Weekend 18-20 November

Another weekend well spent... returned yesterday from what is starting to feel more and more like home. Nothing special, just relaxation and taking time for the kids and our good friends Jos and Sas, who were there before us on Friday. 

We had a really smooth ride down, only took us 3 hours and 40 minutes! Friday night we ordered pizza from Sezanne, they make very neat pizzas there, the flavours on their menu, remind me to show you if you're ever at the house :) and then the size :) American style... anyway it was the perfect meal for us and the kids. After that it was bed time, Madeleine got to sleep in her brand new princess like Ikea bed, which I had assambled while waiting for the pizza... I forgot to take pictures, it looks very nice, especially when she is in it :)

Saturday was another beautiful day in Oyes en Champagne, with loads of sunshine, mild temperatures and clean air. After hanging around in the morning, assembling a reck for the bathroom, chatting and playing, we went for a long (well for us it was) walk in the afternoon, Maxime stole the show with his cute-factor. The kids had a good time. Madeleine found it really unfair that girls weren't allowed to get dirty ;) (the boys weren't either but they truly did)

Came home, time to bake chocolate muffins and make dinner for 8 hungry little and big monsters. So good to sit down at the table all together, with the fire going. It is a beautiful fire place, and clean now. The yearly cleaning had taken place in our absence. Monsieur Boivin passed by on Saturday to tell us he had done it and to take a look at the next project. We absolutely need to fix a grill in the well. So dangerous, but at the same time beautiful and impressive at least 10 meters deep.

Voila, now you know (almost) everything about our weekend... enjoy the pictures, Michel is turning into quite the photographer...  Until next time...  Salut!

Would a fish really see the garden this way?

Le nefflier, will always always remind me of Jean-Paul, he was so looking forward to tasting it's fruits, just about ripe now.

And the house, a bit different because we had thee roof cleaned, looks good :)

The princess of Champagne

Maxime and Jos

Walk

At least the donkey is not doing a grimace

run run run

At the Saint Gond monestery

they have a beautiful collection of birds, here  a black swan

Sas and me :) BFF

And we all love Maxime

ran into these giant mushrooms

the well

so worth it getting out early

the champagne fields around Sezanne... resting now

School holidays - Halloween

It was a little bit cramped in the car with me and the kids on the back seat, but so worth it to have Liliane with us on this five day trip to Oyes.
What can I say, it was nice and quiet in the village, Michel did a lot of gardening, then he took his mother and the boys to Troyes for some sight seeing, lovely... meanwhile Glenis, me and the three girls went to the outlet shopping mall also in Troyes. Good fun and so out of the ordinary for me.
We got treated to a star dinner at Mike and Glenis' house, they had a Belgian male cooking club in the house who took over the kitchen for a day, yummie.
On Monday night we had a outdoor halloween barbecue with the kiwi friends, the kids went trick or treating and grilled marshmallows.
The weather was beautiful as it has been for the last two months really.

Louis and Liliane in the Troyes cathedral

Dora relaxing outside the Paris farm

Hairy little monsters

more monsters

Round trip to Reuves

ladies' weekend, weekend of loss

It's been almost a month since we had this ladies weekend in Oyes. On the picture you can see my gorgeous Reetian girlfriends. What started out as a running club some five years ago has now become more of a leisure club. 

The weather was amazing, over 25 degrees (in October!) 

At the same time this was also a sad weekend for our family, because we lost my beloved father in law Jean-Paul. 

We had known for some time which way we were heading, but the time is never right. 

We will miss him so much and his memory will live forever! 

Jean-Paul with his little princess at Emil's communion in May

From the left: Elke, Annemie, Mieke, An, Gerd and Emmy

The making of champagne, Simon explaining

How time flies...

When we entered the barn last week we found this beautiful owl on the floor. We agreed that we must have locked it in there when we last left the house. A bit sad, to have caused the death of this wise bird, but on the other hand it was a good occasion to get a close look and show it to the children.
Louis wanted to have it stuffed, but as it had been dead for a while we managed to convince him otherwise. Then Isabelle wanted to take to the kids' school in a carton box, but changed her mind after taking a closer look.
Isabelle is Michel's childhood friend, daughter of one of Liliane's best friends Monique. We invited Isabelle and her impressive family (4 daughters :) ) to spend the weekend with us. On Saturday night we were joined by Tante Hélène and oncle Jean.
The kids had a great time playing all together, Madeleine felt like she was dreaming I guess, with all these girls around.
We didn't take any pictures, but I have requested some from Isabelle and Nicolas and will upload them as soon as I can...  In the meantime, here is the main attraction of the weekend :)

