The gites have been full of life this weekend. La Galerie was full of couples who stayed here as a centre point to meet up with their families. They have laughed and talked and played all weekend and it has been such a joy to watch. Our smaller gite has in a wonderful couple from England who are sorting out their new house down the road; so the place feels busy and alive.
Saturday was a busy day for me, working from 8.30 and then cleaning the house. It got to 4pm and I suddenly decided enough was enough and popped my head into our neighbours to see if they fancied enjoying the sun with a glass of wine. Luckily, one of our other neighbours arrived back from a visit to England just at that moment so they came along too. An impromptu event that led to a hearty evening of laughter and more bottles of wine than I care to remember. We were all feeling it this morning, but I wasn't able to wallow in my pain - I was cooking lunch to two families who were coming to visit.......
I was cooking lamb in garlic and rosemary......I was looking forward to it as I hadn't had a leg of lamb since leaving England. Oh but where was all the meat I asked myself! Once unpackaged it looked decidedly skinny. I had to resort to throwing in a couple of shanks too. Turned out I had bought a shoulder of lamb instead Silly me. Small mellow drama over and it was worth the pain. A delicious piece of lamb with a flavour rarely found. A rich, deep taste of a naturally, slow reared lamb.
Meal over (although I did feel a little disappointed in myself for not getting together a cheese board and better coffee for my French friends), the children headed for the pool. Seeing them all having fun in the pool and kicking around a ball was an absolute joy.
What a fantastic weekend.