Despite the best efforts of the freezing fog and the bunglings of British Airways, we managed to make it to the Cote d’Azur without too much trouble. We arrived at the airport about two hours before our flight and were herded into large white tents outside to wait until our flight was called to check-in. About half an hour later, we finally made it into the ticketing hall, which was absolutely swamped with people. Between check-in and security, we arrived at the lounge with just enough time for a quick cup of coffee before our flight.

We arrived in Nice to much nicer weather than we’d left at home – warm with clear, sunny skies. Luckily, it stayed this way for the remainder of our trip. We arrived around lunchtime on Christmas Eve and spent the next 48 hours straight eating.

Aude and her parents on Christmas Eve

Aude smiles for the camera

Aude’s father gets the champagne ready to toast the celebration

Minouche (alive, well, and only a little overweight) practices her hunting skills with her new toy mice

“Open your oysters risk-free!” proclaims this clever device. Please notice the blood splattered all over the side.

Oysters to celebrate Christmas. As Gratiane said in her e-mail letter earlier this week, at this time of year the words “oysters”, “salmon”, and “foie gras” trigger a reflex movement to unbutton the first button on our trousers!

Minouche is very interested in the ornaments.

Aude’s mother shows off her desserts…

Aude’s parents’ house, looking warm and inviting in the sun

Rather a radical change for those of us from cooler places, this is what Christmas looks like in the south of France. Not a flake of snow in sight!

Aude smiles as she remembers what “sun” is…

Even Matthew manages a smile…

All becomes clear. Matthew is smiling because it’s time for more champagne!

Mandatory “couple” shot for my parents.

Aude’s father gets ready to carve the Christmas capon. Poor bastard – first he loses his balls, then ends up on our Christmas table. What a way to go. (NB: I’m talking about the capon, not Aude’s father)

Everyone’s down for a nap after dinner…

An absolutely beautiful evening looking out over the Mediterranean.

My mother sent over a few more pictures that she’d taken at Thanksgiving.

Dasha, Carol and Nick in front of the hotel

Carol and Matthew in Belgium

Carol in front of the hotel

Daisy and Calypso relaxing in the dining room

We stayed out until 2am last night, which must be a record. Except for Jerome – despite being the youngest in our party, he’d crawled back to our place at midnight to catch up on his sleep. Investment banking isn’t quite the glamorous career it’s made out to be – this was his first night of decent sleep in a week!

The extra hour of sleep afforded by the clocks going back was a real blessing, and all three of us woke up with very sore heads this morning. Aude and Jerome decided to do some shopping while I prepared a traditional Sunday roast of roast beef, roast carrots and parsnips with honey and cinnamon, roast potatoes (roasted with the goose fat from our Christmas goose last year) and sautéed cabbage. It was just what the doctor ordered.

The weather today was unbelievable – warm and sunny and totally out-of-character for this time of year. We sat in the garden to eat our lunch, not believing that it was nearly November.

I cut the grass yesterday – the third time I’ve cut it for the “last” time of the season – but this time I think it might actually be true. I really can’t believe that this good weather can continue for much longer – the cold, dark nights of winter are really just around the corner.

A traditional Sunday roast, taken untraditionally in the garden

Matthew gets tucked into his food…

I’m convinced that Jerome only comes to stay with us so that he doesn’t starve.

Lunch, if I must say so myself, was absolutely delicious. Even Daisy agreed.

Daisy and I clearly do not share the same enthusiasm for the camera.

Warm and sunny in the last week of October? I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

Jerome poses for the camera.

One of the reasons I wanted the new 35mm lens is that it captures the world very much as the human eye sees it, making it a great “walk-around” lens. To that end, I thought I’d include pictures of “us as we are.”

Jerome, surgically attached to his Blackberry

Matthew, pulling faces as usual

Aude, on the telephone

Daisy, cleaning her arse