In my last entry, I moaned about how spring had failed to yet materialise. As if in response, we have just exprienced a week that would have been well at home in July. It has been 27 degrees and sunny with clear skies all week long, and I cannot overstate how welcome it was.
It’s unfortunately all come crashing down now though. We’ve a few more rainless days, but they’re due to be cloudy and much cooler. After that, the long term forecast is a depressingly familiar tableau of nothing but rain as far as the eye can see. Still, at least we had a decent break from the grey – and at least it’s not been snowing like it has in Minnesota!
Probably as a result of our mini heatwave, work has been quiet for me this last week. I assume that all of our clients took one look at the forecast and decided to go out and enjoy the sun rather than hassle me with emails. After such a busy year to date, it was a welcome treat.
On Monday, Matt worked on the vineyards site in the morning and then mowed the lawn in the afternoon. Meanwhile, I carried out an emergency repotting of our seedlings as they were clearly very unhappy. The issue was I had them in pots that were too big, and so the roots were too wet and were being starved of oxygen. In fact, two have since perished. The shock of being repotted took them a few days to get over, but the well-timed heatwave has done them some good and the 9 remaining plants are starting to grow and develop again.
Dad got here at his usual time and shortly afterwards, I took matt to Angoulême where his train was, for once, on time. I swang by Super U on the way home for some supplies and made it back home a little before 7pm, AKA cocktail hour. For dinner, I made an easy ravioli, spinach and sun-dried tomato dish that turned out more or less as it was supposed to. Dad was tired from the journey so we both had an early night.
The weather the next morning was even nicer and as no-one needed me for anything, I downed tools and enjoyed some sunshine for a couple hours in afternoon. I then made a start on dinner – a quiche. We got down the garden furniture from the loft and had our apéros and then our dinner outdoors: a first for 2018.
It seemed like we gained a degree a day as the week when on: Thursday was even nicer than the day before. We had lots of quiche left over, so had another portion for lunch, which we again had outside. That evening, Dad was spared my cooking as we were invited to Manu & Mathilde’s for dinner. We were joined there by Françoise, and Gaël & Corinne. We sat outside for the apéritifs and various conversations sprang up.
While we were busy chatting, Corinne abruptly got up and left. We all assumed at first that she’d gone to the loo but we soon realised she’d actually left and had taken the car with her. Apparently, she and Manu had been discussing bees and pesticides, and she referenced some recent study. Manu commented that he’d heard this study had been discredited and for some reason, Corinne took this personally. She is a delicate thing at the best of times, but it was a little odd to react so, particularly with Manu, who is about as confrontational as a puppy.
Still, the remaining 6 of us had a lovely time. Françoise is thrilled that the people interested in her house came back for a third viewing so she’s certain an offer is imminent. I think Dad had a little trouble following the various conversations at times but he held his own. The meal was chicken and rice, and very tasty too. We left around midnight, bringing car-less Gaël back with us.
Friday was another very hot one. By this point, the cats had fully transitioned from winter to summer mode: enjoying the sun in late morning, hunting lizards, napping in the afternoon, and then out all night being feral. Smeagol is light years ahead of Louis in the tic stakes: he’s had at least five or six to Louis’s one. Luckily, Dad’s been on hand to restrain the Smoo while I get the tics off as it’s definitely a 2-person job. Christian came over in the afternoon to go over some changes he wanted making to the VIAPL website, which ended up taking an hour and a half. After apéros outside, we ate out that evening at the pizzeria in St Pardoux. It was empty when we arrived and half filled up over the evening. We had their house cocktail to start, a pizza each, a bottle of wine and two coffees- and all for less than 40 € too – bargain!
I placed an order for some equipment for Dad’s plumber/electrician on Thursday, for things he needs quite urgently, so we paid for rapid delivery. Saturday was the earliest the order could arrive and as the tracking system was very vague, I held off on making a trip to Super U, instead attacking some domestic chores like cleaning the fridge. The order never showed up in the end so I headed out in the afternoon for supplies to make that night’s meal. We had a skype session with Mum before dinner and auntie Tracey was there so we got to chat to her as well.
At this point, I was 2 / 2 on meal prep: two cooked, two successes. That changed on saturday when I put together a thai green curry dish. It’s a recipe that we’ve been eating for years and years but I am normally only ever sous-chef and I unfortunately did not do it justice. The chicken was over marinated and overcooked and the sauce was too thin and lacking in flavour. It was edible, but barely. We washed it down with a bottle of wine and chatted for a while before turning in.
The moment I woke on Sunday, I could tell the light was wrong and sure enough, I opened the curtains to be greeted by a hazy white sky instead of the rich blue one we’d had all week. It was still very warm, and it cleared as the day went on, but it was a sure sign that the heatwave was coming to an end. Christian showed up at the usual time for band practice and afterwards, we were invited back to his and Marie’s place for a meal. This, to my relief, meant we avoided having to have failed green curry leftovers.
We got there at 7pm and had apéritifs outside on their terrace. They have a long, large garden and it borders the river Dronne for a little stretch. I’d never been down to the end before so we all took a stroll to the river, dodging clouds of mozzies en route. We then settled in to a few pastis each while chatting. I think Dad found it easier to follow along this time as there were fewer different conversations going on at once. M&C also like to practise their english so would occasionally switch.
My culinary catastrophe was soon forgotten as Marie laid out a typically spectacular meal. After a starter of quails’ eggs and home-made mayo, she served up a slow-roast pork dish accompanied by her own take on patates dauphinoises. Dessert was a home-made apricot tart, also divine. We stayed for a digestif or two after the meal then headed back home. Over the course of the meal I recounted the story of my failed curry and Marie obviously took pity on me and packed us off with a load of leftovers, so tonight’s meal is taken care off too.
And that’s about all I have to say for my week. I should also comment on Dad’s as he’s made some substantial progress on the house: new windows fitted, plaster boarding and internal walls going up, sinks, showers and taps fitted… As an added bonus, the warped floor boards in the main bedroom have responded well to the warm, drier weather and are now very nearly back in place. I think Mum & Dad are well on track to be able to move by the end of the year at this rate. Check out the photos.