The Family Visit
I have a brother and two sisters and like most families, I guess, the challenges of geography, life choices and time pressures mean that we don't get to spend much time all together. In fact, other than for weddings and funerals, we haven't been together for more than forty years.
One of my greatest hopes when we bought Fon du Bourg, with the space and opportunities we have here, was that it would become a family place.
And my hopes have been realised. At Christmas Richard's parents and my 'French' family - that's my brother (who moved to France on a six week contract in 1982, met a French lady, had a French family and never went home), my niece, nephew, great niece and nephew, my brother's wife's sister (just work your way through that one!) and the all husbands and wives congregated here for the festive period.
That was lovely.
But last weekend surpassed even that. My brother and sisters, my niece and her children, husbands and wives all made the effort to visit... at the same time!
It was fabulous being able to have everyone stay in the same place rather than having to have one sister in a nearby guest house and another somewhere else... and the weather was very kind to us. When we all got together on Saturday afternoon at the Upper Pool there was a real holiday atmosphere. My brother and Richard were larking about in the pool, my great nephew was playing with his Dad, my sister and her husband were sunbathing... we had music playing, there was laughter and splashing about and chat and catch up and... well, you get the picture,
It truly was a lovely weekend, made all the better because my second sister, who lives in Spain for half the year, flew up without telling anyone she was coming except my brother and me!
We had twelve people around the table for one of those Sunday lunches that you assume happen all over France but rarely indulge in yourself. We gathered at about 12.30 and I think we finally left the table about 3.00! That's after aperitifs, starter, Coq au Vin, cheese and fruit tart!
And then, on Monday morning, my sister and her husband left for the drive back to Devon where they live. My brother and his wife left, too. He was playing in a golf competition near Nimes and his wife was going back to their house near Paris for the first time in ages. My last sister and her husband left Monday evening; they flew back to Spain from Bordeaux.
Suddenly Fon du Bourg which had looked after my family so well, was left with Richard and I.
We looked at each other and smiled at the memory of my family being together for the first time in forty years for no reason other than to, well, be together.
And Fon du Bourg?
Fon du Bourg, I like to think, enjoyed the weekend, has taken a deep breath and is now ready to do it all again as family and guests arrive again next week.