Tasha Tuesday

Tasha often likes to sit where she can watch what's going on outdoors and in the kitchen at the same time. You never know when a vehicle might go by or a tasty morsel might drop to the floor. Vigilance frequently pays off.

Deck doors to the right, kitchen at my back. Pay no attention to the paw prints on the tile.

I received the SIM card yesterday for the smart phone. Setting it up is more complicated than I expected, but I think I'm close. The phone is obviously smarter than I am. The devil is in the details. My new phone number, however, is easy to remember.

Potstickers and egg rolls

About a year ago, we found frozen potstickers, or gyoza, in an Asian supermarket over in Tours. We picked up a few bags (one each of pork, chicken, and shrimp) and they were delicious. Then I found them again in the Asian market up in Blois. And now we find them turning up in the standard supermarkets.They're all different brands, but all equally as good.

Egg rolls and potstickers. I didn't photograph the stir-fry.

We've been finding Vietnamese egg rolls, or nems, in the stores for a few years now. And there's an Asian vendor at the St.-Aignan Saturday market that sells them, too. Theirs are smaller than those in the photo above, but just as good. For Sunday's lunch, Ken made a beef with broccoli stir-fry and we served the potstickers and egg rolls along side. Yum!

Face à la façade

This is the southwestern façade of the Château de Valençay. The domed towers on either end are hard to miss. The rooms of this wing are furnished and visitors can walk the length of the ground floor and the first floor, not to mention the basement where the kitchen is. I haven't found any photos of the interior; maybe I never took any.

Since I took this photo, the big lawn has been fancied up. Valençay, April 2004.

I got a message from our new deck contractor letting us know that the tile we selected is no longer available. We have to choose a different tile, so we'll head over to the building center this week to pick one out. I'm encouraged because his message means he's actually preparing to do the work this spring as promised. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Friday was pizza day

Are you getting tired of pizza photos? You've seen one, you've seen 'em all, right? This one is basic ham, mushrooms, cheese, and some Greek-style black olives. The twist is that the (store-bought) tomato sauce I used is spicy hot. We liked it just fine, but I think the hot pizza oil we usually use is more tasty.

The first of two pizzas for Friday's lunch.

Ken is continuing to work on optimizing our internet speeds since getting connected to the fiber optic network. It turns out that our wireless network slows things down a little. It's still faster than the old DSL connection through the telephone line, so there's no problem.

In other news, I finally ordered a calling plan for the smart phone. I'll have unlimited calls and texts inside France and 60Go of data. That should be a good place to start. Most of the internet surfing I do is from home, whether it's on the computer or the phone, via our wireless network. I'm waiting now for the SIM card to arrive.

Posing

Here's another shot of the "front yard" at the Château de Valençay. That's Ken and our (late) friend Cheryl posing for their portrait. Later, after passing through the arch, we waited for a troupe of actors in period costume to perform a scene from the castle's history. A little corny, but fun.

The gravel paths were impeccably clean. Valençay, September 2003.

Today I will call the dentist for an appointment. He'll probably want me to come in so he can have a look, maybe take an x-ray, then schedule another appointment for the actual work. I think I cracked a crown on a seed in some grain bread. The crown is still attached, but it feels loose. There's a moderate amount of pain, so I'm taking paracetamol (acetaminophen) and that's helping a lot.

Let's go back to Valençay

It's been a long time since I visited the Château de Valençay, but I have photos from many visits in the early 2000s. And isn't it strange that the early 2000s were already twenty years ago? Many of the following photos have already been posted here, but with older camera technology and older post-processing software. I can't do anything about the cameras, so I'm giving the images a new look with more recent software.

Château de Valençay. September 2003.

This is the main entrance to the château, once you pass through the small building where tickets are sold. The formal garden is not extensive, but it's beautiful and meticulously maintained. And, as with most gardens, it changes from year to year.

Balustrades

Before we leave Châteauvieux, here's a view of part of the many balustrades that adorn the castle's exterior stairs and terraces. The upright elements are called balustres (balusters in English).

Balustrades at Châteauvieux. April 2004.

The fiber optic connection has been made. The installer was friendly and patient. I tend to ask a lot of questions to ensure that I understand what's going to happen. I'm sure it can seem be annoying. Our new LiveBox (router/modem) is on line and working. There are still many tweaks and settings to deal with. That's Ken's domain and he'll be working on those in the coming days. I'll start on cleaning and putting away all the stuff we moved prior to the installation.

Meanwhile, I'm having a tooth issue and I think I need to call the dentist. Joy.