The French Renovation

We've allowed Farmer Joel to unleash his cows on our lush grass in the lower fields. I can't mow those fields unless I give up everything else in my life, so the cows can do the job for me. We were lucky to witness the opening of the fence and the arrival of the cows and calves while we were picking pears. Farmer Joel led them with whistles and general cow-cajoling, and they eventually followed him to the gap. I underestimated the size of receptacle for the pears. I had to empty the little basket I imagined might suffice into my laundry basket! We have several pear trees, but this one seems to have matured first. I'll be baking a lot of pear and apple products this Autumn. I've just failed at my first pear tarte tatin, however, by burning the caramel. Gutted. I'm enjoying the Tom and Barbara Good Life! And still the massive walnut crop to come! Our weekly food shop bill is much reduced. I need to get the winter vegetable thing rig...

 

This is the view of Uzerche looking the opposite way to everyone else. All of the unique pepper-pot roofs and turrets are behind me. Over to the mid-left of this photo is a view of the little car park that affords an excellent view of the medieval town I was standing in. We went into the imposing 12th century Church of Saint-Pierre, as we hadn't been inside before... but on entering, we realised that we certainly had set foot in there before. How could I ever forget this charming fellow? I don't know how long he's going to last, as he's precariously positioned, and wobbled furiously when I marched past on the ancient raised parquet flooring at the rear of the church. A little group was assembled in front of him, and as I performed the grand wobble, they all audibly gasped. I can't deny that I do walk with the grace and delicacy of an elephant. I tried to walk back in a more gentle fashion, but he still teetered dangerously. I love coloured glass, and st...

We went to another one. With Alain and Brigitte. At Naves. They were selling this potato pie, and we thought we'd try it, and there was a lot of it, so we prepared ourselves mentally to return to it once we'd bought our meat. Big mistake. We went back there, nearer sausage ripening time... Even though we could see some there, it was all 'gone'. It's of the Cornish pastie ilk, and we knew it would be right up our street, but no. We had to have les frites. Again. A and B told us that it was debilitatingly filling anyway, so not to be too heartbroken. The sausages were all of a duck nature, even the Merguez ones. They were extremely delicious, despite their   l   o   n   g    cooking time on the least hot barbecue. Drink and be merry, but remember that there is a 2 Euro deposit on every plastic cup! Animations does not mean cartoons in France; it means activities. Like drinking beer. When you convene to eat at these events, there is alwa...