Relaxing days in the Dordogne

Monday 8^th July Another cool morning but with 33 forecast. We cut some more hazels from beside the millstream behind the house and by the time we gave up I had sweat running down my face like Rafael Nadal on centre Court! Had a shower, then lunch and then enjoyed a lazy afternoon with a sparkly white watching Rafa beat Jao Souza. The sky is grey and it is so warm I’m expecting a thunderstorm this evening.

Tuesday 9^th July The expected storm did not materialise though there was a lot of activity on the bolly between 1 and 2.30am because the security light kept flicking on and off. I imagined a fox could smell the herb sausages and salad we’d had for dinner and was trying to find the source of the smell. Poor fox! We left nothing. It might have been mice or lizards running around. Deer wouldn’t be interested in sausages, but we do see what we think is deer shit around the field and the drive. Plus the creature that digs a hole and then shits in it is around too; I did not get up to investigate. (Bill thinks it is the greenery blowing in the breeze in front of the security light.)

We had a visit around 9pm – a couple promoting the St Felix féte on 27^th July. This happens every year – someone visits and they can’t speak English and we can’t speak more than pidgin French so with great good humour on both sides we do a sort of charades conversation that incudes calendars on phones to explain that by the 27^th we will be back in Angleterre, but we’ll support their venture with a donation. Hopefully, Jenn and David will go and partake of said event instead of us and enjoy themselves.

Wednesday 10^th July Sunshine and clear, but a lower temperature – hurray! The skin doesn’t shrivel when we walk in the sun! Bill is busy taking all the unwanted shrubbery we cleared yesterday to the bonfire. I, believe it or not, have been making scones. Now this is not an easy procedure (for me) in France because they do not have the same flour as we are used to back home. They have bread flour and a flour for tout purposes. It doesn’t rise like self-raising flour so I guess French housewives must add a raising agent. The first lot I made, guessing the quantities, were edible. A bit like a cross between a cake and bread. This batch I remembered to add sugar and used lait entire instead of semi-skimmed. They smell nice as they are cooking, so we’ll see how they go with coffee at around 10.30am