Early morning stirrings from the Marie woke us – gently. Sweeping, chatting, a dog barking, kids playing. Lovely village sounds. Steve’s job was to go for the fresh bread and we had an early breakfast before setting off for the markets. It’s so different in the village in summer compared to last November when I was last here. Then it was cold and quiet and though the markets were on then they were fairly small. This time they were all action. Bright colourful, full of stalls selling everything from delicious food to bright straw hats, beads, belts, scarves, clothes, flowers, tableware…… and so it went. I had my shopping bag and Margaret and I quickly went to the linen clothes stall. Some lovely things – and I bought a pair of linen pants and a white dress. Could have gone mad but held back. We got our coffee and watched the world go by while John and Margaret visited the local doctor to check on John’s injured leg. He pulled something in his leg the night of the Bastille Day pasta party – jumping up a step! This of course has made him a little crazy!

We returned to the house with provisions and packed up a picnic and headed to Tour Tour to meet up with Andy and Lin who had ridden off in 32′ heat . It’s a lovely drive there and once again quite different in summer. The villages we passed through were lively and decorated with posters advertising fairs and balls, feasts, movies, theatre and of course markets.

Tour Tour is a lovely town we visited last November and well worth visiting for a picnic under the trees at the top of the hill. We arrived just before our cyclist friends and Steve greeted them in true Tour de France fashion by taking off his shirt waving it the air and running alongside them as they came up the final hill.

We chilled out for a while before heading back to Cotignac to watch the final stages of theTour – in time to see Costa lead and manage to take the yellow jersey for the day.

Home again for rests and listening to the sounds from the Marie before enjoying a dinner out at La Clos de Van – where the chef Stefan is married to a lovely girl from Warchope near Port Macquarie! We met her the other night at the town’s pasta party. The restaurant is a few km out of the village set in a vineyard and serves the most delicious meals. We had lots of laughs concluding with a limoncello and a visit from Stefan who despite being French has a lovely Australian accent.

Home to bed but not before one more limoncello!