A few missing days here, but I'll catch up!
Saturday, August 14
A quiet, relaxing day. The morning was bright but cool, 22 degrees so obviously too cold to have breakfast outside on the patio. But what difference does it make when you get to eat warm, freshly baked croissants with your cafe au lait. We are definitely being spoiled. After breakfast I spent some time in the lovely, walled garden and, as I am not used to just sitting, I deadheaded all the roses. As we were outside my cousin's husband told us that there was a house for sale just across the river from them. It is a huge place with an enormous garden and its own strand of trees. It also has its own little door in the surrounding wall that leads to you to the river if you wanted to take your canoe or rowboat along the river. It also has its own waterwheel as it used to be a mill many years ago. We were told that the roof was done not so long ago and that the elderly woman who owns it lived in it up to a year ago so it will be in good shape. The asking price? $280,000 Euros, not bad at all for such a interesting and large property.
It was a beautiful morning and perfect to go and visit the vineyards. First we went out to Santenay, about 5 kilometers away, up through the town and up the hill behind the town. We stopped the car and got out to the warm sunshine and complete silence. On either side as far as we could see were grape vines also enjoying the sun. The vineyards look as if they belong to all one owner but they are not. They are divided up and each owner knows which belong to him. Some have been owned by the same family for generations. When a piece comes up for sale you are very fortunate if you can buy it especially if it is on a certain slope. This part was bought by my cousins last year and this will be the first harvest for them from this particular area. A littler further on is another area they own that they just planted new vines in the spring, the wait will be a little longer for a harvest from there.
The silence was beautiful and we enjoyed a little walk amongst the grapes, peeking out dark and full from behind the green, green leaves. There were also lots of little snails around the edge of the vineyard in the small bit of grass dividing it from the road. There were so many of them, no wonder it is a popular dish around here and the symbol of Burgundy. The church bells were ringing noon and so it was time to go back to Chagny for lunch.
The table was set outside under the covered patio and all that was needed was a bottle of wine to go with lunch. Roast loin of pork, tiny new potatoes roasted and it was all perfumed with rosemary from the bush at the edge of the garden. Also tender green beans that had been picked earlier in the morning and I had helped to prepare. After that there was of course a cheese platter with five different varieties and a tomato salad sprinkled with basil that had been growing on the plant just a short while ago. The red wine and the fresh bread, although they weren't mentioned, were delicous too.
We ended this leisurely lunch with an apricot tart and espresso. I had to get up right away and do something or else all I really wanted to do was stretch out like a cat on one of the loungers and sleep.
About an hour later we went over to the Domaine to use the swimming pool and enjoy a little sun before the clouds moved in. The air was cool but the pool felt comfortable after a minute. The water was 25 degrees. I could get used to this lifestyle but I really do miss cooking. My cousin is an excellent cook but I miss the creativity of coming up with meals each day and the food here is so fresh and wonderful that I crave cooking.
We had decided to go to Mass in the next town, Santenay, which happens to be the town where we lived before moving to Canada. I had never been in the church as on other trips to the area it was always closed. I was excited to finally go into the church that I was baptized in after so many years. It is the Eglise de St. Jean and a wonderful example of the Gothic style. Inside the columns and ceiling look elegant and there are high windows letting in sunshine. There was a small choir of five people but they sounded as if there were about twenty as the acoustics were amazing. Ross nudged me and whispered I think that the couple two rows ahead of us are the Jessiaumes, the people who owned the vineyards your dad worked on. He was right. We have gone by to see them on other visits to France and I had sent them a letter that we would be in the area but hadn't called them yet. At the end of Mass we met them outside the church and they asked us to give them a call and stop by their place for a drink. First thing M. Jessiaume asked me about news from Toronto. What he was asking me politely was if my uncle Vito, or Victor as they called him, was still alive. He knew that my dad had passed away and hoped that Victor was still with us. M. Jessiaume reminded me of a couple of stories that he remembered about my dad and my uncle Vito. It was so nice to see that someone who hadn't seen them in fifty years still remembered them with fondness. As we said good bye, he looked up and said rain is coming. It didn't look as if it would rain to me but someone involved with the land for so long knows better than I. I look forward to visiting them in the next couple of days.
Back to Celeste's and of course dinner was almost ready. We had left Santenay in sunshine and half way back to Chagny there was a huge downpour. Ross said, of course M. Jessiaume would be right after watching the weather and nursing the vines for so many years, he would know what was coming. We raced in from the car to a warm, rich minestrone filled with zucchini, beans, tomato, potato and swiss chard from the garden. It had been cooked in a pressure cooker and all the flavours melted together creating a rich broth. Unbelievable that it was only made with vegetables and herbs. Since we had our main meal of the day at lunch time we just enjoyed cheese and bread and then another slice of the apricot tart all washed down with a cool, smooth white wine.
Time for bed. Tomorrow is market day in Chagny.
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