We drove over to Biot and arrived early for our assignation with Clare and Martyn. Rather than walk around the village in the blistering midday heat we decided to take a seat at a bar next to our lunch venue.
I think we chose the wrong bar because the blond beer they served tasted like mildly flavoured water. However it was cold which was strictly necessary.
Clare and Martin arrived exactly on time and we sat down at our reserved table in the middle of the square and under a large canopy protecting us and other diners from the sun. It didn’t, however, protect us from the heat. i perspired very slowly throughout the meal. I don’t think sweat appeared on my brow, but I felt distinctly uncomfortable.
Maggi immediately asked Clare about her lymphoma. Unfortunately she had bad news to tell us. The treatment she had received had not cleared it as the doctors and she had hoped. She now has to go through another round of chemotherapy and drugs. I really don’t know what this means about her chances of surviving the lymphoma, but I’m sure Pat Rogers will let us know.
Clare has lost a little bit of weight, but at least in public, her spirits and sense of humour haven’t changed. The conversation continued to be lively despite the background and we had an enjoyable time with them.
I made the mistake of ordering steak tartare which came with a smattering of salad and some chips. Everyone else had a salad of some sort. A couple of glasses of wine disappeared down the hatch and I fell for having a cafe gourmand along with Martyn at the end of the meal.
After meeting at 12:45 we parted around 15:30, with both of us admiring the spirit of both Clare and Martyn in these trying circumstances.
