Calm and tranquility have been restored to Port 80 after a great visit from our friends Mary Carol and David and their two girls Alice (age 4) and Maeve (10 mo.). They arrived last Friday evening around 9:30 after leaving Reading, England around 6 that morning. After getting settled in, the girls went to bed and the rest of us stayed up with drinks and nibbles to fuel our catch-up conversation.
It was hot on Saturday so we planned a bbq for that evening. Mary Carol, Alice and I went to Nontron to do the shopping and we had lunch after getting home. We lounged about outdoors most of the day and then dined on chicken and sausage, served with cole slaw and potato salad (our standard bbq menu). Our guests brought us a Monopoly set and the four of us played that evening. Mary Carol was heading for victory with Will in second when David called it quits so we’ll let her have the victory. There was a big storm that evening with big gusts of wind, lightening and hail which provided a nice backdrop to the game.
The storm cleared away the humidity from the previous day so Sunday was damp and cool. We took advantage by doing some gardening in the afternoon with David turning over the remaining patch in the veggie plot that still hasn’t been planted. Bryan and Carol came by with some spare plants they’d raised from seed and planted them in our plot. It’s about six tomatoes, some broccoli and a nice looking pumpkin. We also staked up the tomato plants with upside-down water bottles, the French method for watering them. The neighbours then joined us for some coffee before leaving us to have our dinner of green curry chicken and courgette. We played Trivial Pursuit that evening where Will and I got thrashed, not earning a single piece of pie. After that, we moved on to poker, a first for Mary Carol and David although you wouldn’t know it by the outcome. David did very well for his first time, quickly picking up the gist of the game. There was no winner that evening since we all went to bed before finishing.
On Monday, we went to the Hotel de France in St Pardoux for lunch. We booked a table that morning, thinking it would just be out of courtesy but it’s a good thing we did since the place was nearly full when we arrived at 12:30. It was a mix of families and workers having their lunch since, like nearly all restaurants here, they do a 3-course meal for €13. Nearly all of us had 3/4 course menus including Alice who had the kid’s version of the menu du jour. Her’s started with melon and pieces of ham and rillettes which is shredded meat (pork or chicken) mixed with fat and well seasoned. We often buy it at the supermarket and enjoy it but this version was far superior.
Will was the exception, opting for only two courses: duck breast with garlic potatoes and big plate of salad and cheese. The other adults all went for the 4-course gourmet menu: oven-roasted duck liver or crab-stuffed peppers to start; scallops or cod for the fish course; and one each lamb, veal and steak for the main. The dessert was a trio of different mousses, including lemon cheesecake, chocolate and fruity one – all spectacular as usual. The girls were well behaved throughout the meal, especially Alice who ate or at least tried most of her courses. Her dessert was ice cream and when we asked about flavours, were told it was “al-lo-kee-tee” ice cream. The waitress repeated it twice but it didn’t click until it arrived that it wasn’t a flavour but Hello Kitty, which made Alice happy.
We took it easy that afternoon and watched some animated films with Alice. We decided to have leftovers that evening, thinking we wanted something light. We ended up eating quite a bit anyway including pate and cheese with walnut bread from the boulangerie in Milhac. That night, we had a Trivial Pursuit rematch that evening and Will and I partially redeemed ourselves not by winning, but by earning 4 pieces of pie before succumbing to defeat. After that, the poker chips came out and Mary Carol left us to it after awhile. I was ahead when we called it quits so I’m claiming victory for what it’s worth.
We lounged around on Tuesday, had lunch and then took the girls to the lake at St Saud, about 15 min drive from here. It has a small beach, picnic tables and a park so we amused ourselves there for an hour or so. Alice and Daddy made sand castles and Maeve had a little paddle too. It was only around 19C and a bit cloudy so the only other people there were some other Brits, 4 couples with about 8 kids between them. After a bit of time in the playground, we headed home for naps and more relaxation. That night, Will and I made the sausage pasta recipe that Mary Carol introduced us to during her visit last year. It’s a Jamie O recipe originally, very simple ingredients that go really well together and is always a hit with company. It was a school night for me so although we still drank a bit, I was in bed by midnight so didn’t feel too bad the next day.
On Wed, Alice had a pony ride, courtesy of Jenni at the equestrian centre. She was a bit timid when it came to brushing the pony the first time around but after her ride, she was more comfortable doing so. Overall it was a hit although I can’t personally attest since I was at work. That evening, Will and I made chicken and asparagus risotto and it was good, but not great. I think we played some more cards that evening and were in bed again before midnight although only just. Our guests left us the next morning, heading for Le Mans where they booked a hotel for the evening. It was too much doing it in one day on the way down so they left us a day early to break up the trip.
Overall, it was a really nice visit and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, including the girls. Maeve is crawling, standing on her own and should be walking in a matter of weeks. She is always smiling unless she is asleep and rarely screams or cries. Alice is very social and friendly and is mostly well-behaved. Like most 4 year olds, she has her moments but they are rare. The only ones who didn’t enjoy the visit were the cats, Louis more so than the Smoo. We rarely saw Louis most days although after a few nights, he realised when bedtime was and would come in during the early evening. Smoo came and went as normal although he was often out of sorts. They both did much better than last year so hopefully that will continue next year.
Not much else to report here. It’s overcast, about 21C and is meant to rain the next few days so I took advantage this morning by cutting the lawn. Since moving in, I’ve done so about 15 times and the time to do so has dropped from nearly 4 hours the first time to 2.5 hours two weeks ago. While discussing my current method with David, I realised that there was a much more efficient method that I put to the test this morning. I’m happy to report that it’s 20% faster, taking a mere 2 hours to do the whole thing. And that’s what passes for excitement in these parts.
Briefly, on the work front, things carry on as usual for me and are hotting up for Will. He’s gone from having nothing to do in April to having 5 or 6 projects on the go at the moment, with a few potentials arriving each week. He’s off to the UK on Tuesday to catch up with friends and family and he’s looking forward to that. I’m meant to hear about the next round of work from Alan, my small-business owner friend. I was hoping to work on that while Will is gone but can’t do much without the spec.
I will end with a bit of news. Our former landlady and friend Sharon has left France. We’re not entirely sure what the story is but we hear she has sold her house and is living outside of London with her sister. She stopped speaking to us back in March so we’re getting our news thirdhand although much has been confirmed by a few sources. I plan to do a longer entry about our relationship with her so you have to look forward to.