I go for months without needing to visit my vet, and then I find myself on her doorstep three days in a row.

While I know  a fair few of my readers are what I like to call my international elite, there are still many of you who live in France and, more especially, on the Cote d’Azur.  I’m hoping that my readers in and around Antibes might be able to help as I’m presently looking after a stray tabby cat that seems to have wandered a little too far from home.

Yesterday I received a phone call from Ben, a young chap with whom I’d been in contact many, many moons ago and from whom I adopted a very pretty little white and grey kitten. This time his call was to explain how, for the past two days, he’d had a stray cat refuging on his balcony that looked rather the worse for wear and did I know of any association that would come and collect it. By now I’m sure you know what a soft touch I am for animals in distress (as is Nigel, thank goodness) and so I said that I would come over and take a look at him.

And indeed, I found a very bedraggled-looking cat. Having recently lost Mrs Bradley my heart went out to this little chap and so, after a quick call to my vet in Chateauneuf, I found myself on my way with him in my care. From the photo you’ll see that he’s a slightly long-haired tabby, with a blend of brown, grey and dark hues to his coat and a white bib. He is very friendly and likes to wind his body and long tail around my legs, chatting as he does so.

After a thorough inspection by my vet - he is between 2-3 years old, castrated but with no tattoo or micro-chip - he apparently suffers from a very bad ulcer on his tongue which is causing him distress and preventing him from eating properly or looking after his coat. He is presently safe with us and under appropriate medication. However, it would be lovely were this sweet fellow to be reunited with his family, who must be missing him dreadfully. Ben will be putting up posters everywhere and, hopefully, someone, somewhere, will recognise this handsome cat: Do You???

Wonderful afternoon in Valbonne at the English Book Centre for the launch there of Ted Jones’s new paperback, "The French Riviera: A Literary Guide For Travellers", published by Tauris Parke Paperbacks. From the photo I think you’ll gather there was a fair bit of mirth and merriment even though the Mediterranean sun decided to keep well away as the heavens continued to tease us with rain. But I’m pleased to say there was a constant "va et vient" through Jill’s shop as people came to meet Ted and ask for his autograph, and of course buy his book.

Ted is now channelling his creative juices into another project which he’s keeping under wraps for the moment. Suffice to say that if it’s anything like his first book, it will be a joy to read and very entertaining.

Christmas here is slowly starting to be noticed both in the streets and shops. I’ve yet to sit down and write my Christmas wish list for Santa (by way of gentle hints to Nigel)  but the return of Mrs Bradley would be nice. Sadly, I’ve just signed a petition at our local supermarket against the capture of errant cats that are caught and skinned. These skins are then sent off to Switzerland to be turned into fur coats and hats. To say that I was upset is an understatement. I still hold out hope.

On a happier note, a few days earlier and at the same supermarket I came across a lady selling small packets of wheat. She was hovering just outside the entrance doors with a small dog sitting comfortably on a woolly crochet blanket in her trolley. She sold the packets on behalf of "Les Gamelles du Coeur", (Bowls of the Heart) a non-profit association for the protection of animals in distress. Having bought three packets from her (one in the name of each of my dogs) she told me about the tradition attached to offering people grains of wheat.  It seems that you must place this year’s harvested grains on either a dampened cloth or cotton wool on December 1st. Keeping them moist I should soon see lots of green shoots appearing. If I do, it would be a sign of prosperity in 2008; if I didn’t, well, doom and gloom would be upon me for that year - financially speaking of course.

By way of coincidence, today at Ted’s book signing, I met a lovely lady who runs "Ceremonies of the Heart". While I won’t spill all the beans (or should that be grains???) just yet, I shall be featuring an article written by Revered Anne Naylor in the near future as I think it will find its way to many a person’s heart at this special time of year.

Last week was quite remorseful in many ways with the loss of Mrs Bradley, our gorgeous ginger and white cat.  If you’ve been following my blogs, you’ll already know that she was quite a character with due respect given to her (and expected, I might add) by one and all (even us humans). Her arrival, as a youngish kitten on our doorstep, had been loudly announced by Archie’s insistent alarm barks in the garden. Naturally we all tramped outside to see what all the fuss was about – and there she was in the road, looking very lost and afraid. Naturally I couldn’t leave her there and brought her indoors; she became Queen Bee almost immediately.

Thus the week started on an all time low and remained so until Friday when it was Nigel’s birthday. Having saved a few euros in my piggy bank I decided to offer him a special birthday lunch and had booked a table at a local restaurant just round the corner from us. It was one we’d been meaning to try for ages (if not years) and felt that now was the perfect opportunity. Oh dear. For the first time in all my years in France I came away from a French restaurant bitterly disappointed.

To make up for this awful (and vastly over-priced) meal, Saturday and Sunday found us preparing (and eating) all our favourite comfort foods. Accompanied by a bottle of bubbly, our spirits rose somewhat. There is something to be said about vegging out on the settee, surrounded by an array of delicious, yummy comfort food, and watching a block-buster film.

This week has seen me fairing a little better but still feeling somewhat under the weather. On Tuesday I gave a short twenty minute talk about AMB Cote d’Azur at Adapt in France. They have a monthly coffee morning and Sylvie Kermin-Coffier had asked if I’d come round and chat to the members. Sylvie has done a sterling job at Adapt in France and you can read more about this non-profit association by clicking here.

Yesterday, research queries saw me down in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. This is a beautiful seaside resort and quite often overlooked as Cannes, St Tropez and Villefranche-sur-Mer claim the lime-light.  It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon as Freddy and I strolled around the port and charming streets; yet one more very special place to write about next year for the website.

But today, all’s changed. As I write, snow-like sleet is falling from dark, heavy-laden skies.  We’ve had a couple of rolls of thunder and the day looks set to stay slate gray and cold. The kittens have never seen snow and have enjoyed chasing the white flakes as they tumble down. All the other furries, rather more sensibly, are inside where it’s warm and cosy; all except one that is, her absence marked by a lonely red cushion she’d made her own.