We are enjoying an Indian summer out here at the moment, in fact it is nearly perfect weather, the days cloudless and very warm, high twenties in the afternoons and still comfortable enough to eat dinner on the terrace every night but cool enough for comfortable sleep.
The vendange is over, all the grapes seem now to have been gathered and Cessanon had a fete to celebrate this on Sunday.
The Chambre d’Hôte ticks away nicely, enough people to keep us going without ever being really hard pressed.
It really is so different from a restaurant, the system here is that one cooks and then dines with the residents. This completely does away with the “service industry” feeling and people feel that they are with us for a dinner party-and we both feel just like the hosts at the same.
We often have to fight the guests from helping with the wash up , not something that often happened in the restaurant.
The system of a no-choice menu is also a chef’s heaven, I do make it clear when people are booking that I need to know about dislikes, allergies, or any other food problems, forewarned it is no problem to adjust the menu accordingly or at least offer an alternative.

Bar a couple of weeks in the spring and two funerals I have now been out here for over six months and am beginning to ask my self how do I like it.
The answer is , so far at any rate, very much indeed.
We were always aware that our previous experience of France had been to a large extent through the rose tinted spectacles of Summer Holidays and were aware that the day to day stuff was going to be different.
The consoling thing is that it hasn’t been nearly as different as we feared.
The French at heart behave in much the same way as the Irish.
They are certainly more polite but I would not say necessarily any kinder that the Irish. They are more formal but can take the piss just like at home.
As for our fears of missing friends from home? Well we have had a steady stream of friends and relatives all summer and autumn and unlike the brief visits we would have had in Waterford we usually get to spend time with same and get a good “go” off them.
Hard to say what I miss, some things are hard to get here- but then I don’t drink much tea and am happy to skip the odd rasher and sausage.

So far it seems we have hit the good life dead square on, no regrets, but who knows what the future holds.