Hello, 40

This past monday I celebrated my 40th birthday.  I traveled a long way to avoid the bumps but my plan to avoid a 40th birthday bash was thwarted even before I left.  My ‘girls’ were not going to let me escape this milestone  and threw me an early 40th/Bon Voyage party.  They had beautiful cheeses and bread, chocolate,  french pastries and wine, all my favourites!  They know me too well.  They also bought me this beautiful  leather bag from Cuyana.  I’ve been eyeing for about a year now and it’s been a perfect gift as I’ve been using it every day since I got it.  It’s carried many a baguette already.

But that was kind of a fake party,  a decoy for the real thing.  I was still in my thirtie’s back then.  The real thing arrived last monday and I learned that turning 40 turned out to be just fine….

It began early in the morning with hugs and kisses from the kids.

Once they were in school, Shamus and I went for a long walk.  It was a beautiful morning, very spring-like with no wind.  Even the Mistral gifted me by staying away.

Looking over ‘La Vallée de l’Eure’.

After lunch, my mom and I went for a coffee.  We sat outside in the sun, it was quite warm out, almost warm enough for her to take her winter coat off!  Even I peeled my jean jacket off (it was 14 degrees out).

We did a little bit of shopping downtown but because it was monday most stores were closed.  We managed to find a few boutiques that were open and my mom bought me a beautiful cashmere sweater.  It’s kind of nice to still be spoiled by your parents at 40 years old.

We had planned to meet the rest of the gang for cake at a favourite coffee and dessert shop. We soon realised that it was also closed Mondays.  So we came up with plan B which was go to the bar for a birthday beer.  No need to worry about what to do with the kids, they’re allowed in bars in France!  I even saw a high chair in there!  The kids enjoyed a coke out of the bottle, my mom had a large coffee,  I had a small beer,  and my Dad and Shamus had some biggies.

Shamus and Etienne had spent the earlier part of the afternoon getting things ready for supper.  We headed back home for pizza and salad which was my birthday meal request.  I had also requested a (slightly more expensive) bottle of fine red wine.

My ‘expensive’ wine, worth the extra 4 euros.

The meal was delicious!  I find that meals are usually better when you haven’t prepared it yourself.  For dessert we had a very decadent chocolate tart. The kids thought it was a little ‘trop riche’; I thought it was perfect.

So that was the big day!   Of course celebrating in France with my family  makes it that much more memorable.  I feel as though I’m starting out my 40’s on the right foot though,  and I’ll just keep on heading that way….

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes on FB, email, instagram and the blog.  Social Media can make a person feel pretty special (and even more addicted than usual to their iPhone).   I also really appreciate all the positive feedback I’ve been getting regarding the blog, it’s been a lot of fun to be able to share our experience with everyone.

Cheers everyone!

birthday girl xo

 

 

 

 

 

Bonne Fête Maman!

Yesterday was my mom’s birthday.  We didn’t do too much because she told me not to fuss (of course).  We drove into Montpellier for the day to do some shopping and sightseeing.  We used the park + tram service and I think my  parents enjoyed the tram ride quite a bit.

Waiting for the tram in Montpellier

Since the kids were still on their school break, we treated them to some indoor rock climbing while my parents did a bit of shopping.

Etienne (inducing a panic attack in me)

 

Nico and Evi scaling the wall

 

After all that fun, the timing wasn’t ideal to stay for supper and it wasn’t quite warm enough to walk around town so we decided to drive back home.  So on short notice,  we prepared a fuss-free party.  I pulled out my pretty french tablecloth and put tea lights in our little glass yogurt jars (those things are getting a lot of mileage here).  The kids have been sprouting lentils as a project so we used that as our center piece.  We made a simple hamburger/hotdog supper and spruced up the party with fancy drinks and fancy mustards.  Shamus and I kicked up our burgers a bit by melting blue cheese on them.

After supper we had a raspberry tart with candles and we presented her gift of a homemade birthday card and tea towels.

I knew she would love these towels because she picked them out in a gift shop and I asked her to leave so I could buy them for her.  I also can’t find a Bingo game anywhere in this town to take her to so tea towels it is.

group selfie!

It was a nice day!  There is another fairly momentous birthday just around the corner….

