Montpellier is my new favourite place ever. Not just because my dear friends live here, but because it’s just a great place – exciting but not overwhelming, beautiful with a fantastic climate, the sea nearby,

Just got this from Ruth in Toronto. Please pass it on. Information about Gonorrhea Lectim> >> >The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new> >virulent strain of this old disease. The

My best friend in a happy place A miracle – Canadian maple syrup and Skippy peanut butter in the Monoprix grocery store! In France! Peanut butter in France! What is this world coming to?

Lynn and Denis’s window on the first floor miscellaneous window in St. Guillem

I’m happy to report that I didn’t go mad in Monoprix and Galeries Lafayette – in fact, bought nothing at all, except a very large load of groceries for the household. Grocery shopping is great

Les gorges de l’Herault, on the road to St. Guilhem Market day in the village square. The spectacular plane tree dates from 1855 and is 5 metres around; a plaque on its trunk says so.

A selection of tapas … mmm. Carnaval in Montpellier’s Place de la Comedie, with stilts Beth and Bruth disagree about the temperature at Lynn’s

Bruce and Denis in beautiful downtown Montpellier Beautiful downtown Sète Beautiful downtown Bruth, by the thea My hor’s d’oeuvre at L’Oranger: artichokes and olive/almond tapenade

Hard to believe I’ve been away for 11 days already; it feels like a mad dash minute. Today the next phase begins; Bruce has just taken the train to Nimes, Lynn is at work, Denis

P.S. Another great blessing – I will be out of the country for the first weeks of the election campaign. Because, as you bloggees know, the very sight of Stephen Harper makes me sick. Those