June retrospective

In June I have again been flying solo.
After 5 months without seeing my former partner I spent 4 weeks helping to prepare his move,  then a month in UK, then a good six weeks helping him again. Yet, he also was helping me in those months from March to end of May. A fair exchange! He's gone travelling with 10kg in his backpack to Asia, yet thinks he is a minimalist. Hey ho his stuff is left chez moi!  The joke is clear to me and family!
Anyway, I would need extra footwear as well as the kitchen sink in my backpack so he really is earning brownie points. Maybe he will return a changed man.

Meanwhile, Big Feet, OUR cat, who became HIS cat is now HER cat and seems to think she is in heaven.  She is very demanding!  Evidently, neighbours say she travels a great distance!  I find it remarkable that she can exit the house to the rear garden and appear in the front courtyard. Cats scale roofs. Maybe she climbs the shed roofs to the neighbour's field, trots along the road and leaps the eight feet high large brown gate and/ stone wall!  I love intelligent cats!  She is aged 13 plus!

This post is really intended to be about the meal I was invited to by my dear friends. I vowed to have two starters, but at this type of restaurant the proprietors would not have understood.  Please see the posting after this one! For four courses and three 'mise en bouche' who can complain at a 25 euro menu? Even though we divided the bill it cost me 50 euros 'en totale' on account of aperitifs plus three bottles of wine chosen by mine host... the last was extremely delicious!  Maybe that was the one that was 30e! The whole meal was fantastic! No complaints except that C. had 'un bestiole' in her raspberry! The proprietor brought another!  I decided that it would be my own private way of celebrating the fact that I have lived in this house for four years.  I missed the celebration on April 30th, for it was no fun with no one!
So, here we go!

Smoked carp, beetroot something and cheese straws. Mein Gott it was delicious.

Melon soup with spices, nutmeg and sprouted garlic seeds. Divine!

The starter - 4 filleted breasts of quail with asparagus, garlic sprouts and a fine red cabbage salad!
Imagine filleting two little birds!

Raspberry on ice - to clear the palate!

The sweetest ever beef cooked to la point with vegetables including chard, courgette, carrots, onion.
Even peas have been artfully arranged with love!

We are in the dark when dessert arrives ... apricots in a fine frangipane! Heaven!

After our just desserts was coffee, French style of course. Returning to chez eux, JC serves Baileys coffee in a giant mug!  It is known that restaurants make a necessary profit on the sale of alcohol.  At first I didn't wish to have a starter but the proprietress offered me a cocktail sans alcohol.  Feeling holier than thou, I asked for water but the decision changed to a Kir! I prefer not to mix drinks these days! One grape me! However, I think the Bailey's coffee served by J-C near midnight caused the 35 year old tummy issues to surface but worryingly it was not too bad. I just stayed in bed until 11h when I knew I was recuperated. Other than that we had three bottles of wine between five persons where glasses were always filled by the proprietress over a period of three to four hour meal! Between 8pm and 1am I enjoyed the company of my friends and theirs whilst Workawayers babysat.. for that has often been my role when my friends wish to go to this Michelin restaurant. See next posting!