It is still dark outside at 15 after 8am. I should get up from here and go and draw all the curtains back so that we can see when the light comes in, but I'm all tucked in with my puffy jacket around my legs, and a vest on over the top of a fluffy sweater. The fire isn't going, of course, and Waz is still in bed asleep.
Confession time: You know how I said we weren't going to eat cookies? Well, strike that one!
On our visit (in the interminable rain) to Riberac (Ree ber ack) yesterday, to the Intermarche (intermarshay) supermarket, we were amazed to find such small prices on bulk cookies...and our favorites too! Petit Ecolier...the Little Schoolboy butter cookie with chocolate on top and an imprint of the said schoolboy. We pay about $3+ for a box of them in Florida, but here we can buy nine boxes for just over 6 euros! Sooooo...we just had to buy them, you see! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Apart from being yummy and lovely with a cuppa of any kind...tea or coffee...cookies/madeleines/financiers etc are all just normal cuppa food in France. Everyone does it! Eat cookies, that is! 3 Packets FREE! yay! Dont you love these free things? lol
We started out yesterday a bit late. By that I mean that we went to bed early, as the jet lag took it's inevitable hold, and we didn't rise until just after 10am. WOW! 12 hours sleep!
Getting there was a bit of a challenge. First up, the house was damp and freezing when we entered, despite the house docents putting some of the heaters on for our arrival. Getting into bed without a hot water bottle was a bit chilly...no...strike that...it was just too cold to settle, so I got up and put my brand new sweat pants on, sox over the top of those, readmitted my long sleeved microfiber t-shirt underneath my night t-shirt, and then went back to bed. Waz has testosterone, so he doesn't feel the cold the way I do. Just as well, coz it is his conjugal duty to warm me up...especially my icicle feet! :)
Getting up so late meant that the rest of the day was rather advanced a few hours. Breakfast was scrambled eggs...love those bright orange yokes!!!....with a warmed croissant and some fruit. A cup of coffee went down well too. However...there is always a however....we hate small cups/mugs, so the decision was made (actually we made that decision back in Florida!) to buy some larger mugs at the supermarket.
Setting forth in the rain to the supermarket, we did one of our...oh, let's turn right this time,it cant be far...things and ended up in a small town just 9kms down the road further. La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine. There is a 'plateau' there as well as an Aerodrome...which I would guess is on the plateau.
We didn't follow that road, but drove slowly through the middle of this town that time forgot. We will return when we can get out and walk.
Some interesting stone walls that look like they belong to a Chateau, or maybe they WERE the Chateau, if you follow me.
I like that in France, the law says that you will drive 10kms slower than the posted speed limit, in the rain!
Our shopping in Riberac resulted in our purchase...another couple of bulk ones, coz they freeze so well...of Croissants x 5, and pain chocolat x 8. Look at those prices!
The Pain au Chocolat are normal size and we get 8 of them for just under 3 euros! Incroyable!
Yes, we did find ourselves a couple of nice large mugs. I like mine..."Nothing is Impossimable" (yes, the spelling is mine!)
Thusly satisfied with our purchases, including and not limited to a hearth brush and heavy bucket for cold ashes, and a large roll of paper towels. You dont get these ones in the USA, and I didn't take a pic, but it has a girth of about 12 inches. Yep!
With no more detours on the way home, we were happy to open the fridge and see what there was to eat for lunch. Ahh! Last night's salmon, some fresh iceberg lettuce, Rocquefort cheese (of course) and all on top of some yummy Pain Cereal (grain bread). Washed down with a cup of fine Twinings tea, which you can also purchase much less expensively here. See that soft butter? Less than 2 euros!
Sitting around trying to stay warm in our living room, variously watching UK TV and movies, for the rest of the afternoon, the fire kept the room just warm enough...if I put a rug over my legs...and then it was dinner time.
The soup was finished off...too many leeks methinx...they are stronger here, it appears, lol...some chicken bits, butternut squash, plenty of those sweet carrots, and some pasta stars...Voila! Chicken/Veg soup. Eaten for dinner with a fresh Parisienne loaf (a Baguette on steroids) and Normandy butter. Doesn't get much better than that!:)
We weren't tired, so midnight came around, and then half past. I had showered earlier, but because Waz had napped during the day, he was still sitting around, uninspired to get some more shut-eye.
Bed finally beckoned, but now it was hot...or *I* was hot. I turned off the heater, which is next to my side of the bed, fully knowing that I would need to turn it on again at some stage. I tossed and turned for a long while, and then ...it was time to get up. 5.30 passed and I was still awake, so decided to get up. The heater was turned back on, and it was on with the clothes and back to the computer. I put off going downstairs to make a cuppa because it is cold down there, so 8.30am, I gave Waz the old heave-ho/get out of bed order, and went down to heat the croissants and pain au chocolat, put the jug on for the tea and OH MY STARS!!! The previous occupants of the house hadn't cleaned the oven OR the racks which were so sticky and covered in fatty burned on crap that I had to throw out the cleaner thing afterwards. Still not clean to my satisfaction, but it will have to wait for my next cleaning jag, some time later today.
They also didn't wash the tile floors, or vacuum some of the rooms. Oh dear! Well, if you cant exercise outside because of rain, you CAN exercise inside with a vacuum cleaner and a mop! Well, that's the theory, anyway.
On that note, I'm going to go and put my jeans and raincoat on, and we might just walk up the road to the recycling bins, and survey the scenery in the process. The camera might like to go walkies too. Standby for those pics:)
Ciao for now.
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