working for Santa

In these times of financial crisis I was lucky to find an odd job as a subcontractor for Santa who as usual at this time of the year is overloaded with work. The pay is a little unusual: bright eyes and smiles on kids faces.
Gilllles

second snow

tannenbaum

I am not sure of the protocol on christmas tree close-ups, but at risk of exceeding the cheesiness threshold, I had to zoom in on the lovely santa ornament our neighbor Anne made last year. Gilles won it at the neighborhood gift exchange! (I won the one thing I truly coveted - a handcrafted Harry Potter wand.)
It is very cold and even snowy here, which I absolutely love! The parking brake on our car has frozen in place, but it's worth it for a white Christmas.
Thank goodness for the very dry oak and beech logs we stockpiled in autumn. With new insulation in place and the dual-combustion woodstove cranking away, we are pretty toasty.
A last note in this babbly entry - I must say that cats make great pets!
Down below, Louise with purrry Misty and a pirate map in a bottle by Camille and papa.

discovering the dictionary

We seem to have produced at least one bookworm. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or as they say in French, "Cats don't make dogs", or is it "Dogs don't make cats"? Camille is definitely fascinated with books, especially comic books (in the great French tradition), pores over her monthly kids magazine with its secret codes and quizzes, and has recently taken up dictionary delving. She still climbs trees, but does "hate going on walks", until she gets going at least. So, she is voracious, and all suggestions of great kids books are welcome. (She is starting to read a bit in English too.)

first snow

maman et papa

As a parent, I find it pretty interesting to see what my kids reflect back about us - their folks! Here is a fairly romantic vision by Louise:

"Mom and pop on their wedding day"
- By Louise


Maman et Papa
- By Louise

(We do not appear to have aged all that much, though I really must stop wearing those see-through dresses!

country mouse and city mouse

bedtime story...

Two-month update

On our kitchen table today sits a bottle of kid's champagne, ready for a toast tonight to celebrate Gilles' return to health. Not only was his dialysis catheter removed this morning, leaving him impermeable like the rest of us for the first time in many months, but a hospital van came to pick up all the dialysis gear that was stacked around our bedroom and kitchen. These two events are symbolic for us, and two months down the road from his kidney transplant, as I looked at the new lack of medical equipment in our living space, I felt a two-year chapter in our lives coming to a close. Gilles still has a heavy check-up schedule, and the new challenge to face of devising a profession that will allow him to stay as healthy as he can for as long as possible. His kidney illness is not gone, but the healthy kidney he has now can work perfectly well for many years to come. And he feels good, very alive again. Our whole family feels lighter.

Gilles was not always a barrel of laughs these past couple of years, but very few people would know that. He was positive and uncomplaining with the people he encountered, a real favorite with the medical staff (i.e. nurses), a compassionate ear to the team of taxi drivers who drove him back and forth to so many minor and major hospital appointments, and lately a source of reassurance to patients he has met who are at stages in their illness that Gilles has already been through. These people became a part of our lives and I have the impression that they will not soon forget Gilles' sense of humor, spirit and genuine interest in others, nor his cheerful flute playing on the nephrology ward.

What's next? We're ready to find out.

lights and shades

ha! ha! ha!...

all hallows...

The perfect Halloween night: balmy and warm (no rain gear cluttering up the costumes) with a big harvest moon. We were a jolly bunch tramping down the hill and through the streets of the village. I love the enthusiasm at the fifteen or so loyal houses who wait for us on Halloween. One family on holiday at their country house here always greet us warmly; this year they had carved dozens of jack-o-lanterns in all variety of squashes. The garden wall and each window were all lit up with ghoulish grins. They called the old grandma to come and see the costumes; she especially liked Gilles' zombie get-up.

happy birthday Louise!

happy birthday indeed

We had hoped for sun, but a rainy day we got instead. I took a nice tramp in the drizzly woods on the morning of Lou's party to collect creature-making materials, which then dried till afternoon beside the wood stove. The kids picked out their bits and bobs, then visited the felt station where Nicole cut out customised capes and hats, and the glue station where Gilles helped them assemble their creatures one by one. Not sure who had more fun with this, kids or adults! One funny note: after the party, Mia noticed her pine cone mouse growing fatter every day as the pine cone opened more and more in our snug dry house, until the once-dainty little mouse was all puffed up and its little mouse feet no longer touched the ground.

happy as a lark...

back home with friends and family,music and the old chickens...

in your neigh-bor-hood

Sometimes it takes an outside eye to capture the everyday... Courtesy of Euny, here are some snapshots of our grocery shopping at the market, our village from the road, and a visit to our neighbor's wool studio. Sheep can produce some suprising fleeces. Who knew?