Dec 20th, Saturday. We spend the day packing up getting ready for our flight to Nantes that afternoon. In the morning I have the misfortune to have to go to the P.O. to pick up packages (which, it turns out, were 3 even though they insisted there were only 2, now the 3rd one that my sister paid a fortune to send is floating in never-never-hell-land). But of the 2 parcels we did get, one was some lovely Xmas books for Estelle from my sister Mary. Here is Estelle opening them:
One of the books was "The Sweet Smell of Christmas", this little scratch-and-sniff book from the 1970's that I totally associate with the Holidays and has been reprinted. Mary found a copy somewhere and sent it to Estelle. Here's the thing, though: Last year Mary's twin, Martha, had found a copy and sent it to Estelle for Christmas. Now we have two. It's like having my twin sisters right in the apartment with us, each book inscribed with a lengthy "here's why we bought you the book, Estelle" explanation. That's some weird twin thing going on there!
The day after we arrived in Angers at my in-laws, Thomas and I traveled back up to Nantes to see his good friend Stephane and his new baby, Clara. Stephane and his partner Laure have been our guest in Nice before. They have this new 2 month old baby and look very together, compared to us in August of 2006. Here we are in Couëron, where they live in the suburbs on Nantes.
Stephane has recently opened his own optometry shop. We went by to pick our new frames. Here is Thomas trying on the latest in sunglasses fashion.
Here they are with Clara!
Monday back in Angers, a little tour in town with Tata Agnes. You see the cathedral of Angers in the background.
Enjoying her room at her grandparents:
Tuesday we enjoyed a nice walk in the sun across the bridge of the Maine river, Angers answer to Paris' Seine. This bridge is very famous as it was a railroad bridge during WWII and the Americans used it to get troops across and sneak up on the Germans. It is called Liberation bridge, or something to that effect.
Some fishermen:
A few swans on the river. These are for my brother Cedric:
The houses you see in the background are in the "development" where my in-laws live. Their house is not right on the water but a bit further in.
Wednesday, Christmas Eve: This is the big event in France as opposed to Christmas Day itself. We attended mass in the evening and then came home for a lovely meal and opening presents.
My father-in-law has officially moved into retirement. Here he is sporting our gifts - work pants and a construction hat to help him prepare for the major additions and renovations he is undertaking at their second home in the Auvergne.
The Christmas Eve table, set for us.
This is the creche - lots more characters in French creches then in American ones. As far as I know, American creches have Jesus, Joseph and Mary, 3 wise men, an ox, a cow, a donkey, a drummer boy, a sheperd, and an angel. That's pretty much the standard line. Here you have all kinds of village folk, each with a different trade or distinguishing characteristic. The figurines are called "santons". Estelle broke one within 5 minutes of being next to it.
Here is the "buche de Noel". This is in fact two small buches on one platter. They were from a distinguished shop and delicious. One was chocolate cream and one praline. Excellent. You can see the white blobs that are to be mushrooms growing on the logs. They are made of meringue. There are also plastic trees and lumberjack tools (the French word for lumberjack is "bucheron") and presents. Very decorative.
We got to bed around 1:30 or so. I was up early tending to my King Arthur flour almond sweet buns, thank you very much. And Estelle was totally uninterested in looking for presents when she woke up. She just wanted to go see Daddy. But an hour later, once she got into the swing of it, she enjoyed herself. Her she is with her loot. You can see a pair of her shoes sitting on the boxes. This is the French tradition - laying out gifts around each person's shoes next to the fireplace. Not under the tree.
Here's Estelle trying out her new baby backpack carrier.
Here's Thomas rehearsing for 4 months from now. Incidentally that doll makes all kinds of noises, including saying "I love You" in English. And burping. Both of which are alarming. Meanwhile, is my husband hot or what?
Here's Estelle feeding her doll. Really she is trying to shut it up because if you touch the spoon to the button hidden in her lips, she stops squawking.
Basket of play food.
Christmas dinner. Hmm, who's the wiped out chic with child in the photo?
