ONLY 38 days to go

[lynarth]

Hooray we will soon be joining you all the sunny south permanently. Can anyone tell us what the weather has been like around Perpignan recently? A friend living near Narbonne says it wasn't that good round there last week.

lynarth

[Quillan]

We are half way between Perpignana and Carcassonne and the weather has been very bad. Loads of rain and then overcast but today we actually have sun and will have for the next couple of days then back to rain and storms. The temps have been very low this year and even though we have the sun today tems are only around 24. Have to say in the three years we have been here it's our worst summer but then we have just had the worst winter for 40 years.

[lynarth]

Thanks for that, we have a house near Chalabre( or will have until the new owners take it over on the 23rd September) friends of ours stayed in it last winter( the ones who now have the house near Narbonne) and they said how really cold it was. I wonder what we are in for this winter? The met long range forecast for dear old blighty is a very hard winter.

lynarth

[Quillan]

It was really cold there up on the plateau last winter. The official snow hight was 1.5M but it drifted up to 3M in some places. I went up there to check on a clients house that was being built in my Discovery and got stuck in snow even though I had chains on all wheels. The temp was -17 but the sun was out. Loads of people cross country skiing. But as I said it was the worst for 40 years. You could not get out of Quillan on the Foix road for about 2 weeks and then after that only if you had snow chains. You need a big freezer to store loads of food as visiting the supermarket was impossible.

[Mpprh]

Hi

you can follow the weather here : http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/languedoc/languedoc-weather-now.htm

Peter

 

 

 

[Joh]

Snow at least 1.6 metres, even the Taupes are wearing snow shoes. New exhibition at Quillan tourist office on ice sculptures.

Terry

[lynarth]

Peter

Thanks for that.

lynarth

[Tj]

We are just 8 miles south of Perpignan. I think some are referring to the weather last weekend when it was cloudy and very windy (The tramontane) and the temperature did go down. However it was just a blip and things are back to normal now, high 20's and sunny. We have been here nearly three years now and general the cold doesn't arrive until December. You'll love it !

[Polremy]

seems our little area of 66 is becoming more popular. it used to be that there were only one or two of us. word must be getting around.

it is scorchio at the moment and was yesterday. yes, we did have a blip on saturday but then it just helps us appreciate the good days more.

why am i here on the computer when i could be out there in the pool?

yes, you will love it. you just have to accept the tramontagne when it comes and find something useful and absorbing to do indoors!

[lynarth]

Yes

Why are you indoors when you could be by the pool. Some of the recent replies to this thread are very encouraging, roll on the 30th of September.

lynarth

[le bouffon]

Not sure who said it does not get cold until december,the fact is IT does get cold even in september mainly it at night.The wood fire goes on mid to late sept in the evenings,last winter we used over 12 m2 of fire wood at 60 euro a m2,there are odd days when we can eat outside during the winter,new years day was great at the beach xmas it rained and was cold

[lynarth]

Buying wood is it the same situation as we found in Montjardin? There we went to the Mairie and were told to buy it from a particular chap in the village we did and it was no problem, but apparently it does get fraught if you buy from someone else. Or in sunny 66 can you buy from anyone?

lynarth

[opas]

Not the case at all in our part of 66....about 3 ks from your new home. We have a wood yard on the edge of our village , but most folks near us use one about 5ks away, that is if you cannot get any cherry wood from the producters,as they are always chopping them down and you will frequently see tractor trailors full of it all cut to size, make friends with your neighbours , it burns well and is a lot cheaper than buying at the wood yard.

Mrs O

[lynarth]

Thank you for this, so the wood mafia don't work in that area of 66. What is the location of the wood yard you mention that everybody uses? Presumeably you order and they deliver by dropping it in a heap outside your house? I was surprised last September at montjardin when we ordered the wood that the man not only delivered it but stacked it!!!!

lynarth

[opas]

I think it is called Gauch, the place being St Michel de llottes( en route to Boulettenerre ) yup, this guy dumps it outside your garrage..or where you request, we collected ours in our trailor doing two trips, but the more you order, you get free delivery.

Mrs O

[lynarth]

Hi

Thanks for this we will look him up after the 30th of September, seems like we will have to find neighbours who can obtain cheery wood in the long term.

lynarth

[Piprob]

This may be old news to everyone else but it was great news to read this evening, albeit late. We've been and gone - so to speak, but we're back again for a while in a couple of weeks. We didn't have a lot of choice but to return to England. There was a year's house sitting sitting linedup for us by our son - who'se taken off to work in the far east with his family. It's getting a bit like musical chairs!

For the moment we are reduced to sneaking back and forth but maybe there's a chance we could bump into each other. We think of you two whenever we're around those parts. You've chosen a great spot.

ps. The house got finished and we're very pleased with it, but there's tonnes to do to finish the ground works.

[opas]

I should be wary, very wary , of taking up the offer of a meet with Piprob..especialy if he invites you to his house, He`ll have you gardening and landscaping and thats before you get any lunch....then he will offer you a dip in his nice new pool....cleaning it!

Mrs o

[opas]

So Lynarth, did you get your heating requirements sorted out? as the Bouffon said earlier, it does get cold here doesn`t it!

Beautifull and clear during the day and when you get in the sun it warms your old bones too.

Mrs O

[lynarth]

Yes thanks we did get our heating requirements sorted. We found a guy just outside Nefiach who has the thickest accent I we have ever heard. We think he is delivering the wood at 10am tomorrow morning.....................! Until now we have used the wood we inherited from the previous owner plus that we had to cut off a very badly diseased orange tree. You are right it does get cold of a night, but yes the old bones are warmed by the daytime sun ( now its stopped raining that is). Regret moving here? Never Vive  la 66.

Arthur

[St Bernard]

If you want to know what weather to expect at your new home you can get a 10 day forecast at www.pagesjaunes.fr. Just click on ville en direct, then on meteo, and enter your postcode.