Unexpected

... the view from our table in a restaurant on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Narbonne. We parked on a rough piece of waste ground and walked round the back of the offices of a green energy firm to find this bright, buzzing space looking out onto, of all things, a lake. Pity the weather wasn't a bit better.

It's a newish venture, but decent restaurants in business parks are definitely becoming a thing. It was full of people who obviously work in the offices surrounding it, with a 3-course menu of modern, elegantly presented food at 24 euros. There must have been 50 people lunching there.

Lunch rounded off a morning of errands in Narbonne, which was handicapped by it taking us an hour to get there because of heavy traffic. I successfully negotiated a long put off visit to the tax office to get an HMRC form stamped though, while S was off shopping in Decathlon and the garden centre.

 Then I walked into town to attempt to make an appointment with a medical specialist who is uncontactable by phone ... she'd gone to lunch by then. But as I passed La Rotonde, who should I see but B and her friend J, sipping wine and black coffee respectively. I wasn't a bit surprised as this is their HQ and I knew they were meeting for lunch today. So since I had to wait for S I sat down and had a quick drink with them until S called to say he was waiting.