Well our attempts to watch the replay grand final on the internet were a waste of time but we did wake up and tune in to the radio for a while – well me for a moment and Geoffrey for a quarter or 2. We just couldn’t get the internet site to accept our payment – one of those frustrating hours of “computer says No.” It feels like we’ve completely missed a very weird week in Melbourne in our isolation in this small French village. Yesterday there was yet another market to go to – one of my favourites for atmosphere – Tournous (although the produce at Pont de Vaux is better. One interesting discovery – I should have taken a picture but you’ll just have to do with the description – is a 24/7 milk vending machine in the car park in Tournous. The French don’t do a lot of 24/7 especially in the country so this was a welcome sight. Basically it’s a giant fridge where you can either refill your milk bottle for 1 euro or buy and fill for an additional 20centimes. You just open a little door – put your bottle under the tap, insert money, press start and voila fresh chilled milk. In Australia there’s probably be some food handling regulation to prevent such convenience – or vandalism but here it’s a nice touch. Just like the Boulanger using her bare hands to pick up the croissants – where’s the harm in that?
So yesterday the am was all about getting the pintard (similar to a chicken but better) for dinner, some soft berry nougat for dessert and a nice bottle of red to go with the bird. Coincidentally I purchased the same wine we had been given on our last visit by a total stranger we met who owned an unusual shed that Geoffrey was photographing (the man was so grateful for the sacrifices Australians had made in the first world war that he gave us a bottle of wine). We had attempted to take that bottle home to Australia but it smashed in transit – we were so disappointed but as fate would have it we still got to drink it only 2 years later – last night and it was really really good.
In the afternoon yesterday Poiully Fuisse was the destination and the wine. In Fuisse they only do chardonnay – but don’t be put off by what we call chardonnay – this is the good stuff. We did a tasting of 5 different wines and chose 2 that we really liked – the others were a little oaky for our taste. Bought 3 bottles plus a bottle of Frambroise liqueur as an indulgence. For a moment after the intricate discussions from the winemaker I thought I understood something of the French wine classification system – but probably non – it really is very complicated so its good when you can just taste and decide on that basis if you like something.
Home for our yummy dinner but also by this stage I was experiencing something of the sensation of a fois gras duck or goose or whatever it is that they stuff with food until the animal dies of overeating so we can eat their liver full of fat. Okay I admit that last time I did eat and enjoy a spot of fois gras but this time I’m just not up to it – instead it’s me that’s feeling like one. So today no croissants, no bread, just fruit and salad and I’m feeling a little better.
Today is incredibly windy. Unpleasantly so. We began the day with a trip back to Tournous to visit the antique market, which is held on the first Sunday of the month in the refectory next to the Abbey. Perfect place for a market and if I had a house here I could have filled it with lovely furniture and knick knacks. Unfortunately most of the things there were not at all practical for transporting back to Australia. After a bit of a wander around the windy and deserted streets of Tournous we headed home and then found the flea market next to the river – I’d seen an advertisement in Romenay for this market but didn’t know where it was held, so of course we stopped again and went through the flea market with a fine tooth comb. Let me tell you the French have just as big a collection of absolute junk as we do. There are a few interesting bits and pieces such as old wallpaper printing instruments, upholstery buttons, copper pots (I wish I could transport them but they weigh a ton), brass taps etc but nothing that was really worth the weight and bulk. Children had crepes from a van at the end and then we came home and out of the wind.
We had a visit from M Longerai (the spelling is not correct but you get the idea – we all find it endlessly amusing because the pronunciation is lingerie) who had been like a magic fairy yesterday and cut the lawn. He stopped by today I think just to see who was at the house. The garden looked great until the wind blew everything all over the place.
I’ve done my preparation for tomorrow which is an interview with Tom Shakespeare – English disability activist who is now based in Geneva but lives in France. We have a 2 hour drive and hopefully won’t get lost. Last time I met Tom I’d had an anaesthetic the day before and my brain was mush. I’d dragged myself out of recovery to go and meet him on his one day in Melbourne. Tom’s one of those fiercely intelligent academic types who are super articulate and also quite charismatic. He carries himself with confidence. Needless to say the contrast between Tom and me on that day left me feeling – well a great deal less than fabulous. I’m hoping for a better result tomorrow – and to be fair he’ll be less distracted and I’ll be more prepared and not drugged to the eyeballs after a Michael Jackson cocktail.
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| Tournous Market |
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| Look what we found in the garden - a tiny snake. |
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| junk market French style - marche du puce |
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