Monday, August 20, 2018

20/08/2018 This was supposed to be yesterday, but now a belated birthday post.

Maximum temperature today 29C, minimum 16C.  Dry; 13 km/h North-easterly winds with up to 33 km/h gusts. 

We have been cutting up more of the (very hard!) old oak platform stripped out of the barn and another batch of plums has been picked, de-stoned and put in the dehydrator.  Yesterday we took the day off 'work' as it was my birthday and we went out for lunch at yet another new restaurant!

Getting there but still masses to do!

We left home yesterday late morning and we had to pass through Saint Sornin on our way to Le Petit Restaurant at Rozet.  The violent hail storm that hit the town on 4 July has well and truly left its mark.  July and August are holiday months in France, so most builders and roofers are "en vacances'.  Every roof in the town has been smashed and they are for the most part still protected by plastic; so sad for the village, which has so many pensioners living in it.
Plastic sheeting in a number of different colours but mostly black...

as above...

as above...

I feel so sorry for the people here...

Next to the war memorial...

even the church did not escape the from the massive 'tennis ball' hail storm.

Further down the road, even surrounding villages were no better off...

This one looks as if work has begun,  though maybe they are also still waiting for the return of their roofers from holiday.

Travelling on. the sunflowers are now bending their heads.

Passing through the pretty village of Grassac, which was beyond the storm-damaged area.

 
I love these leafy and almost deserted roads! 

Crossing over old narrow bridges, after the disaster in Italy one wonders how safe these little bridges now are, though they have stood the test of many centuries ...


The TomTom then decided to take us on a shortcut and we had a couple of kms through this state forest on not the best of roads; it was pretty though!  Thankfully we did not meet anyone coming the other way!

Arrival at the restaurant - a converted house...

As above...

Walking down the entrance path, I loved this multi painted psychedelic pig and the old plough.

We chose to sit outside as the weather was so good.

The menu.

My starter - tarte d'oignon et fromage de chevre. (Onion tart with goats cheese).

Nigel had pate Grand-mere.

He followed this up with Boeuf du Limousin (cooked blue as usual and how we like it!) which he said was very tender.

and I had Selle d'agneau (lamb) which was also delicious.
 So as not to upset my Canadian follower, David, I will refrain from showing you the cheese platter and the yummy dessert 😉

The Dutch family on the next table kindly offered to take this photo of the two of us...

While Nigel took the photo of the birthday lady.  Cheers, this was a delightful pineau rouge before the rose wine which we had with our meal.

For those that might be interested in the alterations to the barn we have just bought, I have posted the photos on my other blog My Life in the Charente.



My bird blog

has been updated HERE


27 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your fiftieth birthday you lovely looking young thing! Looking at you is even better than seeing the cheese tray!!

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    1. LOL I remember my 50th well. It was celebrated in Mafikeng at the Hotel school with a bunch of friends 25 years ago.
      I am delighted that I am more interesting than the cheese platter though. Thanks for the kind comment, enjoy the coming week. Diane

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  2. That must have been a Terrible hail storm! I Hope they are able to have repairs soon. I too love that psychedelic pig. Your birthday meal looks wonderful. I'm glad you had such a pleasant day.

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    1. Very sad Emma, over 800 houses and almost as many cars damaged beyond repair. The pig was great fun and it really was a good day. Hope you have a good week. Diane

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  3. Happy birthday Diane.

    Such a lovely drive and a beautiful meal.

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    1. Thanks Marie hope you have a good week. Take care diane

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  4. Happy Birthday, Diane! I'm glad you had a lovely day. So sad, though, about the buildings needing roof's or mending.

    I love seeing the sunflowers, and the trees along the route.

