Eric woke up at 3:30 am, exclaiming something dramatic in his sleep. Compeltely non-sensical and non-grammatical. I couldn't get back to sleep after that. I read for a while...tried to sleep...and finally when it was time to be, I snoozed for a little.

Ivy was feeling sick again so she stayed home. Inga had a soccer tournament all day in St Lauren du Var. It ended being a huge disappointment, with the team playing terribly and them getting last place. Inga scored the only goal in all of their games combined. Eric came home super frustrated.

We didn't do much this afternoon: homework, reading, crafting. I prepared Le Chateau for the next guest, who arrives tomorrow. We need to move a huge puzzle from the table up to our apartment; it's an "impossible" 1000-piece Harry Potter puzzle.

Ivy had a friend over in the late afternoon to make silkscreen t-shirts and mandala dot paintings.

Once Eric was back, we had some time to go on a long walk. He vented all of his frustrations about the soccer tournament.

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Yesterday

We watched "Yesterday," which Eric and I had seen but the kids hadn't yet. Fun movie.

No one had soccer today, so Eric went spearfishing in the morning and caught a fat loup (sea bass), which we ate for dinner. We went to the beach in the afternoon. The water was still milky with a white sediment that turns the water fluorescent blue. No jellyfish!

I did some putzy work around both apartments--painting, replacing a door latch mechanism.

Ivy had a fever again today and her cough is worse.

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Kermesse

The after-school fair/concert/bake sale/garage sale was lots of fun for the kids. But whew! so much noise. I made a batch of cookies.

Ivy and a group of friends had a table of hand-crafted items such as bracelets, keychains, and origami that they made themselves. After donating some of the sales to the school fund and splitting the rest among themselves, Ivy came home with 12 Euros.

I joined the string quartet playing--last minute, since it's a group I often play with, and I offered to come play along if they wanted me. The other two violinists are a couple whose kids also go to this school and that's actually how we met in the first place. It turned into a quintet when I joined them 🙂

We watched a fantastic movie: "Catherine Called Birdie." Zari recommended it and it was 10/10.

As a side note, it actually had realistic birth scenes with the woman sitting on a birth stool, crouched on her hands and knees, and kneeling while pulling up on ropes. None of this lying on a bed on the back nonsense (which wasn't really a thing until doctors came along and took over childbirth). Certainly this would not have been happening in 13th century England.

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Goodbyes

My brother left yesterday morning, after treating us to pastries for breakfast! We were thoroughly spoiled during his visit. He's back home with his dog and gearing up to go back to work.

Ivy's school is having a big kermesse (school fair/fundraiser) tomorrow and she's been making loads of origami. I made a big batch of cookies for the bake sale.

Zari's last day of classes was yesterday. It's so anti-climactic here. Classes kind of taper off since the last two or so weeks don't count towards grades and thus almost no one goes. Then there are the big exams over the next few weeks but nothing else. No ceremonies to mark the end of high school. No parties. You're just done!

Dio had his oral du brevet today and he said it went well. Zari has her oral d'anglais tomorrow, a 10-minute memorized presentation analyzing The Handmaid's Tale, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and a few other articles and documents relating to totalitarianism, censorship, and political repression.

Ivy came down with a sudden fever yesterday afternoon, so she missed school today. I think she'll be well enough to go tomorrow, though.

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Mission accomplished: Quatorze boules de glace!

We've had an ongoing joke with my brother about buying "quatorze boules de glace" (14 scoops of ice cream) at Fenocchio (said in his Russian-accented French). It only took us 4+ years, but tonight we finally did buy 14 boules de glace.

The man scooping the ice cream looked very puzzled when we ordered 14 scoops. "You don't want 14 individual cones?"

"No! All in one bowl, please!"

We hurried home and divded up the scoops into individual bowls. We each had chosen two flavors. I had cacao sorbet and pistachio ice cream.

The tourists around us were taking pictures of our giant bowl of ice cream. I wonder how many times it will appear on other social media accounts???

My brother leaves tomorrow. We'll go through Funcle (and ice cream) withdrawal. We had one last swim together this afternoon and of course lots of walks.

He's going home loaded up with French records and specialty food items.

