Delightful Guest House in Occitanie, France
No this is not a book review, but instead a little post about our small crop of olives that are currently being harvested. Although, if we can steal a quote from Carol Drinkwater’s earlier book, The Olive Farm, there may be some parallels between us in addition to a shared surname 🙂
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
As we move into the holiday season and Winter months, it is clear to me that those of us who are fortunate to be able to spend time with our nearest and dearest have a lot to be grateful for. It is a time of endings, resolutions and renewals, and for us, a time to be with family and enjoy Christmas at home as well as out and about in the Minervois and Carcassonne.
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus
We love this season. The colours of Autumn and the foliage on the trees. The harvests of wine and olive. Halloween fun, wool scarves, long sleeves and boots; walks in the woods and around the lakes… or in Michael’s and my case, just across the back lawn! 🙂
It’s almost 11am on a chilly Saturday morning, and a Cathar horde is about to be unleashed upon the sleepy village of Villeneuve Minervois.
Michael and I are waiting patiently and peacefully amongst the throng, although our quiet restraint is under threat from the growing excitement levels all around us. Everything is set: the officials are in place, the tables are up, and the rope barrier strains under the mass of people-pressure: in just a few moments the market will open and the crowd will be unleashed upon the magnificent and exotic “black diamond”, as the local Languedoc truffle is known in these parts.
Season’s Greetings from Domaine de Palatz!
We hope you have all enjoyed a lovely relaxing Christmas and are looking forward to welcoming the New Year in suitable fashion! We shall be celebrating it here at Palatz with a few friends and perhaps a firework display or two, but in advance of that, we’d like to share with you some of our resolutions (ok, project deliverables) for the year ahead…
Wishing you a Merry Minervois Christmas from Cathar Country!
It is indeed a merry minervois at the moment, and these last few weeks we have been getting in to the festive spirit (hic’) and visiting numerous Marchés de Noel in our local village of Laure Minervois and surrounds. There seems to be something on in every village at the moment!