A visit from Londoners

This lovely woman is my friend Janette, who lives outside of London with her husband and 5 kids but has a stylin' pad here in Nice as well. I met her in 2005 when I answered an advert for someone looking for a Latin tutor for her 11 year old boy, Benjamin.


Here's Benjamin now, and Eleanor, showing Estelle how the Brits draw!
They visited us at the end of October - they don't live here anymore like they did that year I tutored Benjamin, but they still come often for vacations. We always enjoy seeing them!
Estelle loves having "big kids" to play with!
Below, an old video from one of our last trips to the beach this year which I never posted. Estelle sings an old favorite tune....

Photos from Angers

One month ago we went to Angers and I didn't ever post many photos - here's the balance of the shots. Above - Estelle and Manou enjoy a book in Estelle's room.

At the Nice airport on our flight up, we ran into Estelle's buddy Loup. That was a fun way to start the trip.
Always good to start things off with a lovely cake....
A beautiful Sunday afternoon at a park I had never been to...

Estelle enjoyed this "spider's web"




Making crepe batter.


A beautiful walk on the bank of the Maine river - just a 5 minute stroll from the house...

aha...CREPES!

Yummy crepes! Papy makes a face on one for Estelle.Even Léna knows a good crepe when she sees one....

Playing hopscotch with sidewalk chalk...

Here Estelle tried to draw every one of her 24 cousins in America.
Claudine and Rollant came to visit and brought dominos for Estelle. Poor Claudine didn't know what she was in for. Estelle wanted to play with her all the time.

Making her hobby horse for her Cowgirl costume.

Tea at Claudine and Rolland's house - homemade goodies - those shell-shaped sponge cakes are a French tradition called "Madelines".
Outside Claudine's playing tag.


The day before we left, we went into downtown Angers and Estelle had a few pony rides...

This blur is me, holding Léna on the fastest bumpiest merry-go-round this side of the Mississippi. I was dizzy and naseous for a long time after!
Estelle on the horse, after her real pony rides!

My Cousin's "CSA" Farm in Jericho, Vermont

My cousin Christa Alexander and her husband Marc run Jericho Settler's Farm.
I've blogged about them before (click HERE), for example.
Anyways, here's a recent video of Marc talking about the farm!

Hog Heaven

That's sisterly love. Below, Léna enjoys a little playtime with Louise while their big sisters were at swim class.


These things below are edible pigs, they are quite a delicacy - all cream and mousse and cake inside. My friend Philippe brought them for the girls last Sunday morning when he came for brunch.
Neither girl would touch them. Thomas and I were "forced" to eat them, snort snort.
And here's Léna showing how she can "Meow" and sign "cat".

He Shoots, He Scores

An amateur-professional sports photographer that Thomas knows went to his game Sunday night. Here's a sampling:














I always was a sucker for a man on skates.