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Work in the morning...a bit of painting...bike ride with my brother then a late lunch at a bakery....swimming in some big waves...Freeze family football practice + thrift store...pizza for dinner...walk with Eric and my brother.

14,000 steps, not bad, plus all of the biking on top of that.

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A day in Monaco

Eric and Dio were at a soccer tournament all day in Beausoleil. The rest of us decide to take a day trip to Monaco, since it's my brother's last weekend here. We were out the door by 9:30 and hopped on the bus to get there.

Our first stop was the Private Cars Collection of HSH Prince of Monaco, which none of us had ever seen before. It was surprisingly fun to look at the extensive collection of cars (and some old-fashioned buggies) dating back to the 1800s. My brother knows a lot about cars, so it was a great time to visit.

I took a picture of one of my favorites: a tiny little car that you get into by opening the entire front!

We then bought baguettes and made sandwiches in a park. Zari and my brother went to buy some snacks, drinks, and pastries. We were sitting underneath a pine tree and getting rained on constantly by pine needles.

Then it was time to go up to Le Rocher. We walked along the botanical gardens to the Oceanographic Museum. I passed a statue that I've seen many times and, when I walked to the back of it, realized it had another side--a nursing baby! 

At the museum, we hit a mid-afternoon slump and were ready to head home after that visit.

I called Eric to see if there were any games left for us to watch, but his team was done playing. So we caught the bus home. Several of us (me included!) couldn't stay awake. Ivy was complaining about feeling sick on both bus rides, but fortunately she didn't puke.

I made Thai coconut chicken soup and tarte au chocolat for dinner. We finished off the evening with a walk to the Negresco and back, just me, Ivy, and my brother.

I'm tired! We did over 17,000 steps today so that's probably why.

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Moving crew, Pont de la Cerise, Gilette

What a fun, full day! We had an early morning departure to help some friends in St Laurent du Var move. We spent the morning loading and unloading, cleaning and packing, and disassembling furniture. We then picked up my brother at the big mall and headed up river to Pont de la Cerise.

It was overcast with a few sprinkles around 11 am, and the kids were saying, "Let's just go home." But I insisted and persisted. We are all so glad we didn't cancel the afternoon outing--it was amazing! We've never gone to the Esteron so early in the season and were worried that the water would be too cold to swim in. It was quite chilly but not as cold as I had expected. And the water was the clearest and strongest flow I've ever seen! It was amazing to play in. We didn't dare go into the gorge under the bridge because the current was so strong we weren't sure we could get back out. So we played in our usual place with the natural waterslides.

The sun almost peeked out of a hazy sky. It never got hot out, but we were able to stay in the water for at least 20 minutes.

Then, on our way home, we stopped in Gilette, a perched 11th century village that we have driven through multiple times but never explored. We wandered through the narrow, steep streets and made our way to the ruined fortress on an outcropping high above the village (destroyed by our favorite dictator/monarch Louis XIV, who also destroyed the Chateau in Nice). Inga and Ivy made friends with a neighborhood cat. I thought it was a stray because it had no collar, but it was super friendly so we think it probably lives nearby.

(This photo isn't mine, but it gives you the idea of the village and the mountains in the background).

I had a breech live session right when we got home, followed by a walk around the port with my brother and then another short walk with Inga to see if we could pick up a package at a shipping relay station that is inside a bar. It was supposed to be open until 2 am but it was closed!

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Sharks in the Seine

Another bad night's sleep...keeps me humble, I suppose, reminding me that I sometimes have very little control over my life.

I did some little repairs at Le Catamaran and gave my brother a tour. He appreciated the catamaran net and is thinking of putting one in his own home.

The two of us went to luch at L'eau de Vie. He loved the food and thought it much better than La Rotonde. I agreed.

Everyone but Ivy went to the beach at various times in the afternoon. It was windy with big waves. I almost went in...but didn't. But my brother got Inga and Zari to swim!

Dinner was larb and leftover bean salad. We took a walk and then watched "Under Paris," a totally ridiculous movie about killer sharks infesting the Seine. Hearing the kids make fun of the movie was as fun as the movie itself. Eric missed out because he was off playing soccer.

We have a full day tomorrow: helping some friends move in the morning and then hiking and wild swimming in the afternoon.

