Renewal

We were away almost 3 weeks.

The herb garden has undergone a re-birth, dormant plants are out of hiding and flowering, blueberries are fruiting, the sycamore is no longer skeletal but covered in green finery hiding the neighbours.

3 weeks of non-stop action, movement, busi-ness. Up at 7 for breakfast, into the coach by 9, a couple of hours free time in the afternoon,dinners in amazing places, bed hopefully by 1 am (except for the occasional self induced 4 am -er)

Singapore for 2 days together before the event, nothing to report, just together time enjoying the warmth, walking and talking.

Paris - everything I expected and more -

highlights:

- on the taxi ride in from the airport we did a circle of the Arc de Triomphe, at rush hour - adrenalin!

- Sephora - right next door to our hotel on the Champs Elysees, girly heaven

- walking, upwards of 10k a day with Flash, just experiencing the city

- La Droguerie - I went, I figured out the system, I bought!

(Alison, you inspired me, I HAD to buy there just to say that I had done it...for both of us!)

- Bon Marche droguerie - I went, I figured out the system, I bought!

not much, 3 balls of silk garden lite in a hitherto unseen colourway, 4 balls of Bouton D'or "Songe", some regia in a kaffe Fassett colourway, loads of buttons and braids.

- Celebrity spotting in our hotel

- Macaroons at LaDuree

- lunch in a bistro in St Germain, next to a little old woman who from time to time squeezed my arm and smiled at me.

- making friends with the most unlikely people in our group.

- 28 thousand kiwis in Paris, and they LOVED us!

- the mexican wave that did 5 circuits of the stadium during the Pumas game - awesome.

The Loire Valley:

- staying in a 16th century chateau, situated on 100 acres

- wandering the oak forests by myself, going off the path to take photos - which I ceased doing after an adder was found in a third floor room...

- the bike ride to Luyns

- wine and cheese matching at Vouvray, buying special presents which I can't discuss yet.

- Petanque lessons with a team, lots of laughter, lots of wine, and I found out that I am a champion "smasher"

- Dinners at beautiful medeival places that i thought would end horribly - and discovering that our hosts thought that we were wonderful, spirited and gave the places "ambience"

London, didn't go as well as we had hoped due to the fact that we were ill, but we walked and caught buses and tubes, and saw everything you need to see - thanks for the list Alison, Paperchase was amazing, Marylebone rd took us an afternoon! and I bought a weekender bag from Cath Kidston as my birthday present from my parents.No yarn shops except Liberty.

Singapore, we needed the break - went on the Night Safari, a bit cheesy, but still entertaining, shopping for the kids (loved the DC comics store) I finally had my eyebrows done professionally (that is a definite improvement)

Home - where the girls had filled our bedroom with 300 balloons!

(when somebody tells me they have a surprise for me, the first picture in my head is a room full of balloons...always has been since I can remember...I told Blaise ages ago, and obviously she remembered)

Frasier is still having fun stalking and "killing" the balloons.

All in all...when you live in NZ or Australia the world feels like a big place, there is lots of space...but everywhere else was full of people, lots of people buying lots of stuff, lots of rubbish, lots of cars and pollution. I loved visiting, and look forward to doing it again, but there is no place like home. I still have to download the photos from Flash's laptop, but until there here is me at La Droguerie.

oops we did it again

I have to be quick, am late for breakfast, we're in London - alone at last, spent yesterday looking around - we both have a ghastly headcold (we were the last of the group to succumb) so we can't walk too much or concentrate, but we had to get out and see the sights. I had to show Flash Piccadilly circus and Trafalgar square, and of course I visited Liberty - wow! and Mary gets to go to knitting group there!!! I bought some Regia bamboo sock yarn - restrained aren't I?

I thouroughly enjoyed our time in the Loire Valley, and our last days in Paris were exciting, I don't have time to write more now, but we'll be home in a few more days

Light the bar!

Sunday night's rugby game was vastly different to saturday's, the atmosphere was amazing, and the game was faster (not quite so much kicking) and of course many of us backed the Pumas for the night - and became quasi Argentinians...

