End of summer 2017

It is always with sadness that we close down Tellus et les Étoiles to head north. Although I love the autumn, the transition from summer to fall presents a moment of depression, and that is what I am dipping into and out of at present. In all, both Richard and I have had a truly wonderful summer in France – perhaps one of our best ever. It’s been full from almost day one here with Pavel and Tereza arriving right on our heals, but we adore them and adored their visit as well as the dinners in Artignosc with Penny and Hamish, dinners with Becky, Peter & Jason, dinners with Liliane, Renaud, Adelaïde and Pascal – with one including Jim and Joanne, a lunch with Ralph, dinners with Pierre & Catherine (including Mona & Ono as well as Jacqueline and her beautiful daughter), the aioli in Fox-Amphoux, the aioli in Aups (with Steve & Annie joining us), visits to Barbara up the hill, pool swims at Marguerite’s Cresson as well as Pierre & Catherine’s new pool, the Lac de Sainte Croix & La Muie in Salernes, a visit to Micheline and Nicolas, brief separate seeings of both Tillie and Jessica, Sue Knapp’s exhibition in Moissac-Bellevue, two dinners at Le Calalou & one dinner at La Table, and house-guests visits from Marie-Laure, from Marie-Laure’s son Robin, from Eamonn, from Sarah’s son Ethan, and from Nancy. There was one massive picnic chez nous with Penny & Hamish, Jo & Richard, Catherine & Pierre, Daniel, Marie-Laure, Robin, Nancy, Eamonn, Carol, and Natacha & Jonathan, and a dinner again chez nous with Marie-Laure, Nancy, Marie-Laure’s son Jonathan & his lovely Sandra, and Cindy & Dieter. We saw Jean Blake only briefly and did not get to Audrey and Guy in Salernes but did see Guy at La Muie. And much of this if not most of this during a magical if not also challenging canicule. Richard and I have the most satisfied feeling of having had and enjoyed a full and glorious summer that included times with many of our loved ones. In between all, he continued with his drawings and me with my writings – finishing my novel (Celebration: The Future is Not Now) and almost completing a revision to Pagan Mysticism: Paganism as a World Religion.

We had a one-day visit to Aix-en-Provence where we were gorgeously entertained by the Alfred Sisley works in the Caumont Centre d’Art museum. Today, it is a visit to the Otolaryngologist in Draguignan, tomorrow to the Ophthalmologist in Saint Maximum la Saint Baume, and Thursday we are off to Marie-Laure’s in Paris (& the Blue Room) for four nights before London. I do not think I could be more happy and in love than I currently am.