Not at all like Christmas...

...but a beautiful day. After all the stresses and strains of the last three weeks (M's head STILL hasn't completely stopped bleeding) it was wonderful to take the dogs for a walk up on the ridge above our vineyard.

The weather is simply sparkling and mild with no wind at all. We could see all the way beyond Neffiès towards Montpellier, across the vineyards and garrigue. It really was a good diversion and wonderful exercise puffing up to the top of the ridge, known locally as La Coste de St Andrieu.

I'm not wild about shop-bought Christmas trees so yesterday I sawed off a lovely elegant low branch from a parasol pine and last night we decorated it with as much Christmas tat as it would bear. It was good to see M's eyes twinkling after such a long medical haul.

The only fly in today's ointment - DHL delivered M & A's Christmas presents to someone else on the 17th December. That was the morning we were in a wailing ambulance on our way to Béziers hospital, so the delivery company can't possibly claim that I took delivery of the parcel at noon as they say. Anyway, a very nice girl, with an automated voice, from some far off land assures me that Amazon will do everything they can to put it right and that the presents will be sent out again in two working days. So they might be here in the first week of the new year.