Reacquainting Ourselves

Our life here in Lignieres has become richer through our meeting and befriending a group of fellow ex-pats or wannabe ex-pats such as ourselves. Yesterday, a Tuesday, was started by having coffee at The Red House high on the hill between Lignieres and
Touche'. A youngish (our kids age) couple, Olive and Mike, bought the place in the spring of 2004 and have been "at it" ever since. She is a teacher, he a sign maker, and their struggle is with their selling of the property they had in the UK. It has taken ever so long to end the contract with their renters and finally find a buyer and amidst that they have had to return to the UK to work to provide some additional income to pay for all of this. No fun...and yet they are happy and contented with their choices. The coffee was wonderfully strong and rich and the accompanying pastry of our local boulangerie was superb! We small talked our way throughan hour or so then excused ourselves to return to our petite maison to prepare an appetizer for today's musical event at Villier, the Richardson's castle just outside of Lignieres. A local terrine maker's finest pork product was unmolded onto a plate and I made brushetta of the local bread sliced quite thin and brushed with olive oil, herbs and garlic. At The Richardson's building site we parked under the frame of one of the outbuildings being constructed in the wall of the castle grounds. Phillip came to greet us, the first to arrive for this afternoon of song, eating and drinking.