Trio plus One
Wednesday and Fi, Paul and Debs are due to arrive mid afternoon. In preparation we have cut diced and sliced all that we need for a paella and a salad from the garden. Fi is picking up prawns and the fridge is stocked with wine and beer. All bed linen is sorted and the place is clean.
When we woke from our siesta we found an email saying that they are delayed as their luggage is still at Heathrow. They eventually turned up about half seven so we cracked on with dinner while listening to their epic which included a detour up towards Port D’Ola due to a navigational error.
A lie in the next morning was very welcome by all and a day pottering around the barn and chatting. Paul and I got on with getting the rest of the pipework installed to get water flowing out of the kitchen tap and the ladies grabbed brushes and sealed the new terrace, affectionately called the “Helipadâ€. Roast Chicken supper.
Friday got us all out of the valley and walking towards Port D’Ola with a picnic, boules in Salau and beer at the Auberge.
Saturday, market day, so all down to St Girons to browse and pick up supplies. Late lunch of chicken salad at the barn and pottering on waiting for Matt to arrive from the West. Paul and I had just got the new pump connected, primed and pumping water out of the tap when Matt got here. Unfortunately the running water only lasted a short while as our inverter is not man enough to drive it. Had to test it all on the generator which is not ideal in the long term. Note to self, must get a bigger inverter. Had a lovely evening around the dinner table with cherry hot smoked duck breasts, patatas bravas and salads, followed by rum and mint marinated pineapple. Finished off with cheese and Chinese Checkers by the fire.
Sunday and Matt joined us for a circular walk from the barn with a little forage for wild mushrooms. Found some hedgehog fungus which were served with garlic on croute as a light bite for lunch after which Matt headed back to his Aunt in the Pyrenees. Paul was then desperate to start digging out the back of the barn where we need to get a land drain in. Once we got half way along with a sizeable trench we were both sweaty and ready for a beer. An early BBQ supper on the front terrace and bed.