Meeting Antoine

On Thursday 6th, we drove back to Saintes to give me time to catch up with the rest of the family. Papi came over for lunch and he is very well, the doctor says he'll live to be over 100 and is in perfect health for his age, our only concern is that he is bored very obviously, but I was pleased that he told different stories about his past than the last few visits, when he would only ever talk about the time he met my grand mother, now he talked about his trains and his career and that he noticed that for his first job back in 1930's, he was paid 1 euro a month (1.25 USD). So we've come a long way in terms of power of purchase and cost of living.



I also caught up with cousins Marion first and Eugenie later, who is now teaching in Saintes, she's glad to have moved back to the region and so am I because it means I'll get to see her more often.



On Saturday, Nicolas, Emilie and Antoine came over for lunch with Mamie Ese; Antoine, now 5 months, is a awesome little boy, he is so adorable but only laugh and smiles with his parents, even though he is very easy and did not mind playing and cuddling with me or anyone else. I was amazed at how well behaved he is. His mom put him in his cot and closed the door, we

could hear the baby talking to his soft toy until he fell asleep, and never crying, we heard him wake up when he resumed his conversation with his toy 90 minutes later.

Oleron Island

On August 31st I was off to my holiday back home. Kitem and Mr Garden picked me up from La Rochelle at 9pm and by bedtime we were in an Atlantic piece of paradise, Oleron Island. I think it is awesome to wake up to hear the waves rolling and smell the fresh sea air and have a croissant breakfast feet in the sand; with mom, dad and Mamie Ese and her infectuous chirpiness. I stayed bare feet for the whole four days, occasionally wearing them to go to the market and when Mamie Ese took us out for dinner at the creperie (pancake).

The programme was great. Wake up anytime, have breakfast, go for a long walk on the beach, have a lunch fit for kings, spent the afternoon on the beach, have dinner, sleep.

Up the sand dune that separates us from the ocean.

The Lighthouse, Chassiron, is at the most western tip of the island
During one of the many walks on the beach
Mamie Ese and Kitem sharing a silly joke while making a plum pie for lunch.

During another long walk along the beach

Collecting stones with wholes for a very specific purpose I won't reveal yet.
Posing with the catamarans. Looks like a magazine picture.