The market in Cahors is on a wednesday and a Saturday morning. it is well worth going to. Park just above the Boulevard Gambetta which is the main road, next to Musee de la Resistance, there is free parking on the left next the museum and parking on the other side of the road. Walk down the Boulevard Gambetta and once you

have passed the Palais de Justice on your right, turn left , there is a kitchen shop on the corner and walk down, you will get into the square where the market is held. Go early as the market closes at 12. You can then go and have lunch at one of the many restaurants around. I quite like Le Petit Salon which is serves 2 courses for about 11 euros or you can have 3. Nicely decorated and I like the food. I have left a basket and also at least 2 shopping bags in the kitchen cupboard nearest the front door. You need to take these with you when you go shopping. You need to ask when the la Bastide Murat market(the town closest to you is), not quite sure I think it is every other Monday, but just check. Everything closes at 12, so you need to time your trips out.Most places open at 2. Shopi is the local supermarket in La Bastide Murat. There is a funny peripherique drive around at la bastide Murat, but to get to Shopi, go past the boulangerie with La garissade, the local hotel on your right and then turn right again and follow the road to the right. Shopi is on your left They have good fresh produce and a good butcher, although there is also a butcher in the main town square, but I think he is a bit more expensive. The Shopi butcher does a good roll of pork called Roti de Porc which has hardly any fat on it. I roast this in the oven with a plastic packet of green olives and the brine from the packet. and season with garlic. No need to add salt as the brine adds the salt. Delicious. This served with roasted veg is great. There is a great veg which is like a white carrot which tastes delicious roasted. The lamb is obviously delicious. I like barbecuing the lamb cutlets "Coteletes D'agneau”, which are quite fine, the rib cutlets with little fat, just point if you can’t explain. Also the Toulose sausage is good and for something a little spicier the Merguez sausage is quite interesting. The pate de foie gras produced locally is from the farm Larcher. It comes in a tin with a lavender coloured label. Also there is a good goats cheese called cabecou, which is like a small brie. You can buy this at cheese counter at Shopi. Delicious baked or put under the grill on top of a slice of baguette. The boulangerie has good croissants, and the "croustillote" is not so white and refined as the normal baguette. There is also a rather nice loaf with a little forked tail which they are selling at the moment. You can get rye at the cahors market "siegle", but keep that for a few days and you could beat someone to death with it, it gets so hard.  The Cahors red wines are interesting and an aquired taste(quite rough) We all get into drinking rose, (sorry I can't find french accents on my computer) at lunch time. David says dont pay less than 5 euros as you might be in trouble. The Gaillac rose is tolerable. The white sancerre is delicious. You can get a bottle of red Chateau Neuf du Pape at Shopi for 10 euros. I don't know if you are into wine.

la Garissade is quite nice for the odd breakfast, coffee and croissant and Sarah Robson waitresses there so if you are battling with anything you can see her there. i have had dinner at the hotel and its not bad. Apparently there is an nice little newish place to have a drink, across the road from the tennis courts in la Bastide Murat. The Roi de Naples restaurant in la Bastide Murat, does a basic lunch with 4 courses. a lot of the artisans have lunch there. About 12 euros.

Sarlat is about an hour away and the market is fun here. It is a bit touristy, but a lovely town. Gourdon is also nearby and has a market(not sure which day). Figeac also a fun market.(an hours drive I think) Rocamadour interesting cliff town to see as is St Cirq La Popie- hill top town.

Don't know if you are energetic as you can do a days canoeing down the Dordogne. let me know if you are interested and I will send you details.

The walks around our house are great. There are plums in the hedgerows I made a delicious plumb crumble from collecting plums nut trees , and you sometime see deer crossing the lanes and sometimes wild boar "sanglier" at night The sheep with the black rimmed eyes are a treat, and there are goats on one of the walks with curly long horns. The evenings are wonderful and it is great to sit out on the terrace and enjoy the sunsets.

Bikes in the basement store room if you feel like riding to La Bastide Murat for your croissants.

Just a note about the oven. Someone got a bit over zealous with the oven cleaner and wiped off some of the decals. 180 which is standard is at 6o clock. If you want to grill something you need to turn it to the highest point anticlockwise to the left. On the other button normal baking is I think at 6 o'clock ish, grill is at about 7 or 8, if you turn too much anti clockwise to the left you get the rotisserie, you will hear it. Sarah is going to organise for someone to put back "les affiche" the decals , maybe while you are there. They had gone on holiday when we were there recently and could not sort it out. If you are stuck there is a black plastic folder in the bookshelf upstairs with all instructions inside for all appliances. I have just bought a new steam iron (if you use it please empty water after use) and a new toaster. The washing machine is fairly simple.I use the shortest cycle, but its up to you. There are pegs in a peg bag and 2 green plastic basins to carry the washing to the line.

There is also a rack for drying clothes inside if the weather isnt good.

Rubbish Please can you take the rubbish to the top of the Camphinie road. There are green bins on the right hand side. There is also a recycling bin for paper, plastic and cardboard, but not glass. If you want to recycle your glass, just drop into Soulomes and there is a big dechetterie in the square, with glass recycling. The little church here is so sweet with frescoes from the Knights Templars.

Watering I would be most grateful if you could water the rosemary around the terrace and the creepers. there is also a wild sage bush which looks exhausted with the heat, next to the fence above the upper terrace, if it is v hot if you could let the hose run on it for a bit.

If you are down neqr the washing line, there are 3 bay trees whcih I would love you to put the hose on. David mowed one down by mistake but it is still alive.

Also the red geraniums at the front door, which are to cheer you up with some colour.

Paula Reid

July 2009