La Chaume, Les Puits d'Enfer & a Cousinade

Oh dear, checking my photos I found I missed a section from September, so back to the time machine my faithful followers!

Mid-September and Matt had an early appointment in Les Sables d'Olonne

Taxi duties done Tine & I breakfasted in La Chaume, just over the estuary from Les Sables...

...revisiting our favourite 'trompe-l'oeil'.

Whilst awaiting our client's call for the return journey we drove up to Les Puits d'Enfer...

...less dramatic in lighter seas, but still beautiful.

Mid-September and we had a cousinade at Annie & Christian's new home in Châtelaillon-Plage, to the south of La Rochelle

Annie, Claude, Tine, Jean & Loulou - just Jean-Pierre absent!

Blue skies and parasols: we could be on the Med!

We loved the indoor market...

...these three happy to let the others shop!

Back home and the pool looked very inviting...

...well for Jean anyway!

Of course there was the obligatory outdoor lunch!

Happy Christmas 2018

Christmas greetings from Derbyshire/Yorkshire, wishing you a wonderful day surrounded by loved ones.

The Starfish was looking very festive when we left La Tranche...

 

...and the local health spa!

Hope this clip works: one of the street decorations in town 

Christmas Eve and Betty torturing Alfie at Alice's afternoon pub 'do'

Bingley town Christmas tree...

...and very subtle lights in Dore on the outskirts of Sheffield.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a robin

Christmas Eve and Nadine's home-created plate ready for Santa

He's been!!!

We think of them every day but Christmas isn't quite the same without Mum & Dad. Thanks for the wreath, Silv.

And finally the nativity in emojis: get translating!

David Mellor Design Museum, back to La Tranche & Halloween

We stopped at Philippe & Gina's on our last weekend (although Gina was in Porto) and Phil took us to the David Mellor Design Museum in Hathersage, not far from the steel city of Sheffield.

I had no idea that our traffic lights, bus shelters and bollards were designed by Mellor...

...his cuboid shaped postbox never took off, however.

His cutlery is world-renowned (but a 6-piece Classic range place setting for one person would set you back £64)!

Next day, our drive to Portsmouth where we saw the final glows of the sun over the Isle of Wight...

...and a final drink of decent ale in our regular pub.

Back in La Tranche and Cynthia's happy to see us in the Slice Café...

...and I'm happy to recommence my daily 10,000 steps target...

...late afternoon on the cycle path alongside the boating lake.

No favouritism here: Sacha's pumpkin lantern...

...or Alfie & Betty's?

Canal walk to Bingley

Let me take you for a walk along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, one of my regular jaunts whilst stopping at our château on Baildon Moor.

I think you can tell which season we're in as we start in Saltaire, having walked down into the valley 

The first set of locks is at Hirst Wood

One of my favourite bridges, just before Dowley Gap Locks

Onto the locks, originally built in 1773 and rising/falling 6 metres

Lucky me (and you!), two longboats on their way through

Nearing Bingley now, but still beautiful reflections to be seen...

...and plenty of our feathered friends...

...these two pretty oblivious to your faithful blogger.

And when we get to Bingley, it could be a night at the Chip'n'Ern pub with its quirky ceiling decor...

...or a family meal at the Fisherman's Inn. Here's Betty and Maddie...

...our beautiful great-niece Rosie...

...and old faithfuls, Kate, Rachael, Pete & Gaynor.

As I type this we're preparing our next visit back to Blighty. Can we hope for blue skies and pub excursions? Definitely one of the two, but keep the snow away, please.