Déjeuner aux Femmes

I invited friends for lunch today, with about 30 women arriving at noon, at local restaurant, Racinette.  My friend, Lesley Fenton exhibited her art.  We talked and laughed and ate for three hours.  It was a wonderful day, spent with so many good friends.  

Backyard with Neighbors

We were invited this afternoon to Alice and Gerard’s house at 4, for cake and champagne to celebrate two birthdays - their niece Cathey’s (visiting from Australia) and mine.  Just before 4, Romain and Dominique arrived across the street, for the first time in almost a year.  We were thrilled to see them!  Gerard went right over and invited them to the celebration.  It was a happy time for all of us, neighbors and friends, in Alice and Gerard’s backyard!

Chateau de Flamarens

We went to a concert at Chateau de Flamarens this afternoon at 5.  We met our friends, Kelly and Jean-Pierre there, and had a picnic in the garden after the concert.  The concert was jazz played by a pianist and a singer, mostly performing songs written and made famous by American musicians.  We had a very nice evening!

Chateau de Mons

A couple of weekends ago, we visited the vineyards surrounding Chateau de Mons and had a picnic with friends.  A crêperie was set up and the chef was making galettes and crepes for lunch, along with wines of the vineyard.  We also visited the armagnac chai and museum.  Armagnac was invented in the 1430’s and we enjoyed seeing the equipment and learning about the process.  It was a nice day!

My Birthday Week

I turned 68 yesterday, but I’m celebrating all week!  Papa and I went to the Monday night Market in Lectoure for crepes.  Everyone sits at long tables, so we joined some friends for a bit.  On Tuesday, we had lunch at La Plancha in Castet-Arrouy with friends.  Our neighbor is the chef and lunch was delicious!

Wednesday was my birthday!  Papa gave me a beautiful translucent pink vase that he bought in a local brocante shop.  I had lunch with four friends at L’Atelier D’Auria.  I spent the evening talking to each of our children and friends.  I had a wonderful day!

After my walk this morning, I took a basket and went to my friend Susan’s house to pick plums.  She has a large property, just outside the remparts of Lectoure, with dozens of fruit trees.  We taste tested and picked our favorite plums.  I made lunch when I got home, with a sheet pan of roasted plums that Papa and I ate with Greek Yogurt and sugared almonds.  This evening, Papa and I went to our friend Deirdre’s house for fruit crumble and ice cream.  Our friend Abby joined us.  What fun to eat dessert for supper!

Piano Concert in Auch

Papa and I joined our friends, Christine and Maurice, for a piano concert in Auch on Sunday afternoon.  The pianist was Alexandre Dupouy, just 33 years old, and a celebrated pianist and composer.  He performed at Église Saint Orens, built in 1825, with stained glass windows by Henry Guérin in 1968.  The setting was classic and he played classical music.  We enjoyed it!  We walked to the square overlooking Auch’s Cathédrale for a drink after. 

Picking Plums

On Friday morning at 7, I met Deirdre at Fontaine Diane, and we walked to a local park with fruit trees.  Plums were ripe, so picked a basket full.  Deirdre climbed the tree!  We had fun!

Hike in La Romieu

I hiked with my friend Annie this morning around La Romieu.  We set off through the countryside, to a rustic chapel in the woods, and then circled around La Romieu to have a citronnade at a cafe, and lunch at Annie’s house.  We covered about 4 miles, talking the whole way.

Canal du Garonne

On Tuesday, we drove to Valence-sur-Agen to rent bikes with our friend, Deirdre.  There were just two bikes and we needed three, so we took a 6 mile walk along the canal instead, stopping for a picnic.  It was a beautiful day, and the canal was exquisite - lined with trees and with beautiful reflections on the water.

We walked on the “Canal du Garonne, 120 miles long, that joins the Canal du Midi, 150 miles long, and joins the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.  Work on the canals began in 1666 with the aim of developing the wheat trade, and construction was completed in 1681, during the reign of Louis XIV.  The Canal du Midi is one of the oldest canals in Europe still in operation.  The Canal du Midi became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, and was designated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2016.”   It is pretty amazing! 

Sunday Lunch with Friends

We spent Sunday afternoon with our friends, Caroline and Glyn, at their house in the country.  Glyn took us on a walking tour around the farm, on our first visit this year.  We munched on fresh plums along the way.  Caroline served starters in the garden, and Glyn grilled chicken and shrimp.  Our lunch was delicious and four hours later, we pushed ourselves away from the table.  A wonderful Sunday lunch!

Cognac and Chateau La Grande Clotte

We left the Abbaye on Wednesday morning with rain falling.  We drove to the city of Cognac, and walked about with umbrellas.  It was a very rainy morning.  We had lunch at a restaurant on the river, and the sun came out from behind the clouds.  Voila!  The riverfront of Cognac is lined with famous production chateaux.  We walked by a WWI and WWII memorial inscribed with over 800 names of soldiers lost, most in WWI.  It was likely a large percentage of young men in the city at the time.

We drove south from Cognac toward St. Emilion, and stopped at Chateau La Grande Clotte, a vineyard that we visited six years ago.  The owners are in their 30’s, now with two young children, and they are making award winning wines.  They also operate a B&B.  They have renovated their property since we first saw it, and the chateau is beautiful surrounded by their vineyard.  We are very happy for them!  We bought a case of sparkling wine plus two bottles of red and two bottles of white.  We’ll return!