The sea!

A refreshing New Year's Day outing, much further than we've been from home for some time.

Plan A for NYE was for us, S and R to pool the cans of cassoulet we received in our municipal Christmas gift baskets and eat them at their house along with the copious amounts of cheese we failed to eat on Christmas Day because we were too full. But then their neighbours A and M invited all of us to their house on the grounds that they have more space and a very large table in the conservatory. The cassoulet did not feature in this plan.

The appointed hour was 8 pm, so this involved us creeping about the village in post-curfew darkness. As we were about to emerge onto an exposed bit of road we glimpsed a stationary car with its headlights on ... huddling behind a parked car for a whispered consultation we decided to beat a tactical retreat and use a longer but darker route. We felt like resistants evading the Gestapo. With considerably less risk if caught.

Having joined our co-conspirators safely, we were served a massive and delicious spread of classic French food expertly prepared by A. Prawn cocktail with diced apple, pink grapefruit, and a herby mayonnaise, oysters for the brave, salmon tartare, foie gras, a trou normand, perfectly roast fillet of beef with three kinds of vegetables, green salad, cheese, iced desserts. Needless to say, it was (very) well after midnight when we sneaked home. There were no bises and no singing!

So it was a late start today. We drove the scenic route to Gruissan, popped onto the beach at Les Ayguades (blip), drove to the salt pans planning a walk there, only to find them closed and securely fenced in, and then drove back along the lovely road by the lagoon (flamingo in extras). It was a glorious day as you can see. Lots of people were picnicking but it hadn't even occurred to us to bring any food; we definitely weren't hungry. 

Back home at 3:30 for a cup of tea and a piece of Christmas cake. And now we settle back in to the quiet lockdown routine once more. Fire lit, cat on lap. Happy New Year to all my blipmates, with hopes that life will start to return to normal at some point this year.