Nougerol Holiday

In the summer of 1980 we drove down to the Dordogne to spend a fortnight at Nougerol, my aunt Noel and uncle David's house near Riberac. The building had originally been a Louis XIV hunting lodge and, therefore, had the French equivalent of listed status, so my aunt and uncle had spent time and considerable amounts of money refurbishing it.

It was a large house so we invited Hilary and Tony with their daughter Catherine to join us. The weather was superb, the wine, which we bought from the local vintners in large plastic containers, was cheap and very good, and the food was purchased fresh from local shops - someone even rode into the village each morning to buy the day's bread.

David thoroughly enjoyed himself but slept very badly at night. This was quite out of character and it was later suggested that we had put him in a bad room as it was reputed to be haunted. In desperation, when he wouldn't sleep at night Gill would put him into his buggy and take him for long walks, through which he slept peacefully, but with the result that....

....Gill became increasingly exhausted.

This was the perfect holiday for Katy, Lizzie and Catherine, as they had the run of a large, safe garden and parents who were far more interested in eating and drinking than worrying about  what they were getting up to.

Tony and I made friends with the man who looked after the house for my aunt and uncle. He lived over the road and took us rabbit hunting early one morning - which consisted on me driving my car fast down the country lanes, swerving to run the poor beasts down. We also went fishing with him, which was rather more enjoyable.

Towards the end of our stay the house started to fill up. My cousin Michael and his wife Karin arrived, and Noel and David returned. Nougerol was their home during the summer months, while they spent the winter in England's west country. When David heard that our David couldn't sleep he fed him quantities of red wine before he went to bed. Little David slept well that night but woke with the first hangover of his life.