Decided today to give Topsy  a short walk, then to do a little local exploring with Happy. Walked Topsy without a bootie and she is not limping, which is good progress. Repeated it about 5PM and she was still well, but not inclined to play boisterously with Happy. So will increase the distance gradually and see how she goes.

Happy and I ended up doing a 10.5k circuit to St. Adjutory and back. We crossed the Bellone stream and came across a very pretty chateau at Le Ménieux, which had rounded turrets with  conical roofs, as well as a large open-air swimming pool! We went on to an old public lavatoire, where people used to gather to wash their laundary and gossip.

Returned home, fed the dogs and cooked another risotto for me and lit the fire. Was just settling down to write this up, when thete was a knock on the window. It was Alan.

“Voulez vous de Pineau?”

The obvious answer was “Mais oui!” so we all headed back to his house for a session!

It turned out that it was St. Alan’s day, so his neighbour Jean, who keeps the sheep, had hauled him off for lunch which was probably fairly alcoholic. So as his wife Monique was away walking the route of St. Jaques, he was carrying on the celebration!

He first opened a bottle of St. Emillion organic from Bordeau, but by mistake. So we had to drink that later! Alan showed me his Pineau making equipment, where the grapes are squeezed between two rollers and the juice fortified with 30% wine spirit, then put into huge oak barrels 4 foot wide by 6 foot tall. We were just settling in to the Pineau when a car pulled up. It was not his son Julien, but three of his friends who had come to wish Alan Happy Saint’s Day! These were Jean’s son Julien and his wife Mi-Mi (who live in the village) and their friend Antoin, who like Obelix, had fallen into a barrel of Alan’s Pineau at an early age and now could drink vast quantities of it! So as Antoin skillfully syphoned off more Pinot from a barrel, we settled into a session of Pineau and Pastis drinking that went on utill midnight! Alan produced his home made paté and later a magnificent corgette omelette. His son Julien arrived back from selling his organic bread in Angouleme, and broight some Chevre cheese, inclusing pne where it jad acvodentally been continsted by a nlue mould on the top, givimg it a wonderfully sharp acidic taste on top of the softness of a mild chevre. A great evening and I staggered home with the dogs.

I had invited Alan for tea the next day, and in the drunken camaradie of the moment, I invited everyone! So Alan is taking me shopping at 10AM tomorrow!