We did have a bbq with Bryan, Carol, Jenny and her boys, Evan and Finn. I started cooking around 6 in time to feed Alice and Maeve, who went to bed before the guests arrived. It was a cool night, with not much sun, and we sat out until dinner. The menu was chicken and sausages, plus pork chops and salmon that Carol brought over. I also made potato salad, served with leftover bean salad and cole slaw. It was a nice evening, with our guests getting to know the neighbours, and it wasn’t a late evening.
On Tuesday morning, we went to St Estephe, about 30 min from here near Nontron. Mary Carol went for a brief run around the lake while the girls played in the sand. We had a picnic lunch, and then headed to Super U for more supplies. Alice had her pony ride in the afternoon, and I took advantage of the dry weather to finish mowing the lawn. Maeve was meant to have a ride too, but was a bit tired and decided against it. We had confit for dinner that night, along with courgette gratin from the garden. We relaxed with a few drinks in the evening, and had an early night.
I did a bit of work on Wed and Thu am, but that was about it until the weekend. Our guests went on a 2 hour walk, although Maeve wanted to be carried nearly the entire way. We had lunch and decided to visit the Grotte de Villars in the afternoon. We arrived around 4, seemingly, along with the rest of France. I realise it’s mid-August, but wasn’t prepared for the mayhem that awaited, with both parking lots full, and people everywhere. I determined that it would be better to come back on Friday am so we stopped by the Chateau de Puyguilhem, so Alice could see a princess castle. Dinner that night was chicken breasts, sauteed with cherry tomatoes from the garden server on rice.
Mary Carol and David celebrated their 5th anniversary on Friday, so wanted to have a bit of time on their own. They left for Perigueux in the mid morning, leaving Will and I to look after the girls. I was mostly comfortable with the idea, but Will wasn’t crazy about it. I’m pleased that Maeve graduated from nappies just before arriving here. We went for an hour-long walk in the woods around here, and Alice talked nearly the entire way. Maeve walked nearly all of it, except for some muddy bits and a long hill. We got back and had lunch and then went to Nontron in the afternoon to do errands. We arrived home and plopped the girls in front of the telly, and the parents arrive home shortly afterwards.
Mary Carol made dinner that night, a pasta with chorizo, tomatoes and creme fraiche, which was delicious. We also made garlic bread to go along, much to Alice’s delight. We had a few drinks after the girls went to bed and I realised how exhausting being a parent must be. I was shattered after only a six hour stint, although I’m also quite out of practice. The girls were very well behaved, more so than with their parents. It was the constant knowledge that we were responsible for someone besides just ourselves.
On Friday, we went to St Jean de Cole for lunch. It was a public holiday, so it was packed, much like on a Sunday. So everything was a bit slower than usual, and not quite up to standards. We had a lovely meal, most of the adults having a four course menu, including the usual favourites of goat’s cheese, duck and steak. Will wisely opted for starter and main only and the girls had kids menus. Since it was an anniversary celebration, we had a few bottles of wine, which we had over the course of our 3.5 hour lunch. We were one of the last to leave, and chatted briefly with the woman who used to run the place. Her daughter now runs it, and she has two other daughters with restaurants in the department.
We arrived home and couldn’t really move. The girls had a bit of dinner and then went to bed. The adults stayed up chatting, and eventually having some nibbles and playing cards. Mary Carol likes cribbage, so we had a round of four-handed, then moved on to Anna Perna. We were all a bit tired, so had an early night. Our guests left the next morning, around 9, so had an early start. As usual, it was great to have them, despite the disruption to our normal routine.
The weekend was very quiet, and it made a nice change from the previous week. I did a bit of work while Will tidied. On Sunday, we went to the vide-grenier in Champangac, which is fairly big, but again, we failed to find any bookshelves or kitchenware. I broke down and purchased some household things on Amazon last night to make up for it.