To get up and running again, here's a two parter. So much has been happening over the last four weeks, that to try and get it all in one blog would be a bit much. Far too long and unwieldy. Although strangely over coffee this morning in Chinon with some friends, we were discussing letters, and the fun of receiving them as much as writing them. There were two people I used to write to regularly. The first was Mike's aunt Dolly, who lived in San Diego. Originally British, her first husband died and she eventually remarried, to an American who was a professor. I can't remember how or why we started writing to each other, but we did, and they were big letters, about seventeen pages each, and usually there were four a year. I'd put a day aside to write each one. This went on for years. Finally in 1986, we met - just the once. Eventually Aunt Dolly stopped writing as her arthritis was very bad, but I kept on writing until shortly before she died. The second person was a pint-sized dynamo from Tel Aviv called Helen. We actually met on the same trip to see Aunt Dolly. Mike and I went for a five week jaunt, initially travelling from Vancouver across the Canadian Rockies, then down through the middle part of the states and eventually up to LA where we caught the plane to San Diego, where we stayed for about ten days, before flying to San Francisco for our final week. It was on the first leg from Vancouver to LA that we met Helen. Amazing woman - we wrote to each other for years again until she died. Helen would write to me in English and I'd write to her in French. These were relatively short letters - only ten pages long. Now of course everything is typed out in emails and it's had a huge effect on my handwriting.With a fountain pen I can still write neatly and clearly, but when I write with a biro, oh dear - a complete mess. Maybe it's psychological - smart pen = neat writing/cheap biro = sloppy writing.
Anyway our schedule over the last four weeks was a follows: first flying visit to UK; week in Paris; meeting up with friends in Saumur, 2 x dinner dances, origami workshop, three apéro parties, Sunday lunch with neighbours, two funerals, fondue with neighbours, forty-second wedding anniversary, started Landscape Photography Advanced diploma on-line (same team as for my original diploma), Mike's birthday, second visit to UK - this time for a week - from which we got back on Tuesday.
The second UK visit was ostensibly for a special 18th birthday, but it was also a chance to catch up with family and other friends. This was our final visit to the UK until spring next year and was a very busy week. Had a brilliant time in Wiltshire and then in London, before travelling back on the overnight again to Caen arriving 7am Tuesday morning. Took a couple of days to get sorted out. When we left the leaves everywhere had started to turn. A week later everything has changed and we've the wonderful rich autumn colours to enjoy. The weather has been reasonable as well, so there have been a few opportunities for some photography.
Into the market this morning, Thursday, at Chinon and we were back again this evening. Called into Café Francais for a quick drink and to collect tickets to a gig by
Mellino - who we've seen there before and are just great, before heading next door to the cinema to see a Palestinian film
Omar (2013), which won a prize at Cannes this year. Had French subtitles. Superb film. Present day. Best described as a greek tragedy in scale.
More tomorrow . . .
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