Does anyone remember cricket when:-
Players managed to continue batting without having to touch gloves after every boundary and every over?
When the game was played in silence with a little gentle clapping when a boundary was scored?
When spectators were not transvestites and didn’t see the necessity of dressing in ridiculous clothing,encouraged by the BBC.?David Lloyd  at [...]

If anyone thinks this is an unexciting little   backwater,may I direct you to the www.heraultwhatson.info website which gives details of the major events in the area  every month?August/September is a feast of activities sporting,cultural,gastronomic,musical, and just fun! The real problem is choosing between them, added to which those poor souls who can only holiday [...]

Living surrounded by vineyards,the temptations are limitless.A little chilled rosé  on the terrace at lunchtime, sheltered from the searing heat, slips down all too easily and  before you know it the rest of the day has passed in a soporific haze.
However François and Vincent Pugibet of the Domaine  la Colombette just outside Béziers have come [...]

To the  Chateau de Cassan to watch a performance by the celebrated Russian pianist Nataliya Morozowa playing works by  Bach,Chopin,Borodine,Liszt and Balakirev.Nataliya plays with great skill,passion,and spirit,an electrifying performance.She has that star quality which is a combination,of beauty,elegance,and huge stage presence.We are indeed lucky that every summer she returns  to our little corner of paradise [...]

To Paris with some friends(4 comfortable hours on the TGV from Béziers through the huge and beautiful farm that is France), where the Champs Elysées itself had been turned into a farm with grass,various crops, cows and other farm animals.What an amazing idea and what flair the French have!However unfortunately the entire population of Paris [...]

On some house hunting business to Marseillan, a small harbour on the Etang de Thau where the oysters are grown to the delight of all those who like feasting on this mollusc(not me!).As I sat in a café on the harbour  I reflected on how lucky we are to be able to jump into a car [...]

A two hour drive in brilliant sunshine brings me to Quillan where Rosemary Bailey, the author of the book named above,is giving a talk. Living in the area herself and clearly loving it,she has managed to obtain both written and oral testimony of the war years,the refugees both from Spain fleeing the civil war,and those [...]

The Priory of St.Michael of Grandmont stands on a bluff high above the town of Lodève with stunning views across the plain to the sea.
Successive civilizations have left their mark from a neolithic ritual site (3000-5000B.C.),Gallo-Roman remains,Visigothic tombs(600A.D.) to the  Priory of Grandmont itself, built in the 12th century.
The founder of this order was Etiennne [...]

One of the most remarkable features about France is the way in which the  tourist authorities of the regions promote their advantages and facilities. None does this better than the department of the Hérault.I have just been given a  memory stick(Can you get one of these that you plug into your brain? Maybe not quite [...]

Shopping down here is a bit of an adventure because opening hours tend to be ,shall we say,flexible.Most supermarkets are open during the week from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. but some shut for lunch from 12-2.p.m,as do almost all other shops. Some shops are closed on Monday having been open on Saturday,which is quite [...]