That just means think. I ironed some shirts this week and found the old Lands’ End shirt packing bag, so no problem there. Otherwise, as always, it’s deciding what stays here for fall.
Judy continues to improve. She is no ball of fire but the bouillotte (hot water bottle) is helping her back. On Wednesday we went to Uzes for lunch and to buy…pillow cases. Picked up some that would not appear in Linen Chest
There is something inspirational about shopping. Makes her forget the woes of back aches etc. Wine is good for that too.
Fête time in Tresques
May 6 and 7 were touted as the spring festival of Tresques. The poster promised all day activities for the whole family.
These events all sound quite exciting. I was keen on the concours de belote until I found out it was sort of like a euchre tournament. Apparently it is popular in France, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
The aperitif concert was a non-event, followed by the abrivado bandido which sounds very Clint Eastwood. However it is a rather tame running of the bulls where people torment these poor cows. We missed it. As well as the concours de pétanque, which never happened. We can see the boules area from the terrace and nobody showed.
Lâcher de saucisses also sounds like fun, until you translate it into grilling sausages. There are various sausages out there, like white, dark, brown, skinny, etc. but it is hardly an event watching guys mucking about with sausages on a charcoal grill.
There was a pretty good band in the afternoon. We could hear them from the terrace. Thank goodness they didn’t sell tickets. The crowds were overwhelming.
We made up for the excitement of the Fête by lunching at Bistro de Montcaud on Sunday. The ambience, service, and cuisine are all first rate. This is an old estate outside of Bagnols, and it has been renovated to become a hotel and restaurant. Good for romance, families, and feeling good.
Yesterday our neighbours below invited us, along with Serge and Patrizia, for lunch at 1:00 PM. Judy asked me before we left “How long do you think lunch will go on?” “5:00 PM” was my answer, and I should buy a lottery ticket. Bang on!
We started with a couple of glasses of champagne. Geoff’svery capable regarding recharging the flutes. We started with a grilled red pepper salad. Anchovies, garlic, and olive oil dressed it. This was followed by salmon and asparagus done very nicely, finger-thick asparagus which is not easy to keep crisp. Next was a cheese course, reblochon and chèvre, with a green salad. For dessert, Nicola had a large tarte aux pommes from Marie Blachere, the local boulangerie chain. Geoff poured a dessert wine to round out the meal. Doesn’t sound like four hours, does it?
Now, you may be saying “How could that take four hours?” There were a few factors that came into play.
Serge and Patrizia are big fans of American tv from the 60’s or so, and anytime they can get people to sing, they are on it. So Judy began, on request, with the theme of Zorro. It was sung several times during the afternoon, and was a source of unbridled laughter. Then we broke into Mary Poppins “Supercalif…..” which caused Geoff to sing and trip into his choreography.
Then it was joke time. I have not told the tale of Oli Swenson for several,years and had to redo the punchline. Had to explain to Patrizia what a Fokker was, versus its homonym. It was well received, if not well executed. I thought Nicola was going to collapse.
Judy told her timeless loss of virginity “legs fell off” joke. It’s a winner and if you haven’t heard it recently (maybe you forgot it) she has good delivery and timing. It is hard to tell jokes across cultures.
Serge provided the classic Churchill “Yes, I am drunk, madam, and tomorrow I will be sober, but you will still be ugly.” This is apocryphal but still a good line.
There was a Welsh joke from Geoff, in what I guess was a version of a Welsh accent. The telling was funnier than the punchline, but that happens a lot.
Then we started singing the Zorro song some more. It is infectious.
Judy managed to climb the 26 or so steps back to our terrace. Serge had pruned the branches from his acacia tree which were encroaching on the staircase. It was very kind of him but he admitted that his real motive was to avoid a personal injury lawsuit. We will have to keep that in mind for future.
Friday lunch was back to Maisouneta in Chateauneuf. It is the only restaurant we visit where the owner knows who I am before I even say the date. It’s partly due to the fact that I use the same script every time, and also my funny French accent. Who cares ? We always get a good table, good meal, and good wine!
Getting ready for the journey to Toronto. Clothes and meds are organized. Packing Sunday should take 15 minutes. We will leave lots of stuff here for September, which can’t come soon enough.
Signing off until whenever!
Les Tresquenadiens
Tresquenadiens 