Cast if characters - clockwise from lower left: Darlene Lavett, Alan (me), Shawn Smith, Kim, Tony Crawley, Natasha Crawley
Darlene and Shaun are from Brisbane, Australia. Tony and Natasha (by way of Ukraine) are from the UK. Both couples have left the mother ship for their new lives here in the Dordogne. Both have sold or transported all their worldly possessions (lock, stock, and barrel) to their new homes. Shaun and Darlene live in Daglan, just five miles south of our location and Tony and Natasha are just up the hill from us.
Dinner was called for 6 with a round of bubbly to kick off the evening. Following the introductions each couple shared their back story and life changing move to France. All gave up traditional working lives to pursue the peace and tranquility of the French countryside. They all expressed the joy of starting their next chapter devoid of the stresses and anxiety of their work a day lives they left behind.
Each are deeply immersed in renovating the properties they have chosen. The end game is creating a comfortable living space along with a rental house (gite) to supplement their retirement income.
After finishing off the bottle of bubbly the wine started to flow. Each recounted personal experiences as Tony gestures to get his point across. The conversation was enlightening with a splash of levity.
The starter course was a sampling of the local pate. Soooo French! The entree was panned seared pork chops encrusted in Kim's famous Panko bread crumb crust. She even brought a box from Colorado just in case it was not on the shelves at the local market. Our "bring to France" checklist is ever growing.
To cap off a wonderful meal Natasha and Tony brought a "knock your socks off" dessert from our local patisserie.
Our evening kept going until 11:30 but the conversation could have lasted a lot longer but tomorrow's activities required some much needed rest. Dragging ourselves out of bed was a challenge but an invigorating ride was not to be missed. Looking forward to our next gathering.
Life here is about experiences over things enjoyed with friends old and new. As it is said "Americans live to work while the French work to live". The slow pace is not a bug but a feature. "telle est la vie"
