Getting the Local Gossip!

I know I missed blogging yesterday, but it was rather bsy. Plenty of things to do here, and today  has been another busy one. I am waiting for the lamb roast to cook, having just put it in the oven.

Ok, I got a little too happy cutting the rosemary and the thyme...but it smells divine upstairs. The kitchen is quite a long way away, in the scheme of things, and the door is shut so it is amazing that the smell has followed me upstairs to the living room.

A little walnut oil and salt rubbed into the beast, slices of local garlic and the smelly herbs, and this baby is bound to be good. I have peeled the American sweet potatoes, and topped the baby beans and they are in the steamer ready to go. The potatoes will be roasted for an hour once the lamb is 2/3 cooked.
This is the 2nd time I have used the oven, so it is something of an experiment. We came home from our short-ish walk to find an alarm blaring. We were initially looking for a smoke alarm, but not finding it, we finally found it was the oven alarm. In the process of cleaning the oven, I had inadvertently touched something I shouldn't have.! Aiee!

This is what I cooked for lunch! Having half a loaf of Parisienne going stale, I decided to make a bread soufflé. I cant tolerate onions other than eschalotes and smaller onion family veg, so I finely chopped a couple of the eschalots threw some lardons into the pan with them, while I whipped the 6 eggs, liquid cream and some milk salt and grated sharp cheese. I cubed the bread and added that to the wet mix, along with the now cooked lardons and eschalots. This is a favorite way to use up stale bread. This gives us two lunches. Excellent, and a tasty savory meal.

 Even better served with a little salad! Always.

Today has been very domesticated.
We started out finding a LARGE leak, in the kitchen. I had gone into the cupboard under the sink to find something and discovered that everything under there was sitting in water. Ack! Out it all came, and sat on the counter for the rest of the morning while we figured out the solution.
We ...well, Waz discovered that the ordinarily bathroom fixture is being used as a kitchen faucet. It was installed without a gasket between the faucet and the sink. The O-rings were damaged and missing (3 of them), and underneath, the shelf in the middle of the cupboard was basically destroyed. MDF is not a good material to use where there is water, so it puzzles us greatly that so many cupboards are made of this material that ends up 'blown out', as it expands with water. The problem has existed for some time because someone has painted over the blown out base, and it has blown out more since then. Oh dear! Waz took the shelf out, dried it out and prepared it for fixing. It had broken in half in the middle and the smallest part of the shelf. Hard to describe! He glued and used a couple of metal straps to strengthen the joint and prevent further damage. He returned the shelf once fixed, and added an Elbow, or L-bend to support it. Well done!

So, his lordship wrote me a list to find at the local Casino store in Verteillac. We couldn't go together as we were waiting for a UPS delivery of some documents, from the USA. This was due at the end of the day, but as it turned out, it was actually delivered around 2.30pm! Just as well someone stayed home.
Armed with my list, I drove up to the hillside town and parked in exactly the same place we parked yesterday:) How's that for luck, in this busy town. We hadn't been into this little (from the outside) store. Well, how wrong can you get? The Casino store had food at the front, Brico/hardware in the middle, and lo and behold, appliances, beds, furniture and bric a brac a the back! WOW!
I enlisted the help of the man behind the counter. I did my usual...Hi, I'm a kiwi with a bad French accent and poor vocab, so please excuse me, routine...which he did, and between the two of us we found everything on the list in the hardware department, and 99% of everything else. We were only missing the black peppercorns:)
I felt quite please with myself. I even managed to ask to things, and made myself understood. Woot!

The sun has been out most of the day, and the temperature has hovered around 14C, warm in the scheme of things. I wanted to stop on the main road and take a photo of the gorgeous scene across the wide green fields towards the cream colored buildings in a hamlet in the middle of them, but there was no shoulder to stop on. Instead, I found a road to pull off on, and took this photo. Not the same, but this is normal countryside around here:) Gently undulating, gorgeous wide open green fields, and lines of trees. Hamlets here and there, never too far apart. Gorgeous old stone farm buildings in various states of repair.

Stuff all over the kitchen counter...I managed to get lunch, and put it all back again under the sink after Waz finished his jobs there. The faucet doesn't leak now, but a proper kitchen faucet might be a good idea, some time in the future.

Yesterday was a rainy day, and we set out with the idea that we would find A) the Boulangerie in Cherval that all the neighbors tell us is good, and then B) Tour Blanche where there is supposed to be another supermarket, but we didn't find it. We did drive down some very skinny roads on the way there and back, with the odd opposing vehicle...ha! why am I always the one to stop and move over??

