Things I never contemplated doing yet....

......I'm doing them!  Here we go:

1. Having a morning buriel for Henrietta, one of our chickens, after I found her deceased.
2. Retrieving 2 dead mice out of the pool trap w/ a pair of pliers and disposing of them. 
*** I know what you're thinking, there seems to be a dead animal theme here but besides rats and pigeon, I don't have to deal w/ too many dead animals in NYC!  
3. Raking a garden w/ manuer - ok not a dead animal but close.
4. Successfully navigating French highways & bi-ways when I'm only sure what 70% positive of what the roadsigns are for but I'm getting better.  Going through the tollbooth was fun!  AND, since I don't drive anyway and when I do, once or twice a year, am not that great at it, this is quite the accomplishment.

More to come!

From Tower to Tower

Alogny from below

Alogny - view from a window

From working in the "Tower" of the Muni building to sleeping in the "Tower" of a 900+ yr old castle, who would have thought it!  Yet here I am sleeping in my tower, Queen of the Castle.  I must say I kind of like the sound of that.  My friends who have lived overseas say I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase and that when that wears off, I'll be lonely especially not knowing the language.  If I can understand some of my LI & Brooklyn friends I should be able to understand these darn French :)  But, alas, it's tougher than it seems.  I'm not sure how I'll be lonely since I'm never alone but time will tell all.  We shall get back to this topic in 3 months.

Hallelujah!

Pear Tart.....yummy!

Pastries, doughy pieces of heaven, iced masterpieces, fruit, creme and nutella filled wonders.  That is France!  Well, at least part of it.   And I have to admire the French for truly savoring their food.  Maybe that's why the stores are closed from noon to 3pm for lunch. Sometimes I forget to savor when I'm in NYC rushing along the street trying to eat on the run or worse eating at my desk.  Heck, who am I kidding, that is an all too familiar scene that just became "normal".  Only time will tell if I can master the French love of food but I'm all about experiencing as much of it as I can while I'm here.

Nettles in French means "OUCH!"

I went for a bike ride today, which if I haven't said before, is not really my mode of transportation.  Anywho, we had to port our bikes across a river and when we were riding through a particularly tiny patch of trail, I got stuck by the evil nettles!!  It takes a whole day for the sting to stop.  I suppose poison ivy is the trade off in The States.  I'm grateful there is no poison ivy in Europe since I am highly allergic.  But as I was saying, I was so distressed by the nettles that we had to stop for a cafe to calm my nerves....hahahaha! Life is good in the Loire :)

La Distillerie

La Distillerie

There is a cool venue in our village called "La Distillerie".  They host concerts, lectures, seminars, private events etc.  I believe it used to be an old bourbon distillery back in the day.  The proprietor, Helene, was a cabaret singer and used to work with bands in NYC [SoHo].  With her shock of bleach-blonde hair she is definitely a character and extremely sweet.  With her bevy of boys that help her run the place, they are like a little posse running around St. Pierre!  

I've been to 2 concerts there, a French rock band - I know that sounds like an oxymoron! It was good, but very loud or maybe I'm just getting old :)  Then I saw Parvathy Baul, a singer, painter & storyteller from West Bengal.  While that's not really my thing, she was great and the instruments were interesting. I hope I get the opportunity to go there again before I leave.

Artwork @ La Distillerie

Bon jour, Merci, Smile & Nod.....

I have become quite good at saying hello, thank you and flashing a smile while nodding.  I'm certain it doesn't help that I have only made it 1/2 way through my first French lesson on CD....yikes!   Also, I have a French phone number if anyone wants to text me, however, while it has a few English words on it, it is all in French. Thank goodness for rote memory :)  We got our cat Patch yesterday.  She is SO cute but definitely was disoriented and did not sleep much last night.  I know this because she apparently didn't want me to sleep either.  Speaking of sleep, I must purchase a French [or European] comforter/duvet while I am here....so comfy and much less cumbersome than mine at home.

Room with a View!

View from my first meal in Angles

These pics are the view from my "new home" and our view from the restaurant we ate at last night - pizza! It's only my first night in St. Pierre and I already feel like I'm living in a postcard.  One of the hens got out this am so John, my boss, had to chase it back in to the pen.  This is going to be a wild experience for a city girl!

View from the terrace of my new "home".








Below is the view from the upstairs bedroom window

Trains, planes, stairs and more trains......

I have long been obsessed with two things:  bubble gum machines and the claw game.  It's virtually impossible for me to pass by either one of these things without taking out my wallet.  In fact, while I was on a non-equity tour of "Funny Girl", no claw machine from Canada to Key West was safe.  My roommate and I accumulated quite a toy collection....all courtesy of the claw.  And, while it's been years since I've caved in to the call of the claw, at JFK I relapsed and whaddya know......came up with a "winner"!  I can only say thank goodness there were no bubble gum or claw machines in the Dublin airport!

Au revoir, Merci, Tre Bien.....

That is about as much French as I know......a word or two here and there!  Should it be necessary, I will carry my dictionary and find alternate methods of communication.  I can hardly believe the day is here that I will be leaving NYC for the Loire Valley.  Thanks to everyone including my fabulous subletter who I just may have to fight for my apt when I return....lol!  Stayed tuned as the adventure continues.