A good start of the week

We are people of action and plans.
Good ones.

Abbaye de Fontfroide was a good choice.

Well, we didn't go into the abbey itself (because they only have hour-long guided tours, which we were sure would not accommodate our type of kids).
But we did visit the gardens, getting the only exercise we've had in a while, and it was lovely.

 

Peaceful and inviting.

Son#1 was in a funk, mouthed off to us a few times which resulted in no-more-playstation-rights.
Finally lost my temper amongst the roses.
The husband is so good on holidays - he tries so hard to keep the spirit positive and lovely. 
I still have a lot of fight in me, it seems.

Afterwards, we had beer and cokes and sandwiches in the air-conditioned restaurant.

A drive through the hinterland followed.
Beautiful, arid, sparse valleys and even more inhospitable mountain tops.
Solitude is a beautiful thing.

And finally, we arrived on the coast.
When you have young children, nothing beats friends in the village or sand and water.
Today it was Port la Nouvelle, close to Sigean - a bit too industrial with a large cement factory and oil tankers waiting out at sea - but the beach was relatively quiet.

Clean and soft sand.
Water not too deep.

And Son#3 was bitten, then smitten, by the Swimming Bug.
The poor husband - he's the designated LifeSaver.
It is as it should be.

Today:
A petting zoo close to Cessenon-sur-Orb, then Minerve or Saint-Chinian for ice creams early evening.
We need a rest day from the sun, I think.
Home.
Wine.


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