9th - 15th August 2021:
Started this week with the first day of obligatory covid passes in bars, restaurants, cafés (even on a terrace) along with other venues attracting numbers of people. One of our municipal police officers came along and made a check at the café. There is a lot of disagreement and talk particularly from antivaxxers, dividing friends and families. The restauaurant has decided to stay closed for a period of reflection as they don't want to apply the pass rule and have to turn away regular clients who don't have one. Otherwise, life ticks over in the hot, sunny weather. Forget "dog days"; here, it's the cats who reign supreme.
Until the weekend, days were much the same as usual. Papers and magazines to read, a few online puzzles, emails, a cuppa at one café or another and nothing much domestic except for preparing my contribution to meals at friends and evening watering of some very grateful plants. More interestingly . . . .
* An apéritif chez Jean & Francoise. Sat out under the pergola
with JJ, Yaneth and Jacques; laughed and put the world to rights.
* Dinner chez Jacques which through a misunderstanding turned out to be a cassoulet! If you've eaten it, you'll know it consists of white beans, duck, pork, and sausage (not always used but Jacques is from Toulouse so it always is) in a thick, rich sauce. Normally eaten in the colder months unless you're a tourist needing to tick it off your must experience list. To add more calories we ended up with 3 desserts as Jacques doesn't like to decide what people should bring! Once home I went straight to bed with a stomach that knew it had accomodated pulses in abundance.
* An impromptu lunch chez Jean & Françoise.
My only foray into entertaining was coffee with Hortense, who brought the pain aux raisins, sitting out on my patio which is looking quite pretty at the moment. Shame though that there's no abundant crop of oranges.
Jean & Françoise came over for an apéritif at the bar as much to sit by the fountain as anything. It certainly wasn't for the platter of charcuterie that Françoise paid 9€ for to accompany our drinks. Felt embarrassed that they could serve such a poor offering.
On a completely different plane was lunch out in Spain with David, Laura and Martine. We headed off to Mas Gusó, a restaurant recommended by a golfing friend of David's. Upmarket al fresco eating with un upmarket shop selling wine and locally made/grown produce. . A pleasant escape from the heat of the day. Came home the long way round by meandering North along the rocky coast.
Finally the big event arrived with sunshine and it found me in a frock feeling chuffed to bits to have been asked to be Lisa's "guidemother" in a civil naming ceremony. Had to google an alternative name for godmother and found "guidemother" on the Humanist website; in French it's Marraine. Anyway, before that there was the inauguration of an outdoor exhibition of old photos about the cork industry here, blown up and displayed on various buildings around the village.
There were about 20 of us for the ceremony presided over by the Mayor after which we went over to José's for a really appetising buffet with sangria to accompany the aperitifs and wine for what followed. Interesting flavours all served in verrines. Was difficult not to over indulge. Had to leave by 4pm so the obvious choice was to come back to mine. Quite like the hospitality that used to be a feature of chez nous while Christian was alive. The spontaneity of it saved me from getting stressed. There were 10 of us, only 6 drinking alcohol. We still managed to get through 4 bottles of cava, some red and rosé wine. Luckily there was enough in the fridge and fruit bowl to lay on something to eat Another reason to feel chuffed.
Sorry that there aren't any photos of Lisa but from previous posts you'll know why and I am a known rule follower so, no Lisa. Shame as she looked radiant as did her proud parents and . . . why wouldn't they?
The cooler temperatures of home were a welcome relief. A late night even though I needed an early one.
Weather: 30° - 37°, sunny
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