derniers jours de solitude

It is a lovely sunny Sunday morning here in Bellac. The radio has some classical music on, the gentle breeze, while not whispering Louise, is keeping the house cool. It is now the end of our week of solitude. Friends start arriving today, and will keep us company now right through to near the end of August. Over the past few days, we have refined the art of relaxing. We took another hike on Friday starting in a cute village, St. Junien Les Combes. This hike/walk took us through farms and some woodlands. We had a nice break next to un étang, (a pond).

Our étang

Near the end of the hike we passed a château. Not as grand as the ones in the Loire Valley, but a château none the less. The day ended with a delicious dinner sur le patio. We started our shopping trip to the supermarket with one thing in mind, and as we checked out the various departments, dinner plans evolved into something totally different than originally  planned as we discovered new and interesting foods up and down each aisle. We spent more time putting things back. We feasted on pasta with a oil/garlic/pesto sauce and muscles. It was great with the white wine and the view.

Saturday was a day spent here in the village because we had seen signs talking about a spectacle. Well it was not as spectacular as we thought. The international Festival was in its last day, so there were some free performances around the village. We sat in the park by the river watching a crew set up for the evening's performance by a traveling show. It was a nice relaxing day peppered with a few walks around the village, and some reading time on the patio. The park down by the river is a nice shady place to sit or lay out on the grass. The day ended with dinner in the Café le Pont de la Pierre. It is a five minute stroll away, and it is right on the river. Under new ownership, they have a limited menu, 5 different hamburgers and lasagna. I had the Limousin Beef burger while Steve had a pork burger. Both were excellent and we will be going back again. After dinner we made another circuit of the river park, catching a glimpse of the theatre production that we saw being set up.

Theatre in the Park

The full crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves, though we couldn't understand what was going on. It was the end of another great day.

This morning I spent blogging while Steve went off exploring more. He came back empty handed as his favourite boulangerie was closed and the other boulangerie was lined up out the door. He will have to find a new dealer for his new found habit.

Don't forget to check out the updated pictures at our Paris picture file

After a great meal.