PARADISE RESTORED

If my feet are not exactly soaking in the pool at this very moment, I am in fact sitting on my terrace in France in 20 degrees - at midnight. I don't think that's bad, considering it's still April. According to the French it's much too early to open the swimming pools, they don't start going for a dip until way into July and think we are crazy vikings! (Which I definitely agree with - I'm with the French on this one). But taking two granddaughters down here for three weeks, and the weather forecast showing only yellow days and red degrees, we just had to get the water blue and splashing.

Which is some process…. But thanks to our very practical and accommodating friend and neighbour Jean-Marc, this was done in no time. Removing the pool cover and revealing what looked most of all like a cesspit and a home for all kinds of scary creepy crawlers, it was transformed in less than 24 hours into an inviting cool oasis.

Who lives in these depths?

Child labour much appreciated

Getting closer - less & less green

BLUE!

Paradise restored

Oh yes - I'm back in my paradise - with my family. The only one missing is my Oz expatriate, but she's been on the phone several times. And there was another family member missing for eleven days - the INTERNET! Changing operators here in France wasn't as simple as I thought - it took them seven days to deliver the new router and four more days to get it working. Then it took me a couple of days to get every laptop, pad and smartphone connected to the WiFi - and because I'm the only one who has enough patience to do this it was all up to me. But there was definitely a general agreement here that though very frustrating it's not all bad to be without the internet for a while - more time to talk, watch old films, cuddle up next to one another. 

Internet's here again! Geeks….

My husband seems happier here in our small village of Thuir, he eats better, has put on just a tiny bit of weight, his hair has grown back, he's tanned and handsome, plays poker with the neighbours, is generally more energetic. On one of the few grey days we've had we walked for at least an hour in the nearby mountains behind the small village of Ste Colombe de la Commanderie in the lower Pyrenees - climbing and descending the hills, coming through the well kept and newly planted vineyards, with the beautiful red soil that is so typical of this region, and so forceful that it touches me deeply. The breathtaking views of Mont Canigou were not visible on this particular cloudy afternoon, but we know where the mountain hides! And we see it from our terrace nearly every day.

Our village of Thuir

Yes, it was almost like before. Putting worries aside, concentrating on the here and now - the present, the surroundings, the views, the weather, the flowers, the almond trees - well, nature actually - those immediate joys that we all love in our family. And applauding our husband, dad and granddad who walked these hilly paths with a determined effort and felt so good about it afterwards.

Somehow and somewhere in this nature that we love there is a strength that carries us forward. I truly believe this.