This week I’m off to Duras to spend a final week at the Clocktower Cottage in 2017. I will prepare the cottage for the cold months to come and feel a slight sadness that my cozy nest will be empty and unseen till spring. At the same time I will spend my days loving the chill in the air and thinking about ways to bring inner warmth. A grand crème by a window, a steaming bowl of moules frites, wearing my beret, buying new scarves from a market stall will all keep me warm and content.

Next weekend Duras will host its annual Marché de Noel–the Christmas market–and I will stroll my village lanes exploring all the stalls and finding some handmade treasures to bring home to the family. While Duras is a must do market, the choices of other village events is endless. I hope to go to the holiday market at Saint Emilion because this remarkable village can only be even more stunning when decorated , and will try to see those in nearby Monsegur and Eymet. I may face holiday overload, but I will take that chance gladly. The city of Bordeaux holds its huge market every day of December, so maybe that one too. Fa-la-la-la-la.