As I revisited my stories from my travelblogue on Food and Wine Writing in Languedoc-Roussillon 2006   in order  to compile them into book form, I realized that the travelblogue ended abruptly with no explanation of where the then last post, the Kindness of Strangers  came from. So for those of you who are perusing the chapters,  here is a brief explanation of why the food writing stopped and I was fretting about travel home.

Several days before I was due to fly from France back to Vancouver after the two week food writing course, I was on a narrow, twisting set of steps leading down from an attic, when I misjudged the bottom step and fell heavily to the ground. I landed awkwardly, spraining my left ankle and wrist, and badly wrenching my already fragile back ( Sciatica to Samba Queen: Spinal Fusion to Dance Cruising). In considerable pain, I was very anxious about how I would manage the multi-step journey from Leran to Vancouver. In particular, how I would be able to carry my luggage up steps and get them on and off trains and up and down staircases.

Thanks to a good supply of analgesics and several kind strangers both in France and in England, I and my luggage arrived safely back home, where I could take the time to recover from those various injuries.