Unfortunately my tickly cough had gone to laryngitis and now developed into a cough which is worse at night so last night I could escape into another room to have a good cough in the middle of the night instead of wandering around the campsite. It's amazing how you can survive with so little sleep and be ready for another day in the hot sun. After breakfast on the veranda we decided the French thing to do was to go to a local winery to buy some wine . We tried not to drink too much as it was only 11 o clock in the morning but it always seems such a shame to spit it out and so we came away with a selection of of wine .

We called into Pezenas and Graham and I explored the old town streets which was very quaint and full of lovely shops. We stopped at the supermarket for lunch supplies before returning back to Irene's house for lunch. We happily spent the afternoon by the pool , swimming coach Graham videod me so I could see my faults.

The village of Castelnau de Guers celebrates Bastille day on the 13th so we were lucky to be able to join the villages in their annual celebrations . We walked to the local village hall were tables and chairs were set out for several hundred people. We had planned to take Irene and Gerry out for dinner but we bought the sausage ,chips and mussels that were being cooked so it was quite a cheap night , of course beer and local wine were also on the menu. The food was cooked over open fires in huge wire cages which was an entertainment in itself, then came the dancing girls. These ladies continued to prance around on the stage in various scanty costumes for the next two hours . The costumes kept changing but the dancing didn't get any better . The three old boys sitting opposite me. ( Gerry and his friends with an average age of 90 ) had their eyes out on stalks !
I must admit I did think that it was a bit raunchy for family entertainment but this is France!
Af 10 0 clock all the children lit lanterns ( the French aren't very health and safety ) and paraded through the village following a large costumed horse this was to celebrate some historical event but I can't remember all the details . They eventually returned and everyone was getting a bit agitated as the fireworks normally went off at 10 but a wonderful firework display eventually finished the evening and we walked back home .