I Have Arrived in France

I am always struck with emotion when I first arrive in the countryside....smell the sweet country air & hear the pleasant country sounds alive with summer.



My heart truly swells with happiness as I cross the bridge for the first time


...& view my beautiful sun baked village....


......the deep lush green of the forest....


....the sparkling of the river....


....& of course chez moi.


I can't wait to open the shutters .....& put my little table & chairs out to announce to the world that I have arrived.

Leaving

Well, better late than never.....it looks as if I have done all I can do to move out of the condo except actually physically leaving. And luckily, with the aid of the Internet & Power of Attorney privileges it seems that it will be possible for me to slip away & head over to France before the final closing date in August. Lots of last minute planning & scurrying around is about to make this happy idea a reality.

I will be leaving Boston behind. The past several months here in Boston have been hectic at best. As a result sometimes I forget what a beautiful city Boston really is. This video by filmmaker Sean Collins expresses my feelings perfectly.






Good-bye Boston.

I am looking forward to seeing France again & what better day to announce my departure than today. Bastille Day! Happy 14 July everyone!

Empty

We have a buyer for our condo & it looks as if everything is going to go through this time. It has been a lot of work getting to this point.



Although the closing date is not until August 2, everything is now pretty much packed up & moved out.



Other than some last minute boxes & a few essentials the condo is now virtually empty.


It is kind of fun to see it again in this naked state & to remember the bones of the home that we first fell in love with.





All of this open space leaves little to do in the normal everyday sense but it certainly does provide an excellent place to practice yoga.



The photo above was taken by my youngest granddaughter Gracie. I promised her that I would use her photo & give her full credit.

I hope that you are all having a weekend full of joy!

Happy Birthday Emily!

Today my eldest granddaughter, Emily, turned 14. It seems like a milestone of sorts, these 14 years. It has been a true privilege to watch & be just a small part of this beloved first child & grandchild grow into her own.


This afternoon we had a small celebration here at my house to present Emily with her gift, something she has wanted, a yogibo for her room.



Thank you Emily for the joy you have brought into our lives for the past 14 years. You are kind & thoughtful, helpful & conscientious ......


.......you are a sweet & caring big sister as well as a very good role model for your younger siblings...

......you are funny& fun to be with.....

......Emily you are talented & smart..... you have taught me & inspired me.....I love that you showed me how to do Instagram & often have to help me with my phone or computer....

.....you are beautiful inside & out......

...........Happy Birthday Emily!

Keeping Cool

Saturday was a girls day out & to try to beat the heat my daughter invited me to join her & my granddaughters for a pedicure.


This was a real treat for all of us ..........


......starting right off with choosing our colors......


.......& oh those ticklish feet.......



.......in the end we had a rainbow of beautiful toes!


Afterwards we had fun having a "just us girls" lunch........


......& to continue our staying cool theme we went for a refreshing swim.



It was a very special day......


.....but it was definitely all about the toes!

Long Weekend

Happy 4th of July !

A Weekend of Lacrosse

My grandchildren all play lacrosse. They are each on a summer team. They will be practicing during the week & playing round-robin tournaments on weekends. All of this is a family affair.

Lacrosse is a new sport for me & I am slowly having to learn the rules & regulations.

My grandson's number is 44.

Lacrosse is a fast paced sport. Sometimes it moves so fast that I can't find my grandson on the field.

But I always know that I will be able to look for his bight orange shoes flashing by.

The girls are at the age where they no longer wish to be photographed. So I end up with a lot of shots like this.

But luckily I am able to sneak in a few quiet unobserved moments.

After all that is what it is all about for me, just being together.

Great game Jack!


I hope all of you had a happy weekend too!