    Always glad to see you!
    xoxo

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    1. Thanks Sally, it was a good day. I feel so sorry for the residents of St Sornin. So much work to do for them all and I am sure that despite insurance it is still going to be costly for them. Take care Diane xox

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  5. Happy happy belated birthday Diane, all that hard work suits you, you look wonderful! Gosh what an unbelievable amount of damage the hail storm caused, the hail would have been horrendously big! Such a delicious birthday lunch, must be hard to choose sometimes, everything looks good! Just popped over to check out your barn removation, more hard work but so worth it, good to have your own garage space. Have a good week ✨

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    1. LOL thanks Grace, not sure manual labour is good for my back but after a treatment last week I am working easier! The barn is going to be great once we have the inside tidied up and things thrown away that should have been dumped ages ago! Take care and hope the rest of your week is good. Diane

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  6. Happy Belated Birthday, Diane!!! Great pic of you!!! Too bad about all the damage from the storm, but I bet that field of sunflowers in spectacular on a good summer day. And I love that pig, he's pretty special too. All the food looks delicious and it looks like you had a great day of fun and food for a great break from all your hard work. Have a good rest of the week! Take care

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    1. Hi Pam, that storm damage is terrible and we we were so lucky to have missed it, St. Sornin is only just down the road from us!! I would love that pig in our garden 😉 It was a good day alltogether and pretty relaxing but we needed the break. Take care Diane

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  7. A belated 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' to you, Diane. I'm sorry to be late. I'm somewhat envious of your birthday lunch venue, but that menu has given me the inspiration to experiment with cooking Onion Bhajee served with a mint sauce.

    It's so sad to see the destruction from that hail storm. I hope that no one was hurt - I guess that hailstones that big could do serious injury to a person.

    With my very best wishes - - - Richard

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    1. Thanks so much Richard for the birthday wishes, appreciated. When you make that Bhaji let me know and I will pop over for a meal 😉.

      The destruction at St. Sornin is unbelievable. We had a bad storm about 9 years ago which broke 15 tiles and flooded the house and I thought that was bad enough. We were away when this recent storm happened and thankfully our neighbour sent us a message saying all was well at our home. The storm was extremely wide spread over France, but the hail seemed more isolated. Much other storm damage in many other places though. I gather in one house, a massive hail stone went right through narrowly missing a young lad but breaking through the chair and floor next to him. I have not heard of any serious injuries.

      Take care and enjoy what is left of the week. Diane

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  8. Spectacular scenery Diane. It seems you've been spending a lot of the summer catching up on house tasks both inside and outside. Sometimes we just have to do it though it's not my favourite thing. I do love the scenery in the countryside there. Very peaceful. It's too bad there was so much damage and destruction to the rooftops of so many homes. I hope the pensioners will be able to manage the costs. The food you're sharing with us looks absolutely fantastic. I definitely would have enjoyed it and the unphotographed cheese platter too ;-) Happy belated birthday.

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    1. Thanks Penny for the birthday greetings. Yes we have had a busy summer, I hope tis will keep us going for a few years, we are getting a bit long in the tooth to do this lot all over again! It was a good day out and I just hope that the people of St Sornin will soon get everything fixed and back to their normal lives. Take care Diane

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  9. Sad to see those damaged roofs! The restaurant looks charming though.

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    1. Very sad Linda for the people who live there and it must have been a massive shock as well. Take care and thanks for the comment. Diane

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  10. I hope no one was hurt during the hail storm. Hope restoration work are being carried out as soon as possible. Happy belated birthday to you, Diane! You and hubby look wonderful!

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    1. Nancy I have not heard of any serious harm to people but I think many are still trying to recover from the shock. Thanks for the birthday greetings. Take care Diane

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  11. Wow, hard to believe all the roofers go on vacation at the same time and for so long. That's a lot of roof repairs. Looks like a wonderful birthday meal. However, I want to see the cheese and desert. Too bad for David. Nice pic of you two.

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    1. All of France goes on holiday July and August, impossible almost to get anything done anywhere! Keep well Diane

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  12. Wow, there is a lot of damaged roofs. That is rough. Love the PIGGY...he is so colorful and you know I love COLOR. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Very sad for St Sornin. I also loved the pig, it was fab. Take care Diane

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  13. Sorry I missed wishing you happy birthday. Hope your day was wonderful.

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    1. Many thanks, we had a lovely day. Cheers Diane.

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  14. Wonderful photos of you and Nigel, how well you look!
    Happy birthday then dear Diane and many more years of happiness together with your hubby :)
    Why all the plastic covers over the roofs, did you have severe storms?
    I have to admit I don't watch the news much, I am never at home at the right time!
    Warms hugs and enjoy the coming WE!

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