Charles and Caroline Lamb live at Monségur, south west of Bordeaux and we usually call in to annoy them as we are passing that way. We arrived mid afternoon and the weather very warm, well into the 20s. We spent a happy time on their newly built deck, enjoying the evening sun, some wine and later duck breast marinated and cooked on the barbecue, followed by strawberries with a strawberry liqueur. The writer remembers little more of the evening.
Charles and Caroline had to keep their front gate closed because they were looking after a neighbour’s aged black dog whilst they were away for a few days. During the evening, as it got dark, Caroline had to go to the neighbour’s house to lock up their chickens and when she got back she forgot to shut their gate. At the end of our boozy evening when we had retired, Caroline suddenly realised that the old dog could not be found. Eventually they drove to absent neighbour’s house and there was the old girl sitting patiently on the front step, invisible in the dark except for two bright eyes caught in their car headlights. It was fortunate it was a quiet road and the dog was not run over as it was limping home, invisible in the dark night.
We left the following morning nursing a bit of a headache.
