Moving On
2 comments September 14th, 2004
We are finally ready to leave the haven of Cécile’s, and tomorrow is the day. I feel very lucky to have been able to rest somewhere so comfortable while I wasn’t feeling great. Gary has had a wonderful time clearing all of the nettles and undergrowth at the back of the garden. The resulting pile has been burning for the last 24 hours, aided by the odd dash of petrol. Talk about man in his element.
Meanwhile, I have been passing the time in my customary constructive fashion, by remaining in a foetal position on the chaise longue, reading “War and Peace”. I see it as a full time occupation, as the book is far too heavy to carry, necessitating my completion of it before we leave.
Last night Cécile cooked us a traditional Russian meal of small beef balls rolled into a dough similar to pasta – but, most emphatically, “NOT RAVIOLI” – which are served with dill, bouillon, cream, butter and vinegar. Watching her create the small parcels with precise, deft movements provided almost as much joy as eating them.
It seemed the perfect dish yesterday, as Autumn made an appearance with the first real chill in the air and a blustery rain storm. Our long break has put us well behind our original time plan,and I guess we will be nowhere near the Pyrenees before the cold of late November. It no longer seems to be so important, though, to rush, and we both know we will get there eventually; so we shall plod along in our steady way, and appreciate the world passing us by. We will both be glad to pack up again tomorrow, difficult as it is to leave such a special home as Cécile’s. It seems strange, after the utter peace of Montreuil-sur-Breche, that in a few days we will be in the mad rush of Paris. I look forward to it with a mixture of dread and anticipation, knowing I will hate being back amongst all of the traffic and hustle of a big city, but incredibly excited about exploring one of the most beautiful and fascinating cities in Europe. Either way, it will be good for us to get on the move again. It seems as though we have been on holiday here for weeks, although it is less than one.
Paris will probably be the next post, sometime next weekend.