In the French countryside.

I've just had my first whole weekend looking after the kids, from 7am on Friday til 11pm on Sunday, I was 'Mum'. Hug, Bath, Food, Medication, Story, Lullaby, Direction, Retribution, Mediation distribution. Keeping the kids happy and entertained is not too tricky, it's keeping the well-oiled machine of a household running which tires my out!
The best part about it all was getting to go to the country house with the grandparents. We left the house spotless, got the kitten into her cage, and drove about an hour and a half north of Paris to the 'Moulin'. The property was formerly a farm with a water-powered mill and several buildings, stables, a barn etc. The stream still bubbles along the side of the house which has now been completely renovated/restored, and the mechanisms of the old wheel take up part of the sitting room. It was so gorgeous. I don't know why they don't just live there all the time.
There must have been about 10 acres of birches and firs and walnut trees, landscaped paths, the stream, a duck pond, dozens and dozens of flowerbeds, and absolute tranquility. I kept my window open at night, and could here the water flowing by beneath me. The autumn colours were so spectacular, and there were squirrels and pheasants and moss growing on the roof tiles, and 'sigh', it was so adorable and so authentic. The kids had so much space to play, we had a blast running around with the soccer ball, riding bikes and playing tennis.
I didn't have my camera, so this photo is cheating, but you know, it's the vibe of the thing.

The lazy bloggeuse

Yes, I have been a lazy blogger this last wee while! Here are some snippets of what I've been up to lately...

This is the big screen they have put up in front of the Hotel de Ville (town hall). It is here that I have settled down on the artificial turf to watch the All Blacks compete in the Rugby World Cup. It's always a good atmosphere and there are always some other Kiwi's around.

Had Jenny come to stay last weekend (she has a couple of pics up on her blog), which was so much fun. Because she will be coming back through Paris on the last leg of her travels, there was no stress to see all of the must-see sights. Instead we contented ourselves with a lot of 'must-eat' items, shopping, people-watching, dancing, flea-markets and general catching up.
Our actions on Saturday were slightly impeded by the annual Techno Parade. Literally thousands and thousands of young people poured down the main streets, following the floats which were blasting out dance music. It was quite jaw dropping; crossing the street involved waiting for a slow moving section of the procession, and making a run for it, trying not to get hit by the flailing limbs of a spaced-out, gyrating teenager.
Here are some snaps of the crowd:
I wish you could hear the music to go with it, it was soooo loud. And as with every year, the parade acts as a vehicle for raising awareness of an issue. This year the issue was 'Save the Planet.' However as the enormous trucks pumped out their toxic exhaust fumes, and the litter piled up in the gutters I couldn't help but feeling that they were only adding to the problem!

And some flowers at the market.
Tomorrow morning the children's parents are off for short trip to Rome, so I will be sole-charge for 3 days. We'll spend at least 24h at the Grandparents holiday house, and the rest of the time will just be pretty fun, lots of videos and icecream I think!
I have a day off today to compensate for missing my weekend, so soon I'm going to go and meet up with my cousin and do some wandering while the weather is good.
ciao!

Celeb Watch

It was only a matter of time before I saw one. I mean I'm always hearing about famous people who have just spent the weekend in Paris; but so far no George Clooney at the boulangerie.
My moment with George will come I'm sure, but for now I'll settle for ADRIAN BRODY!!!!
Swoon, he is even better looking in real life. Walking home down rue de la Vieille Temple, I passed a cosy little hole-in-the-wall bar, and slowed in amazement as I realised that the gorgeous man sitting just inside the door was Adrian himself. We made eye contact. And that's the end of my story. After I had passed the door I contemplated going back to say hi but by then the 5 friends coming up behind me had all spotted him too and it would have been a bit mob-like.
So, there we go, it was pretty exciting.
But not as exciting as watching the All Blacks win their first game of the World Cup! They have installed a gigantic screen and some fake grass in front of the Hotel de Ville, and all the games are broadcast live. Yesterday a big crowd turned out for the game including about 50 odd Kiwis I'd say, and we all stood for the anthem, and cheered very loudly. It was lovely and sunny, and they just kept on playing awesomely so even a novice fan like myself found it very enjoyable!

Such a hard life...

Have I ever mentioned just how incredibly awesome that family that I work for is?
I've been back at work for 4 days now, and it's been thoroughly enjoyable. Two long months of holiday has given me lots of time to reflect on the job and what I would like to do differently, what I hope for with the kids etc. In the middle of my holidays I spent two weeks with the family at (one of) the holiday houses. It was such a relaxed period; late starts, late finishes, and heaps of time for cuddles and stories and swimming. I feel like my relationship with the whole family has really deepened and I'm letting myself depend on them a little more.
The family spends summer holidays in the south of France, in a highly secured holiday village just near Cannes. It was incredible. And even though I was technically working during the two weeks, it was on of the highlights of my summer. I mean just look at it...
The huuuuge house is on a gorgeous property with two pools, a petanque area, lovely old olive, pine and fig trees and access to a private beach. The weather was impeccable and the air was scented with rosemary and mimosa. Every morning I could trot down to the Mediterranean and bob around in the warm salty waters. Afternoons were spent by the pool, at the beach or playing monopoly when it was just to hot to be outside. A Minister and his family stayed a week and doubled our numbers and noise levels. Though their 3 boys were a real handful it was lovely to have the company of their nanny and bodyguard (though as he always reminded us, he was technically 'head of security'.
When the children were finally in bed we would sit out on the patio, eating fresh seafood and drinking rosé and generally marveling and how wonderful life can be.
Back to my wonderful family (don't worry NZ family, you're still the best!), tonight the mother told me we would celebrate 'la rentrée', 'back to school', and could I stay late for dinner? Turned out to be a surprise birthday dinner for me with all my favourite foods and a sumptuous cake. I'm sitting here bursting at the gills after 5 courses, one of which was a cheese platter with 7 varieties and I think I have truly merited the title of 'gourmande'. "Ah oui, Sophie est assez gourmande," as the parents always say when asked if I enjoy French cuisine.