May
14
It has been calm, cool and quiet, these past few days. Clouds and drizzly showers throughout the day, thunderstorms at night. Plants (and weeds) are growing like crazy, especially the roses. The church chimes its bell three times daily, the sound carries far, the number of rings indeterminable.I've become a little restless at being cooped up inside for so long. Yesterday I swore I could feel my anxiety pulsating inside my ears, if not actually hear it. I have been alternating cooking days, eating leftovers every other meal. This week we experimented with eggplant parmigiana, an Indian curry, baked macaroni and cheese with Gouda and Parmesan, and both sweet and savory crepes. Matt's at his computer. I have picked a couple collections of poetry from the library, forcing myself to stop reading when a mood is brought on.
We have found projects around the house to take on (dusting, killing spiders, running the Hoover). But when it hasn't been raining, we have been going on small expeditions. Like 5 km bike rides along latitudinally-enhanced country roads. On Monday we woke up very (frightfully) early to bike to Excideuil, where we caught a bus to Perigueux (the capital of the Dordogne). There they have the very striking cathedral of Saint Front, which has been named a Unesco World Heritage Site. The original entrance dates to Merovingian times, and the remainder of the church was built in the 11-12th and the 17-18th centuries. The cathedral was renovated by the same architect (Paul Abadie) who designed Sacré Coeur in Montmartre. Perigueux is a very old city -- it is also famous for its Gallo-Roman towers and ruins. The ancient amphitheater is now a public park with stone arches marking the multiple entrances. A tower, a former temple, was constructed in the first century and reaches nearly 90 feet high.
Other days for us are less busy. Maybe a ride to local villages like Genis or Chervais-Cubas, or a hike down muddy paths that run along the river and past the old paper mill. In the evenings we like to watch a movie. So far we've see some real pick-em-uppers: Dog Day Afternoon, Memento, and Badlands.
