Curry and Chocolate, although not necessarily in that order!

A week in Normandy, around10 miles from a small town called Falaise, the birthplace of William the Conquerer as he is known in the UK!  Those 10 miles led us off the main roads, up country lanes full of wild flowers and birdsong to our destination.  Beds and bathrooms for all,  comfy seating, a huge woodburner for the cooler evenings, and plenty of food, laughter, wine and chocolate (well, not chocolate every night!).

Adam, flushed with success at his first attempt at a roast leg of lamb for 15 persons, with veg!

It's very hard to say whether Peter is disgusted at Margaret's gravy spillage or not.  She is clearly delighted!

So serious - must be putting the world to rights!

And yet more intelligent conversation - probably about the quality of the wine.......

The problem is, life is not all serious discussion, But I never did find out what this particular joke was.....

 and even the camera holder was laughing here (sorry girls!)

And then you have a few glasses of wine, you think its clever to do what kids do, and at our age, frankly, it's not funny!!!



AND NOW...... THE CHOCOLATE TASTING!!!

Bett wondering why there isn't a box each! (Its a tasting, Bett, not a pig-out!)

No, no, that praline had a nasty aftertaste....

But the champagne truffle, well........Mmm mmm!

AND THEN ...... IT WAS CURRY NIGHT - DRESS ACCORDINGLY

Aging Bollywood star Shagmi Patel, Col Mustard (hamming it up) and a great thinker from Bengal

The cross dresser who was no better than he ought to be, and his lovely Memsahib.....

and two other lovely Memsahibs!

Just a tie and a hat, and here comes Pandit Nehru!

Pearl of India, wearing the Pearl of India, in the company of one so young he is obviously a student on leave from Oxford!

Rice for 15 is a big order, Jan!

Chefs of the Taj Mahal restaurant........

Mr Shagmi Patel, his lovely Memsahib Mitoo, and that great thinker again (is that alcohol I see???)

And, in the dying light, the cast of our evening....twice!

Laughing a lot is better than crying.  That was a good evening, and the curries not half bad, either!

Just two of our lovely evenings..... But I just have to mention the stone martins..... Our lightest sleeper, kept awake every night as Mummy stone martin had chosen her bedroom walls to raise a brood behind (actually I think, several Mummy stone martins had broods in there) ... and they are nocturnal.  What a racket!  Never again, as they say.  Look them up on t'internet.