Birthday and Armistice Day

I am a little behind with the post this week, as we have had a somewhat (for us) busy weekend!  On Friday we went out to lunch to celebrate Nigel's birthday; the nearby Les Routiers Restaurant we like is closed on Saturdays, so we decided to celebrate a day early.

Happy Birthday Nigel

For some unknown reason we did not realise there was soup on the menu; I don't think they have it in summer, so  we went straight for the self service hors d'oeuvres

Nigel did not have the snails but had some ham and pasta instead

For the main course we both chose gigot of lamb with frites and courgettes.  This was followed by cheese and finally we both chose crème brulee for desert.

Then came Saturday, and the real day of the birthday, so we had all the neighbours around for aperitifs.  Thankfully it meant only snacks, but it still all takes time though we really enjoyed the visit.  Sadly I put my camera on the side to take some photos and when they had all gone I realised that I had completely forgotten to take a single photo!!

Finally yesterday, Sunday, we went to the Remembrance Day ceremony at our local war memorial.  For more information see last years service HERE.  This year was very similar, with the service at the memorial, followed by snacks and drinks in the Salle des Fetes (Community Hall), where one of our local residents displays part of his huge collection of WW1 memorabilia for all to see.

The two of us waiting for the service to begin. I had a haircut a couple of weeks back, I did say short but it was not meant to be quite this short!

The service

Some of the memorabilia

I thought this may be of interest to my American followers

Not sure that I would like to be standing in the way of any of this artillery!

Finally we were surprised with an invitation to lunch with the organisers and the mayor.  As the only English speaking people at the table this was quite an honour.

Last but not least, Nigel called out to me to see the glow on the trees in the garden from the setting sun.  I ran out and managed two quick photos and the brightness had gone. I just caught it in the nick of time.

 

See also - My Life Before Charente Updated 12/11/12

Wines of the Charente - Cave de Saint Sornin

The Cave of St Sornin is a co-operative wine producer in the Charente and our closest winery in France.  I visited it in September this year and took a few photographs. (Cave, the  "a" pronounced with a long "ah", is French for cellar - or cave)

Located on one of the paths of the pilgrims of Saint Jacques de Compostela, the vineyards of Saint Sornin in Charente Perigord, are one of the oldest vineyards in France. The company does tours of the wine production facility by arrangement and you can buy St. Sornin wines afterwards in the shop.

Started in 1967, the wine co-operative's main business is wine from the Wine Country Charentais. i.e. the Charente department. I understand this is the only winery that produces 100% Charentais wines.  They also sell cognac and the charentais speciality Pineau, plus a few other local specialties such as slippers, jams and pates. Pineau is a 50:50 mixture of cognac and white wine and many local people produce their own for home consumption - the quality varies!!!

There is, of course, tasting. I am not very good at this, as I heartily dislike spitting wine out!  What a waste!

The decor is a reminder of the local heritage; there are many  prehistoric caves and  sites in the region.

You can even buy wine and your slippers at the same time, these are of course the famous Charentaise Slippers

This barrel was beautifully painted, but no matter how I tried, I could not get a photo without the glare of the lights!