in the eye of the beholder...

two full weeks have passed since i tearfully left the magnificent south of france. i almost had to be pushed onto the plane. dragging heels, frown and a pit in my stomach.

almost 6 months living, experiencing, taking in the wonderful life of the french; it's significant. perhaps life changing...

i truly do believe that there is beauty all around us, no matter where we go. i will make that beauty apparent, live it, breathe it...or chase it if it flutters too far away....

in my temporary suburban dwelling, this beauty i speak of is oftentimes clouded by life's many tragic distractions. i won't let that stop me though. perhaps i can even help others to see it too...

everything is in the eye of the beholder. you just have to look. if you don't see it at first, look again. i promise it's there.



in my first real attempt to actually grow something edible, renewable, to soothe my conscious, we started a pseudo-garden on the back deck. it's small, somewhat amateur, i admit.

we have delectable vine tomatoes, fragrant basil, thyme and rosemary. ohhh, the scents! i wait with child-like anticipation the day i can sink my teeth into a juicy tomato; the beginning lives of my tomatoes below....


i thank you all, loyal readers, for riding along with me thus far. i think i have gotten used to having you here, listening and reading.

it's like a gentle push forward, a reassuring nudge into the unknown. we are all always moving forward, and isn't it nice to have people come along?


beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

i know you see it too....

au revoir, for now.....

after 5 months in what i can only describe as paradise, tomorrow marks my last day. we fly out at noon...

in the midst of hundreds of workers scrambling to setup the stages, tents and advertising screens for the infamous cannes film festival....david and i took our last walk along the croisette...for now.

the daily habits, food, sights and sounds of this lovely place will be missed. ever-present in my mind, the experience of being here for such a time pushes me forward on to new and exciting things.

i can only say thank you, lovely south of france. thank you for all of your beauty.

merci infiniment.

au revoir, for now.....




stick with me, my friends, to see what happens next....what beauty i will find in my next location, wherever that may be.....

could be here or there...

can i merge here with there and not have to bother? best of both worlds?

wish things were that easy, right?

in my head, i tend to justify things accordingly. and it's not like i can change every little aspect of life. it keeps me moving forward and i'm happy about it.

for me, standing still is no way to live....but moving forward is. evolving, growing, learning, extending beyond my comfort zone....

like an old friend that sticks by my side no matter what, i have this inventory of memories and experiences that keep building up, over time - catching me when i fall, and lifting me up when i'm down.....

and for all of that i am thankful, grateful and consider myself one lucky gal.

it is said that cats have 9 lives. i think we can too.
(although let's hope far less dramatic than the old saying goes...)

i think it's okay to go where the wind takes you....
so far i like it's path,

could be here or there...

joyeuse fête du travail ! !

today, may 1st, in france is the 'fête du travail', equivalent to labor day in the u.s.
stores are closed, people have the day off work and most people spend time with their families. or, as did we, flock to our gorgeous southern beaches in hoards!

anyone visiting on this day, not familiar with the 'premier mai' in france, may wonder why so many street-vendors and the markets are overflowing with 'muguet' flowers, ((pronounced mew-gay):lily of the valleys) for sale? it is customary to give muguet flowers to your loved ones, family, friends, etc. as they 'porte du bonheur', they bring luck!

i bought this muguet pot (my photos above and below) from the market here in cannes for my mother-in-law...pretty!




we got up decently early today to hit the local market. we bought tons of fresh fruit and veggies. yum! we also picked up some ham cut by hand off the bone and also some pâté called 'pâté de grand mere' - - delicious! we lunched outside on the balcony with our market finds and opened a bottle of red wine. what a way to spend lunch!

the rest of the day, we spent on the beach in théoule-sur-mer and driving along the road that is 'board de la mer', along the sea. a photo i took along the path shown below...



we had a wonderful day and if i could, i would have bought muguet flowers for everyone to wish everyone 'beaucoup de bonheur' ! ! !

joyeuse fête ! ! ! !