This week was our last week with Diane and Marcus in France.
Both Diane and Marcus had Birthdays, on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday some friends of theirs came round in the afternoon and we celebrated with champagne and cake. On the evening Diane cooked a lovely meal of beef with couscous, pistachios and pomegranate (a Jamie Oliver superfoods recipe apparently, and definitely one to remember!) and we had a pinball tournament. Of course we let Marcus as the birthday boy win a couple of games!
On Wednesday we went for lunch at Auberge de Lecurie in La Font-d’Usson. They have a menu de jour, where you have a starter, main course, cheese, dessert, and wine for €13 but the menu is a surprise. We had a fish pate to start (still unsure exactly what type of fish), stuffed tomatoes, curry sauce and chips for main, a cheese board, and a french toast with caramel ice-cream for pudding- with a sparkler for Diane. It was lovely! The restaurant was really quirky inside, with lots of interesting bits and pieces for decoration.
On the way home we stopped at Isle d’Jourdain again and I took some pictures on the viaduct and had a little photo shoot with the Traction.
In the evening we surprised Marcus and Diane with some cupcakes I made (chocolate and orange with white chocolate and orange butter icing) complete with the Bon Anniversaire candles we picked up from Limoges last week- you can just about make it out in the picture.
We also got up early on Tuesday and Wednesday morning to let the chickens out and feed the animals so that Marcus and Diane could have a nice lie in on their Birthdays! On Thursday we treated them to a Birthday breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toasted french bread. This is a celebratory breakfast in our house back home and I think I nearly made it as well as my Mum does!
On Sunday we went to another vide grenier at Bellac in the Traction. There was a small exposition of classic cars and bikes, so Marcus parked the Traction along with these. It turns heads and attracts admirers everywhere we go! The vide grenier was in a beautiful park, with a band playing in the band stand. We wandered around classic cars and stalls before having a beer, sausage baguette and chips.
We have been finishing off our last few jobs before we go. Diane and I finished planting the vegetable patch, which is now full to the brim! It’s great to see everything we planted coming up nicely. Craig helped Marcus get some final bits of wood, and ploughed a field ready for Marcus to plant some corn after we’ve left.
We made a little video of our time at La Gimbretière, which I think captures quite well all the fun we have had in our 6 weeks here. We honestly could not have asked for a better start to our trip and are so grateful to Marcus and Diane for being such awesome hosts and really great people. We’ve been invited back next year when Diane and Marcus celebrate their 60th and 65th Birthdays, so hopefully this is not goodbye!
Total spend between two (including travel to next hosts): €334
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