Time to pull out the clubs and polish up those skills. Angling for an invite, don’t want to show anyone up…
It’s been a moment. We’ve lost quite a few years of the blog (my fault, back up anyone?) but here we are now living in Washington after 15 years in Australia where we were head down bum up doing the life / work thing. I’m eager to write, to document the moments so that when we can no longer remember on our own, we can at least read…
A few years older.
A tiny bit wiser.
A truckload of new laugh lines.
I’m not sure if the Empire Builder has been refurbished since the 60’s, maybe the business class coach seats in faux leather, blue. But for the rest – it’s now well overdue.
We are currently sitting in a ‘roomette’ bouncing about through Wisconsin on our inaugural cross country train journey from Chicago to Portland. The roomette is tiny for sure, but for 2 filles who have lived in ‘small’ for the past 22 years we can make 44 hours work, no problem.
There’s space to walk around and other carriages to explore. The observation car dotted with Mennonite men and boys with that peculiar haircut, Amish women in their Gilead gowns of various shades of green and blue – some carrying small babies with bonnets. The cafe with no pretensions, stock on display, stock in boxes on the floor, a gruff attendant who wants to quiz even me on my ID when buying beer and cocktails. Plural. And the miles of coach class seats, all filled with a slice of Americana on this, the 4th of July – sleeping, reading, lounging, eating – playing cards. Anything to wile away the hours as the green fields and lakes of Wisconsin flash by our windows.
Three and a half hours in, with patches behind my ears just in case, I’m loving this trip so far. Next stop the dining car for our 8pm reservation and 3 course dinner menu. Wish me luck!
I feel like I need a survivors guide, hence the recommissioning of the blog. Links are down, images are lost, but eventually all of that will just be history. New beginnings.
I’ve found an aquagym class here in Paris that I enjoy. Finally. Almost directly across the street from one of my friends houses in the 15th, I could have been going to classes at this gym and stopping in for coffee and croissants for the last two years. Instead I found it within the last two months of our stay here in Paris. Typical. I wonder if that’s my psyche talking control of my life. For better or worse.
I managed to get to The Photographers’ Gallery while I was in London to see the Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2009, I loved the nomination of Taryn Simon for “An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar“. Fantastic. Then on Saturday, the girls (Milene, Moselle, Michelle & I) went off to the National Portrait Gallery to see Gerhardt Richter which was amazing. I adored this show, I’m going to give it a go myself, the dry paintbrush affect over his paintings was great, similiar to the varnish I use over my photos. Moselle returned Saturday evening and painted her first nude painting on canvas, inspired by the paintings she saw that day. I expect that we’ll be off to the Tate Modern to see her own exhibition one of these days…
Sunday was dedicated to the pub and a game of football in the backyard. I love London.
We’re hurtling quickly into the ‘running out of time’ mode that I dread so much. Keep your eye on the availability calendar if you want to catch up before we leave Paris, I promise to keep it as up to date as I possibly can, although we have several plans “under discussion” that have not been entered at all, not until dates get finalised. We are currently assuming we will be finished up here by May 1st, although depending on some responses from various sources that could be extended up until, but definitely not beyond, June 1st. When I know, you’ll know.
Another video from our street, this is where I spend most of my days…
maybe this will tempt the rest of you to come and visit before we leave…
5 museums tomorrow, then a family weekend visiting with our 2nd family in London. We’re going to miss them when we leave so the plan is to spend as much time as we possibly can with them before we move to the other side of the world.
Where hopefully they’ll come to visit 3 or 5 or 10 times a year so we don’t miss too much of the kids growing up!
I found this when writing the previous post, and called JD to have a giggle. Surprisingly, he never did tell any of us he was an internet star…..
and another…
Since getting back from Tunisia on Thursday evening, I’ve been busy discovering restaurants, catching up with new & old friends and generally having a good time. As a reminder to me, and a little taster for you, here is a list of places I’ve been over the last couple of days…. Les Papilles; Le Chateaubriand; Salon de l’Agriculture; Vintage; Caves du Pantheon; Le Marché aux Puces de la Port de Vanves; Joe Allen; Slumdog Millionaire; and the Repaire de Bacchus on the rue Montorgueil…. as well as spending as much time as possible with friends I’m going to really miss like Jean Denis, Mathilde, Philippe, Anne & Olivier and Valerie.
Time is speeding by, we have to pull our finger out to start preparing the move.
The search is on…. click on the image to see it full sized.
Do you think Pete will be brave enough to wear this on Saturday 21st March for the Italy vs France game?
Pete the englishman, wearing the french football(!) jersey in support of Michelle and I in France, while watching the 6 nations rugby tournament in the house of a fervent Italian supporter in Australia.
Is he game?
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