The weather finally came good in the Dordogne at the end of last week. We’ve had three or four days of temps in the high 20’s, peaking around 30 on Sunday. Will has been spending as much time as possible outside. Sadly, it’s not going to last with storms and cooler temps on the way.
We took advantage of the brief summer interlude in a number of ways. On Tuesday, Paul came around with his motorised post digger for the new fence around the veggie plot. On Wed, Anne and Andrew hired a van to clear out some of the debris from their garage, and then met us at the sawmill where we loaded the lumber. It didn’t end up costing as much as expected; we paid cash so he didn’t charge us VAT. We unloaded here and then A&A cleaned and returned the van.
A&A returned the next day to build the fence, along with Will. I had loads of work to finish so couldn’t join the fun. They got the posts in and half the sides done before lunch, and finished a couple hours afterwards. The folks returned the next morning to fit the gate, so it’s all done and we’re most pleased with the end result. We started planting our crops on Thurs and then went to the garden centre on Friday afternoon. Like last year, we’re late in the season so they didn’t have everything we wanted. We planted the rest of our plants and new purchases on Sat evening.
We had a bbq on Friday night with A&A and Paul. Nat went back to Oleron with some friends, taking advantage of the house while she can. I found a couple of burgers and pork chops in the freezer, and bought chicken breast, salmon and sausages to supplement those. We started with chips, guac and salsa. The side dishes were the traditional potato salad and broccoli salad. I was quite pleased with the outcome and everything was cooked just right (if I do say so myself). I had told Paul about the cobbler dessert and decided to try one with strawberries. It turned out rather nicely, served with ice cream on the side. We stayed out until it got dark just before 11 and then A&A left. Paul stuck around for bit before leaving us around midnight.
We were invited over to Fred the baker’s on Sat night, which he hosted along with his partner Marie. Also in attendance were Virginie and Benoit and his sister Zsa-zsa, and later on, Sam and Benoit (Eva’s bfriend). We started with vodkas and pizza pieces on the terrace and eventually moved inside for the meal. Much like his baking, everything Fred made was excellent, and very heavy on the butter and cream. We started with a pasta salad with shrimp and smoked salmon, followed by a giant cote-de-boeuf cooked on the grill, served with two sauces: shallot and roquefort. Will had pate to start and turkey escallope in a curry sauce for the main. There was only one side dish: an enourmous potato daufinoise, beautifully golden on the top and cheesy on the inside. Dessert was individual portions of strawberries in a sweet creamy sauce, finished with a blow torch like creme brulee. It was delicious and Will and I both foolishly finished our entire portion. We all left around midnight since Fred had to be up in a few hours.
We had band practice on Sunday which went well. It may be our last before the gig since we’re not sure if we’ll have one next weekend. Work has been busy for me, although it’s calming down now. It’s mostly quiet for Will since he’s waiting on clients. We had a meeting with truffle people on Wed morning that was a complete waste of time. One of them forgot about it, so was late and didn’t bring his notes and then we mainly reviewed questions that we’d already answered in an email. The good news is that we’ve been selected to do the site, but must now wait till the end of the month when they will have final approval.
I’m off to choir practice now so gotta dash.