Tarte au Citron or Mille Feuille?: Me, me, me ...!

I have to admit that trying to find something interesting to post on a Blog every other day, when you are staying in the same place, is a trifle difficult. As a consequence, I do often feature myself only to then find I am accused of "me, me, me syndrome" by Linda! Is that fair? The point I would make for the defense is I am endlessly fascinating, nay, interesting as well but I also benefit from a very large tongue in an awfully big cheek!

Unfortunately, my first topic today is me! Linda seems very impressed...not!

You see I am to fashion what Hugo Boss and Georgio Armani are to caravanning. Linda has despaired for 42 years of marriage at my inability to dress smart casual. I appear to always achieve scruffy casual in her eyes. It's really not for the want of trying...sometimes. It's just that I possess an inate ability to put the wrong top with the wrong bottom every time, a skill I appear to have fine tuned over our many years of togetherness. It was easy when I was working because it's difficult to look too scruffy in a crisply ironed shirt with matching tie when set against a nicely tailored suit. Easy. But smart casual?

I did wonder for some time if colour blindness was the reason. It wasn't and Linda is of the firm opinion it's because I am lazy and don't try. I actually remember one of my teachers saying the same thing although French and fashion are poles apart!

Well today, I appear to have turned a corner as I prepared myself for our morning excursion to the weekly market at Buis-les-Baronnies, more of which later. As I stepped out of the caravan, I was met with words I will never forget, "you look very nice today"!! You could have knocked me down with a feather. Receiving a compliment like that from Linda is akin to the Queen giving me a Knighthood. The saying "proud as a peacock" comes to mind.

The outfit is shown in the first photo below and in fashion parlance, Alistair is dressed in a £2.50 polo shirt from a Turkish market, a pair of tailored Adidas golf shorts, some very comfortable Sketchers deck shoes and all topped off with a genuine Panama hat, accessorised with his new Oakley shades.

I am so proud of my achievement today that I will be wearing this outfit everyday now until our return home on Sunday!

And so moving onto the weekly market at Buis - I possibly mentioned it in a previous post? A visit here is just one of the most delightful things to do in the whole world. The run over there from Sahune is captivating and stunning and then to grab your first coffee of the day in the narrow, market stall and people filled streets, while listening to a talented French busker serenade you, is divine in the extreme. Oh and I should mention all this against the backdrop of crystal clear blue skies and temperatures heading above 30C. It does help.

I really, really love my country, particularly at this time of year when everything is so fresh and green and beautiful but if I were to complain about just one thing, it would be the weather. Generally, it's dreadful and a great barometer is that perhaps once annually, we might have a BBQ where we don't have to put sweaters on into late evening! I find that a touch sad and contrast it to our experience here where we have eaten every meal outdoors and can see no change in this habit before our return home. If only we could get a bit more of this up North!

I finish today with a thank you to friends Ann and Paul for some advice received regarding the Cadac! Apparently, I don't have to spend any more money accessorising my purchase and tonight will be producing food for my dearly beloved which will be something similar to that turned out by Chef Ramsay. Hoorah!

Plenty of photos below which in no way illustrate the phenomenally stunning beauty of the Drôme. If only I could attach the scents of the area as well.