(my children can stop reading about now)

Around the corner from the Marriott is a bar, and working on that bar was a blonde german waitress who happened to be mad as a snake, combine that with kiwis on holiday, lighter fluid and tequila slammers and you have the makings of a memorable evening, somehow I found myself (yes...ME!!) salsa dancing with a yummy Latin American man, while another woman in our party was taking dancing lessons from a Mexican woman, and our husbands were all agog at the spectacle (which included a couple getting very intimate in the booth next to us) the mad waitress lit the bar on fire regularly, and when we asked for the whole bar to be lit - the bar staff quickly agreed - that woman was a pyromaniac! It was a great evening, or should I say night...as around 3.30 am I led the conga line out of the pub and into the night. It was wonderful to be able to let our hair down, these events can be quite stressful - and this was a great stress relief.

Now we are in the Loire valley, we travelled here yesterday via the Fast Train (I could get used to this first class travel and accommodation) we had a quiet day that the chateau recovering, and we spent this morning on a bicycle tour of the local area - the gardens, farms ruins and houses are so different from home, it is spectacular countryside, and lot's of little things I remember from the short few years of my childhood in England - tiny snails, open forestland...stunning. Holly you must come and work here for a vintage!

there are more photos on Flickr (search Just Jussi) my apologies I am working on Flash's laptop - no photo editing.

Also to my girls - my emails do not seem to be going through, talk soon, love you.

Bonjour!

although I have the ability to blog - I do not seem to have the time to blog, we have been so busy trying to see as much as we can of this amazing town.

I did manage to negotiate la Droguerie and have come away with an array of beautiful buttons, braids and some lovely Bouton D'Or Songe yarn, enough for a ruffley scarf or similar. I also bought some Silk garden light in a colourway I had not seen before and am looking forward to knitting something...I know not what.

Soon we are off to the second semi...Sth Africa vs Argentina...go the Pumas! I'm not a rugby fan at the best of times, so the absence of NZ is keenly felt, the number of people in black at the stadium is outstanding - there are 28,000 kiwis in Paris apparently!

We are overwhelmed with culture and history, fashion, food and wine and are enjoying it immensely, Kenzo has received a lot of my attention, and some investment shopping may have to occur...anyway I leave you with a photo, and to my darling children - I will be home all too soon nagging you to finish your homework - Blaise, the caramels with sea salt have been purchased - fret not.

It's bon nuit from me, and it's bon what? from him...

Mother duck and ducklets in my garden - for Lara...who knows that while I am often late, I never ever forget.Our big boy who went to the cattery for the first time today





and the Monet yarn...that will be a story to tell on my return...

So, we're off in the morning...I'll be back with tales of castles and Cath Kidston, palaces and Patricia Roberts, yarn, art, museums and history, until then sayonara, see you and good night!

planning

I have chosen a sock yarn for the journey - Colinette jitterbug in the "Monet" colourway - I shall definitely be taking it to visit Monet's Nymphea at the Musee D'orangerie - probably no photos though...unless I can get Flash to kinnear one with his phone.

We have found a lovely young woman who is willing to live with our teenage daughters for almost 3 weeks, she has a degree in Psychology, but we haven't told them that yet!

I know that I have readers in Paris - I will be staying at the Marriott Champs Elysees,arriving on thursday 11 October, we have friday until 5pm, saturday afternoon and sunday until about 5 free of commitments, we then have the following friday and sunday afternoons free-ish. I would love to attend a knitting group for an hour or so, so if there are any on in the City during these times please let me know, or if anyone lives nearby and wants to meet up for a coffee- email is justine@justjussi.com.

As you can see, I have finally received my itinerary:
we leave NZ 10/10 for Singapore, 24 hour stopover (just long enough to grab some Chili crab!) and arrive in Paris 11/10 - where we have a day and a half alone (yay - this is when I will be BonMarche and La Droguerie shopping) before we meet up with the rest of the group on friday at 5pm.
Saturday morning we have a 2cv tour of various sights, and can be dropped wherever we like, we get to spend this afternoon doing whatever we want to before we meet back at the hotel to go to the rugby semi-final.

