With the passing of Marilyn and Chuck, we’ve lost nearly half our readership in the past year. And since there really isn’t that much to say these days, we’ve decided to blog every other week.
After the non-stop socialising that followed our return from the States, we took it very easy the week before last. Our only activity was a trip to Perigueux where Will got a cortisone injection in the base of his spine. This was meant to help with his hip / lower back pain but it really only made a difference for a day or so. He’s had a lot of pain in his abdomen recently and that, coupled with other symptoms makes him think he may have a digestive disorder such as Crohn’s Disease. So the next step is to see our regular doctor on Monday and see if he agrees.
Since we were both going to Perigueux, Will gave me my birthday present early. I bought a print from Bud about 10 years ago and it’s been in storage in Colorado ever since. Will asked Bud to pack and ship it, then he’s getting it framed so it can finally go up on the wall. He thought it best that I help choose the frame so we took it with us and went to the frame shop. Since the best place for it is on the main wall where the current print hangs, it needs to be under glass with UV protection. This is more expensive and because the print is so large (nearly 1 x 2 metres), we’re paying nearly as much for the framing as for the print itself.
I talked to Bud about where to hang it and he strongly recommends putting it somewhere other than the wall that gets direct sunlight in the winter. He pointed out that the current print has faded quite noticeably at the bottom, which we didn’t realise since we see it every day. The other option is to hang it in the guest bedroom but then it’s a bit tucked away and we wouldn’t see it as often. We plan to replace our front door someday, hopefully soon and will look into getting UV glass, or some vertical blinds at the very least. The print should be ready in a week or so and Andrew will come with us to collect it and then help hang it wherever we decide to put it.
We stayed in and watched some films at the weekend. The weather turned cool and overcast for a few days and even rained once. We were tempted to light the fire one night but held off since we’d not yet swept the chimney. We took care of that on Tuesday and had our annual wood delivery on Sat. Normally, we get 6 steres (1m3) from the lumberyard and 4 from a local, but this year we got 8 from the lumberyard and nothing else. We’ve had a few steres left over each winter so should be just right this time. We checked with Lucien and he’s got wood to sell if we should run out. We moved 3 of last year’s stacks into the hanger, with 3 left to do. We also need to stack this year’s delivery but may just leave it as is and get another tarp to cover it all.
Dave, Amy and Elvie came for a vist last week. They drove down on Sat, got the ferry and arrived at Anne & Andrew’s on Sun afternoon. The weather was cool when they arrived, but it quickly improved enough for them to spend time at both St Saud and St Estephe lakes. They came by on Mon afternoon on their way to visit the cave and we got caught up with them. Elvie is now toddling around, likes to eat and babbles nicely but not quite managed proper words yet. We weren’t sure how much she would enjoy the cave but apparently, she did fine.
We had dinner with them at A&A’s on Tuesday and got in some more Elvie time during aperos. She had some trouble going down the previous night but was much better that night. Figs are in season at Port 80 although the bees are taking way more than their fair share. As soon a fig nears ripeness, it’s covered in bees so we’re having to make do with those that aren’t quite ripe. I used them to make a fig tart which we had as a starter. Andrew made a lovely main of chicken skewers in satay sauce served with a spicy salad. Peaches are also in season, in fact we even had some from our former tree that’s now just branches. A&A’s neighbours have been given them loads, so dessert was a peach tart.
The weather turned better on Wed and since then, it’s been hot and dry and it’s even stayed warm enough at night that you can sit out in shorts. This was well-timed for our overnight jaunt to the seaside, which Dave arranged. We went to Royan, about 2.5 hours due west of us at the bottom of the northern end of the Gironde estuary. They took A&A in their car and we made our way separately on Thrus am, arriving around 1:30. We checked in and had lunch out doors at a cafe on the beach, including moule frites for Andrew and I. We walked along the beach and stopped for a while to bask in the sun and make sand castles with Elvie. There was some sort of lifeguard competition with various groups from the area. Most of the participants were nicely buff which enhanced the scenery. We made our way back to the hotel via another cafe and then showered for dinner.
We dined at a place just around the corner from the hotel. It was a Tripadvisor recommendation and didn’t disappoint. The portions were generous and inexpensive and the staff were lovely. Elvie sat in her pushchair but didn’t to sleep so Anne took her for a number of walks. After dinner, we found a bar that served cocktails that were surprisingly good. Elvie still didn’t want to sleep and didn’t do so until we got back to the hotel around 11.
The next day, we had a coffee on the boardwalk in the late morning and then had a stroll around town including a visit to the cathederal, which is made of concrete like the one in Reykjavik. It’s very imposing from the outside but peaceful on the inside with loads of stained-glass going up the walls. Dave and family were heading back from there, getting the ferry from the north coast that evening. A&A came back with us and we stopped in Jarnac for lunch. Royan feels much more down to earth than some of the other coastal cities we’ve visited. It’s a fairly quick and pleasant drive so we’re likely to go again.
We were invited to dinner that night at Rigit’s, along with their son Lewis who was visiting for a couple of weeks. He’s working on his PhD thesis in political something or another and hopes to finish in the next couple of months. We sat outside and had an apero before moving on to a lovely veggie curry, starting with popadoms and sautéd cauliflower, then saag aloo, dhal and bombay potatoes. It was our first curry in ages and very much appreciated. We were tired from our journey so didn’t stay too late but watched a film when we got home.
On Saturday we dealt with the wood delivery and shifted some of last year’s but that was about it. We made up for it on Sunday when we got a call from Benoit at midday asking us to join them for lunch. We showered and made our way there to find Jackie and her son Steph who was visiting from Bordeaux. We had mojitos and nibbles, then a lovely tomato salad followed by grilled entrecote and magret served with potatoes. There were two desserts: a peach clafouti made by Jackie and a coconut flan by Benoit. We hadn’t see him, Virginie and Eva for a while and it was good to catch up. We took it fairly easy on the booze since we had plans for that evening and headed home mid-afternoon.
Francoise had been away for two weeks and asked us to collect her from Thiviers that evening. We invited her to stay for dinner and luckily, I’d planned something easy: sausage pasta with garlic bread and salad. I had thought about doing fig bars for dessert but it was so hot I didn’t feel like turning on the oven, so made an ice cream topping with them instead, served with brownies. The other guest that night was Carol who turned up a bit tiddly. They have signed the compromis on their house and must be out of their place in two weeks. They’re naturally quite stressed and have a lot of stuff to get rid of so they had a vide maison over the weekend. To their surprise, most of it went and by Sun afternoon, they were feeling a lot more relaxed and celebrated with a drink or two (or three). I asked them to join us for drinks but in the end, only Carol made it. She kept us amused with her chatter throughout the meal and then she headed home around 10:30. Francoise stayed until midnight and then we passed out.
There really isn’t much to say about work except that it’s mainly quiet for both of us. I’ve been using the down time to work on a personal project that I’ll use for time tracking and invoicing. Will is waiting on people as usual but has had a few bits and pieces. And that’s the bi-weekly wrap up from Port 80.