September/SprengerTag
September 19, 2011
This is an enigma found at the Gare de l’Est in Paris : amateurs of images and letters, what does it mean? (Mariel’or, chut…:)
We’re fair to middling on towards fall, and it’s been rainy since July, so we’re not losing sleep over the transition to autumn. However, in between a quick trip to Switzerland for the SprengerTag family reunion and a lovely stay and Iris and Paul’s home, (Miss Bean learned to get in touch with her Swiss roots by drinking Rivella; a milk-serum drink and Gabriel swam in lake Zurich and decided it is a little deep) and a visit from Aunty Cindy the applesauce queen and Uncle Jim with the blue guitar, i’ve begun to feel a little tired of living in a half-finished house and prompted by a leaky shower, have retiled the bathroom. The shower is now working again, which is nice, especially for Jane and Ed because we no longer have to go to their house to take warm baths. Now we just go to their house for poetry night and to get a square meal and solid grammatical advice every now and then. And Julia’s almost walking; her first step is not one that i’m awaiting with bated breath because it seems like crawling goes pretty fast as it is.
The next house project, besides getting the bathroom really finished off, is rebuilding the barn doors, based on an example found in Switzerland, where we found a surprising variety in barn doors on the foxtrail scavenger hunt around St-Gallen…
Back to school
September 5, 2011
We have monster sunflowers this year at Le Maffay, although they are a little desperate this rainy summer for something, anything, to turn towards. The children here at Le Maffay are also oversized: Gabriel’s new italian back to school shoes, which were intended for calcetto but he fell in love and decided they would be perfect for the school playground in Feins, are size 41. Julia is clocking in at 11 kilos and 77cms; at this rate, next year Gabriel will have a bit of difficulty holding her for the yearly back to school photo in front of the garden, and in the chapel doorway.
Proof positive that his new shoes are indeed highly appropriate for the playground in Feins.
Or, for hanging out in chapel doorways.