We always get a kick out of the skinny roads along ridgelines where you can see either side down into valleys but here, mostly gently sloping fields, either fallow for the winter or with new crops that show as bright green, with their new growth.

We made a sudden turn (as we do) to the right, not far from home, and 7 kms later, we found this old church in the hamlet of Rossignol...that name of the Skis I used to buy in my ski bum days.
It was with some surprise that we came upon this hamlet that really is very much a working hamlet with plenty of farms, and we couldn't imagine too many other nationalities settling down in this wet and muddy environment. The church is pretty rudimentary, as you can see, with some work done to keep it standing. Many of these churches date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. There was no date on this one, and we didn't leave the car to see if we could find it....usually found above a doorway.

 As you can see...or can you? the roads are very skinny, and really only one car wide. There is some small shoulder, but I am careful not to go too near the edge of those ditches. I dont want to have to be hauled out of one. Too wet and muddy, and the nearest farm house is somewhat distant! Hmm...

 Hamlets dot the countryside, as this one, and with the sun out today, they looked glorious, with their light stone walls contrasting with the new green growth in the fields.

 We went looking for the Boulangerie in Cherval. That's it on the right hand side, first building. We didn't quite know what to expect. It is a relatively new building, and advertises as a Café (it has a couple of tables with chairs inside) and a few groceries. We bought a hand of bananas at 2.95 euros...a bit pricey, but saved us going to the supermarche. Cherval is a town that time forgot, and commerce doesn't exist. There is a rather attractive Mairie, on the main road though.

 On the right and left sides the word Ecole is visible. School. We weren't sure, therefore if it is a has-been school and then a Mairie, or serves as both school and Mairie. Yes, we ask these questions, lol

 The old church next to the Mairie.

 We were also on our way to Verteillac to see what that small hillside town is all about. We thought we would park and walk, if the rain wasn't too heavy. It sprinkled slightly, but it didn't stop us walking around. The War Memorial is in the foreground. We parked just behind this, yesterday, and today I did the same. The supermarket I entered today is the first store on the right next to the white car.

 You can just see the fellow on the bottom left. He is power washing the sidewalk around the church.

 It is a nice wide and open town square. Those trees will be pretty with leaves on. There is an English owned restaurant in the middle, and we came across many English voices everywhere we went. Yes, we were told, this is a popular place for English to settle, either buying retirement houses or holiday homes.

 We went on our wee wlking tour, finding some pretty details against walls and doors that need replacing.

 Waz pointed this half angel half way up a wall, to me. I wonder where the other wing is? Was it supposed to have another wing?

 The houses on the downhill side would normally have a stunning view down the valley.  What a nice back yard, this home has.

 Next to the restaurant, called Escalier (stairs), is a Brocante. The owner sells 2nd hand things. Cute clothes with a 40's 50's emphasis, shoes, boots, jackets, handbags, photos (the owner is an excellent photographer ) and gorgeous paintings by her father who has an atelier nearby. We would have bought one or two, but the 1,000 euros price was a bit off-putting, to be honest. Quality is worth the money, but we dont have that right now.

 we had some fun with Rachel, the owner, and one of her customers who lives down the road in a penthouse apartment. Barry used to own the Art Gallery at the end of the block, and now owns just the apartment at the top with stunning views. He is quite a character, and we enjoyed a conversation with him about the Jags (Jacksonville, Florida, football team that narrowly missed out on a trip to the Superbowl this past weekend), and his trip to watch the 1987 Superbowl in the US. We were suitably surprised at his sporting knowledge.
As always it is the details that make the trip worthwhile. This doorbell is gorgeous.

After talking to Rachel at the Brocante, she suggested we go looking at the small town of Lusignac, which sits on a ridge, about 7 kms from Verteillac. More skinny roads, other cars driving too fast (in our opinion) both behind and towards us.
What a nice surprise!  This is a Chateau. It was really raining again, so we didn't get out of the car. We will return on a fine day and take a closer look. There were no public message boards on the outside, so it may well be owner occupied!

 Opposite the chateau is a café/restaurant. Rachel and some other English would come here for their weekly get-together, she said. Nobody here today.

 We were going to follow this road down the hill, but there didn't look like was a turning spot anywhere down there. I made a 3 point turn just here and went back the way we had come from Verteillac to Lusignac.
This is the old church right in the middle of the small town. The road has to go around it, as happens often in France. It makes us wonder about times gone by. Who lived here? What kind of transport did they have? I was leaning across Waz to take this crooker photo, lol.

