Last year at Easter I was doing a book-signing at Rennes-le-Château and it was pouring with rain.

A tall, well-made man with a charming smile bought a copy of the book and gave me his card. "Writer and researcher," it said.

But that's what I am too, so we were two writers and researchers together. I was interested in what he did, so later e-mailed him.

Since then Jaap and I have often gone researching together. As he has lived in this area for many years, I had a job to find places where he hasn't been before, but I was quite successful with Quintillan, where there is a delightful Mary Magdalene church, and Fitou, where it is possible Mary Magdalene and Jesus arrived in France.

Our approaches to Mary Magdalene are quite different - mine historical, his spiritual - and sometimes we argue about this! His home, Les Labadous, is undoubtedly linked to Mary Magdalene; she is his Goddess.

Jaap is very masculine, sometimes dominant, but with great charm. Women fall at his feet and he adores them in return. His emotional heart is set on male/female relationship coaching to help men and women get along better. The two sexes don't understand each other, he says, and with a few adjustments relationships can be improved and lives become stress-free.

He is born under Taurus but with many planets in Aries. He has a world-view always positive and full of hope; he is like the "Fool" in the Tarot deck, enthusiastically stepping off the cliff into new pastures and ventures, with an open heart. Thus, he is always busy but always with time to discuss new ideas.

If this is over lunch, with several courses and two colours of wine, ideas flow thick and fast and it is as much as one can do to get home in time for tea!