I went to Terra Tolosa for lunch as usual on Thursdays. I saw Yochen, the chef and owner for the first time since I have been back. He welcomed me back and explained that the “chef table” was not available during the good weather as they stored the tables for eating on the terrace where the table was. I was slightly disappointed as I liked talking to him and watching him cook but I was good with it as I understood how the terrace was good for business. Unfortunately, the weather was a little chilly and windy so the terrace was not set up. I look forward to eating on the terrace when the weather is good. The outdoor dining at almost every restaurant and cafe is one of the nicest parts of French dining and Toulouse is ideal as it generally has great weather.

When I sat down, Thomas brought be a glass of champagne and said they had noticed that my birthday was coming up and Yochen had sent a complimentary glass to celebrate. It was very thoughtful. I guess I had put my birthday in the reservation system when I first signed up. I was surprised but it was nice that they knew and offered the champagne.

Lunch as usual was delicious and creative. It is really nice to always have fresh and local ingredients when eating.

First course was Rillette de volailles maison au citron confit, mouse thym et focaccia maison. Rillette is basically shredded cold chicken with added ingredients – a really good chicken salad.

The main course was Conchiglionis farci Ricotta et épinards, champignons, crème parmesan et légumes de saison. Conchiglionis are basically pasta shells stuffed with spinach and Ricotta. There was a large helping of mushrooms which made me very happy because I love mushrooms. There was grilled asparagus, broccoli, carrot, bok choy and parsnips. It was an ideal dish for me.

I opted for the cheese for dessert. I had had the Entremet the last time I ate there which was very good but did not want to have it a second time so quickly. The other option was rice pudding but I am not a big fan of rice pudding but I think I will have it next time if it is still on the menu. It comes with carmal crunch on top which looked very good. The cheese was Comte and goat cheese with an arugula salad. All very good.

In the evening, I ran with Run in Toulouse my usual activity for Thursday nights. It is amusing as I guess I look approachable as a young lady came up and asked me what the group was in French. I tried to explain in French but failed and we switched to English. I explained it as best I could and gave her the name and said she could find it on Facebook and Instagram. As she was walking off, she was joined by two friends and they were giggling. They had overheard our interaction and, obviously, found it amusing.

I ran with Marc and Hugo again. Hugo is very fun and inquisitive. He asked me if I was working in France and I told him that I was retired. Nicely, he corrected my pronunciation. Immediately afterwards, he asked me how old I was. I told him I was turning 70 on Sunday. He was amusing as he would not wish me happy birthday as he said it could be bad luck because you did not know what could happen between now and then.

He then told me I was “super human” as I was 70 and could run like a 25 year old. I will take that compliment any day. He spent a few minutes discussing how I viewed myself and what age I felt. It was all pretty funny.

He is usually very fast and always eager to run fast during the free parts for the run but today he slowed down on the first free run and said he did not have any energy. The best part was he described his legs as feeling like sausage legs. I explained we would say heavy legs for what he was feeling but I do like the term sausage legs. Even though he was tired, he and Marc did the death race back to the Capitol at the end. After the run, we both skipped the calisthenics and jogged back towards our apartments together. We are determined to teach each other our respective languages.

Another nice sunset.