01.12 Day 76 . . . The Ankle & Seamus

Today was going to be another busy day with things to do and people to see.
Having woken up Teresa ventured downstairs first, to which I heard a yelp . . . we’ll more a scream actually. I shouted to see if she was ok and she said she had missed the last step and ‘sort of’ hurt her ankle. It took slightly longer than normal for my tea to be delivered upstairs but other than that all seemed normal. I did ask about the trip and the ankle but was assured all was ok.
We ventured out over to Sauze Vaussais to again meet with Charlotta, who must be getting bored with us now. After a brief chat we set off and found our way to a hamlet just south of Limort. The property was very grand with a house which had been converted and the main larger house still to convert. The property had lovely views down to the rear of adjacent properties but also had quite a few commercial rural buildings nearby and one very adjacent. The converted property was well presented and offered the ability to move in with very little to do. The main house however needed some considerable work, but not so much as to rule it out. It also had a small cellar which had access from inside and outside. The highlight of the house was the attic - absolutely stunning, with an option to convert. It would need quite a bit of time spent on it to showcase the beams but would be well worth it in the long run. I managed on one more occasion to get Charlotta to say Chimney in her very sexy Swedish/French accent . . . . Shimnee!
We left the property very upbeat about it - we had taken a shine to it, but just had a few niggling doubts about the adjacent properties and businesses.
From here we headed south towards Jarnac, which is very close to Cognac. The journey down was as normal on the N10 but once off the main road we were spoilt by field after field of stunning vineyards, all of which had a yellow leaf which seemed to give a yellow haze to the area.
Teresa’s mum had many years ago worked with a guy called Seamus. Seamus has been living in France for the past two years, unfortunately arriving alone to his isolated house just prior to Covid hitting. As a result he has not settled in France and was in fact on the verge (within days) of relocating back to the UK. Tre had desperately been trying to meet with him before he returned - and today was that day.
Seamus had chosen the restaurant - and had chosen well . . . . although the Michelin awards on the wall by the front door did make me gulp slightly. Fair to say I wasn’t expecting that!!
Seamus was already seated inside and after joining him we spent a good couple of hours talking fondly of Teresa’s mum and also his life in France and future plans. We all agreed that maybe his experience of France would have been better had he been sited elsewhere and without the onset and lock down that Covid brought.
The bill was not as bad as I had expected, thankfully Teresa and Seamus had opted for the second of two menus for the day by complete chance - Tre mentioned later she hadn’t even seen the price difference between the two . . . .I had . . . about €150 per head more than our thankfully chosen menu.
The food was stunning however and the entire atmosphere was very enjoyable. We would recommend anyone to make a visit to Le Verre y Table, Avenue Carnot, Jarnac. They also have a very substantial collection of Cognac if you were so inclined.
On finishing our meal we said our goodbye’s to Seamus and wished him well for the move and onward return to the UK. We drove a short way up the road to the town centre, stopped and had little while walking near the river. We must make a return visit here when we have a little more time.
We then headed back home in Roxvanne - again taking in the scenery created by the vineyards which seemed to be as far as the eye could see.
On the way home Tre told me that when she had tripped down the stairs this morning, she had heard a ’snapping’ type sound from her ankle. She had then sat on the floor in tears for five minutes as the pain her made her feel sick and it hurt so much. All this time I had been flat out in bed upstairs! She didn’t make me feel too guilty . . . . honestly. Apparently the ankle didn’t feel too bad now . . . time will tell.
Finally nearing home I mentioned to Tre that we had never really visited the ‘Relais’ during our time at the ours. We had popped in once for a soft drink at lunchtime and that was all - never in an evening. Roxvanne parked up, we walked down the lane to the Relais. As previously we were the only ones in the place. The owner and his wife were immediately on hand to get us our drinks and we sat to discuss our day. The lady owner at shortly after giving us our drinks started a conversation with us . . . Teresa!! She obviously realised we were English and our French (Teresa’s) was far from perfect, but she obviously then tempered her French and lack of any English to have what turned out to be about a 40 minute conversation with Teresa. She even tried to sell us the house across the road. Teresa was brilliant and her French seemed to be flooding back . . . I could sort of guess what was being said, but had nothing to add verbally. I made a sneaky recording to Tre speaking so I could prove to her at home how well she had done. We stayed for best part of a couple of hours before walking home, promising the landlady that we would return next week one evening for a meal.
At home we just ate some bits and pieces before calling it a day and falling into our pit.
Another fab day and a day that again confirmed I could not have done anything like this without Teresa by my side!Leia mais