Once again I have to report that progress in respect of the scanning of the photo print archive and the digitisation and editing of all the Australian videotape has been abysmal, in fact neither of these tasks has been even started.
It looks as though I'll have to choose a retirement home suitably equipped with video capture and editing facilities or it will never be done, leaving a daunting couple of trunk-fulls of photo prints and 8mm videotape to my uninterested heirs!
At long last I conceded that stripping off the render and repointing the stone South wall was beyond my capabilities and I got a man in to do it for me. There's a "site report" in the Diary and a video (see below). I did, however watch and learn and had a go at the remaining bits of the North-East corner of the house which was easier to reach!
To mark Xine's 65th birthday we hopped on the TGV with a baguette and a bottle of rouge and took off for Paris in a very civilised way. We stayed with friends Allison and Neil in suburban Paris and commuted into the centre to see the Monet museum and also to look up friends Gérard and Ruti in Montmatre. There's a write-up in the Diary and a video (below).
Once again we let the TGV take the strain of getting to Bordeaux and spent a long weekend absorbing the culture of the city and inspecting the progress on the Bacalan/Bastide Lifting Bridge over the Garonne river. Christine's actual birthday coincided with the final lunch! There's a write-up in the Diary and a video (below).
Although I've been to Italy several times I'd never been to Rome, so we took the short and convenient flight from Toulouse to Rome Fiumicino and spent a few days walking our little feet off and seeing all the tourist sights. There's a description in the Diary and a video (below).
We had a hankering to go to Greece - we've had several holidays there. We would have liked to go to Santorini, but it was difficult to find direct flights. So we found a Marmara tour of Northern Crete, based near Heraklion - it was enjoyable but not quite what we expected - see the full story in the Diary and the video (below).
THis time we drove the 700km to Nice for a long weekend's engineering visit to the site of the Malpasset Dam disaster above Fréjus and the floating harbour in Monaco, but with an adequate helping of gastronomy thrown in. There's a report in the Diary and a video (below).
Another trip to Bordeaux, this time by car, to attend the vernissage of our friend Pierre's art exhibition in the old wartime, German submarine pen. There's an outline view in the Diary and a video (below).
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| Feb: Façade renovation | Façade renovation video (1m 44secs) |
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| Apr 2011: Sacré Coeur | Nov 1983: Sacré Coeur - 28 years ago |
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| April: Bordeaux Lifting Bridge (impression) | Bordeaux Lifting Bridge video (3m 25secs) |
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| May: Rome - Xine on the Spanish Steps | Rome video (3m 22secs) |
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| Sept: A week in Northern Crete | The Crete video (3m 54secs) |
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| October: Corniche d'Esterel near Nice | The Nice & Monaco video (6m 38secs) |
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| October: Submarine pen at Bordeaux | Video of Pierre's exhibition (2m 5secs) |
Weather-wise we've had another year of extremes, cold, heat, drought, wet - you name it we've had it!
The start of the year was a little chaotic with the work on the South wall, but we've had lots of short breaks to pepper the year with interest.
We haven't maintained our usual level of involvement with the community, due in part to local politics, but I've kept in touch by running the village website. With fewer DIY jobs requiring my attention we should be able to get more involved next year.
May you all have a happy and prosperous 2012!
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