Early Sunday morning saw me up at the house early watching the Hawks-Bulldogs AFL game. Hawthorn started well with the first five goals, then the game stabilised for about an hour, before the Hawks kicked away in the last 40 minutes to win by 62 points and go to the top of the ladder on percentage ahead of Sydney. Because we don’t really have any furniture at the house yet, I simply re-arranged some paint buckets in the kitchen to make a TV table and chair!

In the late morning we went up to the Moissac Market, where we met up with Bernard, a musician friend of Veronique’s. As we sat having a drink at the Compostella Cafe, Nico, Miyu and Massa arrived and joined us. After about an hour, the sky suddenly darkened, and then a torrential downpour descended. People ran for cover everywhere, and we just got up and stood under our table umbrellas. Within ten minutes, the skies had cleared and the crowd went back to their market shopping. Below are Veronique and Nico, and Miyu and Massa taking cover.

Similar to what has happened previously, the rain sent us on a different path home, and this time we discovered another opportune purchase, when we found table cloths for the long trestles tables we will put on the back verandah at the house for the band meals.

In the afternoon, I finished making the 19 pan-stands, and then we got welcome news that I would need to make another one, when we got an email from Jane saying that she would be able to play with the band for about a week as she took a detour on her way to England with her family - very good news.

In the afternoon, Rita went on a cycle ride with Veronique down the canal towpath to Castelsarrasin and then back via the banks of the Garonne and Tarn Rivers, stopping along the way at Lac de Boulet near the Garonne.

Each evening this week we have had a timid little visitor at the barge. One of the local kittens has been visiting the boat, sometimes coming on board when we are not looking or else just sitting on the quai and looking. Tonight, we were having fish for dinner and so he/she was very interested, especially when we threw a few scraps out onto the quai. After a while she just curled up and watched us while we ate the rest of the fish. With a tail as shown in the picture, it’s little wonder we have started calling her Tiger.

After dinner we went for another training drive for Rita, and then went for a nightcap coffee at l’Uvarium Cafe down by the Tarn.

As often happens, Moissac threw on a brilliant sunset to round out the day.