We welcomed in 2007 with a long meal 'a la Francais' last night - lots of small, well-spaced courses - which went on till 11.30. Then we gathered round the fire and the television with a panetone and champagne to toast the New Year.

For the first time, Bear joined us at the table and even went so far as to compliment Jay on his cooking! While clearing away CC dropped a dish from the hostess trolley containing left over potatoes and he helped clear up saying, 'Don't worry, we know where we can get a replacement.'

Today, however, when we were invited to 'dessert' with the friends who came here for Christmas Day,  Bear decided that he was ill and took to his bed.

This was the second invitation we have had to go for dessert and it's a custom I hadn't met before. The first time, at our friends in the next village, we found she had made a chestnut and chocolate log - delicious but very rich - which was accompanied by champagne and followed by coffee. Today, we arrived to find a beautifully elegant table laid with an array of  sweet things, mostly homemade. There were marzipan delicacies, macaroons, chocolates, tiny biscuits, marrons glacés, walnuts from her garden and even crystallised ginger and, of course, champagne served with little pink biscuits called langues de chat (cats' tongues).

After we had nibbled our way through this selection it was time for the 'Galette des Rois'. I thought this custom took place on January 6th but, apparently you can do it anytime around Christmas and New Year. A token is hidden in the cake (made from puff pastry and marzipan), the youngest child present is expected to hide under the table and say who is to receive each portion but the said child wasn't prepared to play the game so his mum hid the cake under the table and he deigned, after some persuasion, to allocate the pieces. He cheated anyway and got the piece with the little toy so he was given the paper crown. He then had to choose his queen to wear the second crown and he threw it towards his grandmother with rather bad grace. 

It seems as though both the boys are becoming 'difficult' and my poor friend was tearing her hair out because they had been making candles in her kitchen and making a terrible mess but no-one seemed prepared to clear it up. I get the impression that although she loves seeing her daughter and grandsons she will be relieved when they go home. All the same, it was nice to meet her daughter and son-in-law and we all managed to converse in a mixture of French and English. It made a nice change for the Whale to visit friends and he was keen to try out his French.

Now we have to try to settle down to 'normality' - whatever that is - and begin to eat more sensibly, maybe even restart the diet and stick to it this time.