Past it

Last Friday I couldn't understand how Debrah had got her timings so badly awry that she missed her flight out here by a good couple of hours. Today I was at the airport to collect our new arrival a good two hours before she was due to arrive - basically, I went to meet the wrong flight. Well, at least I was early rather than late, but nonetheless I got it terribly wrong and felt a bit stupid.

Our weekend guests have been and gone and we have a single lady here for a couple of days before new weekend guests arrive on Friday. I can't believe we are so busy from a standing start a couple of months ago but I'm not complaining at all. just happily surprised by how well it is all going.

The programme for the July music festival is officially announced this evening amid much expectation. There has already been some leaking of names to build up excitement so we know about Diana Ross and George Benson and ZZ Top and Deep Purple and Massive Attack - not a bad line up really but, as usual, a list of artists just a bit past their best years, to be kind to them. In fact, I am not really expecting anyone else of international reknown - probably a few French crooners and some classical and operatic music, which will no doubt be very good, will make up the rest of the programme.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow - so I better sort out what we want and get down to the ticket office with all the gays queuing up for Ms Ross tickets! - I feel a special weekend offer coming on.

That's not as glib as it sounds because one thing that has surprised me is that we have relatively few bookings for July and August - maybe it's because we promote weekend or short breaks which are by nature booked much more on impulse and much nearer the time of the break or because we cannot cater for families, which is the main summer market - so if we can use the Festival to promote the summer here then we will.

So get those fake long beards and gold sparkly dresses out and come on down to the sunny Languedoc this July.