Some pictures from my brother and Zari...one in which I think he is pretending to be posing for an Instagram picture. He likes to make fun of all the tourists who do these elaborate poses.

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Homemade pasta and D-Day

My brother decided to make homemade pasta, with lots of participation from the kids. Zari helped him make the dough. All of the kids got a turn hand-rolling each piece into a frilly tube shape.

We watched the national D-Day celebration while making pasta and eating dinner. It was quite the event and amazing to realize that this might be the last decade marker anniversary with D-Day veterans still alive. I enjoyed the music and flowery speeches (there's a reason schools here do "concours d'éloquence" and "concours de lecture").

We ate our homemade pasta in a pesto-cream sauce, sprinkled with parmesan (the real stuff, bought from a nearby Italian food store). We also had some antipasti charcuterie plates and more lemon cheesecake for dessert.

Some of us went out on an evening walk while the others were at soccer practice.

I had another poor night of sleep and really hope that things will normalize. But...I was able to get some extra sleep this morning so that helped. I went running, too.

Eric, my brother, and I went out for lunch at a fancy restaurant at Le Negresco hotel, called La Rotonde. It was ok but actually not nearly as amazing as I had expected, given the setting and price.

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Another poor night's sleep...woke up feeling more tired than when I went to bed! Oh well. We had 5 dentist's appointments today. Zari is going to get x-rays later on this week because she has wisdom teeth coming in that will need to come out. So fun.

Ivy and Eric were gone all afternoon at a beach sodder tournament. They didn't play very well and Eric was quite disappointed.

I made our favorite lemon cheesecake for dessert tonight. Yum!

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Sleeping like a baby

I only slept about 4 hours...oh well. I gave up on trying to sleep and read a book. Somehow Eric took several naps but not me! This picture shows morning nap #2 or 3. Seriously, he has napping superpowers. I could never sleep like that.

My day was mostly graphic design, video editing, and course content editing. Broken up by a few doctor's appointments (sports physicals) and making dinner. We ate spicy crab sushi that had yellow and red bell peppers, cucumbers, and avocados inside as well.

Dio and Inga had soccer practice, so the other two kids and I went on a "boring" walk with my brother up and around the chateau, and then the really super boring part to buy ice cream.

We watched "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" with my brother because he'd never seen it. Then we watched a few real Eurovision songs and yep, just as weird as the fictional ones. I now have "Double Trouble" in my head...

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My brother had a fun excursion to Antibes, taking the train and then catching a bus out to the Cap d'Antibes, where he walked on the sentier littoral. He loved it and would be happy to go back. We all had things going on so it was a solo trip.

I love the view of Nice and the Alps from Antibes--you realize how close we are to the mountains!

I exercised today, even though I didn't want to. Felt like a big win since I was so not motivated.

I took another trip to the antique/consignment store with my brother, then joined the family for the Freeze Family soccer practice. We ate Eric's barracuda and mackerel (saved in the freezer since his birthday), plus finished off the tiramisu and cherry clafoutis.

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Yesterday ended late for many of us. Eric and Inga were at a tournament that was supposed to get them home by 11:30 pm, but it went 90 minutes late so they got back at 1 am!

I came down with a fever and GI bug and went to bed but couldn't sleep, so I ended up still being awake when they came home. And then I woke up again at 3:30 am and couldn't sleep any more. When I am sick, I don't sleep well whereas Eric goes into a sleep coma when he is sick.

So I read most of the night and then slept once everyone was up and out of the house. I still feel a bit icky but am on the mend.

While Eric and Inga were at the tournament, the rest of us went to a church talent show/potluck, and it turned out to be surprisingly hilarious. Ivy did a dramatic reading from the French translation of Coraline. The older kids were in a long skit involving all sorts of random anachronisms thrown in. Dio got to act the role of Donald Trump (getting booed by everyone on stage, of course, he's not popular over here!). Zari was a Storm Trooper.

My brother made dinner for us, a delicious pasta dish with sausage, cherry tomatoes, olives, garlic, shallots, feta, artichoke hearts, white wine, and parmesan. We also had steamed cauliflower and tiramisu for dessert, which we made yesterday. So delicious!

It wasn't good swimming weather today but we went on two walks. I didn't make it very far on the first one as I was feeling too woozy.

