Au Revoir 2008

Au Revoir 2008 and Bienvenue to 2009. Gloom and doom will be banished for a few magical hours, talk of recession, credit crunch and world financial meltdown is forbid as we look forward with a positive attitude to the year ahead. Articles urging you to tighten your belt, suggesting that it is faintly fashionable, desirable even and de rigueur to embrace austerity and shun conspicuous consumption are aimed perhaps at people taking holidays in temples of consumerism in far flung places and adopting a more gentle and agreeable pace of life as well as cutting down on their carbon footprint. To suggest that the psychological gap between rich and poor is narrowing may well be true, to hint that the gap is narrowing any other way is complete tosh. I am in the position to observe both, to deal with people on both levels requires supreme diplomacy.

I'm lucky. I don't live in a dreary environment, you have a 'blue moment' you look out of the window, you feel a 'gloom' about to spread all over you and you stride out for an embracing walk. This is why Le Chateau has had a good year with bookings next year looking healthy despite being drip fed with the constant predictions that the tourism industry is in a decline. Not here it isn't. I believe we strike just the right balance that appeals to people. But it doesn't just fall neatly into your lap by chance, it doesn't necessarily follow that because you have a beautiful property in the South of France your home will be full for the season. By golly you have to work for it, 365 days of the year, truth be told.

But you know what ? Life is short and sometimes it may not always be sweet, none of us know what lies ahead, what may be just around the corner for us to deal with but ones things for sure, we're a long time dead.

So I'm urging you to put on your sparkle, dig out your very best party dress and clamber into your highest heels. I am, and when I raise my glass at midnight I'm looking forward to 2009 whatever lies in store.