And then there were seven...

Ok, it has been a couple of days and I am feeling a tad guilty for posting a picture of my darling she-devil...

I now have my rose colored glasses on and I am seeing her in a much better light.



That child can be good as gold for hours on end.Then, out of the blue, she is replaced by the she devil ..a whirlwind of snarkiness and moodiness prevails. The next minute all is fine and she acts like nothing has happened...leaving destruction in her pathway and the rest of us in a bad mood. Mike and I fare well, but poor Max. He just doesn't have the experience yet to be able to ignore.

I do not deal well with inconsistency.



Ok, this child also drives me crazy. Fortunately , it is nothing that a good pair of earplugs cant solve. He has Beiber fever. He wanders around all day singing songs about love lost and breaking hearts. I swear he will live with us for the rest of his life.



Ice cream from L'art de glacier. Endless flavors of homemade ice cream and sorbet served over meringue with fresh fruit and chocolate sauce.




We ate the whole thing....for dinner.

We are still in Provence , but only about 10km as the crow flies from our last abode. It is amazing just how different it is. We are out of the vineyards and orchards and into the hills. A rocky landscape bursting out of the greenery. .Still expansive cornflower blue sky, but the never- ending wheat fields are gone. I miss them, but I am also liking it here. Very fickle!



This home exchange will be a test as we are actually going to be in one place for a whole month.(will post pics later...the accommodation,excuse me, the compound, is hardly a test !!) To add to the challenge we also have visitors for most of the month. The grandparents arrive tomorrow for two weeks and then we have Kelly and Darcy at the end of the month. Our lives have become quite routine despite all the movement so it is always interesting to see what outsiders add to the mix. Will keep you posted! All those out there requesting more drama may finally get their fill. You have practically "willed" it!

Our social life has been rocking these days! Last week we had the opportunity to visit old (university) friends in St Cezaire sur Siagne . They were down visiting for the week from London and invited us for a visit.Quite daring considering we now have kids and it has been 10 years since we last saw them. It could have been a disastrous 24 hours with no escape from us. It wasn't!



We had a great time! It was a mini vacation.We lounged by the pool,reminisced about the past, talked about the future and generally got caught up. Kathy and I stayed up until all hours drinking rose and solving our children's problems. Our own problems are same-old and boring....



There is something quite special about university friends. I find it very easy to pick up where I left off with these friends regardless of the years that have passed. It is right down to the nitty gritty with these peeps. I am hoping to see this crew more often. Hopefully in London! (sorry deeds...girls trip to nyc soon!)

Let the drama begin..

She is driving me crazy!!!

The grandparents arrive in 12 hours....for two weeks.

Let the drama begin!!

Otherwise having a lovely time here in Provence.

Wish you were here.

xoxo

Lounging in the Luberon

The village square of Cucuron

I believe we have finally found another part of the world we would consider living. It is a funny game we play, but it is all part of keeping the dream alive.



We are now on another house exchange in the Luberon region of Provence. "L'Oustau dei Figo" (House of Figs) is a renovated 17th century "bastion" located just outside of the small village Cucuron. It is a beautiful farmhouse filled with art and furniture from family travels. Much to our delight it is also filled with books. All in english! I believe Mike and I both have a half dozen on the go.



The Luberon region is at its finest: spectacular countryside filled with vineyards, olive groves and orchards. You can just hear the bees a buzzing. The markets, one every day of the week in a different small village or town, are filled to the brim with fresh produce, local specialties such as honey, soap and nougat, artisan crafts and always wine. I love the spirit of community on these days.



I am also loving all the country roads filled with cyclists. Mike has had some stellar days in the saddle with plans to conquer "the Ventoux" tomorrow. Mont Ventoux has hosted numerous stages in the Tour de France. He has had his eye on it for the past couple of days, but we have been hit hard with the "mistral" winds. One can barely walk in these winds let alone cycle.

I have read about these winds, but they are truly something to experience. I can understand needing to be inside in the rain and cold, but there is nothing quite like staying inside on a bluebird day because it is too windy. Crazy! Actually I have also read that these winds do in fact drive people crazy. The Mistral is a favorite topic of conversation among the locals. It seems to have a personality of its own. I am trying hard not to be affected by the weather, but I am losing the battle. Mike is going to have to move me to Hawaii for the rest of my years lest he goes crazy listening to my speculations on it.




I can honestly say that the rest of our time has been spent lounging. We had some busy weeks in Italy seeing. Now is the time for doing. Instead of imaging what we would do if we had the time... we are doing what we have been imaging. Riding our bikes,swimming, reading, painting, good old day dreaming.. we have all been keeping ourselves very busy playing.



Ok, running through the wheat fields looks like a ton of fun. It is not...
The trick is to wear jeans otherwise your legs will end up with lots of itchy, red welts.





Does swimming in the pool count as a bath? We all need haircuts!



A visit to Roussillon and its ochre fields. We had a fun hike through the Sentier des Ocres and some absolutely beautiful ochre formations in all the earthy colours of the palette. I was not expecting this kind of landscape here in Provence.



It felt similiar to Moab, Utah.



These two showed up on our doorstep, bags filled with tasty food and good wine. We wish they could have stayed longer!
Nikki has just started her own tour company in Provence called "picnics in provence" - Provence off the beaten path. Kirsten came, all the way from Beijing, to help her out for a couple of weeks. We caught up with them at the end of their visit. They were full of good stories. We spent the evening drinking rose and planning our future lives in Provence.



