Christmas Letter 2009

The year started with a bang. A violent 200km wind blew down our chimney and also left a big hole in the roof. It also tore up trees, damaged power lines and blocked highways as well as damaged thousands of roofs throughout the region. This gave politicians an excellent opportunity to temporarily resolve the high unemployment problem in this region. Being able bodied at the time I was recruited by my neighbour, who is a stone mason to assist him by climbing onto the roof ( 3 stories) to remove the debris and to undertake repairs. Being unskilled I was assigned the lowly task of taking the smashed bricks and tiles down to the basement, a big bucket at a time.

A slight slip and I felt a stab in the back. I then realized why there aren't too many 79 year old stonemason's helpers around. Anyway it was down hill after that until I finally in June went to Toulouse and had it operated on. As you know you can't replace a backbone the way you can hips and knees so the recovery is slower. Its December as I write this and I'm finally getting back to normal but don't expect to be managing my big vegetable garden any more or taking up tennis or skiing again.

After the disaster in Copenhagen we can expect as the planet warms up an increasing number of environmental disasters. The good news is this will greatly increase employment opportunities to administer to the suffering and to clean up the mess and will limit the numbers available to run off to other countries to shoot mostly civilians and a few enemies who don't seems to like us.

A brief comment about health care services here. In short they have been outstanding throughout, highly professional and without delays. The American public are being deliberately lied to by the health industry and their paid congressional representatives. At a fraction of the cost, I can choose my health service professionals ( doctors, home care nurses, physiotherapists, clinics and hospitals), Insurance companies provide a vital part of the service, and clinics and many hospitals are privately run.

We are fortunate here. Irene and I never tire of the beauty of the Languedoc. Rolling plains of vineyards and olive groves bordered by forests, mountains and the sea. Its a rare day when we don't utter at least a few ohs! and ahs!

For no particular reason here is a picture of our fabulous dog. our friends who live here, family and many friends of all ages from half a dozen countries sharing time with us we are never lonely. This year my grandson Jack was the first family member to arrive at School Break followed by son David while I was under the knife. Soon after son Peter with grandchildren, Ben and Sami for three weeks and then David again and Brenda

Xmas Letter 2011

What did we do in 2011? We moved and then moved again. In January we sold the village house that we had been living in for 15 years and decided move into a larger town where we could be within walking distance to everything we wanted or needed.

In January 2009 a violent wind storm swept through the Minervois and thousands of roofs were damaged. My neighbour and I were victims and our roof tiles were damaged, there was a hole in the roof and my chimney blew down. Luckily my neighbour is a stone mason and with him I climbed up onto the roof to help him repair the damage. Having just passed my 80th birthday in December this was not a good idea. While taking the debris down three flights to the basement my back felt a stabbing pain. Within a few months my mobility was reduced to a few painful steps so it was off to the hospital in Toulouse for a spinal operation.  It was my first time ever in a hospital. I can only say that the medical practice here is outstanding both in terms of the professional attention I received, the promptness of the services and the politeness and cheerfulness of the doctors, nurses and technical staff that I had to deal with. All costs were paid for. I can only say that US citizens are insane for rejecting the quality of these services (a mix of private and public services) that cost less than half  what they must pay.

In a hospital, of course you are just a side of beef and when I came to after the operation I looked around and discovered that I was in a recovery room with about a dozen others all seemingly in a comatose state  partially covered or not covered with sheets. Modesty is an unknown word in a hospital. A day later in my hospital room a matronly woman arrived and brusquely announced that I had to be bathed and ordered me to remove my nightie. Then three of her friends arrived at the foot of the bed to watch which I found somewhat unsettling.  Fortunately they seemed to be bored and preoccupied with a conversation that I couldn't overhear.

The day after the operation my pain was gone and I was back on my feet. Despite a gradual recovery it was clear that the I wasn't going to be digging in my vegetable garden anymore or climbing my fruit trees for plums and figs. I made one last attempt at it and while pruning my olive tree my back stabbed me again so my farming career came to an end.  That is the main reason for moving into a larger town although Irene always felt that we should stay a step ahead in the game of aging and was glad that I finally agreed.

We finally found a charming 19th century Hausmann apartment in Narbonne with high ceilings and ample space and then went into a construction mode with contractors to replace all the floors and upgrade and paint the walls. We settled in and then our neighbour left to return to Paris and their two story apartment with more space became available. In September we returned to a renovation mode  and with a son and daughter with a family totalling seven people with us for the Xmas season our renovations are again nearing. completion. Irene has enjoyed every minute of this saga. 

During this construction period we have spent time with many family and friends, attended jazz and classical concerts, and I've found time to rant about