An evening of British sitcom in a French villa....

[Paris chapter coming tomorrow...]


Oh my...so Sandy and Roger have some friends visiting from Suffix, and boy what group these 4 make!  We've pretty much just been laughing the whole evening.


Rach and I took a quick swim in the pool, which our do-it-yourself Roger has spent the last year completing on his own. (Dad - it took him about 9 months to fix the shutters around the house w/ all the scraping, replacing rotten wood, and painting....sound familiar?).  We then helped Sandy with the dinner - had some great discussions about the cultural differences between the US, UK, and France...as well as the perceptions of each other (whether valid or not).  I'm not surprised that she said most Europeans see Americans as consumerist, but I was surprised to hear her say that Americans are perceived as more polite and community-oriented than people in the UK.  [Granted, much of her experience with Americans has been with those on military bases, so that may play a part in it all.]


It was so ammusing to observe the women harness in their men during the dinner conversation: "Now watch what you say, Roger," "I've told you not to use that word, Roger," "Oh, Trevor, don't tell that story". The whole evening rippled with laughter as we got to know each other better, talking about everything from politics to food to their secret talents (like step-dancing and immitating royalty).  We both just felt so welcomed and immediately a part of the family.


Roger and Trevor were dedicated to BBQing in the rain, but we're glad they did...the chicken and beef were delicious. We also enjoyed some bread (of course), a potato and egg salad (eggs fresh from their chickens!), and a green salad that came straight from the neighbor's garden (Cammy, an old Frenchman who strictly lives off the land...even at 75. Some of you will appreciate the fact that he also makes his own Pinot!).  We topped it off with some chocolate "pudding," which I expected to be the creamy stuff...but I guess "pudding" is a generic term for dessert. SO, we enjoyed chocolate cake with strawberries and clotted cream. (Mom & Anna, made me think of our scones and tea!)


So just a glimpse of our time at the lovely Villa so far!  The comfy pillows in our beautiful room are calling out to us, so off to bed we go. Tomorrow we will become more acquainted with the chickens, their pet duck, the gardens, and the necessary work around the house.


Bon nuit!