On the afternoon of Christmas Eve I decided to take a break from the kitchen and the tempting calories within, and went for a stroll up our road. Between our house and that of our shepherdess neighbour, I spied a small white van parked haphazardly at the side of the narrow road. Our normally jolly, moustachioed neighbour appeared to be slumped over the wheel.

In the early days, we had been ‘talking’ to our shepherdess neighbour in broken French/Catalan/English when she had told us her son was called Raymond. Since that time we had cheerily called out to him when he went past in his car or we bumped into him at the market. He was always friendly and smiling but we had never really talked. Now, a day after our return from the UK, Raymond was striding across the lawn in a purposeful manner and my heart sank. I was sure that he was going to give us a good telling off for allowing Gyp to chase his mother’s sheep and I put a fixed smile on my face as I went out to greet him.

Over the course of the next few months I spent many hours training our new llama baby, who we christened Chakita, to walk on a lead, and after a while she would readily run to me when I appeared in the field, and allow me to harness her or brush her beautiful brown coat

Over the course of the next few months I spent many hours training our new llama baby, who we christened Chakita, to walk on a lead, and after a while she would readily run to me when I appeared in the field, and allow me to harness her or brush her beautiful brown coat

Unfortunately this was beyond poor hubby’s capabilities. Time after time he held on for too long, was propelled across a no-entry area, where he flew through the electric cable supplying power to the lift. Each time this happened a whole line of people toppled into the snow, and the lift monitor had to rush up and plug the thing in again.

Unfortunately this was beyond poor hubby’s capabilities. Time after time he held on for too long, was propelled across a no-entry area, where he flew through the electric cable supplying power to the lift. Each time this happened a whole line of people toppled into the snow, and the lift monitor had to rush up and plug the thing in again.

Christmas 2008 was to be our second Christmas since moving to France and we were determined that it would not be a repeat of the previous year’s disaster (in brief: sandwiches, rain, Bournemouth).

Christmas 2008 was to be our second Christmas since moving to France and we were determined that it would not be a repeat of the previous year’s disaster (in brief: sandwiches, rain, Bournemouth).

Christmas 2008 was to be our second Christmas since moving to France and we were determined that it would not be a repeat of the previous year’s disaster (in brief: sandwiches, rain, Bournemouth).