Doctor’s visit

If you’ve been following the blog, you might recall that we were quite sick for a few weeks in January.  I think the long days of travelling,  moving into our new (very old) house,  the kid’s new school and new bugs,  as well as damp weather all had a role to play in it.  Shamus was the only one who didn’t get sick although his allergies acted up quite a bit.

Etienne had it the worst.  He was tired, coughing, and had fevers that we controlled with Advil.  Evi had dark circles around her eyes and slept more than usual.  At times she was hacking to the point of throwing up.  Nico developed a whooping style cough but  it only lasted a few days.  I was basically coughing non-stop for 2 weeks.  It was a very unproductive and incessant cough.  The evenings would get worse and at one point Shamus put us all in one bedroom and quarantined us.  We still dragged the kids out for errands and outings and but we could see it was a lot more tiring for them.

Evi at her worst

One day, I took a trip to the pharmacy and had a pile of medication on the counter expecting to pay a small fortune.  When the saleslady told me the total was 5 euros, I said ‘Pardon?’ a few times while looking at her like she was crazy.  It felt like one of those ‘start the car Shamus!’ moments.  Kid’s Advil alone can be 15 dollars in Canada!  She assured me that she was not crazy,  that was the cost of drugs in France.  So hot tip: if cheap drugs and cheap wine is what you’re into, this is the place for you.

However Etienne’s health was not improving, it was time to seek some medical help.  Our trip to the doctor’s office was pretty interesting.  We all went together at first but the receptionist informed us the line up was too long and since they didn’t take appointments it would be better to come back later.  So that afternoon Etienne and I came back right after lunch.  We were 3rd in line and this time the receptionist gave us the thumbs up.  She asked us to have a seat and informed us that the doctor would call our name.  I tried to pay her in advance, explaining that we were from Canada and we had insurance.  She just told us it would cost 23 euros and that we would settle it with the doctor.  We sat and waited and sure enough, Dr. Servian called out Etienne’s name and in we went .  It felt a bit unusual because in Saskatoon it’s normally a nurse that calls us in, gets us all set up and the doctor sneaks in through a side door about half an hour later.  Anyhow,  he asked the appropriate questions, entered our address and information in the computer and checked Etienne over.  Turns out the poor kid had pneumonia!!!!  So we got a prescription and were told to come back for a follow up.  He asked for 23 euros and there I was sliding cash across the doctors desk.  Luckily I had the cash because he’s not equipped for a credit card.  He gave me a receipt to take back home and hopefully we will be reimbursed.  

The following Saturday, it was my turn to visit the doctor as I was still hacking uncontrollably.  I got there quite early but once I arrived I did not see a receptionist at the front desk.  There was just a bunch of sick people in the reception area.  They informed me that there isn’t a receptionist on Saturdays; that people just wait their turns.  It was quite crowded in there already so I decided to go back on Monday (still hoping I would miraculously be healthy by then).  Monday rolled around and I still felt horrible so once again I was off to the medical clinic.  The same process ensued- the doctor called me in, took down my info, asked some questions and checked me over.  (he also took a pretty long phone call in the middle of checking me over). I didn’t have pneumonia but I did have bronchitis.  He prescribed some antibiotics, a nasal spray and some ‘keep out of the reach of children’ heavy duty cough syrup.  Apparently you shouldn’t mix alcohol with that cough syrup but I suppose it depends on what your goal is.  Once again I found myself sliding some cash across the desk and away I went.  I’m getting pretty good at this doctor business in France.

Etienne standing in front of the Doctor’s office.

Anyhow,  we took our meds and we’re both feeling a lot better!   Fortunately Evi and Nico’s health improved before a trip to the doctor’s office and they’re tip top too.  It turned out to be a good experience but hopefully we won’t need to see a doctor again on our trip.

Emergency Picnic basket

A couple fridays ago we went on a what we thought would be a short outing, maybe an hour or so.  We left at 9am and arrived home at 5pm.  It started with a drive out to a neighbouring town of Colias, about 8km away.  It was a beautiful day and we headed to the ‘Le Gardon’ river.  We just walked along the beach and the kids threw rocks in the river and looked for seashells.

 

Shamus and the kids also did some rock climbing.

I prefer to watch safely from down below and catch children if they come tumbling down.

The scenery was breathtaking and I found a cozy warm spot on a rock.

About an hour and a half later, the kids were obviously getting hungry.  Nico asked why we didn’t pack anything since we were the parents after all.

