Le Fil GOOD

the bar is ready for anything

“Le Fil GOOD”, that’s the name of the bar on the corner of our street. The french love a play on words, especially if it combines french and english and it doesn’t need to make sense .

Evidence cover band

The new patron , Philippe, organises a music night once a month on a saturday with a different band each time. Last month was Nova Swing and this last saturday it was Evidence who perform covers of 70s and 80s bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Cream, and even Eric Clapton, Otis Redding and Bob Marley, and lots more.

they're serious about their music here 

The bar can only fit about 40 inside, including standing room, so we reserved a table for our group of 12. Philippe provided platters of charcuterie and cheese and an endless supply of red wine and rosé. We had not planned to stay to the end, but….. the last number finished at 12.30 and we dragged ourselves home, four doors away. It may not be late by our children’s standards, but for us, living in a quiet country town, it was a good night out.

Unfortunately, it was also the night that we changed our clocks for ‘summer time’ so we lost one hour’s sleep. We couldn’t sleep in as we had friends coming for lunch  and there was  much to do.

The local LeClerc supermarket has just celebrated their fifth anniversary with a country and western theme. The staff were dressed as cowboys and indians and there was a bucking bronco ride for the children. Why C&W ? Don't understand it but the french are crazy for this. 

 The sun is shining this week and we have been working in the garden again. There are new shoots on the fig tree and blossom on the cherry trees and the crabapple, and a few daffodils and tulips have popped up. The new climbing roses that we have planted are looking very well as are the replacement geraniums in their pots ( previous ones lost to the frost). Our window boxes are back in place filled with pansies, lobelia and ivy and showing a positive face to the world. 

cherry blossom

crabapple

ivy and old stone

The village markets are returning and the flower markets will be everywhere in May. We are sitting in the garden throwing the ball for Lily and enjoying spring at last.

daffodils and tulips in an old wine barrel

La vie est rose

Spring is here, or so they say…….

blossom beside the Dordogne at Port Ste Foy

After days of strong gusting winds and rain, the clouds finally parted to show off a bit of blue sky. So off we went to visit some friends newly arrived from Australia and staying on the Lot river to the south of us.

Lots of trees are in blossom, those fields with crops already sown are a bright green , interspersed with those of rich, freshly tilled soil. Probably corn or sunflowers will appear before long.  And the vines have been pruned ready for that first flush of leaves that should be here in the next few weeks. Despite most trees still being bare, the countryside does look lovely in the sunshine.

I just love the signs in these old villages

anyone for a coffee ?

or a beer ?

We joined our friends for lunch at a typical routier’s café ( truck drivers, that is). You are always advised to watch out for a café surrounded by trucks at lunch time. This is the sign of good cooking offered at a reasonable price. No such thing as takeaway food for our truckies. There are 3 courses for a set price and no choice. A salad starter from the buffet, a main of hachis parmentier au boudin ( a version of shepherd’s pie but made with black pudding this time), and a selection of desserts, all served with a basket of bread, a bottle of water and a carafe of wine, and for the princely sum of €15.00 each. The dishes are declared to be  made freshly in house and were delicious.

one of the original gateways into the village
tucked away beside the church

the Pujols coat of arms

Next, off to visit a local “Plus beau village de France”. Pujols is a medieval hilltop town in the Lot et Garonne. There is also a Pujols in the Gironde near us, but that is another story. It was very quiet on this particular day except for the commune workers cleaning and preparing for the summer rush of tourists and the owner of the local restaurant setting up his courtyard dining area and filling pots with flowers.

one of the commune staff hard at work

lots of colombage on the local houses (timber and brick work)

not sure what the cauldrons are for ...

love that restoration includes medieval style doors

another gateway, the Porte des Anglais

And at our saturday morning market in Ste Foy la Grande, the flower seller has returned. 

this flower seller specialises in 'meadow'  and 'wild' flowers rather than the usual cultivated varieties. This week he has acacia (wattle to australians) and magnolia. and they're selling fast

Summer can’t be far away.

Bon week-end à tous