Friday 19th August

We were late rising this morning as we had nothing planned. Rang a few people back in NZ and caught up with Mum and Jannie spoke with Col. Stu and Graeme weren’t home but left messages. Had the usual breakfast and decide to walk right round the outskirts of the village. Again it was hot already and we managed to make it all the way back to the centre of town and sat down on the sidewalk chairs and had a coffee as per usual. We had to get something for dinner tonight and the baggette for lunch. The fish stall was back in the town square although there were no other stalls and we got fish for dinner tonight and St Jacques (scallops) for dinner tomorrow night. We spoke with a Mum and daughter who were at the fish stall and found that they were down this way in their campervan and had had a great time. Was lovely talking to them – the weather in England is still not great with lots of rain particularly in the south. They go back home tomorrow.

We had to buy more grapes and wine and after we got home Jannie sent me downstairs to the butcher to get some ham. I got back some 25 minutes later as the queue was right out the door. We rested and read after lunch and then about 4.00pm went for a walk to get an ice cream – boy was it hot outside. Our apartment is quite cool at the height of the day although we do have the two fans going flat out but because the walls are thick stone and we can close the wooden shutters over the long windows in the lounge area when the sun gets around to that outside wall the warmth inside the apartment is at least bearable.

What a lazy day we have had and a beer and wine tonight with the fish will cap it off just great. Tomorrow we are having coffee with Monica.

Saturday 20th August

We were woken by the locals setting up their stalls for the Saturday market so we got up, had breakfast and went out to have a look at the whole thing. We couldn’t believe the number of people who were already in the streets. Even the shops that normally put all their goods out on the roadway were squeezed up into little gaps. There were market umbrellas every yard of our street and all sorts of goods and produce on sale. We set off up the street to the square and got waylaid on one of the side streets. Ladies clothes of every style, shape and colour – I have never seen so many ladies clothes. Basket stalls, soap stalls, curtain and materials for furnishing. We never made it to the large square where the Wednesday market had been held. It was hot and we had an appointment to meet Monica for coffee at eleven. She eventually arrived and we had a lovely time with her and she told us of all the things that we should do one our way south tomorrow. Jannie bought a bag for shopping. Everyone has a woven shopping bag or a trundle – now Jan has one.

Lunch time and we bought our bread and went back to our apartment to have lunch and our normal siesta. We have enjoyed the lie back and read time this week. But because we are moving out tomorrow we did a recycle and rubbish run and in the process we watched all these older gentlemen and one woman playing petanque – they were having a lot of fun and not playing on the laid out court but in the shade under the trees. Around the corner and most of the stalls had gone now and the Pharmacie said 35 degrees. Time for a beer or ice cream – ice cream won out. The yogurt ones are delicious. Back home we went and cold shower time and last load of laundry before dinner. We are hoping to leave around 8.30am in the morning if I can get the car to the end of our street through all of the one way streets in this town.