Messing about by the river

Up went the shout and I met André next to the fountain for our weekly foray to the market. The sky was as blue as you like and the sun shone brightly upon us as we circumnavigated the market around the cathedral, not once, not twice but three times. A woman with a beard stopped us to remark on the quality of André’s baskets, which gradually filled up with leeks, chestnuts, fish, foie gras and all manner of other goods. We went for coffee and croissants at a very fine chocolaterie.

I returned home for lunch and to write, but it seemed such a waste to be sitting indoors when the weather was so beautiful. So I gathered up my notebooks and took a long walk beside the Dordogne, eventually finding a secluded bench high up overlooking the river. It was fantastically warm and completely silent, and I sat there writing for nearly three hours. Occasionally strollers would pass by and observe me curiously. I gave them a nod and a wink. A little dog appeared from nowhere and hopped up on the bench beside me and put his chin on my lap and stayed there for several minutes until an old dear came along looking for him. She started chatting away to me, so I just nodded and smiled. Seemed to do the trick.

Aperitifs at L’Enfance de Lard, then back home to cook liver and bacon and watch my new DVD ‘The Grass Harp’ – but the thing bloody buggered up on the last scene which somewhat ruined the ending.