Trying to fit in - country life in Normandy

I'm having trouble getting used to the rhythm of life in the countryside. It seems like we eat all the time and each day it seems to get later. Today we started supper at 9:30 pm and just finished around midnight. First, there's the aperitif - everyone must wait until all are ready to toast, including the 3 and 6 year-olds. Then we have the salad course, the meat course, the cheese, the dessert and coffee. Being Sunday today was even more laid back with breakfast at 10, lunch at 1:30 (lasted till 4), and dinner at 9:30.

Yesterday 5 people joined the household: a couple, one of whom is niece or nephew to Simone & France, 2 young boys and a brother in his 50's. so we all cleaned the house, did lots of shopping and moved Sylvie and me into a smaller room so the couple with kids could have the large room with bathroom. The husband is a farmer and hunter and arrived with baskets of tomatoes, huge cucumbers and zucchinis and deer and other meat - all of which he prepared for us so Simone could take a rest.

During lunch yesterday in midst of all the preparations we saw smoke coming out of the kitchen door (we eat in the gazebo). Simone quickly put out the fire caused by oil from making french fries but they called the fire department to come and check. So we had a lot of excitement before the company arrived. The big fire you see is not the stove fire but the fireplace which we used later to cook the meat for supper when the guests arrived.

Simone and France are wonderful women. I don't know their whole stories but Simone has lived in this house for 35 years and was an educator. France is an excellent photographer and avid painter. She reminds me a bit - size and accent/tone of voice - of Julia Childs. I love these women - so strong and capable, so interested in everything. France and a friend put out the commune newsletter for the small village they live in: Baons-le-Comte. I took a picture of an aerial picture of the village and their house. Their house is the big one with the red roof next to the big barn.

Today we went to the beach at a small town Veules-les-Roses. The boys, especially the 3 year-old, were ecstatic. When I had expressed an interest in seeing the D-Day beaches they said they were too far so I let it go. Then they said we could make a day of it tomorrow.