a number of extremely good boulangeries  including one, a two minute walk across the bridge into the village !

Talking of food (which is my main interest by the way) there is nothing like enjoying a lunch and a glass of Rose alongside the Canal du Midi.  A past time I could easily get used to.  I counteract this deed by making sure I go for a run at least 3 times a week through the vines and in the nearby pine forests. We vary our runs to keep our interest and today’s run was particularly spectacular as we ran past this field of Poppies. Awesome!

For those who love hiking by the sea, I can’t recommend enough a walk along the board walks at Peyriac sur Mer, The seaside town of Peyriac de Mer is situated beside the Etang de Sigean and Bages,( check out the wild boar feet that a proud ‘chasseur’ has nailed to his door!)  immediately south of Narbonne.  In Roman times the water level of the  étang was higher than it is now, and so the étang served as a huge port for Roman Narbonne, with many smaller ports on it, such as Bages and Mort Mahon at Sigean, where Roman jetties still exist. At the same time, Narbonne, and places like Bages, Peyriac and Sigean were open to the sea; the sand-bar of today from Guissan to Port la Nouvelle did not exist two thousand years ago.  To get to Peyriac and Bages which are both stunning villages in their own right, you  cross the marshes and salins or salt pans on narrow tracks, with flamingoes and salt pans all around. Well worth a visit!