a weekend well spent

Despite the fact that Stéph had to work this past Saturday morning (he only gets one free Saturday each term), this past weekend was remarkable in that 1) the sun actually came out and stayed and 2) I was able to convince my husband to actually leave the house! Truly the weather was so lovely that as we waited for my pasticcio to finish baking, we marveled at the blue sky and decided to actually get out for the afternoon.

First we went to Cultura, where Stéph found a book but I didn't find anything that struck my fancy (don't worry, I've got two books on loan so I'm not without words at the moment!). Then we checked out a new grocery store that just appeared in Troyes called the Grand Frais (I don't know how to translate this well: The Big Fresh?). As the name would imply, they concentrate on fresh items, so you won't find your toiletry items nor your frozen treats, but man they really impress when it comes to fresh food - easily half the store is made up of fresh produce (and it's a pretty decently sized place), and the quality is pretty hard to beat and the price is very compatible to the big box stores. Plus the fresh meat looked really good and they do have some dry items like pasta and beans, so I could really see myself shopping there. This week I'm planning a trip into Troyes so I may coordinate a shopping expedition there. Finally we stopped by the in-laws' unannounced (since my MIL did this to us all the freaking time when we lived in Troyes I feel no guilt about stopping by without calling first now!) and had a chat and a cup of tea and played with Stéph's niece before heading home.

Sunday was a real lazy day but as the sun was shining I did manage to get out and walk a bit. We've had so much rain here lately that the park is getting to be a very adventurous outing, but I manage. There were loads of families out enjoying the rare sunshine and the usual group of men (who admittedly are present rain or shine) was in place on the pétanque field. It was just nice to get out and breathe some fresh air after being shut in because of the rain for so long.

Of course, the rain came right back, but at least it had the decency to wait until Monday.