Diary entry (copy of letter} - Friday 28th Sept. 1973

Dear Mum and Dad et al, Here I am at last in the land of peaches and custard. What a nightmare journey over! The ferry was some old tug that had no seats, so half the 200 passengers( including us ) had to sit in the rain outside on wooden benches or inside on the floor! It was like a refugee ship or something. Then we were an hour late for the train to Paris, so we missed our connection. We had to wait in Paris for two hours so we didn't see much only the metro and going over the Seine to the big station. Coffee was 5/- a cup! Eventually at 12.20 Saturday afternoon we left for Cordes and after jumping out onto other trains trying to make ourselves understood by silly guards etc. We arrived at 10.30 that night! We had been travelling for 30 hours! and slept hardly at all. Bill was there to meet us at the station with his friend the Mayor and his wife, who drove us back to the Presbytere. It was great to sleep on the floor in and empty room with beetles. Now it's Monday night. I've just returned from working all day picking grapes for the local farmer. Back aching work too! from 7-30am til about 7-30 this evening! In return for breakfast and two huge 4 course meals plus money ( we don't really know yet how much or if indeed any 'cos our French is bad and their English is worse!) They are really friendly though and try their hardest to comprehend our weird English ways. All kinds of fruits,veg and nuts grow around here so we could live quite well on those during the Autumn if one wishes. We got a huge sack of walnuts yesterday which are delicious, so too are the figs and peaches that grow in abundance. Lynne and Bill have a vegetable garden which still has tomatoes, cabbage , leeks, onions and beetroot etc. growing. It was really hot on Sunday. Bill showed me places of interest - lovely views along the valley and Tummy Belly man's house ( He and some others were picking his grapes ) We went in the church also, which is good. Such a shame it's unused ( perhaps not ) for all the vestments and robes etc. are rotting in the woodwormy cupboards. What treasures also , gold goblets and candlesticks just left for anyone to take! Strange figures of painted plaster stand around staring into space. ( Some saints etc. in the loft at the presbytere too ) The door is locked to the bell tower. Bill and I stumbled in the dark to the farm nearby for some fresh milk from the cows that escaped that day. Mr & Mrs. Grits? were there milking by hand as well as machine. They seemed a jolly couple. The sky was spotty with stars - the Milky way was really evident, never seen them so bright. The milk has to be boiled before you use it to kill the germens. Little lizards on the well and on the wall in the sun. Gyp bites their tails off. A jumpy cat that bites and scratches for fun. Bill has almost finished the shower bath and toilet area - another bottle window to go in yet and electricity connected. Have to wash in a bucket 'til then. I have a very nice looking wooden bed from the mayor but it's very uncomfortable with just wooden planks and thin lumpy mattress. No more grape pickin' for me. I went sleepy eyed this morning and found it really hard going 'cos of the rain during the night and all the vines were wet and the huge lumps of cruds! So when it was dinner time I said Au revoir to the Monsieur farmer and his pals. I was only doing it cos Bill was anyway - and to be neighbourly. We have to cook on a small stove range heated with a wood fire ( stumps ) very old fashioned! It stands in a huge fireplace with an old wooden beam going across. Its a bit smokey. You can stand under the chimney and look right to the top - soot in the eyeballs!