A Country Walk in the Tarn

This morning, Jeudi 2 Juillet, I got up at 7:30 a.m., uncovered the pool, unlocked the gates (which always remind me of a fortress) and headed off for a country walk. Mme. Bonne was out watering her garden, the donkeys were braying, and the birds were chirping away. It was so beautiful! The green grasses are gone, as the hay is all baled now, and you occasionally come across an odd bale left out for the livestock. The wheat fields have dried out just with this last heat wave in the past couple of days, and the countryside is brimming with hawks, butterflies, bees and hares. An hour and half later, I ambled up the lane past the lake to find Orlando squishing cherries (we squished three crates together yesterday). Pull the stems off, and squish. If we get a barrel full, which is about 100 kilos, we will be able to take it to a distillery in October and get about 15 bottles of eau de vie cherise made. Here in the Tarn, you need to get the Mayor's approval to make eau de vie....probably the closest I'll come to bootlegging! It's off to serve breakfast, 9 a.m. Who ever thought I would be waiting tables...but somehow here, it's not so bad!