Birthday Extravaganza

I should point out that our area of France hasn’t seen cases of Covid for quite awhile, according to a doctor friend. That’s why we feel fairly free to spend time together. We still limit gatherings and try to meet outside. 

Birthday hats on the beach

 If I were in the States for my birthday, back in my old life, I probably would have gone to work for the day. My work friends on Facebook might have said "Happy birthday." Perhaps my husband would have come home early from work and we would have walked to a nearby restaurant for a drink and delicious cheesy biscuits before going home to celebrate with my adult children. That would have been the hoopla surrounding my birthday. Nothing to complain about, really. 

But now, I live in France and I control my work schedule. I took the entire day off work. 

I got up and went for a run. 

Post run pic for my running friends

I walked to the bakery and bought too many pastries so we could have brunch with Jules and Jack at our place. 

Just a representative sample

In the afternoon, I went hiking with Jo and Tina at the green labyrinth in Nebias. 

You can see where it gets its name

Everything covered with moss feels mystical.

I'd been there before, but only hiked one section. This time, through a bit of exploring, I learned there are two other sections and we ended up hiking for about three hours. 

At one point, we sat on giant rocks and drank hot chocolate with amaretto, thanks to Jo. 

We also had a brief conversation with a Frenchman who was cutting pine branches in the forest. He started making a lot of excuses for his actions and then decided he was a bit of a shaman who could heal any of our ails. 

He instructed both Tina and Jo to swing their arms back and forth, to bend down and touch their toes, to count to 20 in French while he walked in a circle. He claimed to heal stiffness that they didn’t have. 

Strange Frenchman whose directions apparently needed to be followed.

The green labyrinth is supposed to be a place of mystery so we named the man “the gnome” and accepted it as part of the magic of the labyrinth. 

When we returned home, we had some blanquette (a sparkling wine made in the region) and millefeuille. Lou and Steve came by with a bottle of wine as a gift and joined us for a drink. Everyone left to get home before curfew, just as our dinner guests arrived. 

Sue and Steve spent the night so they didn’t have to worry about getting home before the 6 pm curfew. Derrick and Kris joined us with their dogs. They’re allowed to walk their dogs after curfew so can stay late, closer to a realistic dinner time.

I got to speak with all of my kids and my parents, so that helped make the day special, too. 

But my birthday didn’t end that day. The next day we joined  Theresa and Jim and traveled to l’aqueduc d’Ansignan, an old Roman aqueduct. 

A bat on the ceiling, I think

Amazing 3rd century construction

Theresa and Jim had made some paper boats to race in the aqueduct but there was no water in it. So we had to turn to the river Agly. 

Some of the paper boats stayed afloat longer than others

After our exploits, we drove through Estagel, stopping at the kebab shop for take-away gyros. We sat down on the sidewalk eating, enjoying a meal out the only way we have been able to since October 29, 2020. 

Then we headed to the beach. The temperature dropped close to the Mediterranean and the wind picked up. 

We visited a historic settlement of fishermen huts along the lake across the road from the Med. The huts were made of reeds, but the wind was brutal so we didn't pause long.

Then we crossed the street and watched the kite surfers jump and flip the windy waves. 

Kite surfing

We found a sheltered place in Canet-en-Roussillon and enjoyed some pastries that Jim and Theresa had brought along, wearing birthday hats and blowing streamers. 

And my birthday extravaganza came to an end. I can't imagine trying to top it next year. 

Home in France - Our New Old House

It filled me with joy and relief to return to our home in France.
The house is not magically completed and free of construction debris, but some of the rooms are really coming together and we are focusing on details to make our house a home.
Sunday when I arrived was my birthday, and I enjoyed dinner in La Gallerie, a local restaurant, with some true friends.

Dinner with friends

Plus, Earl had made me a birthday cake. Some of our meals included dessert, but (since my French is better than most of us English speakers) I asked the restaurant owner if we could bring the cake in. He said, of course and he would serve it. He even gave Earl a thumbs up as he served it, so maybe he tried a bite.
He served the cake with whipped cream and a celebratory stick,

Cake and whipped cream

 then placed a giant flame in front of me as they sang happy birthday.

Thanks, Steve, for taking the picture

To top it off, since we didn't eat dessert, he took a carafe of wine and our aperitif drinks off the bill.
So my birthday behind us, we could focus on getting our visas for the coming year and working on the house.
I have time to go for walks again in the morning, since I am not teaching at 5 a.m.

The river Aude runs through our town

While I was gone, my friend Jules put up a kitchen backsplash for us. There are a few tiles yet to be finished because we have to tile around the electrical outlets. And we just ordered a couple more cabinets, one to go between the sink and the refrigerator, and the other to go on the opposite wall.
But you can see the progress.

Yes, Delana, that is your goat cutting board hiding the missing tile.
Flowers on the window sill from my husband after he stole them from my friend Jules. 

The kitchen remains our "finished" room where I grade papers and we hang out with friends. But the guest bathroom is almost complete.
There was only a master bathroom upstairs and a toilet room downstairs. (I won't even call it a half bathroom because there is still no sink in it).
Our friends and builders Kris and Jason, stole some space from both bedrooms and created a full bathroom that will serve guests, like Grace and Jack who arrive in two weeks.

The shower and sink. A marble ledge is yet to come where the hand soap is. 

The bathroom is small but serviceable and hopefully will make anyone staying here more comfortable, and us too.
The sink is tiny, so we removed this medicine cabinet and put a flat mirror there. That way people can spit into the sink without knocking their heads on the medicine cabinet.

The toilet and towel warmer. A cabinet will go above the toilet for more storage. 

The bathroom still needs a door frame. I'm trying to pin Kris down to creating that when he returns from England next week.
Earl is still working on heating for the house, slowly painting radiators and then attaching a heating unit to each one. The electrician is coming tomorrow and will hook up the one in the kitchen, living room and guest bedroom. The one in our bedroom is already plugged in and keeping us toasty at night.
Today, I'm finishing up my three classes and my schedule should be a bit freer since I'll only be teaching one university class, plus all the Chinese students who I'm meet online every afternoon.
Before you know it, we'll be ready to start sprucing up the exterior of our house.