April 2005

April diary, Part 2.         Back to part 1

Surprise package
Perry had told Caroline that the following Thursday, they would go collect a package and have lunch somewhere. As Perry turned off to join the motorway, already 30 km's from home, Caroline became suspicious. Fending off a lot of questions, Perry drove on for another hour and managed to get Caroline into the airport at Toulouse, saying that he needed to collect the package from the customs office. Finally, Caroline twigged and realised that it was in fact a person and not a package that they had come to collect. But who?

A few minutes later Caroline was hugging her best friend Ylonka, in tears of joy. Now the party could begin...

More surprises
The weather was glorious. 28C and sunny. It was all white wine, salads and parasols. Saturday morning, a car pulled up. Caroline's Aunt Emmy and Uncle Erik stepped out, gave Perry a wink and walked into the kitchen to greet a stunned birthday girl. Now Caroline knew why Perry had been pushing for a brunch on the Sunday.

Dejeuner sur l'herbes
As 12 noon struck at the church, our first guests arrived. In all we had more than 20 for brunch. Each bringing a plate with their own special, favourite dish. Salmon, tortilla, quiches, gateaux, tarts, cheeses, foie gras and pizza. There were several guided tours of the house and barns, as everyone relaxed and enjoyed the company, wine and weather.

Calm after the storm
Having left Bonky (Ylonka) at the airport, we returned to a quiet house and slept late for the next few days. May had begun and our homework too.