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2024
The year started with sprucing up the kitchen table. Coincidentally the colour creme de cassis chosen turned out to be the same as the cover of Peter's book
The winter Lily came out. The house always look different in the winter lighting
Return to UK on the 9th January for my eye operation and also Celebratory lunch for the Public Health book. Very pleasant efficient trip with Easyjet. Channel and East Sussex coast looked beautiful from 30,000 feet but I could only ponder how many people below were risking everything to cross it and start a new life
February back in France and I install a wood burning stove in Tercia's study
March sees us return to UK for a family visit to Cardiff to watch Wales play France in rugby. Not only did the french win on the pitch they also out sang the local crowd. Had a check up at the hospital - endoscope and PET all clear.
On the trip back stayed overnight again at Livernois. Once home prepare for Easter.
Spring has a staggered start with wonderful flowers but cold winds and snow on Mont Ventoux in the last week of April . One wind came from the South covering the land in Sahara sand and making the distance hazy
Duci died over a year ago but we still think of her everyday. Here is a video when they just arrived. They loved playing together and Ceci misses it a lot
Still getting heavy rains in mid May and hailstones.
Ice still on top of Ventoux
After 4 years I am now ready to finish redecorating my study ..........with a lot help from Tercia
On 18th June return to UK to attend the Royal Albert Hall to see Deanna dance in the National Ballet performance of Swan lake and take part in the Dragon Cycle Race. Managed to fit in a lunch reunion with the 1979 St Georges graduation group too. Return on the 30th June. Also visited Gowerton School to present this year's C J Littlejohns Health Prize
13th July Sam, Anna, Kez and Alex came for a week's holiday. Le tour was in Nyons which allowed a great day out. Ventoux was ascended and some great meals enjoyed. Exercise on the terrace took many forms. Anna stayed on until 23rd as study leave
They chose the best week for their holiday as the following one was the Paris Olympics and the railways were sabotaged - no Euro-star for 4 days. After that there was a heat wave with temperatures up to 39 degrees - no cycling. A 14 euro paddling pool saved us. Together with a severe haircut
The 19th August was tthe last day of the Summer festival. The tractor race and the last music. It coincided again with the Blue Moon
Not a good summer for British men of a certain age doing things - walking, jogging and sailing.
First it was Michael Mosely https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jun/10/michael-mosley-almost-certainly-died-natural-causes-inquest
Then Tom Doherty https://news.sky.com/story/tom-doherty-what-we-know-about-retired-british-doctor-missing-in-french-pyrenees-as-search-called-off-13193815
Then Stephen Chamberlain https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/20/stephen-chamberlain-colleague-mike-lynch-died-collision-road-fraud
And finally Mike Lynch https://www.thetimes.com/uk/society/article/mike-lynch-last-interview-second-life-bayesian-yacht-lpxfqgvnd
A quote from Mike Lynch’s last interview poses an imponderable question “One of the things I’m thinking about at the moment is, you know, in an ideal world, would you just go back to your previous life, as if this all never happened? Or would you want to keep the insight? When you’ve been through what I’ve been through, a lot of things seem very trivial,” he said. He never got round to answering his own question, but one got a decent sense of which way he was leaning. “The reason I pause,” he said, “is that I’ve led an incredible life.”
However each tragedy (including the freak storm near Sicily) can be put down to global warming and how one must respect the new emerging natural environment.......keep fit and take precautions
The last day of August and I brai all the meat I did not eat in the summer. Ceci and I ate well for a few days
The first day of September was a Sunday and a morning service took place in Puymeras church. It was again "those bells…those bells". It is just the church bells and not the clock tower that generates a sad response in Ceci … weddings, funerals and Sunday services
No really spectacular dawns this year. Until 9th September after 2 days of storms a truly lovely Monday Morning
On the 14th of September we returned to the UK for a 2 months stay. First event was dinner at the RAF club with Sam and Kez. Then I had lunch at the Reform with my co-editor to celebrate the launch of the NICE book. Ceci had her "groom" at Top Paws in Charlton. Tercia painted the front fence. I met up with an old friend from medical school days - Miles. He has just bought a house in St Katherine's dock overlooking Tower bridge. We went up to Leeds for 4 days to stay with Anna and ALex. Before leaving for France we went to Wales to the Gowerton School Memorial Service
On the 10th November we returned to France. Rather than doing a 14 hour marathon we took 4 days. Visiting the Bayeux Tapestry, the Normand beaches, Mont St Michel and Tercia's friend Lynn in Vichy
There were dramatic sunsets and storms on our return
One week back and I decided to have a solitary early morning stroll around the medieval town. So quiet and Christmas was in the air.
The Christmas preparations started with the Puymeras Christmas Fair. Juan joined us on Christmas Eve for a week. Dawns and Sunsets were particularly splendid. I heard from Anna on Christmas day that I was to becomea Grand Father in June 2025
The year ended in a blase of sunny weather
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