Settling in....

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

Another glorious morning! But again cold and the jet lag hit me last night. I was up from 1:30 am to about 4:00 am. Just woke up and was not tired. Thankfully I had Captain Vancouver to keep me company. I really like this Russian Earl Grey tea they have here, flavored with Christian and Corinne’s own rosemary honey it makes for a great wake up treat. That and the French yogurt is like, the best thing in the world. I buy the ones with the little glass or pottery jars so I can use them for votives as ell but they do happen to taste the best as well.

Another glorious shower! I cannot say enough about a brisk shower out of doors. It is invigorating and delicious all at once. Although for the sake of the blog I’ll have to start skipping writing about this activity…but tell me who doesn’t like a hot shower. There is an indoor shower, I’m just not inclined to it.

Every Sunday is the Flea Market in Montpellier. There is all manner of stuff sold there and I like to check it out when I’m here. Today I was looking for another pedestal light and a table as well as some electrical extension cords. After some false starts I found my way there (I’ve only been with Christian in the past and now I had to find my own way) and proceeded to walk through every single row and aisle and look at every booth…it is an indulgence I would only allow myself when I am alone. After checking it all out and getting some sense of pricing I went back through to strike a bargain with the vendors on items of my choice. I didn’t get everything but I got a lot of it for about 30 euros, including a merguez et frites sandwich for 3 euros.

Then home to the farm where the material awaited for the shutters. I spent the afternoon taking down one set of old shutters and measuring them carefully and rebuilding them with the new materials. They are now ready for painting.

Christian and Corinne stopped by and invited me for dinner around 7 pm. Before I went I reorganized the kitchen with the new lights and table I had purchased and then set off for dinner. Corinne prides herself on her cooking, making new and traditional recipes all the time. Tonight we had a terrine de porc she had made with pain de campagne, a ravioli jambon avec rochefort et fines herbes and a tart apricot for dessert. The meal was fabulous and washed down with some good local red wines from the cooperative.

I said my goodbyes and came home to George Vancouver and the troubles with the Spaniards. All told it was a good day of effort.