I spent several hours trying to recover files from the crashed hard disk, but was starting to accept the fact that lots would be lost. While the rescue program was working away, therefore, I had time to watch a replay of the Swedish Speedway Grand Prix (SGP), won by Greg Hancock (USA) with Australians Jason Doyle and Chris Holder 2nd and 4th respectively.

In the afternoon, we decided to take Doug & Krista to see some local towns and get a taste of village life. We first headed to the hill-top town of Montjoi, just to the north-west of Moissac.

One of the reasons we chose Montjoi was that, even though we had not been there before, we had heard that there was a good pottery gallery there, with an artist in residence every Thursday. Given Jackie’s keen interest in pottery (including looking for someone with a kiln in the region), we thought it would be good for her to make contact with another local potter. The town itself was very attractive, with nice stone buildings and a fabulous view over the surrounding countryside.

However, many of the residents were ex-pats (immigrants) from the UK and elsewhere, who had renovated the original buildings. The town was therefore a little bit too neat and pretty, and didn’t really have a “lived in” feeling.

The next town on our itinerary was nearby Saint-Maurin, where we had missed the surprise birthday party at the Night Market a few weeks ago, but which we had heard lots of good comments about. This town definitely has a “lived in” feeling, with a great covered marketplace in the town square where the Night Market is held. There is also a small museum which describes the old and recent history of the town. The roof timbers of the marketplace gives a good indication of the nature of the rest of the town.

Since it was Thursday, we decided that it would be a good idea to show Doug & Krista what a Night Market was all about, since there are no comparable social events in Australia. So, after Saint-Maurin we headed across to Lauzerte. Unlike a few weeks ago, when we arrived too late to get a table, this time we got there early, had a look around the town, and then secured a table before the crowds arrived. As always, by 1930hr, the place was packed.

We had to leave Lauzerte relatively early, since we had another place to be at 2100hr. As we stood to leave, a local famliy couldn’t believe their luck that a table had become vacant just as they arrived. During her stay in Moissac, Jackie has made friends with many people, including a local singing and dancing group, who hold a regular dance each Thursday night in the village of Boudou. So it was off to Boudou that we ventured, on a craggy hilltop overlooking the River Garonne and St Nicholas de la Grave. As the local musicians warmed up and the sound travelled around the village, about 40 dancers eventually found their way to the town square. Despite reassurances from the leader about how easy it would be to join in, Doug & Krista (and me) were happy to watch from the sidelines until we saw what was happening. And it was just as well we did, since the dances were all local varieties that we had never seen before (many looked like variations of Barn Dance routines), and the instructions called out by the leader were all in French! But is was a great night, and we enjoyed seeing the villagers and their families of all ages enjoying themselves in such a simple manner.

Around midnight, some of the dancers were starting to drift away and so we also took our leave. But it had been a fabulous day, seeing many different sights and getting an idea of how people live their lives in a southern French village.