Still winning ...

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Thursday and we are a week away from Australie, children, school lunches, CPD, Milward et al ... and it sure seems it ... it so warm ... in a lovely comfortable gentle way. There is absolutely no need for cardigans and jackets at this stage of the journey ... and sitting in cafes having a beer or a mineral water (guess who that is?) at day's end has become very attractive ...


Toulouse on this day was at its best. The movement of people down the little streets and about the town was not brisk and business-like - more relaxed and at a steady pace. The waiter serving us coffee has a joke with us about women and lipstick ... the world passes by and we don't really notice as we are working out how to entertain ourselves in the last hours in Toulouse. It is a day for a garden we feel .... near the natural history museum we go and see some lovely arrangements of colours. Not the manicured perfection of palace gardens but colours put together around fountains and statues that look somewhat haphazard but also organised!


The atmosphere seems steamy - you know the bugs are flying around over the plants, you think you can see the air ... you can smell the roses from 1m away ... and the mixture of perfumes from the flower beds is almost intoxicating ...


We retreat to a cafe for lunch and have - yes you guessed it = another salad ... nice one too! Mixed lettuce with fresh figs, prosciutto, rockmelon goat's cheese and pesto on crisped bread slices.


This would be a very easy lifestyle to adopt we think. It seems that people are a little slow at getting started in the mornings and we ... well we too have started to adopt their time frames ... emerging for breakfast after 9 some days ... and really not in the mood to eat until late ...


It seemed that the longer we were there the friendlier people became. That's probably a product of heavily touristed trails. But we have tried to connect ... Sometimes people would speak to us in French at 10 to the dozen and I would have to say that mostly I have been able to keep up. People have been very complimentary about my language skills while Joss smiles on and looks blank! We have dropped in the Australian origin thing a few times with good results and have discussed Australian wines and why the French don't like stelvin caps ... and that is a whole blog entry that I won't bore you with!


By the time we walk back to the station the rental car awaits us. A silver peugeot ... and we mangage to navigate our way to Albi 'sans probleme'! Well as the driver I think it was OK. Joss did clutch the arm rest a few times and have a few sudden audible intakes of breath ... I was getting too close to the right side of the kerb apparently ... ! Well we are here and we managed to park the car, find a hotel and all the sights to see.

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Comments

[Kate]

oh mum :S
Had to laugh bout mum! Don't fret Mary, mum does this to me all the time. Want more pics of you two pls. xx

[Ev and Estelle]

Fig salad
Now that's a salad that sounds perfect for me. Again the photos are great and you are both obviously getting the best use from your cameras and are giving us a coffee table book right here on our own laptops. We are really looking forward to see what Albi has to offer. Happy and safe driving.