At time of writing it’s pouring with rain and that lovely sprinkling of snow that was covering the Albères has melted and trickled down to join the streams and rivers gushing down the hills. In Argelès-sur-Mer we are often marooned at this time of year as La Massane causes chaos at all points where it meets the road. We’ve had some sun though and some extremely cold temperatures. There have been days when one is coaxed outside and others where the crackle and spit of a flaming fire makes us pull up a chair and settle down with a good book.

Zooming round the winding roads along the coast towards Banyuls-sur-mer, we pass the vines, hundreds of them, all looking rather forlorn and bare. « This is the nicest part of the life-cycle of the vine, » said my husband, « the time when you drink the wine . » There’s always something good to say about life in the P.O.!