Monday Melange

Some blogging experts recommend you  stick to a posting calendar; you know, one where you look ahead a month and say- ‘Ok (in my case), Mondays I will do a mixture, Wednesdays my companions will know I always do life in France, Fridays I will talk about the feelings attached to being an unburdened nomad etc etc. ‘ I don’t know if that will work for me because I can’t easily control what I want to write about.  An idea comes to me and I start turning it over and over in my head, attaching words and phrases, trying new sentences and then I just have to write it down which then becomes a blog post.  This is the 2^nd Monday in a row I have done a mélange so I am going to give establishing a pattern a try.  Many days will be random and maybe some days  more predictable in subject though not in content.  So here goes Monday Melange #2.

I love to cycle.  I am crazy about the feeling of being on an overnight bike trip with everything in the world I need for the next few days on my bike.  It is the most liberating, freeing feeling in the world for me.  I should have predicted when I started overnight trips and felt that way that one day I would also live in a similar, stripped back fashion.  In Canada I had two bikes; my original “good bike” purchase- a Trek hybrid which I naively bought so I could cycle the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia (an endurance event if ever there was one, and somewhat untrained and on a hybrid a real test of inner fortitude and determination) and a Specialized road bike.  My hybrid is now in storage at my sisters in Southern Ontario- it is a very flat area of the province and she also loves cycling so it seemed logical that it go there for future outings together.  My road bike I sold to a delighted friend in Fredericton.  Here in France my landlords have loaned me a no-gear old school bike which I use to go back and forth  to Ems.  A game changer really when I think about the first few weeks when I walked back and forth, coming home in the deep darkness of winter which tested my nervousness every step of the kilometer I had to cover.  (Insert scared face here.)   But two weeks ago we stopped in a cycling shop and I bought myself a brand new Trek hybrid.  Those typed words don’t come close to telling you how excited I am about this!  It is a sweet bike, complete with a basket for trips to the bakery, grocery store or, as was the case Saturday and Sunday, to plunk little Otis in for our cycling outings.  Baby Nina loves being in the trailer, and even nods off, her head slumped forward at an awkward angle that doesn’t seem to bother her so we have a new found exercise freedom that we can all do together.  Yesterday we accompanied Francois who is marathon training, trailing him for his beginning and ending kilometers.   I cannot wait to get back here and take myself off for daytime adventures, exploring all of the little towns and villages that surround me.  And putting fresh baguettes and croissants in my basket!

Hahahhaha, so much for a mélange!  I have just hijacked my post with possibly way too many words about cycling.  It is a passion!!

As has become tradition we went for a meal yesterday to mark the end of this visit.  Oh la la, the food here is so delicious and so beautifully presented. For roughly the equivalent of $48 Cdn each we adults all had an amazing three course meal.  My appetizer alone, some pureed and chopped vegetables mixed with mascarpone cheese,  wrapped in an ever so thin shaving of zucchini, holding the three balls together with an amazing tomato sauce accompanying, would have done me.  Ok, not without dessert too but in between there was an amazing parmesan and mushroom risotto (which I shared with Nina, this child will eat just about anything!).  It is truly the first time in years I can say that I left the table uncomfortable, the servings were that generous and the ingredients so rich.  Amazing.  A must go to restaurant when I am here again.  (By the way, there is no tipping in France.  The menu prices reflect the total you are going to pay.  That’s a nice change from North America.)

My aunt had introduced me to the Kobo world months and months ago, lending me one to try.  I am definitely what marketing people refer to as  a ‘late adapter’.  I am never the first one to jump on new technology, not the person who has to have the latest in a phone, fitness watch etc.  Instead I circle my way there until some sort of need (the phone or my fitness device breaks usually being the case) causes me to start looking for a replacement, which inevitably means an upgrade of some sorts.  So I have carried this little Kobo around Canada and to Europe where it has sat unused.  At all.  As in never even turned on. Finally yesterday, faced with a looming trip and limited packing space, I got it out, charged it and of course, I already love it!  It will never replace the feeling of holding a book, the placing of the bookmark, the carrying it in my bag for unfussy access, but for me who hates to be without something to read, it will be an excellent device for my future travels.  Once again #olddogsnewtricks   😊

So there you have it, Monday morning mixture of cycling, food and new tricks.  Hope this was an enjoyable read and you have a little more insight into (my) life in France.

A bientot!  Xo

PS: we have made our way to 150 subscribers now.  With over 5000 views of my website in 16 days I am just overwhelmed really, thinking about all of the time readers have put into following my stories.  And by the way, I do read every single comment and although they have gotten too numerous for me to respond to each one as I did in the beginning in this time strapped world of mine, I want you to know how much they all mean to me.  Particularly for the support they convey but also for the stories and insights that are shared by you.  I encourage everyone to take the time to read through some of them. 

The promised first of my dating stories. The Fireman, won’t be far off in sharing via email as we close in on the ‘when we get to 200 subscribers I will start telling’ target.  So if you enjoy what you’re reading, get a friend to subscribe and follow along too!  😊