 Some pretty properties here...yes, we came to see if this was somewhere we would want to live. Perhaps! is the answer, but it is a bit far from the commerce we decided we want to be close to. Hard to see much in the fog. On the plus side, there are the views (on a fogless day) that we would choose, if possible. Our new mate Rachel at the Brocante told us she has friends here who are wanting to sell their home, though it might not be in our price bracket. She would let us know. We left contact details. She said, having lived there for the past 30 yrs, and being a local business owner, that people come and tell her that if she hears of someone wanting to sell/buy a home in the area, to pass them on! She did.

 A closer look at this pretty property, with the church in the background.

 Loved the heads on the top of the gate pillars.

 After a quick tiki-tour through the town (has to be quick because the village isn't that large!), we turned around and headed back towards Verteillac...but we found somewhere else to go in the meantime.

 This is the main road...well, the ONLY road, actually, through the town. There is that church again!
The house below is the Manoir du Chateau. The Manor of the Chateau. it sits alongside the Chateau, but looks much younger than the Chateau.

 Onwards to La Tour Blanche. This is a much larger town than we anticipated. We will, again, go there when it isn't raining. This structure (a chateau?) is at a crossroads near the middle of town, where we turned left. It was not the right direction, actually, but we always see something different when we take a 'wrong' turn. lol.

 To our left ....it is noon, by the way, is a Restaurant that looked busy. We passed or were passed by, several cars that we noticed were now parked in the parking lot. Lunch is taken very seriously in France. Of course everything closes at noon. We were going home for soup!

 On our 'wrong' way out of town, we came across this Chateau. Nowhere to stop and see more or investigate further, but it looked lovely.

 Once out of the town a bit further, the roadway got skinnier, and we were once again travelling long almost one way roads. They weren't, as we found out.

Finally Waz put the GPS on, when we got to yet another crossroads with contradictory sign, showing the way home. One way or another, we were still at least 14kms from home.
So, back to La Tour Blanche we went, and down a side road we would never have thought of taking, to get us home, but voila! It delivered us back without further ado or confusion:)
We were hungry by then, so there was plenty of incentive to get home fast.

And so the day ended.
Wednesday already, and now it is finished again.
We loved the sunset tonight, after enjoying such a warm (comparatively) day.....oh, you want to know about the gossip??:)

 Well now....After a few trips next door to the neighbors, first to find out which product I should purchase to clean the oven, and to find out where to find the rest of the hardware we required, we met them again outside, on their way for an afternoon walk. Each time we talk, I glean little bits and pieces about the neighbors, the farther neighbors, the lord of the manor acss the ditch out back, in the large, pretty house there, and the various personalities in our little hamlet.
So, off we went, having successfully received our UPS parcel, finished the renovations in the kitchen, eaten our lovely lunch and the laundry...I laundered all the cushion covers...and most of them being cotton/Linen, I even broke out the iron! Merde!
So, off Waz and I went, for a walk down the road...and hopefully further down the road. A different route this time, and voila! Water across the road, so we couldn't go any further, but we did see old maize cobs in the field...rotting, right? Well, maybe. Whatever they were doing, they looked like they would make fabulous fire starters...dried, of course. We brought home a couple to just to be sure. Plenty more where they come from. We are a bit short of kindling until we sharpen up the chainsaw...Friday!
Then, we turned back and as we were walking through the hamlet, we met up with Stef and Steve. She is the owner of a cottage (well, it is attached, actually, so the definition of cottage doesn't fit well in my mind) and another that she rents out as holiday accoms. and is working with Steve, the builder, to renovate the ruin on the other side of her 'cottage'. The ruin has everything that needs doing...wow...good luck on that one.
So we got talking, as you do, and I kind of grd her about the location, the way she does business in France (she is English) and who lives where, in the neighborhood, and she volunteered much information that I cannot possibly tell you!:) GOSSIP!

We hurried home, not finishing our walk, because I had to pick some rosemary and thyme and get the lamb into the oven.
At 6.30pm, I took the lamb and potatoes out of the oven. Doesn't it look wonderful! The smell still fills the house.

All sliced and served up, with plenty left over for another meal.
It was excellent. No gravy needed.

Another day down. We are expecting more rain for the rest of the week. Just as well we got all the cleaning done today. Three loads of laundry, vacuuming and mopping the ground floor, and various other cleaning done in between everything else. Nice to have full days, busy, physical and satisfying. Life isn't too much different to home, really, and you wouldn't notice it as different until you interact with the locals...the French locals, that is.:)
I admire their patience with those of us whose language skills leave much to be desired!
A demain!