Not much happened until Thursday when we went out to celebrate our anniversary. We had a voucher for a meal for two at the Hotel de France, given to us by Daniel and Odiele as a wedding gift. Bryan and Carol popped by with with an ivy plant they got for Will and we had an early apero here before setting off.
We had an excellent meal that started with a type of kir royale for apero, followed by magret de canard served with cepes and roast potatoes. This was followed by cheese and salad, and it included a glass of red and coffee, and we didn’t pay a single centieme. We both ended up with leftover magret and the hostess offered us a doggie bag, which was somewhat surprising. At the next table were our benefactors plus Martine and Joel so we said hello and got a chance to thank them for the meal on the spot. We ate outside but both forgot our jumpers, which we had no need for as it turned out to be a warm evening.
We were invited out to a meal on Friday, the actual day which is why we dined out the night before. This was hosted by Francoise at the place where she’s been housesitting for a few weeks. It’s in a hamlet about 15 min from here and is a lovely property that the owners restored to a high standard. We were joined by friends of Francoise, a family who live in Villars. Vincent is French and Gweynne, who is South African / English, and their two early teenage daughters. They were the original owners of the Pas de Chat restaurant in Villars, where we ate one time, but only after they’d sold it. Everyone present is bilingual to some extent, so we passed the evening chatting in both languages and had a really nice time.
Francoise had asked us to bring something, so I made fig tart with the last of the figs. It turns out that she had forgotten, so there was a huge quantity of food, even by French standards. We started with various chips and dips, then had the tart before moving on to the main. This was a pork roast with apples and potatoes, and two salads from the garden, one green beans the other tomato and basil. We made room for cheese and then had fruit tart from a local patisserie. We stayed for a final glass of wine after the family departed, and were home early enough for a cleanser and a film, which we both slept through.
The rest of the weekend was very quiet. The nice weather held up until the weekend where we had a couple days of light rain, which we need desperately. It was more of a fine mist than actual rain, so not sure how much good it did. It’s looking mostly sunny and warm for the next few days, which should be good for our crop. All the plants are flowering and one or two may soon be ready for harvest. The rest of the garden is dead, although there are still a few squash to be harvested.
A number of people remembered our anniversary, which was nice. Lucien and Mauricette stopped by with a bouquet of roses. They also came to tell us their cat died, and brought us her remaining food. She was 16 and hasn’t been doing well this past year, so it was definitely time. They have decided not to get a new one considering their age. Will is tempted to get them a pet rabbit instead, but we’re afraid they will mistake it for food.
Benoit is making good progress, and the terrace is largely finished. Next he’ll lay the stones that make up the path along and in the driveway, and then pour the concrete. Eva joined him for a few days and when she shows up, she works really hard. We’re pleased with the progress, as long as he’s done before the rainy season hits us in earnest.
Work for us is showing signs of improvement, if you can call it that. I heard from my cousin in the States who wants a new site and we’re waiting to hear back if it’s a go. We had a Skype call with a potential gite client (hooray) and it seemed to go well. They’ve since emailed asking if we can stick to our minimum price, so not sure if that one will pan out. We also met with Jenny and her man Loic during the week. He is a traiteur in St Pardoux and has a very outdated site. He’s aware he needs a new one so that’s likely to go ahead. He’s very busy though so it’s almost certain to drag on. I’ve got a few small things on my plate including a few quotes for Jo, the woman we worked with on the vineyards site. She’s got a few other small projects so something may come of that.
We’ve got a busy week ahead. Tomorrow I’m off to Perigueux to request a carte de sejours. At present, it’s not necessary for Europeans to have them but with Brexit looming, it’s a precaution. The application requires a large stack of papers, bien sur, so I’ve been getting those together over the past few days. I think I have everything, but will not be at all surprised if I’m missing something. I have a doctors appointment on Wed, mainly for my prescription, but also because I still haven’t completely gotten rid of the Belgian Swine cough. On Thursday morning, Will is meeting Enedis at La Chapelle for them to connect the electricity, or so we hope.
In the afternoon, we have an appointment at the local brewery. We got a call this morning from a journalist who works for a business weekly based in Perigueux. I didn’t get the exact focus of his story, but it’s something to do with web sites and their clients, so we readily agreed. The unfortunate thing about that site is that it hasn’t received a single order since we put it online a few months ago. This doesn’t necessary reflect badly on us since it’s more to do with their clientele, but still disappointing. So hopefully, the article doesn’t end up turning into bad PR, but we’ll risk it for some free press.
Finally, things are picking up on the visitor front. Cyril is coming the middle of Nov for a long weekend, and Gerald is thinking about Thanksgiving. We may spend it here or else meet him in Bordeaux. I also heard from my long lost college roommate Mike, whom I haven’t seen in 25 years. We’re friends on Facebook but haven’t really ever corresponded. He’s spending a week in Paris with his partner, and will be taking a day trip to Angouleme to meet us. There isn’t tons to do there, but Bordeaux was a bit far and it works well for us.
Ok, I’m off to get all my documents ready for my appointment tomorrow.