It is a funny old world. A lot of friends when we announced our intention to remove to the South of France looked at me sagely and told me I would never last. “You will miss us all too much Martin” they told me”You know what you are like”
And I must confess that when we took the plunge I had some fears that they would be right.
But strangely that isn’t what has happened at all.
Instead the friends and family and old customers of the restaurant (and it is hard to tell the difference sometimes) come and stay and, because of the way the Chambre d’Hote system works, we end up spending long hours talking over dinner and really find out something about each other, this way the friends have become closer and the acquaintances and the relations (who are, I promise, numerous) become friends. So much of this comes round to the French system of eating with the guests. In the restaurant, no matter how many times people ate with you they remained somehow – well- clients. Breaking bread at the same board makes for a very different relationship.During this summer I have had three lots of my siblings children come with their families, I knew them all, of course, from family gatherings but it was all “Hail- well met” Now we all know each other well. It’s a good feeling.