We had in fact packed a few snacks but it would have been much nicer to have a picnic.  The small town we were in had a boulangerie (of course) and and a tiny corner store full of interesting items.  There were the usual fruits and vegetables, but also great cheeses, yogurt, freshly squeezed juices, grape leaves stuffed with rice, bottles of wine…Apparently wine is something people can’t do without here because there was quite a selection.  You can find wine in every corner store and I’ve even seen (and bought) some at the bakery.

Anyhow, I was thinking that if we had a few things on hand in the car, we could have bought a few items and had a sweet picnic by the river.  So I made it my project to have a fully stocked emergency picnic basket:

1. A basket from the market because they are so pretty and I can’t get enough of them!  (I will be taking them home to fill them with random objects).

2. A swiss army knife-I was gifted this one from Lucy and Markus years ago.  It is awesome!  Plus it has a bottle opener…enough said.

3. Cutlery.  Of course you can buy plastic disposable stuff but we had some extra kicking around in the drawer so I threw them in the basket as well.

4. Napkins, a roll of toilet paper, paper towel  and wipes.  Maybe some alcohol/disinfectant.  Also some plastic bags for litter.

5. A nice tablecloth to cover a dirty picnic table or lay on the ground.  It makes   a picnic feel much nicer I think.

6. Chocolate. You really should never leave home without it.  You really shouldn’t eat your emergency stash before leaving home either.

7. Sometimes we have to drive a little way.  We’ve been using ginger essential oil on the boys when travelling and it has helped with the car sickness.  Unfortunately it hasn’t helped every time! (that’s where that plastic bag comes in handy as well).  Every time we get in the car Nico asks ‘how long is it’?  Poor kid is gauging his puke-ometer.

We didn’t stay in Colias for a picnic that day but since we were halfway to Avignon we continued on.  We had a nice sit down lunch before walking around the walled city for a while .

It was a really great day, but now we’ll be prepared to have an impromptu picnic on those beautiful days too.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day

We had a busy day today.  It began with me receiving fresh flowers from the market…

The kids were happy to choose their favourite flower out of my bouquet and display them in a used glass yogurt jar.

Etienne lost a tooth (The tooth fairy needs to be a little more generous in France with the crappy exchange rate).

We visited a real castle.

 

Shamus and I even had a date night while my parents babysat!

Hope you had a sweet valentine’s day too!

XOX

Bits and pieces

We haven’t toured inside the Colosseum in Nîmes yet but it is quite impressive from the outside!  Another thing I didn’t know about France is that there seems to be a lot of ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds.

Hiking in the bush (watch out for wild boars!)

Look what we found in the ‘Foreign’ section at the grocery store.

The French like to add eggs to meals whenever they can.  Here’s one on Shamus’s burger.

Un café gourmand, an item on most menus (no egg thank goodness).

Pour toi Rémi: ton rêve d’ouvrir un restaurant!  (Mon restaurant préféré à date…)

These guys…so cute!

Check out these foreigners!  My mom and dad arrived in one piece, even on Friday the 13th!  They’ve traveled a long way and we’re very happy to see them!

 

 

 

Mistral Update

Touching back on a previous post, here’s a little something extra on the subject of the ‘Sacré Mistral’ (in case you weren’t convinced).  Two nights ago was an epic Mistral, not at all normal from what we’ve heard.  Our landlord thinks the gusts were up to 140km per hour.  Shamus and the kids went outside earlier in the day to experience it.  We don’t have any kites so Evi is using a blanket as a substitute (our kids are very deprived and they remind us of that quite often).  I don’t think a kite would last one minute anyhow.

Shamus assured the kids that the trees would not go down, that they’ve withstood these violent winds for decades already.  Less than 30 min later, this happened in our courtyard:

The next morning it looked like this.

Luckily no damage was done and no one was hurt.  The mess was cleared away the next day but it’s a bit strange to see an empty space where that old tree once stood.

 

Pay it forward

Uzès is quite a touristy town.  We’ve met a few people and they’ve all fallen in love with it.  It was the first time for some of these folks while others return to the same apartment or mas (house) each year.  One gentleman we met had just bought a house in Uzès (a little more than a house actually- we toured it and it has an elevator) so he’ll definitely be back.  I think it’s the combination of a few things.  Uzès is a picturesque medieval village that is well situated among other historic sites.  With a population of about 9000 people,  it’s also small enough to walk everywhere and everything you need is here.  Mostly though, there is just something really special about this little town.