The wisest of birds



Summer holidays and painting the house

It's been something of a wild summer on our part this one, travel, work and visits made it a rich entertaining and quickly passing summer holiday.
We haven't been as much to the house as we would have wished, but we can't be everywhere at the same time ;) We had a tremendous three weeks back in another one of the many places we can call home, the Faroe Islands.
But that does not mean that the house has been left alone. It was partly rented out and also Stefan and Marije spent two weeks there, painting much to our pleasure. The house is so fresh and bright now. We always loved it, but now it's even better. And Marijes enthousiasm is so inspiring and left me with many plans for things to do in the months, and years to come :)
Last weekend we had 3 days of Champagne, Saturday spent painting a bit with Marije, then groceries shopping and barbecue'ing on the hot summer evening, the kids had a good time. Madeleine found a new best friend in Malou, she doesn't mind that she's twice her age and neither does Malou.


As far as the garden is concerned, we missed a lot of the fruit this year, but apparently it hasn't been such a good year for fruit and vegetables, I picked and froze 2 kg of rhubarbs, they will survive any summer:). The champagne from this years grapes, however, is supposed to be exceptional, so we better preorder our Millesime for 2014 :

Bedroom painted very pale yellow, in this room the paper was coming off the walls,  Marije fixed that and the coat of paint gave the room new life.

"Madeleine's room" pale rose paint named "parfum". Next project a bed to suit a proper princesse :)

Madeleine's room

The bathroom got a fresh layer aswel, and Stefan changed the silicone around the bath, FRESH :)

The hallway downstairs, light blue

Master bedroom, hasn't been painted but derves a photo aswell

Living room, so much brighter in light blue now

Living room

Kitchen in light green

I painted one of the old tables that came with the house,  will do a second layer when we go there next time,.

It was so hot, above 30 degrees, hopefully the beginning of an Indian summer

My dear Turid mostir (aunt) July 2011

Sweet Marita, July 2011

HI :)

Apple

Au Revoir Madame Paris

She was a small lady but such a grand person. She had lived her entire life here in the village of Oyes, born on the same farm where she passed away two weeks ago. At a young age she lost her father and that was when she took over the family farm with her husband Felix. Felix passed away some three years ago and madame Paris did feel lonely sometimes. 

Once she said to me "La vie est bien faite et puis elle n'est pas bien faite" So simple and so wise. 

She carried vegetables and eggs to our house but more importantly she carried great wisdom that was always welcome. 

The news of her death was shocking, yes, she had been ill for most of spring but she was always outside and didn't skip one single of the two daily walks she took her dog Dora on, so we were looking forward to seeing more of her during the holidays, exchanging courgettes for lemon cakes and learning more lessons on harvesting fruit and trimming trees. 

We had even brought a print out of a picture Michel took of her and her dog in front of our house. Michel gave it to her daughters on the day of her death. In stead of hanging on her kitchen wall it was used for the cover of the folder distributed at her funeral. 

Michel and I talk about how it is possible that someone we had only known for a year has had such a big impact on us. I can't tell you the answer exactly, but she was a very special person and we will miss her greatly and cherish the memory of Madame Paris. (1930-2011)

Janinne Paris walking Dora, April 2011

Michel 40, Summer Holidays, and Family visit

Finally the long awaited day was here, 2nd of July, party time. We had guests from near and far come and celebrate the forty-year-young birthday boy. 

It was a great day, the weather Gods were on our side and made dinner a sunny, happy feast for everyone. 

We were really happy and honoured to have guests drive all the way from Antwerp, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Some flew in from the Faroes and my cousin from Pennsylvania was here as well, thank you all.  It was quite a day for us. 

We are now officially on our summer holidays and enjoying every minute of it, we are as lucky as to have had and still have plenty of family visits. Leyvoy and Alain were here for a few days and my lovely aunt Turid. 

Both of my sisters have been here with their families, Turid is leaving tomorrow. My friend forever Marita was here with her family and last but not least we have the pleasure of having our omma around us for a few weeks. So nice to compensate for all the time that we miss each other during the year. 

Here are a few pictures, enjoy!

Michel's birthday

The youngest party animals, dressed to kill :)

The Dutch guys

The dance floor

The day after

Madeleine and Sarah in the garden of the Abbey of Saint-Gond, beautiful rental house just 500 meters from our house.

The kids

Sisters and brothers (in law anyway)

Poppies, Klaprozen, Valmuur, but I like best "Coquelicots", so romantic... 

Biking with the dolly in the child seat, well a horsy really...

Magnificent Magna!

Mamma