The non-tourist bit: out and about

Now we are settled into the gite we eat out less, having picnics at lunch time and cooking in the evening. This requires us to go shopping with the locals. We've made numerous trips to the local LeClerc hypermarket. This is a vast store like Woolworths and BigW all rolled into one, selling everything: kitchen equipment, hardware, clothes, wine, standard supermarket groceries, and with extensive poissonerie, boucherie, charcuterie, boulangerie, patisserie and traiteur all built in. At first we found it all rather daunting, but we've now found our way about and are less intimidated at the cash register. At the open air market in Amboise each Friday we buy fresh vegetables, meat, poultry, etc. Stallholders cope with our very primitive French, and on hearing our accents often help us out with English which is better than our French. But everyone is very friendly and helpful.

Within walking distance is the very good boulanger in Neuille-le-Lierre, and in the other direction it is a 2km walk to a fromagerie de chevre. We arrive at the farm at about 6pm half expecting it to be closed, but are greeted by the owner and manage to convey our desire to buy some cheese. His wife comes to assist, and when we've made our choices, we realise that he called her because he is in the middle of milking. We go through to watch and meet some of the 65 goats on the farm, and see the mechanical milking in progress. Peter wants to tell them that he milked a goat by hand as a child, and that he thinks goats are nice animals, smart, not like sheep. This is way beyond his French, and a challenge for mine, but I manage to convey most of it except that the French word for sheep takes cover in the dark recesses of my mind and won't come out. I work my way through the rest of the farmyard to define it by exclusion (pas vache, pas cochon, etc) before enlightenment strikes and they say "mouton!" A ten second throw-away line from Peter occupies us for about five minutes, by which time we are on very good terms.

Walking in the lovely spring weather is very pleasant, but it isn't something the locals do (any more than people walk down country roads in Australia), so we have to watch out for traffic, just as we do when driving. Colours are changing rapidly - wheat fields are gradually turning silvery-gold, canola is starting to flower, and poppies are creating spots of scarlet.

Another non-tourist activity is spending Sunday visiting vides greniers in various local villages, but that warrants a post on its own.