Day in the Garden, then Orchestra Concert

I worked in our garden on Sunday for several hours, cleaning up low limbs, raking, then putting down mulch. It was a strenuous day for me!  

Late afternoon, we went to the cathedral for the first concert of the 2026 Nuits Musicale de Armagnac, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse.  It was the best Orchestre concert we have attended in the past five years.  The conductor was enthusiastic and energetic throughout, and the orchestra was happy, smiling through the performance.  There were two standing ovations and an encore.  Well done, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse!

 

Morning Walk

I take a different route every day, and this morning, I took a familiar route backwards.  I walked down our street, down the steps of the Fontaine Diane, and through the village garden downhill of our house.  Hot air balloons went up.  I passed a field of sunflowers that have not yet opened.  There was a cool breeze.  I walked back up the hill and around the old chateau, along the rempart walls to our home.  A very nice morning walk!

After my walk, I rowed in my home gym, then went to a vide maison at a friend’s house.  He is moving a block on the same street, but has a lot of furniture!  Papa and I went for lunch at our friends, Lesley and Andy’s house, and met Lini and Rob, long time friends of theirs, who split their time between France and Phuket, Thailand.  Lesley and Andy traveled to South Korea last year and took a cooking class.  Lesley prepared a delicious Korean lunch for us.  We enjoyed our afternoon on their terrace.  

Coffee, Lunch, and Dinners

Over the past week, we’ve had fun with various friends. Last Sunday evening, we had Romain and Dominique for dinner and we played rummy for hours after.  On Monday morning, Alice came for coffee.  That evening, Kelly and Jean-Pierre and Kate and Olivier joined us for dinner in our garden room, with dessert on our balcony.  It was so hot and dry that fete nationale fireworks were cancelled.  On Wednesday, Lesley and Helene joined me for lunch, again in our garden room.  On Thursday we went to La Romieu for pizza with our friend Coralie, and saw our chef/friend Amanda.  Today, Friday, we drove to Toulouse for lunch with my friend, Rebecca.  We ate at La Brasserie Le Capoul, founded in 1927.  We ate inside in the traditional wood paneled dining room and talked for a couple of hours.  We walked a block over to the Capitole and the old Donjon before driving back to Lectoure.  We’ve had a good week!

13 juillet

We are celebrating daughters Claire and Whitney’s 43rd birthday today!  Birthdays are special for the person who is celebrating, and also special for parents.  Our children’s birthdays mark some of the most significant days of our lives.  We are very proud of each of them. 

I walked this morning on a regular path.  The Gers is the most agricultural department in France, and signs of farming are everywhere.  Along my way today….

Many Friends

We have friends over often in Lectoure, or go out for lunch or dinner, always with interesting conversations.  Since my friends lunch on 1 July, we had a casual supper on our terrace on 2 July, with Deirdre, Susan and Anling.  Each of us brought something to the table, so it was an easy meal.  On Sunday evening, Magali and Marcos met us at our house and we walked to O Badiu for dinner.  It is one of our favorites!  On Monday afternoon, Judy came by with her daughter Katie, and 2 grandchildren visiting from Sydney, Australia.  Katie chatted with Papa and investments and Judy and I had fun with the kids.  On Tuesday evening, we invited new neighbors, also new to Lectoure, Amna and Laura, for dinner.  Amna purchased a home a block from us and is renovating it.  Laura opened a new gift shop.  Pirrko came for coffee this morning and it was so pleasant outside, we sat on the terrace.  

A bonus of living in the ville of Lectoure, is seeing people we know every time we walk out our door.  I walk around the village every morning, taking different paths, and we go to restaurants, boulangeries, the post office, shops, the market every Friday morning… and friends are always out and about.  

Blaziert Fete

Last evening, we went to the Blaziert Fete, our fourth in five summers. We have friends in Blaziert that we made that first summer we went to their Fete dinner, and continue to see regularly. Our friend, Laurence is moving to Paris this week, so it was her last Fete dinner, after living in Blaziert many years.  Blaziert is a tiny village of 130 or so people that volunteer to keep their village full of beautiful flowers, so that it is a Four Fleurie Village, on a national scale of 1-4 fleures. 

Last night’s Fete dinner menu included apéros with nuts and chips, 1/2 Lectoure melon, jambon cooked over a fire with sauce and baby potatoes, baguette, cheese course, and glace.  It was very good!  We talked with people we’ve met in years past and met some new people.  We had a nice evening.

Beautiful Morning

I walked this morning, and as I came up the steps from Fountain Diane, I looked up to this view.  Incredibly beautiful morning!