Further adventres in France Episode 1

So, here we are, back again in France. Not at the same house as last year, but another one in the same area. A more compact house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms! It also has a lovely heat-giving stove in the living room which warms the whole house and, as if all that was not enough, we found an electric blanket on the bed, which is wonderful bonus. (The blanket, not the bed!)
Our flight over was uneventful apart from leaving Cape Town in 35° and arriving ten long hours later in Frankfurt to a chilly 0°. It was a novel experience for us to feel the plane skittering down the runway with fresh piles of swept snow at the edge of the tarmac; to watch the workman, standing at the foot of the steps to our onward flight aircraft, kicking at the ice on the ground with his boot and knocking the pieces away; and having to wait to take off while our plane was de-iced. It is definitely not something we see in South Africa.
We were collected and safely deposited at our new abode and although we had had very little sleep the night before, we decided to get ourselves unpacked and settled first and sleep later. Some friends had kindly put some basic supplies in the house and lit the fire, so after a light early supper we fell into a deliciously warm bed and slept for twelve hours.
We woke refreshed and ready to go off to the shops, and there was something very satisfying about being able to find our way to the supermarket without any problem and then, later, to have some lunch at our favourite café. We celebrated our first meal back in France by ordering duck breast with chips and salad, accompanied by a glass of local red wine. Then we felt we were indeed, ‘back in France’. We were delighted to discover that food is still cheaper here than in South Africa and were able to do a fairly ‘big’ shop without getting nervous about the finances.
Everything which is familiar looks very strange to us without the lush green foliage that we had become used to seeing. Suddenly, we can see further; see houses that were previously hidden behind trees. A whole new world is appearing to us in an area we thought we knew so well. The fields, previously green or golden, are now brown or grey and when viewed with the bare trees, show a scene of bleakness which in itself looks cold. Even when the sky is bright blue and there is no wind, as the last two days have been, the chill is still there. The weather experts are saying that by next weekend temperatures should be up to about 18°, and that should be positively warm! Until then, I will continue to wear three layers of clothes inside the house and a few more where I go outdoors.