We spent our most relaxing Christmas ever by returning to our friend's farmhouse in the Vendeé area of France. Our days were spent relaxing in front of the fire, roasting chestnuts, reading books, playing games, decorating the tree, and preparing good food.
Click HERE to see photos from past Christmases
The farmland near the house	A display in the local Hyper U supermarket
A cute man buys fruits.	Our newest ornament
Other tree ornaments	Nick does some last minute wrapping.
We attended a concert of Renaissance music in Fontenay-le-Comte	This percussionist was a special guest on the evening.
A duck seller at the Fontenay market	Père Noël visits the Fontenay market.
Also seen at the Fontenay market	George strokes the neighbour's cat.
The river at Vouvent was almost frozen over.	That same river in summer. Click HERE to see our summer trip.
A squirrel in the garden	Full moon over Mouilleron
The double heart and crown motif that is symbolic of the Vendeé	The largest standing stone in France can be found at Avrillé.
A beachside windmill	Nick avoids the waves.
Nick beside a prehistoric burial place.	Atop the Dolmen de la Frébouchère
What better time for a Flintstones moment?	George didn't have time to get into his costume.
Two of the windmills in Mouilleron	A weird tree in the forest
Our Christmas dinner: Delia Smith's Crisp Roast Duck with Confit of Sour Cherries	This beautiful manor is now a creperie, believe it or not.
Little devils in a mechanical arm game machine in Fontenay	We took pastries to the beach and watched the sun set.
Windswept beach	This fat bird waddled into the field next to the farm house.
Our evenings were spent playing games such as Scrabble.	We had to taste oysters to satisfy our Been-Go cards.
Nick flying his remote control pterosaur	Our Christmas tree sat in the window to greet the two neighbours.
One of France's many splendid chateaux	One of France's many splendid men
George in La Rochelle
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