I’ve done two shameless things. Firstly, I’ve used an image of our soon to be new kitten Cleo, to gather in readers. Secondly, I apologise to any Fairport Convention fans (a folk rock group from the 1970’s)  for altering the first line of their track, ‘Matty Groves’ to suit the blog title.

Since returning from the UK at the end of July nothing really newsworthy has happened. In fact nothing newsworthy ever happens here, nothing that would grace the front page of a tabloid newspaper anyway. We’ve hosted Monika, a lovely German workawayer from Cologne for a fortnight and continued to sample the local restaurants once or twice….a week. Obliquely, there’s a new bean to cup coffee machine in the kitchen and we’re making travel plans for next year.

However, lets preview the last instalment of our 2019 excursions. Next Thursday, we drive to Tours for an overnight stop, then Vichy for another. We have decided not to drive long distances any more, preferring to break the journey into smaller bite size pieces, sort of a ‘menu degustation’ by car.

After Vichy we drive to the Gorges De Tarn, staying in the same B&B we used a few years ago. Then Pezenas, which we love and a short stay with friends Maggie and Martin in the Ariege, where Susie used to live. Much as I tried to dilute Susie’s enthusiasm for Toulouse I’ve been persuaded (torture was implied but not carried out) to stay there for a few nights and have been promised interesting and informative walks round the city. I trust these are relieved by numerous refreshment breaks. We return via the I’le D’Oleron, somewhere we haven’t visited.

It would be folly to think we haven’t planned where to have meals ahead of time. I think there’s only one night we haven’t got a restaurant booked and we’re on the waiting list for that.

So as ever, I look forward to boring everyone with our adventures, copious photos of our food and the sunlit scenery…well we hope it’s sunlit…