Christmas Day, 5 p.m.: We go to visit good family friends, The Saulniers. (I should add that I took a nap first). Oldest daughter Virginie lives in Wisconsin and attended our VT wedding, so some of you may remember her - the one whose luggage never came and she wore my funeral dress to the wedding, ring a bell? ha ha Anyways, here's her sister Dorothee setting us up for Buche de Noel #2. Theirs was orange cream and praline. Yummy.
Here's their creche. Note the village setting and the numerous santons:
I am wearing a crown from a cracker because Virginie brings them from America - crackers are not a tradition in France. You can't tell from the photo but Estelle and I are wearing matching tights, a gift from my mother-in-law.
Here's where we tried to do some family photos in front of the Saulnier's fireplace. Yes I am that huge.
Estelle is on a Buche sugar-high in this photo I think.
Guy walked in to their house wearing his new hat we gave him, only to have them present him with the same hard hat from the same store! Great minds think alike! Here's Virginie modeling it:
Estelle enjoyed some silly reindeer ears:
...ears that made the rounds.....
....again.....
Friday Dec 26th: We take Estelle to the doctor as she has a bad cold. Then, Guillaume, Thomas' best man, pops in for a quick hello and to give Estelle a gift before jumping back on a train to Paris to leave the next day for NYC. We were very jealous!
Friday evening: Thomas participates in a "Jubilee" for an old hockey friend, Antoine. Antoine is "retiring" from hockey (roller hockey, in this case) and his brother organized a surprise reunion game with all his old teammates and then there was a lovely cocktail evening and dinner at their parents home, which just happens to be in the same neighborhood as my in-laws.Here's Thomas after the game - he's on the far right, white helmet. Just behind him is the goalie -- one of his best friends from childhood, Francois Mallet. I use his last name because his other best hockey friend from his childhood is ALSO named Francois. So whenever anyone in Thomas' life talks about either of them, they say their entire name to distinguish. It is funny. I have trouble addressing either of them as just "Francois". I'm so used to saying their whole name!
Later that night, at the party at Antoine's parents villa, I tried to get a shot of all those hockey players. Whoah, baby. That's a room full of cute hockey players, let me tell you. Yowza. And French, to boot. They had names like Mathieu, Edouard, Vincent, Julien, etc. Thankfully no one was named Guy Lafleur or I may have swooned. This was a very fun evening with amazing food. The guy in the pink shirt is Antoine, the guest of honor. His adorable brother who organized it all, Pierre, is he one 3 over to the left of him with the glasses. Darling, all of them. Can you find my own husband in all of this? He's the one with his eyes closed, of course! The older man far right is their old coach. Francois Mallet is lying down in front like he's making a save. What can I say, this was far into the champagne. (not me, of course!)
Saturday the 27: CREPES! Andrée made crepes and they were yummy:
Check out those pans, Mom.
Estelle enjoying one. She doesn't look like she is, but she was!
Hmm, now she looks more interested that she sees a big container of sugar!
Meanwhile, this is what happens when you retire at 62: You get silly with crepes!
Saturday afternoon: Good family friends, the Rigollets, have us all over for tea. They live acros s the cul-de-sac and have been longtime friends. They have 3 kids, all of whom are married and with kids. It was a free-for-all with lots of lollypops:Next to Thomas is Sebastien Rigollet and his son, Adrien. The other LolliPop man is Brice, Anne Rigollet's husband, and his 2 older daughters Capucine and Annaelle.
Here's the women's side: Lucy Rigollet, whose son Feriole is 3 weeks older than Estelle, and she is also expecting again and due shortly after me. Agnes, Claudne and Virginie Saulnier, Anne Rigollet and her baby named Philomene, her 3rd daughter. Gauchia is standing in the red with the video camera, just behind Dorothee Saulnier. Gauchia is Sebastien's Polish bride. I am not the only foreign wife in this neck of the woods. But she can hold her vodka better than me, that's for sure. We were invited to their wedding in Poland but it was one month after Estelle's birth so we couldn't go.
Here's Guy, Claude Rigollet and Roland Saulnier. And my husband, still working on that lollipop.
That evening we went with the Saulnier's to see a fun play spoofing all of Shakespeare's tragedies. It was very enjoyable! Well, that's week one. Stay tuned for Week Two: Our trip to Paris, etc...