I love visiting with Kirsten. Our families will grow old together....I can be sure we will still be having the same conversations about what we are going to do with our lives when we are 80...

Replay s'il vous plait!

fields of red

I cant believe we are at the halfway mark. Time is flowing by like honey. Nice and slow....

When we first began the trip and I actually had a moment to think about the timeline, I would find myself a wee bit apprehensive about all of it. So much to see and so much to do. I will admit there were a few instances when I actually thought to myself ' we have how many weeks left?" Its funny how it has all changed. I barely know the time, let alone the day of the week. Did I mention I could do this forever?

We are now in Cucuron, a small town in the Luberon region of Provence. It is sunset - Mike has gone for an evening run along the back country roads and the kids are playing hide and seek in the wheat fields with the neighbors 11 y.r old boy and his dog. I am sitting here surrounded by vineyards,orchards and many a fig tree. There is a slight breeze, but all is quiet except for the crickets and the occasional waft of violin in the distance. (I kid you not!!).

I am having another 'a-ha' moment...

The kids have proven to be excellent travellors. They are up for any adventure...if it is presented the right way. Originally we had planned to situate ourselves in one spot and travel to and fro from there. We are very happy with our decision to move about. While we have grown to love most of the places we have stayed, we are always excited at the prospect of a new adventure. A common question around here is "where are we going next?"

Mike and I have also adapted well to travelling...travelling with kids..
Mike calls it his zen test...I just drink more wine.The coffee is not so good in France, but the pastis works just fine too.
We have discovered that we really do prefer rural to urban. We are most happiest in the country, on our bikes or in the trails, with few cars and fewer tourists. I have even caught Mike taking a picture of a rosebush.. Are we getting dotty in our years??

We have had many laughs at our own expense..

A few more pictures from Italy...


view of the rooftops from Montepulciano



Taking the "New Moon" tour in Montepulciano. It was actually very fun. Ahh..bella and edward.


Cantina dei Redi




View from Montalcino


Giro D'Italia is all the rage. A bottle of fine brunello produced for the race with proceeds going towards breast cancer.


Max and his Barcelona Messi shirt has made us a lot enemies here...


Oh, we are such tourists! Rome in a day could only be done on the big red double decker sightseeing bus! I know we will get lots of grief for coming this far and only spending one day in Rome. My only excuse is that we were loving Tuscany. Isnt it important to save something for the next trip?


Max with his head stuck in the big red bus...


Colosseum and Forum


one of a hundred statue pictures....what am i to do with all these?


Fontana Di Trevi.


More ruins...or as max would say "unfinished business"



" if I am really bad I will get more gelato...."


The Vatican

Tuscany

Feeling very lucky...



Seeing where the wind takes you does not always work out so well.



Once again I knew that we were to spend a week in Tuscany. I had thought lots about it,but was either too busy, didnt have internet connection,would rather go for a run...(the excuses are endless) to commit. Its just a bad habit of mine. I want it all..I get overwhelmed by it all..

I sent a mass of emails out the day before leaving Levanto in hopes of finding the perfect spot in the hills of Tuscany. Sometimes you just have to take chances and trust that it will all work out. Crossing your fingers helps too!

This reply made me laugh. I instantly wanted to meet Claudio and his family.

"swimming pool with salad filled water, cheese and wine tasteing in
Montalcino, washing machine, vegetables garden, mountain-bike,
pasta course and any other activities that you can see on my web
site www.agriturismo.com/rodellosso.
There is a big garden with a barbecue and table for to eat.
At 4 km at Pienza the are some little restaurants of my friends.
My father mades wine, my mother mades cakes and chickens made eggs.
Looking forward to earing from you soon, I remain with my best regards."

I booked it 4 hours before our arrival.



Agritourismo Rodellesso is a little bit of heaven. It is located along a country road a few km. from Pienza and smack dab in between Montalcino and Montepulciano. It is your typical Tuscan farmhouse with tiled floors,wood beam ceilings,ochre colored stone walls and a big central fireplace in the kitchen area. It proudly sits on a hill overlooking Val D'orcia. 360 degree views of all Tuscany -endless sky, olive groves, vineyards, poppy fields, old stone farmhouses, cultivated fields in different shades of green, lone cypress trees crowning hilltops and distant villages . There is a feeling of isolation yet the world is on your doorstep. I cant compare it to anything I have seen or experienced before.



And then there is the history...

I am reading ' Vanilla Beans and Brodo" " A book about real life in the town of Montalcino and its people. I can say that I am inspired to move to another small rural town in Tuscany and write my own book. It seems to be the thing to do....



True to his word....Claudio's mama makes cake, his papa makes wine and his chickens lay eggs. His garden produces artichokes, beans, lettuce and much more. You are welcome to all of it....



They taught us to make pasta.






It may not be pretty, but it was tasty.



They brought us to their friends cantina/vineyard, SanLorenzo. We got to taste a number of their wines including their delicious Brunello di Montalcino which the area is renown for.

Claudio (on left) and his friend Paola of Sanlornza



Olivia's first wine tasting.



Paola also makes Olive oil. A bottle of delicious oil that makes everything taste so much better...



The kids and I swam in their "salad" (salted!) filled pool while Mike went for long rides.



We walked...and took a lot of pictures! Will publish them to my flickr account soon.



A fabulous week. Almost makes me want me to pack up and move to Pemberton meadows..