Rosh Hashanah & the Tetine Fairy

Last Saturday night, the Tetine (pacifier) Fairy came in the night. Estelle left her a note:
This card explained that Estelle was ready to give up her pacifiers, and that in return she of course expected something! During the day we went to a toy store and Estelle looked around to pick out what she wanted from the Tetine Fairy.
She explained inside her card, I wrote exactly what she dictated to me:
When Estelle woke up in the morning, there was a new doll. That poor Tetine Fairy, she was in sticker shock when she went to the store and found that the doll Estelle had selected cost 46 euros! 46 euros! That is over 58 dollars. That's a lotta Tetines. Dang.
Here is Estelle playing NOT with her 46 euro doll:
That doll is one my sister Martha made me, with a whole bunch of custom-made clothes. Estelle enjoys playing with her now.
Léna is holding the doll's nightgown, for which Martha had made me a matching one back in 1974. Meanwhile, our little Rugby Player is on the move at all times:

This week on Wednesday we had a visit from Lucas Bule, godson to Uncle Craig and Uncle Doug. He was born in London, has already been to Bermuda to visit his mom's family, and now is on his way to go live in Abu Dahbi for 3 years. We enjoyed meeting him. I enjoyed looking at his exhausted mother and knowing I will never relive those early months. Hallelujah.
In response to reader feedback/comments (Martha!), last weekend the Apron Fairy got Estelle a 2nd "tablier", this one with short sleeves. She wore it every day this week (only 3 days, big strike on Tuesday, don't get me started on THAT!)
Curious readers (i.e. my sisters) will be happy to know I have ordered badges with her name on them which I will sew onto the aprons. My dreams of embroidering her name myself were quickly put into harsh reality when I went to the sewing store and the ladies cocked their eyebrows and said "if you can't sew on a button, you better let this one slide, order the badges and move on". Ouch.
Last night, on the eve of 911, I was invited to a Rosh Hashanah dinner - the start of the Jewish New Year. Including myself, we were 6 - 3 Americans, and 3 English - 1 of each being Jewish. I learned that you eat sweet things to bring sweetness to your new year.

Above left, Leslie the host, who is an American NYC Jew, straight up. She owned an art gallery. Anyways, her husband is English and after 10 years in Nice they are moving to Durham England where he is some kind of astrophysicist researcher or some such nonsense. They have a daughter Zelda who is Estelle's age.
Who says we don't talk with our hands in our family? I remind myself SO MUCH of my sister Mary in this picture I laugh every time I see it.

Leslie had a lovely table set for Rosh Hashanah, with the first course being apples in honey - something sweet!
Below, John and Diane - English. Diane is a BBC writer/journalist.

Liz, also English, who lived in Turkey for 11 years, married a muslim Turkish man, had a son by him, and then left him. Then she lived in Bucharest for 3 years (where I have been). We had a lot to talk about. John is a retired yacht captaine in Antibes.
John's wife Jackie, on the left, is American and from Massachusetts - she has been in Nice 32 years. Her children are in London and Boston. Liz and Jackie work at an international school here where Leslie has worked a decade.
So much interesting conversation! I even learned a few Hebrew words but of course now cannot remember a thing as to how to pronounce them. Anyways, morning came calling with a vengance since Léna woke up EARLY and Thomas left at 7:30 for a hockey tournament far away.
I've been thinking of all the fun I had last night and of all the people lost 9 years ago, such contrast.

Happy Birthday Wayne!

Today my godson and nephew Wayne turns 9! He sure is a special boy. The photo below is him with Estelle on HER birthday this summer, so that's our way of celebrating with him today.

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Above: Wayne running to beat the ban at the Kid's Race on Glover Day this summer. Below: Looking for something to discover....
The future's so bright, he had to wear shades....
4th of July - Wayne with a goat!
When I think of Wayne this summer, I think of him humoring Estelle a lot by watching over her and helping her play with whatever interested her...like this punchball below, with Heather...

Happy 9th, Wayne, wish we could be there with you!

School, Hair

The day after Estelle returned, she decided a clump of hair in front of her eyes was a nuisance. This is what I discovered.

For the moment, it is only visible to those searching. When it starts to grow out, she may look a bit silly. Oh well! Here she is, going off for her first day of school yesterday.
This is Year #2 of nursery school, called "Maternelle", and Estelle is in the "Moyenne" section - ("middle", as it is 3 years - last year she was in "petite", next year, "Grande"). At her new school, this year, she is to wear a pink checked smock every day over her clothes. I'm supposed to embroider her name on the outside.....um.....yeah, get RIGHT on that. Joan, when can you fly over?

