Summer Firsts

Summer Firsts
Last Monday was the first pizza evening of the year that we ate outside on the Bar du Pont terrace. It really is a landmark because, coming later in the year than usual, it will now be the norm until September, barring rain. And I find it adds a lot to the evening, particularly as the evening wears on and the air becames balmy.

Anyway, it sparked me to invite half-a-dozen people to eat on the Thursday and half-a-dozen more to have aperitifs with me on the Friday. Time to get my terrace room going and do more eating and drinking outside. There was more clearing up to be done than I had supposed but it got done and I decided to cook a curry, to make a change for my French guests. Fortunately it went down well and no one left much before midnight. For me, it was a chance to try out the terrace room with the sliding doors back, the fountain going and, hopefully, the scent of honeysuckle drifting on from the terrace.

The honeysuckle has now started blooming, both on the terrace and by the balcony at the front of the house and it really makes a difference to the experience of sitting out in either place. The jasmine is also about to break into flower so there should be lots of pleasant evenings ahead.

Friday began with a trip to Savoillan high in the hills behind for a lunch organised at the auberge there by the Amitié Mollanaise, the village club which had organised the bloules trip. I had been told I had to go to it and found out why when there. The club president got up when everyone was seated and said how proud they all were by the boules team which had finished as top team in the Vaucluse. And I and the other team members were presented with three bottles of wine in a presentation pack. Also, it was pointed out that a photo of the team and a short article were published in the local newspaper, La Tribune. Obviously, this felt great but I couldn't help thinking that it was a bit over the top; after all, we had finished only seventh. The psychology of it seems to be that finishing above all the Vaucluse teams was what was important; it was the Drôme giving two fingers up to the Vaucluse, a bit like winning a derby match.

I had to leave quickly after the (lengthy) lunch in order to get the terrace room ready again for the people coming for aperitifs. That evening also went well but it has been a learning experience for me and I now have a much clearer idea of what is involved in using the terrace room. Firstly, I need more cutlery, plates and glasses stored in the room, to avoid too many trips up and down three flights of stairs. Secondly, I think that ten people is probably the maximum that can comfortably be entertained there. Seating and table space dictate that. Besides which, that is about as much washing up as I am prepared to do at one time!

All in all it has been a hectic 48 hours but a rewarding time.