Life in the Loire after lock-down. 2nd June. Day 23 of déconfinement.

So this is it. Restaurants, bars and cafés are permitted to reopen today. I wonder what it will be like in Amboise.

It’s a big moment for our local friends. As restaurants open for the first time in a couple of months, how will they manage this ‘new normal’?

Menus are likely to be restricted (at least for now) as with the international borders closed at the moment tourists will be French and there won’t be tons of them until traditional holiday time in July and August.

The Loire is well placed post-Covid. We have miles and miles of open countryside dotted here and there with beautiful chateaux. If you don’t want to mingle with the crowds it’s easy to avoid the big names and visit some of the smaller ones (there are loads). There are bike trails and places to picnic by the river, pretty tuffeau towns to meander through and of course, thousands of acres of vineyards.

Compare that to Paris or Provence with people jostling side by side on the beach, in the towns and museums. I know where I would go.

But I’m totally biased of course, and happy to be so.

Popped around to see Louisa late morning for a quick coffee and a catch up on the Guided Tasting Case. 11 people have ordered a case so far from New York, Indiana, Texas, Tennesee, Massachusetts (had to look up the spelling of that one), Pennsylvania and Cambridge in the UK. Can’t wait to see them all live on the Zoom tastings. Tomorrow morning we pack the wine up with the recipes cards and off they go.

Lunch today was a herby pork sandwich on homemade sourdough with lettuce from the garden (the first) and rhubarb compote (again from the potager) with Greek yoghurt for me and evaporated milk for Nigel (absolutely not for me!).

Best news of the day. Allegra, (who is a friend and does my hair and who has also just had a baby), has decided to dip her toe back into business.

Hooray! She’s going to sort me out next week. My last visit to see her was the beginning of January (I just checked). No wonder I’m looking like the wild woman of Borneo. Restoring a bit of life to that ‘dishwater blonde’ will do the trick I’m sure.

Can’t wait to meet her little one too.

It will be masks on and social distancing observed of course.

It was a really balmy evening. Almost like mid summer. You know, when the heat of the day has passed and the air is warm and soothing, almost caressing your skin. We sat in the garden until the light started to fade, chatting and listening to the birdsong.

We reflected on our lives and talked about the protests going on all over the US and in Paris tonight. We are white, and privileged. I just can’t imagine having to deal with racism every single day of my life.

Dinner this evening was the remainder of last night’s spinach and ricotta lasagne with a dressed salad picked from the garden this afternoon.

No photos in my post today #blackouttuesday