La reprise

Opposing forces create tension, like the tension of a cello string.
I know. It's obtuse. I'm just trying to say that without the tense days, our beautiful ones like today would not seem so spectacular.

First, this morning the whole "super nanny schedule" scheme worked like a charm. Writing a list with boxes to check beside the task, for Lauren, has as predictable an outcome as tapping the nerve under her knee. Silly me for not doing that list thing with her yesterday. Annika could not care less about lists, but she had been read the riot act, so she tried to be helpful and pleasant.

Then, later in the morning, the fun began: we went up to the weekly farmers' market and grabbed some treats and flowers to bring to Pascale and Dablan's garden party. Pascale is a chef d'orchestre extraordnaire. The meal she prepared was perfect in every way, and perfectly French including four courses and a rather constant flow of several wonderful wines. The company was also delightful. She invited her longtime friend Brigitte, who's also a teacher, but she now works as a district administrator of Education in Paris(she took the job because she's single now and the job comes with state housing). As well, another family, Lionel and Pascale (also a teacher at a nearby school) and their two girls, Suzanne who is 12 and Marilou, 9. Suzanne organized the other girls in many games during the party, including french versions of hide and seek, what time is it mr. wolf, etc. The girls ran around, chasing and climbing and giggling and having a fabulous time generally.

Another fun element of this oeuvre d'art garden party was moving from inside to out. The sun was playing cache-cache, and it kept us all on our toes.

We started eating at noon and finished at 3:00. Surrounded by these gracious and interesting people, my children laughing and playing, and the absolutely gourmet food and wine, I was asking myself, "can this be real?"

One sidenote (and a good example of tension) as I am blissfully remebering our day, there is huge spider on the wall in the other room. Why is it always when Kevin is not around that the especially huge spiders show up? I actually love spiders, or at least I admire their "work" let's say, but when they're this big and in my living room, I have to do something...

Excuse me a moment....

The spider "met" a French phrase book and has gone to its great reward. I've never seen anything like that one, its long legs having something like hinges, joints, I guess, in the middle. For my conscience sake, I hope it was a dangerous one. It looked like the biting wolf spider that I've seen before in my bathtub at home.

Anyway, Pascale created a truly amazing party, and she's basically now my party creating mentor. I have a ways to go, but, one day, I hope to attain her level of party throwing ablitity.

Then after that, and after forgetting our directions and getting lost a bit, we finally made it to Dinard to meet Berengere and her three boys. I haven't seen her since she moved back to France a year or two ago, and she's the one who helped me register the kids at school here. She is also the type of person who likes, not only to travel, but stay for a while in a place. She and her husband, Francois, are about to pack up their little family and move to Brussels this summer. It was great to see her again. Her boys and the girls had a blast digging in the sand, and swimmimng in the azure ocean. Oooo la, la...what an amazing beach town. It was a warm late afternoon/evening at the beach, and, I wouldn't be surprised if you could actually see us glowing.

One more thing...in case you're following my reports of the people (mom), we met Peter's wife, Pat. She's an orthopedic surgeon from Montreal, a fair bit younger than he. She's a very busy and industrious girl, as you can imagine. She's just like all the boaters on our street who are showing up recently. It's like a beehive these days with all the people out cleaning and tending their boats.

One more thing...I'm about to gush about my kids, so that's fair warning. Okay now that only you are left reading, mom and Kevin: Annika is fascinated with a new song. She got it on a soundtrack that she borrowed from the library. (the Flushed Away soundtrack) The song is 'She's a Lady' by Tom Jones. She listens to it over and over. It's the cutest thing..."She's got style, she's got grace, and she's never in one place..she's a lady.Whoa whoa, she's a lady". At first I thought it was a ridulous song, but I actually like it now, and it's so cute that Annika loves it. Also, Lauren has recently informed me that when she grows up, she wants to be work at the NASA International Space Station. Also, she's doing well in school, learning tons of French (they both are) and she's doing well with her fraction and decimals lessons despite being the youngest in the class.

Tomorrow, Berengere and the boys are coming to Dinan for a visit and a little boat trip down the Rance river and then at 6pm the girls and I are going to an art opening for Pascale and Pascale's sculpture. Is there no end to this woman's creativity? Answer: no, no end. Also, with the help of her joyful husband Dablan, she has raised four kids and she's an amazing teacher too. She's my hero. The opening is at the Abby on the river (several photos and video of this Abby and the environs already on this blog). It is such an amazing place, complete with the tombs of a King and Queen from the 6th century. And they are very freaky tombs in that the the stone relief of the Queen appears to be a shapely woman in shackles around her knees (chastity belt?), the King's has no such impediments to his freedom.

So, anyway, tomorrow promises to be pretty amazing as well.

Then Saturday, we have a playdate with Mael, and Sunday is the school fundraiser garage sale.


This is Pascale's beautiful table (she even made the table cloth herself).



This is their living room when I first came in. There is the entree course on the table, but we ended up taking it outside. The art on the wall is from one of their sons.



The cheese course. Lovely people. Too bad I didn't get any good ones of Lionel and Dablan yet. I mean, how obnoxious can I be with the camera though, you know?



And, finally, the pie. Apples peeled by hand with Brigitte helping, as we were coming in. Truly, she must have worked for hours on this wonderful lunch.



Here's the first course of the garden party, cucumber, olives, stuffed tomatoes, the bread and bread sticks are not on the table yet. The Rose is being examined apparently.



Berengere on the beach (and the back of the heads of Gregoire and Maxence).



Kids playing in Dinard.




Good night for now.

It's now later the next day, and you will not believe the genius at this art show in the work of both the Pascals. Then I got to go to Pascale (the other Pascale) house and she has dozens of these amazing little sculptures all over her house. I am so incredibly tired right now after spending another amazing evening with these people. Her sculptures are the most incredible things you've ever seen. Wait till you see them. You will die. I feel like I'm in heaven sometimes. Am I in heaven or France. I really don't know at times. It's surreal. The scarves, the perfums, the food, the abbyes, the art shows, the river, the friends, the happy children....it's all intoxicating. Anyway, as I said I'm too tired to write or post photos...but wait til you hear....ooooo la, la.



Oh, here are the kids on the boat yesterday; it was Berengere, her mom and I and her kids and a friend of Eloi's, Emerique. The boys kept asking me...allez plus vite! Vitesse maximum. So funny. And little Maxence gave me the honour of sitting deciding to sit beside me (I was the driver!). So, so, so adorable.