Reset and resupply

Monday, May 16
We have been trekking hard since Janis and Clark arrived and haven't given them a chance to acclimate and get over their jetlag. It's been especially tough on Janis who is fighting a cold and sore throat. So today has been designated as rest and recovery day. We have lots of errands to do as we've ignored chores over the past week and they are catching up with us.

First task is to deliver Duane and Judy to the Béziers train station to catch their train to Barcelona for the first leg of their journey back to the States. But before that, Judy needs one more breakfast of croissants, so Dave and Judy head off to Point Chaud (the bakery is closed) at 6:30 in search of croissants and pain au chocolate. They return empty-handed the first time (croissants are still in the oven) and try again 15 minutes later with success. They eat, pack lunches and we deliver them to Béziers train station at 7:30. Good byes are too quick in the crowded parking lot, and they are off. Seems hard to believe they are leaving already. Seems like they just got here.

Our next task is to turn in the rental car. But after driving around for 20 minutes looking for an open gas station and finding none except a 24/24, we return the car 7/8ths full and pay the penalty for having them pump 9 liters of gas to fill it up. Oh well, at least we're rid of the rental on time.

When we get home, Janis and Clark have gone back to bed and I decide to do the same. But there are noises in the street and on investigation, I discover that there is a tow truck outside to pick up the burned out car. Since our car is once more parked in front of the burned out car, Dave goes out to move our car. I watch until the car is safely on the truck and gone. But it's now 10 and there'll be no more napping today. I need to work on the blog.

Without moving too quickly, we manage to complete the day's tasks. There's laundry (two loads) and grocery shopping at SuperU, a bit of cleaning and re-shuffling rooms. We make the grocery list at lunch which we eat in typical French fashion - bread, an assortment of cheeses, some meats and wine. Of course, we eat on the terrace.



We change all the sheets and move Janis and Clark into the larger double bedroom where they can unpack and spread out a bit. We put the table back to 4-people size and turn the small bedroom back into an office. In between times, Dave takes Janis and Clark on the short tour of Thézan's old town

our house

Mairie, Thézan

Janis and trompe l'oeil

and they drive over to Murviel to look at the medieval part of town and, more importantly, refill the bidon. (Judy has been trying to convince us to call it the "bidet" - that funny toilet looking thing in French bathrooms that no one knows what to do with.)

filling the bidon with vrac

We need to do a bit of planning for our travels the next week. We plan short days and long days to accommodate trips to the market, wine tasting and olive tasting along with necessary chores and meals.

We are now restocked with food and wine, clean clothes and clean linens. And it is now 5 PM. Time to end the day's work with aperos and dinner. Janis and I invent a chicken dish that uses up the citron marmelade that wasn't much of a hit with croissants. We add asparagus and risotto. Mighty tasty. We even have dessert of strawberries and ice cream with espresso.

And we complete our planning for tomorrow. It will be a "short day" tomorrow with a trip to see the Gorges d'Héric and then do wine tasting in the Faugères region.