Sorry to be ignoring you, but hubby and I are on holiday for the WHOLE month of January!! But as soon as we're back, I'll tell you all about it and you will be green with envy. Just as a little taster...it's 20C everyday where I am!

Deirdre's (a very good friend of ours) pumpkin was the envy of the whole department. I even know of people who came from other departments to steal glances at her pumpkin. This pumpkin also had the courtesy to grow towards the road so that everyone could admire it's beauty – and there was a lot to be admired. A local police officer was worried about somebody stealing it, but we weren't. A drive-by-pumpkin-stealer was going to have to be a very big lad to lift this 150kg beauty.

“Oh sh1t Jörg, your bike's been stolen!“ We were only 20m from our bikes practicing kite surfing techniques and after packing up we turned to our bikes to cycle back to our camper van and one of them was no longer there. Jörg said he would run back the 200m to our van so I set off in hot pursuit in the opposite direction towards the town of Sete 8km away. I do recall thinking, “Hell, wish they'd taken mine, then I could go back to the van.”

This was my first up close and personal with a hedgehog and I absolutely loved it. Smeared with a little butter and some crushed fresh garlic, it was deelicious. And it comes with its own set of toothpicks to get those last little niggly bits out of your teeth... Calm down, I'm just kidding. This must be just the cutest creature I have ever seen.

I have something to confess: I am a closet Country Western fan. There. It's out. I've kept this secret long enough. I love country music. Not all the time mind you. Too much of it makes you want to jump off even low buildings, just to make it stop.

“A man walks into a bank, pulls out a gun and demands that the cashier gives him all the money she has. She quickly hands over the money and puts up her hands in fear. The man turns to one of the customers in the bank and asks if he had seen what had just happened. The man says yes, of course he had. So the bank robber shoots him. He then turns to a woman customer and asks if she had seen anything. No I didn't, she says, but my husband did...“

Considering that I am back, I'm not really being successful at terminating my tasks. The list of reasons is as long as the brambles growing in my garden (never heard that one before, have ya?), but one does not wish to complain or draw attention to oneself... HELLO, I'M HERE!!!

The Terminator has gone downhill but therefore I am BACK!!

As I have mentioned in other posts long, long ago (sorry!), my wonderful parents moved in with us last April and we thoroughly enjoyed having them with us. Unfortunately, my Dad had a brain haemorrhage in December and although he is doing very well, they have moved to England due to the language barrier. But we will see them often and I am quite happy to have an excuse to visit them over there. The English weather is, um, English weather, but we will still be happy to walk along the beach in our raincoats...! Here is a photo of Mom and Pops taken last summer with my lovely aunt and uncle, Wendles and Peter, who we are very happy to be seeing more of.

I would just like to say THANK YOU to all of you who have stayed faithful to me during this difficult time and I am happy to announce that I will no longer be neglecting me blog and have lots planned from now on.

I won't do too many flower photos I promise, but the Wisteria is soooo beautiful at the moment I just had to share it with you. Just wish you could smell it as the scent wafts through the courtyard. The weather has been Magnificent if a tad too hot for this time of the year, but this evening it's changing and hopefully we'll get some rain. For now I'll just sweep up some of the lovely flowers that are currently wafting through the house...

We have had a super winter actually, but there is something about the arrival of spring that just lifts the soul to another plane. The flowers are in full bloom, the fruit trees are covered in fruit flowers and the warm air and blue skies are a joy to behold.