Despite a combined age of 321 years, Jaqui, Edmonde, Andree and me had a hell of a day in Carcassonne. After Andree collected me, we went to get Edmonde from her eyrie on Mont Marot - where she is queen of the world, looking across the valley and the river to Rennes les Chateau - thence to Jaqui's where the fun really began with her closing the electric gates before we'd gone. No problem; just a little wait and a reopen. The attendant hilarity was a sign that this would be a good day and despite the quarrel in the car on the virtues of cremation over burial (final score two each I think) we arrived in the environs of Geant and shopped all over.
It was exhausting.
Everything bought was voted on by the entire team so each purchase was lengthy and thorough. At one point, buying a carpet, I told Andree that she was impossible and the poor dear man who had been trying to help for some time bridled slightly and said with pride, but yes, she is french.
We ended up in KFC, thats Kentucky Fried Chicken to the uninitiated. The sort of place one would not dream of setting foot in in the UK and perhaps in other places but les filles wanted to try it out and we all needed coffee and toilettes. They sold us not bad custardy pastries and hot chocolate and were charmed by the team - as was everyone, everywhere we went.
If I'm spared for a while longer I want to be like these girls.
Missed a golden opportunity this morning for another picture for the rogues gallery. Tout le monde were sitting outside the cafe in the square watching the market and having breakfast - Aileen and 5 dogs, Olle-Bendick, Mike and Hilary, Kat, John and Margaret, Jill and Tony, Sergio and others. Some of them had eaten chez moi the evening before (Carpaccio of beef/ beouf en daube (grace a Chez Charlie), rat from the summers crop, baked pots/ crumble from the summers rennes claude) and it was good to see them looking well. The more so as Lily had bitten John. I was worried about blood poisoning but she seems fine.
