I was gently wakened out of a deep slumber this morning by a very soft “meow.” When I rubbed my eyes open, Felix was next to me very politely asking for his breakfast. Awww, I’d love to help the little guy, but it takes me a while to get this leg moving in the morning so I told him to go ask Craig….and he did! He’s a genius.
We had to go to the Pharmacie today to extend the rental of the wheelchair. It’s given us the freedom to explore so we’re reluctant to give it up anytime soon. While Craig went inside to attend to details, I tried to read the sign in the window. 
It looks like the pharmacists are getting ready to go on strike. If you need prescriptions, you’ll need to call the Police, the Gendarmes or the Prefecture. The Pharmacie will be open for other business (upper-end cosmetics, veterinary supplies, and wheelchair rentals)…but won’t be filling prescriptions. Interesting.
It was too close to lunchtime to go very far afield (arriving at a restaurant after 1:30 doesn’t always guarantee a table) so we took a short drive to Le Somail, a picturesque town along the canal and after reviewing the offerings of the three local restaurants, decided on Le Comptoir Nature, a restaurant along the bank of the canal that uses natural and locally sourced ingredients. 
Our “menus” included salads, entrees and desserts. Craig selected the “Riquet” menu which included a green salad with a hazelnut vinaigrette dressing and grilled lamb “of Cathar country” with a lightly spiced eggplant that was so smooth, it melted in your mouth. My starter was a plate of ripe, juicy heritage tomatoes followed by an entrée of grilled pork and zucchini. Both dishes included red rice from the Etang de Marseillette. An etang is a marshy lagoon; the etang in Marseillette was drained in the 1800’s but the soil still imparts its own unique taste to the rice grown there. 
Although fully sated from this delicious repast, we find there’s always room for dessert. My choice was the homemade chocolate cake….not quite cake, not quite mousse….a creamy concoction that rolled on the palate….the toasted almond accompaniment provided a pleasing balance of tastes and textures. Craig opted for gingerbread with sheep’s milk ice cream. The gingerbread more closely resembled thick, soft slices of lebkuchen cookies….not overly spiced and a nice counterbalance to the delicate, natural taste of the ice cream.
Not wanting this lovely meal to end, we ordered espressos and watched children feed the ducks, ducklings, geese and goslings swimming in the canal. 
We arrived home to a ringing telephone. It was Dr Afriat’s secretariat calling to tell me that after consulting with Dr Leroy, Dr Afriat had moved my appointment up. My rendezvous is now scheduled for Friday morning! We were overjoyed with this news….I may soon be walking again!
Speaking of walking, this was the day I was to try to “walk” to my therapy session using my canes. We arrived at the appointed time….I stared at the ramp with dread and fear but pushed onward with Craig close behind to catch me should I topple. It was hard work, but I made it to the top landing with Sebastien cheering me on….then, the hardest part of the journey….the door’s threshold. It was only an inch high, but it was my Mount Everest….my right leg wasn’t able to hop over it…..I had met my foe. Sebastien brought a chair over, I swiveled into the chair on one side of the door and swiveled out of it on the other side of the door. It’s a start.
We celebrated at home while sitting outside….in a patio chair! The wheelchair stayed in the car last night.
C’est si bon…It is so good.
Midi-Life Crisis 
As a former (and only recently) gimp, I watch your progress and cheer you onward – getting better is work, and the more you work at it, the better you get. I salute your walking with the “canes” and hope to continue to hear your progress.