Mundus Casus Pars Duo

  Tuesday to Thursday 29 to 31 July Into London again to collect the dinner suit and cocktail frock from Jamie Cubitt and buy him lunch at a surprisingly good and reasonably priced restaurant. Some spicy tacos and a decent glass of red. Then straight back home on train and tram. Wednesday and we are again off to London to Fleet Street and the Old Bank of England building which is now a half decent pub. Here we catch up with Warren, Tammy and Miykala and Alyssia as well, for a celebratory lunch coinciding with the family dinner at Gimlet, Melbourne for Joanne’s 40 th birthday. Despite a dodgy internet connection and loud noise from the Gimlet crowd, we managed to touch base and toast the birthday girl. Thursday is a home day and the weather has turned cool and some light drizzle. Lady P takes Bruno for a long walk to his favourite café, where he gets doggy treats. We are currently sitting on 70% free accommodation since leaving Melbourne. However, the cost of living in NZ is ...

  Sunday and Monday 27 & 28 July 2025 Morning coffee down the high street is average but most of the shops are open and a few people about. This is actually Addiscombe – apart of Croydon that is much less Middle Eastern than other parts but not particularly British either. Well, perhaps it is now. Lady P takes Bruno for a long walk, as we are going to the theatre tonight and will be home late. Meanwhile, Flashy cooks up some beef and Guinness sausage and egg for lunch and strolls up to the Ale and Claret for a pint. She is off to see a musical with Laura Jane, Charlotte and a couple of others, in which Sebastian is the principal dancer - Little Dancer  is a new musical based on the story of Marie van Goethem, the girl who posed for impressionist Edgar Degas and became the heart of one of the most celebrated sculptures in history. A bronze copy of Degas’ wax model of the Little Dancer was tucked under the stairs of Sir Max Raine’s house, where Lady P’s fellow Karitane...

  Friday to Saturday 18 to 26 July 2025 Emma Lou and Johnny arrive on Tuesday, so the last gardening jobs and a final visit to St Jean d’ Angeley market for fruit, veg, fish and cheese is undertaken on Saturday. On Monday afternoon and in between rain showers, Lady P mows the dead grass and weeds. With 60 kph winds due later today, Flashy covers the now leaf filled pool and moves furniture inside.  Power goes out for two hours at 5.30 pm, which prompted some boy scout thinking. Beer and wine should be OK for a few hours. All’s good really. The rest of the week is much the same with the good bit being the arrival of EL&J and the presentation of the BBQ present. Lots of cooking then, with roasting, grilling and even bacon and eggs for breakfast. The high point on Thursday is the arrival of very large machinery in the street.  It seems that the local council has engaged contractors to trim the edges and clean out the drains. Easily amused I suppose. An early morning ...

  Monday to Thursday 14 to 17 July Our magic weather continues and Lady P has taken to the pool for a half kilometre swim and a bit of floating around too. Still only 26C in the pool so no go for Flashy! Thursday, we drove through the dry summer fields of the region, about 20 minutes along goat tracks and under giant wind turbines to a highly acclaimed restaurant at Migre. I did notice that there were no birds falling out of the sky or pigs with two heads, so they must be special wind turbines. Les Sources du Moulin Restaurant is a country cottage, bistro, cellar door, restaurantie sort of place. Seats about 100 and does an amazing lunch (which we had) and they say, remarkable dinners. It is family run with the son a Paris trained chef. 34,90€ gets you a prix fixe menu with three choices of entrée, plat and dessert. An amuse arrives to start and is followed by carpaccio of veal Italian style. Then tuna for her and duck for him. Very grand French style not country simple that’...

  Monday to Sunday 7 to 13 July 2025 Weather is hot again and the pool has reached 24C. Another 10 degrees and Flashy may even swim. The days roll on with a late breakfast, some admin and a bit of gardening. Lunch on the patio, a beer under the cherry tree, a nap for some and a walk for others before the evening gin. Wednesday brings more of the same with a trip into the nearby village of Tonnay Boutonne. A coffee at the bistro and a small shopping expedition at a brilliant Coop supermarket. Small but like the best IGA back home. Some more weed removal in the ‘lawn’ but not too much as it’s hot and we’re relaxed. Thursday much the same. Friday, being hot again, we headed for Fouras, an up market beachside town, just north of the mouth of the Charente River, about 40 minutes west of LPR.   Here they farm mussels and oysters big time.  There are many flash restaurants along the beach and one we liked, a little old and tired, out by the oyster sheds and pier. According...

  Wednesday to Sunday 2 -6 July 2005 After crashing early on Tuesday night, we headed into St. Savinien for Lady P’s doctor’s appointment on Wednesday and then into St Jean D’Angeley to our familiar Intermarche for some supplies. An afternoon nap for some and a 6km walk for others and a home cooked roast chicken and vegetables for dinner. The weekend Just chilling. Poisoning some weeds. Vacuuming the pool and  it s in the 30'sc. We went into the market on Saturday and enjoyed the exciting summer festival activities as if we were never away. Same familiar faces and some recognition from the coffee lady and the bread guy.  There were the Roman soldiers again; a shuffling drum band and some old jazz guys inside the market hall. Fruit, vege, bread and cheese purchased and we're good for the week ahead. We determined that in recognition of the generous use of LPR (5 months if you count last year), which we consider our French rural retreat, we would buy EL and Johnny a B...

  Monday and Tuesday 30 June & 1 July 2025 Monday starts a long 24 hour travel day with our shuttle to JFK and an easy check in. This was followed by a two hour delay in the incoming aircraft and thus a delayed departure. The Swiss Air flight was average but we managed a couple of hours sleep on the 7.5 hour trans Atlantic flight. As we arrived late (8.30 am) into Zurich, we of course missed the connection to Bordeaux. Next flight, 6.00 pm. As good as it was, we didn’t intend to spend the entire day in the Swiss Air lounge at the airport. So, enter the Schengen area here. Immigration, passport control, ESA for Switzerland, stamp the passport and ‘welcome to Switzerland.’ We walk to the train station and off to Zurich old town in a very dry and hot 36 C. A tram ride and a ferry boat ride on the lake. A local German bratwurst and hot dog. A good, cold German beer and an Aperol Spritz. Look, look, click, click and back to catch the excellent short hop to Bordeaux on an Embraer...