Naturally when you’re visiting a place that isn’t all-inclusive, you end up needing to buy food and other items along the way.  Most apartments are equipped with a fridge, a stove and basic houseware so you can make your own meals.  We’ve ended up having to buy a few things for the house, and we’ve started building on our spice collection.  Salt, pepper and herbes de provence can only go so far.  However the time will come when it’s time to go and we will have an excess of herbs, canned and dry goods, laundry soap, and fresh produce among other items.

This has happened to the other tourists we’ve met along the way and they were kind enough to pay it forward to us.  Steve and Leigh, the australian couple gave  us some muesli, herbs, honey as well as a Dutch oven that we’ve already used numerous times for boeuf bourguignon and cassoulet (but mostly for plain pasta).

Andres the architect from Miami emptied his fridge full of market fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, crackers and lots of other good stuff.

Last sunday we joined Lambert at a coffee shop (which has since become my new favourite).  He’s a Canadian who’s been coming to Uzès for 10 years.  He handed over a box filled with dry goods, some books, vinegars and even a bottle of rosé wine!  Not to mention some helpful tips and contacts to get by around here.  The photos below show Lambert and me as well as Etienne sifting through the box of goodies that was given to us.  Etienne is hoping to find something more exciting than soup stock, yeast and breadcrumbs.

Anyhow it’s very generous of them all, and we were very thankful.  We will definitely keep the tradition going in a few months time when we’re ready to head back to Canada.

 

Mistrals

Le Mistral….It sounds so gentle and pretty, doesn’t it?  Don’t let the name fool you.  Referred to as le “Sacré Mistral” here in France,  Shamus and I have taken to calling it the Dirty Mistral  (not to be confused with minstrel or mistress although they tend to be dirty as well).  Since our arrival, we’ve experienced a few days of mistral and it is not pleasant at all.  It feels ironic to complain about weather from the south of  France to a bunch of  prairie Canadians in the middle of winter.  I bet you’re wearing your Canada Goose and Northface parkas  though, and mine is at home tucked away in a closet back home.  I so wish I had it today.

According to Wikipedia, a mistral is a violent and cold northernly wind that blows with sustained winds of 40 km per hour gusting to one hundred!  It usually lasts for 2-3  days, often a bit longer , and sometimes it lasts a week.  It typically blows in winter and spring but can occur in all seasons.  The humidity makes it feel colder.  Shamus has been tracking the Mistrals closely and the winds we have experienced so far range from 40 to 80 km per hour.

It is very different from a windy day in Canada.  Windy days for us are usually associated with a weather change and dark clouds.  The Mistral sky is clear, blue, and sunny but the wind is deceivingly cold and harsh. That must be the real reason why everyone wears a scarf with their collars turned up; not merely for fashion’s sake.

You can even see evidence of the Mistral in Van Gogh’s work.  He lived in this area when he painted the famous painting ‘Starry night’.  No wonder he cut his own ear off. He probably got wind in it.

The  upside of the Mistral is that it keeps the air clean by blowing away the dust and pollutants.  It also blows the clouds from the sky which is why the climate in the south of France is so sunny.  It is also believed to be perfect for growing vines and grapes, which makes for delicious wine, which you need to cope with the Mistral…. (notice the cycle here? ) All I know is that when I look at the forecast and see the ‘blowing wind’ symbol,  I get a little shiver and I tighten my scarf a little.  I see a couple ‘blowing wind’ symbols coming up in the forecast this week so we’re going to  make a Cassoulet (a typical French dish of white beans and meat) and stock up on a couple bottles of wine.

Bits and pieces

We walk past this cute little car on our way to town.  Not sure what the deal is but I’ve grown quite fond of it.

Pour toi Laurent…une tour de Pastis!  This is a very popular liqueur among the old southern french men. We still are in the research phase.

Sending out our first round of postcards…

Cou-cou! (that’s french for Peek-a-boo)

Looky who’s wearing a scarf!  When in France…

Quaint little store of things I can’t or shouldn’t buy…

Scooting around the block…

We haven’t quite figured out where the sign ‘Autres Directions’ (other directions)  leads to.  They are quite common, but not very helpful…

Apparently scorpions  live here and this little guy was hiding under a plant pot by the pool.  We’re told they are ‘inoffensifs’;  I hope we don’t find out.

No explanation needed.