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I devoted much of the day to doing BWB taxes and bookkeeping. I broke up the monotony by going for a short swim in the afternoon with Eric and my brother.

Ivy got treated out to a (late) birthday lunch with my brother.

Eric and I were invited out to dinner with an interesting group of people--from England, Lithuania, Canada (Quebec), US, and France. Fun conversation. We haven't gone out with a large group for...I don't even know how long!

My brother spoiled our kids while we were gone. I think he brings someone out for ice cream on a daily basis!

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Today felt unproductive. I suppose I'm allowed to have some days like that. I woke up at 7 to get the kids up for school and then I went back to bed for a little while. I was tired!

My brother and I went grocery shopping. I get so excited when I think of all the delicious things I still want to cook for him. And him too--he is constantly amazed at the variety and quality of food items, not to mention their affordability.

He made us an amazing lunch today. He made a mixture of tuna, greek olives, red onions, capers, anchovies, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and herbes de provence, which we spread on toasted baguette slices. Amazing! 10/10 from all the kids.

Then it was my turn to cook dinner: roasted Toulouse sausages with fennel in mustard, thyme, and red wine sauce. Dessert was a cherry clafoutis that had a crust underneath the custard and concentrated cherry sauce on top. Pretty simple recipes but so good!

Zari and I went with Eric to the beach, hoping to swim. But we lost our sun and it was windy, so only Eric got up the courage to get in the water.

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Mawwige is whut bwings us togevveh today...

I was gone much of the day at a wedding out in the middle of nowhere, Provence at a chateau/vineyard. Between being the driver and then playing my violin for a few hours, I'm beat!

I rustled up the energy to go on a walk with my brother. He's having fun doing All The Things All The Time. Like tonight, he got a triple scoop of ice cream from Fenocchio (cacao sorbet, pistachio, and cinnamon) because why not?

Inga raided my closet and found several things she liked, mostly nicer shirts and jackets.

I did some light weightlifting and leg exercises today. Still feeling very stable! Woohoo!

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I've been feeling very normal the past few days. I had a visit with the kine this morning and all looks good on his end as well. He said it would be fine to resume my normal high-impact sports by the weekend.

I forgot to write yesterday and honestly I am struggling to remember what I did! Oh yeah, one thing that was fun was we all went up to the Freeze family soccer training. I dropped them off and then my brother and I went to my favorite antique/consignment store that's on the outskirts of town, then we rejoined them for the rest of practice. Since it was late when we got home, my brother treated us to pizza (5 different flavors!).

Dio just got back from a friendly soccer match in Antibes. His team lost by a large margin, sadly.

More gorgeous weather...not too hot but good enough to be at the beach and swim. I didn't make it today, but Zari went with my brother.

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Anti-inertia

It's great having my brother here because he gets the kids up and out of the house! After lunch we headed to the beach for swimming, napping, and/or reading. Eric took a long swim/treasure hunt. Zari, Ivy, my brother, and I swam. Inga and Dio enjoyed the sun but didn't want to get in. There's a warm layer of water for the first few inches. It's really not bad--getting in is the worst part.

I prepared dinner and then joined my brother at a local pub to watch the last part of the Grand Prix. It was surprisingly fun. He told me all sorts of facts he had learned from his time in Monaco yesterday. I was super impressed watching the 2-second tire changes during pit stops. Seriously amazing.

After dinner but before dessert, we went outside again on the Promenade des Anglais. He brought his skateboard and taught the kids how to ride on it.

It's one of those days where we feel so lucky to live here and to have so many visitors. Hint to all our friends & family members: please come see us!

It's Mother's Day in France so I got some handmade cards from the kids--always very creative of course. Ivy also gave me some cookies she made at school.

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Eric and Ivy had a marathon soccer tournament, from 6 am - 8 pm. I went to Inga's game in the afternoon, while Zari and Dio opted to take a bike ride out to the Var and back.

I felt well enough today to do some exercise--squats, lifting weights. Nothing too jumpy or jarring. Today I feel the most normal since my vertigo started.

We're looking forward to a chill day tomorrow with, weather permitting, some time at the beach.

My brother's view of the Grand Prix, right at the Monaco harbor.

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