Harvey was very anxious about travelling ....

Well, we went away for a week and it's taken me almost another week to get back into a routine - hence the gaps in what is supposed to be a daily blog! We - myself, my daughter and 3 dogs, Dilys, Hettie and Harvey stayed near Chateauvert which is about an hour by road inland from my usual haunts. It is a quiet and sheltered spot. At night there is no light pollution - it is years since I've been in real, natural darkness and I loved it. My daughter slept for most of the first two days - after a long, hard summer season as a holiday village receptionist followed by the end of season parties and piss-ups, she was in need of a little R and R. We festered in front of DVDs and ate rather a lot.

The 3 dogs revelled in the freedom of a huge garden, full of long grass, daisies and wonderful scents. After our small appartment they must have thought that they'd died and gone to doggie heaven.

It is the hunting season and so all 3 dogs were kitted out with bright orange collars and bells. We thought that they'd object - but they were so taken with their new environment that they barely seemed to notice their new collars. One good result was that Dilys, the 13 year-old cairn, short-sighted, loss of peripheral vision and also a little deaf, suddenly seemed to regain her confidence - then we realised that she was always aware of where the other dogs were because of their bells. No longer did we see her start when Hettie or Harvey came round from behind where she was sitting in the sun or sniffing in something unmentionable.

We explored some of the surrounding area - starting with Brignoles, where there were shops! Enough said. Once we had spent our holiday limit we put up picnics and simply drove around. Our favourite place was the waterfall at Seillans. It is a 15 - 20 minute walk from the car park to the cascade itself - but well worth it. We also discovered a concrete canoe in the museum of Brignoles (apparently it did float...)and a beautiful river walk on the road between Chateauvert and Correns.

But now I must get back to work on my website, which has just achieved a Page Rank of 2 - and hopefully start earning some rent money from it.

Promenez-vous - Take a walk - RAMATUELLE

Durée de la promenade - 30 min. Départ de l'Office de Tourisme sur la Place de l'Ormeau. Planté sous Henri IV pour marquer la pacification de la province et la conversion de roi, l'arbre figure sur le blason de la ville et fut remplacé en1983 par un olivier. Sur cette place se trouve l'église Notre Dame. En sortant de l'église, passer sous le porche et entrer dans le vieux village. Les rues y sont étroites et coudées, enserrées dans l'enceinte des anciens remparts. Certaines maisons ont conservé des encadrements de portes et de fenêtres d'époque. On arrive place Gabriel Péri, auparavant "place du Château", demeure seigneuriale remaniée au XVIIIe siècle par les eigneurs d'Audibert. En decendant la rue Victor Léon, on passe devant la porte Sarrasine. Remonter la rue puis descendre l'avenue Clemenceau, jusqu'au Mémorial, monument national inauguré en 1959. Rejoindre ensuite la chapelle Sainte-Anne construite au XVIe siècle et le cimetière où repose l'acteur Gérard Philipe. Sa tombe ombragée par un laurier et recouverte de lierre est l'une des plus sobres du lieu.

Length of walk - 30 minutes. Depart from the Tourist Office, place de l'Ormeau. Planted during the reign of Henry IV, the tree also figures on the village's coat of arms. It was replaced by an olive tree in 1983. You will also see Notre Dame church on the square. When you leave the church, pass under the porch and enter the old village, with its narrow streets cramped between the abcient ramparts. The original door and window frames can still be seen on some houses. You will then arrive at Place Gabriel Péri, formerly caleed "Castle Square" - a stately home rebuilt in the 18th century by the Lords of Audibert. As you go down Rue Victor Léon, you will pass in front of an original Saracen doorway. Head back up the street, then go down Avenue Clémenceau to the Landings Memorial which was inaugurated in 1959. Next, go on to St Anne's Chapel, built in the 16th century and to the cemetery, where the actor Gérard Philipe lies. Shaded by a laurel tree and covered in ivy, his is one of the cemetery's more modest tombs.