Sunday is at our leisure until the rugby again

Monday we depart for the Loire valley - via TGV - we will be staying at the Domaine De Beauvois and will spend this day wandering Tours.

Tuesday bicycle ride to "discover a variety of landscapes" and picnic lunch, and dinner at Le Moulin Fleuri.

Wednesday visit to Amboise, which I am looking forward to immensely.

Thursday visit to Chenonceau (picture above)which I am looking forward to even more than the Amboise, a bit of wine and cheese tasting, then a medieval dinner at Le Clos Luce - Da Vinci's last home before his death.

Friday back to Paris - free for the day, and then "a romantic dinner cruise" apparently it will be "tables for two" unfortunately knowing this lot they will push them all together and dance on them...

Saturday - the Louvre, and then more freedom before the Rugby final.

Sunday - it's over - utter freedom to go wherever we like! at 6pm we take the Eurostar to London

Monday - wander London (yes we have plans for all of our wanderings)

Tueday - blat down to Gloucestershire to visit the house I was born in, and the cemetary where my Grandfather lies - the rest of the family have been and planted NZ native flaxes and hebes, now it is my turn.

Wednesday more sightseeing and shopping in London, then back to Singapore for a break- this time we have time for shopping, the Night safari and more chilli crab (and the bucket curries that Flash was too frightened to eat on the way there in case he spent the holiday in the bathroom! - he'll take his chances on the way home)

Friday - home, and sleep.

a numbers game

we have a winner:

Frasier was born on the 15th of November 2006. MohairPink - email me with your postal address and the book will be in the post.

I am reading a beautiful book "The nine emotional lives of cats" Jeffrey Masson lives in Auckland, and goes for walks on the beach with his cats (he is a "dog person" too)the book is very good for counteracting those "it's just cupboard love" comments. I thought I knew a lot about cats, but have learnt so much from his gentle observations.Frasier loves me so fiercely, won't leave me alone, squawks when I leave the house, know that I am leaving by the jangling of my keys...but when I feel like a cuddle...he'll just glance at me and keep on doing whatever it is he wants to do...and now I understand why.

the latest addition to my wardrobe - the Georgia Hoodie from Threadless, how could I not? I need some knitting themed doubleknit to wear to a knitting festival - not this one I'm afraid - the only attraction is James, and lovely and talented as he is, it's too far and too much money for what it is. However I am thinking about attending this one - the machine knitting festival, there are some interesting and talented speakers attending, and some great field trips, however I really should be head down saving money for our trip in October, it's another of Flash's work trips, and regretably involves a lot of rugby - which I am trying hard to tolerate, but apparently I won't be allowed to take my knitting to the games...(we'll see about that)to make the rugby side more palatable to me (I don't really have a choice of wether or not I go...we like our lifestyle...as the boss's wife there are sacrifices I have to make) we are having 3 days in Singapore alone together (our next favourite goodtime town after Sydney)then the 10 days in Paris and the Loire Valley with 40 of Flash's customers for the Rugby world cup (the trip is called "Rugby and Romance" - we are in Paris for the rugby and the Loire Valley for the romance - from the look of the schedule the events co-ordinator obviously has romance confused with wine) then 3 days alone in England - 2 in London, and 1 in and around my home town of Gloucester for a spot of nostalgia and 2 more days in Singapore on the way home. I have had expert help putting together an itinerary, now we are just working on Flash's french (he had to call me from the Metro last time he was there, he couldn't get out! he was on his cellphone - I'm saying "sortie, sortie" poor baby!)

The blue blob update - I have reached the yoke, and have taken your advice Mary, I no longer have the chiselled collarbones required for the wide neck look, I'll be increasing the decreases to end up with something slightly more discreet, loving the calmness of the stst, something that I can't stuff up...(there have been monumental stuff ups)