Mongolian Ping-Pong and Little Red Flowers

The weather has turned overnight from great sunshine, blue skies and early summer temperatures to cold, rain and snow across a lot of France.

So I took myself off to the cinema this afternoon to transport myself to Mongolia and China.

Mongolian Ping-Pong (director Ning Hao) is charming and funny. I'm always amazed at the creativity of film directors and writers - who would have thought of a film about a ping pong ball in the depths of the Mongolian steppes ...

Quick cup of coffee and ready for the next trip to China. This was Little Red Flowers (director Zhang Yuan). It's a chronicle of Qiang's experience (at not yet aged 4)of being thrown into "boarding nursery school" 24/7 ... Even in a strictly controlled Maoist institution, Qiang's character - his highs and his lows - play themselves out in this beautiful film.

A great way pass a winter's afternoon.

waxing lyrical - or should that be limerical?

Big sister came from the UK
And went walking almost every day.
Good food and good wine
And lots of sunshine
Made it a most delightful stay.

Each morning she took all her pills
To cope with her various ills,
Then she put on her boots
And enjoyed the routes
Especially if they were downhills.

She's coming again in the spring
When Mum her friends is to bring.
The itinerary is fixed
It's a little more mixed
With both walks and some sightseeing.

Phew .... home alone

The fact that I haven't blogged since 23 December is not because nothing has being going on (sorry, a few too many negatives happening); but because there has been too much happening in terms of The Chatelaine's duties.

The final house guests leave tomorrow - the airport run is scheduled for 9.00am - to leave us time to do a quick visit of the Pont du Gard enroute to Nimes.

And then - bliss - I'll just have myself to look after. The book is waiting; the wine is chilling, the fire is laid.

... but it's been good, the weather has been great.

Best moment? Apart from my superb Christmas dinner? Probably Margereta and Nellie (from Gothenburg)'s Swedish drinking songs around the piano!