LOCATION: Housesitting near Bergerac, France

WEATHER: Very nice. Highs upper 70s

After the homeowners left around noon, we made our plan for the day: lunch and shopping. We drove to a small village nearby. It was very quiet, although we have heard that it explodes on Saturdays for market day.

We weren’t seeing many lunch options until this chef rushed out of his bistro, and beckoned us in. He was a real character. There was no menu, so we winged it. They didn’t want us to split a meal, so George got their steak special and I ordered a “small” salad. It turned out like this…..!

He came out to see how we liked the food. The French couple next to us were debating about whether to order the steak. We heard the chef explaining the cut of beef in wondrous detail. Then, he went back to the kitchen and hauled out a huge loin to show him where he would cut the steak. (It worked – they ordered it). He was very dramatic!

After a bit of a driving challenge, we found the major supermarket in the area and stocked up. Then, to the wine cooperative. It is literally in our backyard……

The local farmers bring their grapes here and this co-op blends them all together for local wines. There are bottled wines for sale, but most people bring in their plastic jugs and fill up…

We are taking care of 3 cats. They seem pretty easy.

In the afternoon, we planned out our week’s itinerary.

DINNER: Really decadent. As my brother pointed out, I am slipping a bit. It took more than 24 hours to get to the foie gras! We bought a jar of it. You can buy goose or duck, but the duck is less expensive and tastier, or so we heard. You can buy 100% foie gras, or pates mixed with foie gras. We bought the real thing. We couldn’t figure out how to open the jar, so Google You Tube saved the day! We spread it on a baguette and had some goat cheese and a salad on the side. Fresh strawberries from the garden for dessert. Are we in heaven or what!