Dump?

It has been a long time since I was able go to sleep without having to worry about what time I had to get up to make a breakfast, but I was able to fully enjoy that pleasure this morning.

Both sets of guests left on Monday and we now have no bookings until Christmas. I am not sure how much of that is due to the credit crunch or whether this is just normal for November. Either way, it gives us time to take stock of things, catch up with accounts and tax returns, not worry about breakfasts and lounge about watching dvds in the evening on the big TV in the Studio - great.

The guests were a complete contrast. One couple came up on the train from Barcelona and had a very enjoyable weekend here. They were originally from Brazil via the USA and England via Amsterdam, so they are both well travelled.

The other couple, with their six month old son, were from the UK and looking to move abroad at some point in the future. They didn't seem to have such a nice time and complained about the street noise and Eliot's change of routine and just about everything. When she left she told me that she thought Carcassonne was a dump!

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, of course, but as I live here I thought her comments were extremely insensitive to say the least and obviously I don't agree with her. It makes me wonder what she was looking for - I hope she finds it whatever it is.

It poured down on Sunday, but yesterday was glorious sunshine all day. So after despatching the guests Debrah and I went out for a spot of lunch and it being sunny and us being English we elected to sit outside at the brasserie Saint Germain much to the bemusement, I'm sure, of the other diners and to our very amusing waiter (he spoke English very well after a spell working in Winchester).

It was lovely until the low sun passed behind the top of the adjacent buildings and then it began to get slightly chilly - but we had enjoyed a classic brasserie lunch of fish soup and sausage and lentils washed down with a glass of red - glorious.

Whilst walking off lunch immediately after, we came across the main town cemetary around the back of the barracks and decided to have a look inside. I am glad we did because the place was a riot of colour with all the chrysanthemums placed on the graves and tombs after 'toussaint' last Saturday.

Of course, predominately Catholic cemetaries are a glory of stone carved angels and jesuses and madonnas and elaborate mausoleums. One of the most moving tributes is a common one found on many tombs - 'mort pour la france' - which as always means a young man cut down in his prime during the great wars of the last century. Everyone should visit cemetaries now and again - I think they bring a great deal of perspective to life and make you realise the importance of your loved ones and your family.

After the cemetary, we wandered along the banks of the Aude, with the Cité up on the hill to our right and the trees in their many shades of Autumn colour and thought how beautiful is the dump that we live in!