The weekend

.
And a jolly nice weekend it was too. It got up to about 24 or 25 degrees on Saturday and Sunday which was pretty darned good. I love being warm!
I had things to do both days. I think that Marie Hélène was a bit worried about me having spent the previous two weekends in solitary splendour so she jacked some things up, which was lovely. I do go into town on my own sometimes, but there's a limit as to how often you feel like doing that. Same as sitting in cafés. Anway. On Saturday morning I did some grocery shopping. I have never especially liked doing that, and after John died it was something that I found incredibly difficult to do too. But I made myself, as I had pretty much run out of food! And it was OK. In the afternoon I went with Christian and Marie Hélène to Christian's cousin's farm. Now I have to admit that I don't really know where it is. Near a very very small village called Thou, which must be small indeed as I didn't notice it. It took us about 50 minutes to drive there. The cousin is a retired farmer who still lives on the farm which has obviously been in the family for generations. Really old buildings and all terribly "French"! Saturday was La Gremole day. Like a big feast. Lots of people were there for the occasion. A woman had made the batter and Robert cooked the gremoles in a giant oven in an outbuilding especially mqde for the pupose I imagine. They are like a thick pancake, and have the usual flour, water etc, but also apples and cheese! Marie Hélène said that old apples were usually used. I guess it was a way in times gone by of mqking sure that nothing went to waste. When the batter is ready they are blobbed, in pancake shqpes onto cabbage leaves! Then they are put on long hqndled shovels and put in the oven. They are very specific to this region apparently. And quite nice too I must say! That was really interesting.
Whle we were there we went for a walk with some women to the "lavoir." After walking for quite a wee way I was beginning to think that it was an awfully long way just to go to the toilet and perhaps it might be easier to pop behind the hedge. In fact, it was a communal clothes washing place! The water comes up from a spring and the women in the old days used to tqke their washing there and no doubt beat it about a bit, and have a good old gossip at the same time. Really interesting again!
So that was Saturday really. On Sunday, Viviane, who is a friend of M-H and Christian came and picked me up and took me to her place for lunch. She's really nice. We had a lovely meal - duck - then went for a drive. We went back to the village with the chateau that I went to soon after I got here. It was nice to go back there, and I think I took a bit more in this time. We also went to a lovely garden, kind of like a larger version of the Queen's Gardens in Nelson. And I guess a bit like the Auckland Botanical Gqrdens. Lots of roses. They were just about at the end of their season, but it was still lovely to look at them. It was a very restful place. Beautiful without being overly neat, if you know what I mean. Not that it was untidy!
We went back to Viviane's, turned on the TV and I managed to catch the last 20 minutes of the rugby match Toulouse v Bath. It was actually quite exciting with Toulouse winning with the penalty kick right on full time. Byron Kelleher was in the team.
And today is Monday. That pretty much always comes after Sunday which is not a bad thing when you think about it.
The first photo is of Farmer Robert doing the business in the oven, and the other one is the war memorial in the Abbey. Which is in the grounds of the chateau.
Oh, by the way, I advertised for a flatmate, or a family who might like to "have me". No response. Valerie, one of the English teachers at school, said that whilst it is not unheard of to share flats, it is unusual in France and is more of an Anglo-Saxon thing. And if you add to that mix the fact that I'm not in my 20s..... Hmmm....
I did however get an email from someone who wanted to meet me to practise speaking English. We have met once but she is a bit hard to pin down as she lives half an hour away from Poitiers and only comes in for work on odd days.
But there we are. The latest update. Keep tuned folks, and thanks for those comments and/or emails!