The Merry Month of May…

We spent the whole month of May in France, and it definitely was merry! I celebrated a special birthday and we had several visitors, both friends and family, to stay. The weather could have been better but we knew that rain was much needed in the area.

Some things are a constant and, for us, that means walks beside the Canal du Midi. I love this stone house that is on the opposite bank to our home, but I’m not sure my photo really does it justice.

Sometimes the Canal can be very moody. Take a look at the clouds in the image below.

We visited several places we had never been to before. I always enjoy discovering somewhere new. I recently blogged about a lake we had found: https://fancyingfrance.com/2023/05/18/what-have-you-discovered-recently/

Narbonne is a town that has been on my ‘wish list’ for years. We always seem to bypass it for some unknown reason. A friend, who was staying with us, suggested we had an adventure, so we spent a day in Narbonne. We went by train which is always an experience!

I will be writing a full blog post about Narbonne, but the photo below is just a taster. I loved the town and will happily return as we didn’t manage to see everything!

Strangely, we have many interesting places on our doorstep, but we never explore them until we have a guest! L’abbaye de Saint-Papoul is a prime example which I will describe in more detail on another occasion. It is only eight kilometers from our house and I’m so pleased we finally took the time to visit.

One of the many benefits of being a dog owner is the number of other dog owners you meet on walks. One such occasion was during a walk around the Lac de St Ferréol where we met a very interesting local artist. She was exercising her Italian Greyhound and was delighted when I recognised the breed and in French – so was I! She told us about a mixed media art exhibition in Castelnaudary.

Having never been to the local art gallery, we decided to explore, especially as the artist we had met was exhibiting her work. More of this experience in the future but below are two of the exhibits that caught my eye.

I was very taken with the work of a sculptor who recycles pieces of machinery, tools, and suchlike. Mr FF surprised me with a birthday present of a scorpion. It has received mixed reactions from friends and family but I am very taken with it!

Having visitors is an incentive to explore unknown restaurants. A French friend recommended one where we could enjoy a delicious celebration meal for my birthday. It was located in the middle of a forest and the whole experience was delightful – so much so that I didn’t take any photos! Having a surprise visit from my eldest son, added to my pleasure.

We also went to a different lunchtime venue, in-between Castelnaudary, and Carcassonne. It is a very traditional Bar -restaurant which offers a lunchtime menu for 17 euros. This includes a starter, main, dessert, a carafe of wine and coffee. Not only is it very reasonable but the food was exceptionally good and epitomises French family style cooking at its best.

A Salon de Thé has opened recently in Castelnaudary, a very welcome addition to the town. The strawberry tart, pictured below, is one of the best I have tasted in a very long time!

May was also the month Zeph found another hobby, container gardening!

I hope your May was as merry as mine!