As Janine, like me, has a birthday in the murky winter months, so as an early 60th celebration the rest of the AV5 decided to lure her to Le Touquet while the weather would be great in September. The weather, somehow, didn't quite get the memo, as we arrived there in the rain and took refuge in the first (of many) delectable French supermarches, buying Maille condiments and – OMG, what a sign of the times – things for great-nieces, dogs and grandchildren…
But overall the dismal forecast mostly behaved and we were dry as we did all the usual Le T delights – pottering the cute little shopping streets, buying wine and more wine, taking Clare for a dip in the sea (just the one crazy swimming lady..), yomping round the brilliant market on Saturday buying deliciousness for a dinner in and of course trying several of the cocktail bars on our way to dinners out. We took ourselves to nearby Montreuil in the drizzle to brave the ramparts and have our chosen french-style lunches in the little brasserie there – goats cheese salad for several of us and a revolting andouillette sausage for Janine – I could smell it from my seat. We even managed 2 rounds of drinks in a beach bar in the SUN. Good job he put his hat on just as we needed him to.
Clare won the prize for the best bargain purchase – a dark yellow puffer coat for less than 10 euros in one supermarket. Plus a natty green sweater in the Sat market for another 10 euros. Sarah & Jane masterminded the cooking efforts, leaving me just to blow up balloons and pretend to J that I'd been doing something else entirely that had set me off coughing upstairs. (God know what she thought it was).
We managed champers on the bijou roof terrace of our AirBnB (dodgy flooring, while being stared at incredulously by some French locals). Then J was a star and treated us all to a fab slap up seafood dinner at the lovely Perard restaurant, where we had the pride of place table in the window of the main restaurant and a sumptuous fruits de mer on top of fish soups, prawn croquettes and crab toast – phew!
All in all a great 3-4 days away. Amazing that this trip marked the 20th – yes 20th – anniversary of the very first time that the AV5 went away in 2004. Which was for Janine's 40th birthday, to Paris. And we still try to get abroad for the Zero birthdays to this day. We are older, maybe a tad wiser but can still chat the hind leg off a donkey, shop till we drop, hit the fizz and the cocktails and have a great time together. And it's my birthday next!! Hurrah x