Nothing Gold Can Stay

After 16 days away from Nice, the girls will return tomorrow. Thomas hasn't seen them in 2 wks, for me its 12 days. We look forward to welcoming them home, feel rested and ready. Yesterday we "went out with a bang":

Craig took us out on he and Doug's boat, a 36 foot Elan. Motorized, with a galley and 2 sleeping cabins below deck.

We left from Golfe Juan, in between Cannes and Antibes where they have a dock space, and went out to the Iles de Lerins, 2 islands off the coast of Cannes. To drop anchor in the "channel" between the two islands is a popular past-time on the weekends, so we were in good company - i.e. check out that yacht over my shoulder - and that was a SMALL one....
Do I look 40? Does Craig look almost 50? We think not! ha ha
From 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., we sunbathed and jumped off the back of the boat into the water over and over and over to cool off. The weather couldn't have been better. Above, Craig and I and below, Thomas getting ready to climb up the ladder.

In the first part of the afternoon there was a breeze that would sometimes rock the boat - it made me feel very lightly nauseous, but all it took was a quick dip to settle my stomach and I'd be right as rain. It was a good way to get in and out of the water all day!
Above - the Esterel Mountain range is visible behind the haze....
Behind Thomas: Ile de Saint Honorat - no cars. The building you see is a restaurant, which has 2 dingys that drive around the channel all day, ferrying customers back and forth from their boats/yachts to the restaurant.
There was also a blonde bombshell driving another boat around selling sodas, coffee and ice creams to anybody who flagged her down. Thomas succumbed to her ice cream wares (as if we hadn't already had a fabulous meal on board!)
Driving back we swung thru the bay of Cannes. Thomas and I rode on the bow (or is that stern? Starboard? Whatever, the front of the boat!).
Craig was taking photos from behind the wheel!
Like being on a honeymoon.
If we look like 2 teenagers, it's cause we felt like it. SUCH a decadent day. Delightful!
Below: on the other of the 2 islands, Ile de Sainte Marguerite, is the famous prison from the legend/story The Man with the Iron Mask, (Dumas).
Here's Captain Craig!!

What a day. We got home at almost midnight. The entire time we were getting ready for bed, brushing teeth, etc we both had the sensation of being on the boat - it was too funny. Everything was rocking back and forth - and NO we hadn't been drinking! Even lying in bed we could both feel it - we both started giggling about it and couldn't fall asleep. Just like teenagers.

Have been rather lazy all day - though I did sell some maternity clothes and my breastfeeding pillow (sniff sniff), Thomas got groceries, we made an apple tart, stuffed vegetables, went thru paperwork, made compote, watched sports (not me, bien sur), did laundry, and vacuumed, dusted (WHAT? I know, my cleaning girl left!) and cleaned the toilet room, bathroom, and shower room. Let the girls come back, let the games begin!

Glimpses from Calvinet

In the handful of days after the baptism, I took a few shots in Calvinet...
Below: Looking from one guestroom across the walking into Estelle's room. To the left you see a glass-windowed door. This leads into the original part of the house (in fact it had been the barn which they renovated 3o years ago). The door itself used to be downstairs off the kitchen.
Pyjama party in the morning with the new swing!
Estelle's new bicycle, her birthday present from Papy & Manou.
..and the new sandbox!
On August 18th we celebrated Estelle's birthday, 1 month later.
Look at Léna waiting to pounce on that cake!

When you exit their property, this is the width of the "road"... beyond this big barn to the right you can see some tombs of the cemetery.
This is the property sort of across the "road" from them. What I don't have a photo of here is the original house, directly across the road from the "new" house/old barn. That house is where we used to sleep. Now it is mostly empty though one bedroom is intact. It was Guy's grandparents' home originally.
Here is the entrance to the cemetery where Thomas' grandparents and extended family are all buried.
Down below the cemetery is this very large pond. What you cannot see off to the right is that within the lake is a town pool and little beach which has changing cabins and a lifeguard. Estelle has been swimming there many times since I left Calvinet. It is a 5 minute walk away.
This old "lavoir" was dug up and unearthed years ago because the older residents remembered one being there in their childhood and sure enough, they found it.
Down the road are many free-range chickens that the girls love to see.
Above to the left, hidden is the house, just to give an idea of the layout of the village.

A nearby house is owned by a Paris couple and their 2 daughters who spend their vacations in Calvinet. The father's family is from here originally. This is their older daughter Garance, who is as sweet as can be. Every summer they "host" some animals from the school, like foster animals. This bunny is one of them.
She also had some little chicks...
Calvinet is a great getaway for our girls! I look forward to seeing them in 2 days and hearing more about the rest of their stay there!