DAVID "AGHMASHENEBELI" THE FOURTH

 

 

 

 

Once upon a time,

there was a king in Georgia,

which they called "Aghmashenebeli",

the Builder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I, for one, met this David, King of the Lomagne tarn & garonnaise, probably in the year 2011. We had exchanged some views about wine, trade, art, sport, motorcycling ... on various blogs, all in general terms. He then invited Christine and I to spend a couple of days with his lady-friend and himself, at an old "campagne" - as it is called in the Aude - they possess in this lovely part of Tarn & Garonne which one calls la Lomagne. The soil is full of clay and chalk over here, then sandier in nature yonder. But it is fertile, provided nature offers some water. The only draw-back of this extension of sugar candy land lies in the proximity of Golfech nuclear power plant. But the Alsatians, the Tricastin and the Montelimar people are not better off. Of course, as long as no major mishap intervenes, there's no direct nuisance to be spotted. Still ... 


We had a very enjoyable stay at his place, complete with a lot of booze.


Last week, intend on paying a visit to our goat-cheese maker in the Quercy nearby, it is with delight I accepted yet another invitation for dinner and ... to stay the night if we felt like it. Taking advantage of our friend's commercial obligations on Tuesday night and hence her absence from home, we drove a while to Lachapelle, not far from Beaumont-de-Lomagne, as the hamlet is called. 


Upon our arrival, all the birds were inconspicuous in the nest. We rustled and rattled, we yelled and ejaculated ... not one sound came in reply. So, we set off for a tour du propriétaire and admired the newly-built stone wall. Little by little, just as in another episode of Gullivers' Travels, the inhabitants made their appearance: one climbing down the stairs from her ethereal or at least celestial hiding place, another parking a motorcycle on the sly, incognito. 


We subsequently had a better look at the fortifications: at least "moyen appareil", sometimes almost Mycaenian, the stones' size commands respect. When mortar has been used, it passes unnoticed. What once was an earthen hillock, a kind of hillside mound overlooking the pond, now stands proudly as a bulwark against hell or high water, or maybe against mankind's stupidity. It needs to be precised that David also is a cabinet-maker and a carpenter by education ... a great help when it comes to carving big rocks. In the middle, yielding easy access to the dungeon, you will discover a cute flight of stone steps.


Our Elaine - or was it Guinevere ? I cannot tell - is eagerly waiting for Galahad halfway up on the picture, on the terrace. 


The entire mansion is a delight, but this recent improvement

stands out for its charm and ... full credit to the mason.



PS: My report wouldn't be fair, nor complete either, if I didn't mention the company was slightly unsettled (annoyed at?), at one moment or another, by some of my views about the organization of French official society - a real burden to me - and the ostracism imposed on some of their nationals, however unfriendly and humanly unacceptable certain views these people hold indeed are. But freedom of speech knows no limit in my eyes, even to the extreme of the range. To be honest, I would probably have kept these thoughts to myself - sincere as they be - without the freeing influence of two bottles of this most marvelous of fizz: Philippe Foreau's Vouvray pétillant. Thank you David.

 

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