Beaune Task List...

Our day started with a quick breakfast at our cottage before Anka, Lincoln & Oscar arrived and we all set off for Beaune in our car with a serious list of tasks:

1.  Repair Oscar's bike (damaged in transit from Perth):  We found, after Oscar's excellent research, a huge sporting department store on the outskirts of Beaune, and of course, this being France, there is an emphasis on everything cycling.  Spare parts were found and arrangements made for the repairs to be carried out tomorrow morning.

2.  Wine for our stay in Burgundy:  We went back to our old favourite wine shop where  Brian & Lincoln were quickly ushered into the VIP (very increased prices) section.  After about 5 minutes, Anka, Oscar and I decided that we needed to move on without them  because most of the shops in Beaune close for several hours from about 12:30.

3.  New spectacles:  I found her - the beautiful little schnauzer named Krys whom we met 3 years ago.  She is now 10, the same age as our son Oswald, and has that same adorable nature as he does.  Krys' parents have a large optician's shop (also named Krys)  in Beaune, and it was lovely to see them again.  It took no time at all to choose my new French glasses which will be ready for collection next week.

4. Walking shoes:  Across the road from Krys is the Mephisto shoe shop where Anka and I tried on several pairs of shoes and I eventually bought one pair.  

5  Simple food for dinner:  Into the charcuterie for pate and some sausages, and then the boulangerie for 2 different types of bread.

6.  Lunch:  We rejoined the boys in the wine shop just as  they were sorting out payment and most of the other shops were preparing to close. The delightful, and very knowledgeable lady in the shop (also very happy with the fabulous sale she had just made) recommended a restaurant for us - right in the main town square.  We sat outside in very bright sunshine and ordered from the day's luncheon menu with choices of salad and pickled fish (we think it was herring) or terrine for entree, fish fillets or lamb with vegetables for mains and soft cheese (like yoghurt) with cream or peach tart for dessert, then coffee and petit fours - and of course the essential bottle of pinot and glasses of sparkling water.  It was quite simple food, but we were all happy with our choices (especially Anka who was the only one to order the peach tart).

7.  Supermarket:  The supermarkets in Beaune are superb - and we all took off in different directions looking for bits and pieces and emerged about 15 minutes later with huge bags of goodies for our respective cottages.

So that was the task list done!  

We drove home to unpack all of our shopping and have afternoon rests after which the temperature dropped sufficiently to warrant lighting the fire for the first time.  Our dinner guests arrived as the rain began to fall at about 6:30 and we all sat around the fire with glasses of champagne before moving to the table for dinner - pate de fois gras de canard with bread and a white burgundy as our entree, thin pork sausages, slow roasted cherry tomatoes and a big bowl of salad with a pinot for mains, some local cheese and bread and a huge bunch of Italian grapes.

Then Oscar helped Anka to update her Instagram (internet access is not great at their cottage) before they all headed off at about 10. 

Brian and I tidied up the kitchen and put one of our gentle classical music playlists on.  He then sat at the dining table to update his diary and I moved to this corner (where the internet access is best) and got on with this blog. And now to bed...