My blogging has been sadly neglected recently, but I have been taking photographs we have had two trips up to the mountains for a little walk, (very little as far as Karen is concerned). the snow this year is very sparse, the ski season is ruins I fear, the snow at this spot, the Col d’Aspin is normally several feet deep with the road closed until April/May. Last week at the same spot there was a few inches now it is almost completely gone. The weather has been fantastic 15-20c every day, the bulbs are coming up in the garden and everything is very springlike, sadly rain is forecast for the next few days but we can’t complain.
We are off to England again next Sunday, Karen has to sort out some things for her Mum, her daughter is also leaving Portugal and moving back to Staffordshire so we are picking her and daughter up at the airport, partner and sons are following on later when she has found somewhere to live. Initially I would have rather have stopped here but I have been convinced that a trip to England would be good for me. We are stopping at a rental cottage for a few days belonging to a guy I know from the walking holidays he used to run in his beautiful part of Staffordshire. There is a great pub nearby brimming with antiques/ quirky objects where the paint and wallpaper peels from the walls defying gravity, with probably the worst toilets outside India. They serve great beer and pies and little else, if you ask for anything exotic like ‘wine’ or ‘coke’ the landlord just rolls his eyes and shakes his head as if you had asked him to mix you a Harvey Wallbanger. I do hope it is still there and unchanged I know Karen will hate it as much as I love it. The rest of the week we are in Manchester so it will be good to see my daughters and friends again.
andymcneephoto 