Welcome autumn.

Fresh garden roses and a walk around our local château.  Little things to lift the spirits. 

This past week my resilience has been tested and having such a loving, supportive family has helped me to cope.  It's true that age brings wisdom and a certain clarity on life about what's important, what can be edited and what should be cherished.  I no doubt still have a lot to learn but feel that I've grown wiser over the past couple of years.  Perhaps through seeing loved ones disappear from life unexpectedly or watching as the children grow so fast, I've come to realize how fragile and fleeting our time is.  I also see now so clearly that family means everything to me.  I remember a conversation with my wise, old grandmother a few years ago when times were tough and my husband had just been made redundant.  She said as long as we were clean, well-fed, warm and that we had each other then the rest didn't matter.  How right she was.  I think family and love are indeed all that matters.

 

 

Mr Sticks and Stones.

 



My inspiration turned eight.

 



 

Yesterday we made a toast with the kids to our well-spent summer and to welcome the start of the new term.  We have never been much of a "fly by the seat of our pants" kind of family.  We enjoy structure and organisation, which is why we aren't sad to return to our usual, everyday routine.  The children are very excited to go back to school, I'm happy to begin a new work venture and we're all looking forward to having three newly renovated rooms by the end of the year.  But don't get me wrong, I want to prolong time spent outdoors with my face to the sun, I feel we didn't spend enough time this Summer on the beach and can hardly remember wearing sundresses and sandals now. 

Here's to Autumn fires and woollen socks.

 

1.  the last of our Hydrangeas, I love their fading colour

2.  in the park

3.  our tomato plants have just started to ripen, they taste so sweet

4.  tomorrow is her final day as a seven year old, I wish I could bottle it up for her to remember

5.  Autumn in the air

6.  mon coeur







 

 

It has taken us some days to get over our long journey from Liverpool to Normandy.  The weather has dropped a few degrees and I felt slightly out of sorts, even taking to wearing socks one day I felt quite chilled.  I'm a huge believer that our bodies show us signs when it's time to make changes and I've learnt to pay attention from the first warnings.  I'll be pulling out the preventive, natural remedies over the next few weeks as the children go back to school and the temperatures drop even more.  Having trained in aromatherapy, our house is never without the basics which work brilliantly for us.

 

Joseph has been an only child all week, his siblings have been away with their grandparents in Brittany.  I think he has enjoyed the attention he's had and it's been nice for us to see him play alone.  We've watched him play for hours in his bedroom with little boys' toys, rather than being stimulated by the bigger children and their activites.

 

Elsewhere, my views against homework have become firmer and I discovered a great blog The Slowpoke ....



 

 

1, 2 & 5 : the Welsh mountains, Snowdonia area

6 : my baby girl snapping away

7 & 8 : the wind and rain can't keep us away from the beach

9 : beautiful old Kilim cushion covers

10 : my husband in his happy place, the pub

11 : I love her so

12 : new woollens from the Welsh Greyhound charity shop

13 : Chess in the castle grounds

 

Soon we'll be back in France, preparing all that the end of summer brings, getting ready for the start of school and the usual routines.  Summer is always so short but this one has been fun.  It seems I've spent 2 months packing and unpacking bags.  We've just spent a fortnight in England and as usual stayed a few days in my grandparents old cottage in North Wales.  I've been visiting this area for forty years and feel almost at home when we are there.  I never tire of the mountain views, the deep green of the hills and the friendly people.

Although it's hard saying goodbye to family here, I'm excited about what the next few months will bring.  We have major renovation work about to begin on our home, I'm due to begin a new teaching post in the local schools and we're already planning our holidays for next year...it's all good.