Mosaic Monday # 89 - what I did on my birthday

Last Friday was my birthday, not one of the big ones the next O is a couple of years away but still a special one in many ways.
On the previous day we had driven down to the Pays de la Loire region of France to stay overnight at the Manoir du Moulin, in the small town of Sainte Hermine in the Vendee. 

Looking at the pretty garden through the breakfast room windows whilst enjoying our petite dejeuner was a lovely start to the day.
On our way to our next destination, Maison Asholi in the tiny hamlet of Bouteilles Saint Sebastian over in the Dordogne, we stopped off in the pretty town of Fontenay le Comte to visit the Chateau Terre Neuve. 
We had a wonderful tour of the Chateau. Our guide, Eve, was delightful and took great pride in telling us about it's history. 
Later that afternoon we arrived at Maison Asholi and received a warm welcome from our B & B host, Beverley.
Just look at our pretty bedroom!

As we sat outside basking in the glorious sunshine and admiring the garden Beverley brought out  a birthday cake that she had baked specially for me, complete with candles!

In the evening the SP took me to dinner at "a table" a quirky restaurant @ La Lumiere B & B owned and operated by two English women in the nearby hamlet of La Guide. 
The restaurant is small, it seats just 36 diners in two downstairs rooms of what once was an ancient French farmhouse and has a usp I've not encountered before.
Dinner is by reservation only, there is no menu (although they do have a short wine list), and all the tables are served at the same time.
As each course is dispatched from the tiny kitchen it is delivered to the table by a server along with a short description of the dish.
6 courses over 3 hours, quite an experience and one that made this birthday a birthday to remember.
You may have noticed that I've become a fan of the Waterlogue app after seeing the wonderful images created by Sarah @ Hyacinths for the Soul a week or two ago.
It's so easy to use and such fun!