Once again, we were able to get out to France to visit Robert’s chateau near Toulouse. We went in the third week of July, (July 19^th to 26^th), though Robert had managed to get out a week earlier, with the two older girls, but Libby and the two youngest were not able to come out till the end of our week. During the year,  Covid was raging,  and for long we thought we were not going to be able to get out there, but visiting was enabled just in time, though France was in an amber class so we had to take an antigen test which we did by Zoom, with a charming Indian girl from South Africa watching us doing our tests, and then sending us a form proving that we had done it and passed. So it was a lot of complication, but eventually all went well.

Fortunately the weather was good, with sun for the first half of the week and we went swimming four times. I have more or less perfected my special way of getting in and out with a chair and a low bench.  I have worked out the technique as can be seen on the video that Robert took. The girls had a wonderful time and Eloise looks very good in her bikini. I spent time reading my book about The Roman Retail Revolution while Robert and the rest were tidying up around the swimming pool and getting the seats out from the store

My special technique for getting into the pool

These pictures are of me getting in. Now let’s see some pictures of me getting out.

I took some photos in the house. I had been looking through my photos of the house, and found that though I had plenty of the living suite and the bedrooms, I didn’t have any of the entrance hall and the salon or indeed of the stairs. I managed to get some good ones, especially when they tidied up the Hall, getting it ready for Libba’s arrival, so I’ve got some of the hall looking quite smart and one of the Salon with the lid of the grand piano up.

We twice went down shopping at the Super U, once on our first day when we did quite a big shop which was needed as Robert had not yet had time to stock up fully, and then once towards the end. It’s funny, but doing a supermarket shop is quite a thrill and makes us feel we are in France.

We also dined out twice, once halfway through when we went down to the Creperie and dined out in the street. Then on our last evening when Libby and the two youngest had arrived, we went over to Giroussens with its fine view over the River Agout. Wendy had the bright idea of making it a birthday meal for Fiona, as she had not had a birthday party in London and Fiona was thrilled, especially when they brought her a candle on her pudding.

But  for me the big adventure was on the Saturday when I went to the Museum. This was the day that Libby was due to arrive with the two younger children who were just breaking up from school. Their plane was due to land at 6.30 and the Museum closed at six so Robert arranged to take me down at 3 to arrive at four and have two hours in the Museum. Wendy came with me and was a great help.

However, getting it to the museum proved difficult  When I went there five years ago there was a car park all round the Museum but this is now being paved over and made into a pedestrian area. To make matters worse, there were demonstrations taking place that Saturday against the government and many of the roads were blocked off. However Robert managed to get to within 400 m of the Museum and dropped us and we down a street to the great Saint Severin Basilica, and we then had to walk round the basilica to the Museum.

However, when we got there it was all worthwhile. The Roman sculptures from Chiragan are all on the first floor and we went up by the lift. They are in two halves. The nearer half shows that a number of sculptures showing the labours of Hercules in a rather florid style,  then the other side of the division has the Roman Emperors.

I am convinced that they all came originally from the forum at Toulouse. In the declining days of the Roman empire, The statues of the emperors were all being neglected and some were being smashed, so the owner of the Villa at Chiragan rescued the heads and managed to take them to his Villa – the bodies had all been smashed,  so it would have been possible to take them all in a couple of barges.

When we finished, there was the matter of walking back to where Robert had dropped us, some 350 m.  I did the first half with considerable complaint,  but the last stretch down the approach road to the basilica proved very difficult. And when I got to the end I was almost in a state of collapse. But Wendy found Robert and he backed the car down a one-way street and picked me up and I fell into the front seat absolutely exhausted.

Then on to the airport where Wendy and I stayed in the car and Robert and Eloise went out to pick up Libby and Jessica and Max. We then returned and had pizza for supper.

The next day we spent most of the morning filing in the covid forms for the return to England and in the afternoon we went down for a last swim. Then at 6.30 we had to do the medical tests that were needed for a return to England. This again was done by Zoom  where we were supervised by another Indian girl not as charming as the previous one

The next day we packed in the morning got everything ready and left at about 2 o’clock. Robert drove us to the airport being in very good time and after a delay we went through special assistance, and eventually arrived in the UK, with a good flight back to London. Then we were very well looked after by the special assistance at Heathrow: the big surprise was at the passport control where I thought I would be a big delay, but they simply examined the passports very thoroughly, and then we were through. Fiona had gone on in advance all by herself, including a train journey, and had arrived in luggage control and was waiting for us with our hold luggage all collected. The special assistance was very good and took us out and waited to meet our driver and took us right out to the car. A smooth journey back, and then I then drove Fiona back to her flat.  And thus to bed after a splendid holiday