Latest Ventures
This June marks our twentieth year of living in France. Our visits back home to California have been few and far between during those years since, for so much of that time we were hosting people at our bed & breakfast. For the last three years we have been working madly on fixing up our retirement house in Burgundy. Now, however, we have shifted our gaze back towards home. We would like to spend a lot more time visiting our family and friends in the States. To this end, because the cost of living in France is so much less, I have tried to think of a business I could begin to make a little extra cash. I’ve had an Etsy shop for 15 years and I’ve sold my handmade prints to over 300 people all over the world. This has been satisfying, but hardly self-sustaining.
The End of Spring
Here in Moulins, spring is ending before it has had a chance to really get going. Apparently this has been one of the rainiest springs in decades. We wait for the moments of sun, but they have been fleeting and far too infrequent for my taste. Although the rain has kept the grass green, it seems high time for a little sun.
Family Visits
James and Daniel have worked very hard on both their house and garden this spring. The results have been spectacular! At the end of this last week they were able to share all their progress with Daniel's parents who arrived from St Louis on Friday.
A Message From Emily
As some of you already know, we will be working in the U.S. from mid August until mid October this year and our beautiful Parisian home will be available to rent. We would be incredibly grateful if you could pass the info along to anyone you know who might be interested in renting it for a few days, a few weeks or the whole time. We’re not on social media so we’re trying to get the info out in the old fashioned way.
A Rainy Week
This week we have had lots of rain. I guess the garden plant life enjoys it, as the back garden, which we made from scratch just two years ago, is becoming like a jungle. All the plants we tucked in here and there, without much sense of design, are expanding, blooming and enjoying their moment of glory, as are we. The erigeron, called Santa Barbara Daisy in California, is a weed, which I carefully planted everywhere and it fills in as a most faithful and effulgent ground cover. The Blue Star Creeper between the stones is full and blooming with charming little sky blue flowers.
May Days
In northern France, as well as in many other parts of Europe, les Saints de Glace (Frost Saints) are reckoned and respected in mid-May. St. Mamertus, St. Pancras and St. Servatius have feast days May 12-15 and are reputed to bring a sudden cold snap. Gardeners are warned that tender plants, especially tomatoes, should not be planted out of doors until after les Saints de Glace have been on their way—in other words, only after May 15. This year has not followed convention, and cold and rainy weather in April and early May has only now given way to some real warmth and sunshine.
Pushing forward
Here in Moulins spring has brought us all to life. The bright days invite some gardening. James and Daniel are very busy at work on their house and front yard, upping the energy level several notches. Louÿs runs circles around us, one after the other. Excitement is in the air.
Here and There
It has been very nice having James in residence. For one thing, we are more inspired to go on outings. Last week we journeyed to Semur-en-Auxois, about 40 minutes southeast. It is one of our favorite nearby locations and is home to our most beloved restaurant. We have not often gone there just to walk the streets and window shop, which we were happy to do with James, who is looking for many different things to fill their house. Semur is a Medieval town encircled by the Armançon River. The town itself has been a monastic center since the ninth century.
Springtime for Puppies...
Last week James and the charming dog Louÿs arrived in Moulins. We went into Paris to pick them up. Daniel will arrive next week to join the rest of his family, meanwhile we've been enjoying the livelier pace around here. The travelers arrived just as the first hints of spring have.
Churches
I have been doing a certain number of architectural drawings lately, based mostly on photographs I have taken from around Europe (and beyond). I find myself often using photos of churches, which are interesting to sketch. Of course church buildings can be found in every hamlet and are, more often than not, the most impressively beautiful building in a town.
