It's summer and I arrive in London

Monday morning, in London at Lynda’s flat in Westminster. I don’t have to think in French anymore!
I slept for about 12 hours last night. The trip from Paris was rather eventful. Yvette deposited me at the Gare du Nord station in plenty of time, but as we arrived, the Eusrostar terminal was being closed down as a bomb had been found in somone’s luggage!
Some people waited inside, while I beat a hasty retreat to the edge of the pavement outside. We waited an hour and I must say everyone was very calm and resigned. Thank goodness they found it. Someone was trying to board the train prior to mine, with a grenade! Finally they opened the station again and we left one hour late, not bad considering the magnitude of the event.
Most People slept all the way to London, not surprisingly, as we were probably all feeling a little frazzled. I know I heaved a sigh of relief when we finally pulled into St Pancras, just two and a half hours after leaving Paris.

Lynda was waiting for me and she whisked me off to her lovely little flat to get ready for lunch at the Ritz! A birthday treat for my 60th later this year. We sat on the terrace in the sun and had a delicious and rather exotic lunch. My soup was an onion cappuccino, with goats cheese tagliatelli, very creamy and delicious and unlike anything I had ever tasted. I had pigeon for the first time, two tiny but delicious morsels, and then the most amazing dessert I think I have ever had. I am lost for words! I find myself eyeing up pigeons in a different way now.
(Mmmm, you've got a nice plump little breast!)

Summer arrived in London yesterday, and as we walked home through Green Park and St James Park everyone had come out to strip off and sun themselves on the grass.
It really took me back to 1971 when I first arrived in London.

It is another gorgeous morning and Lynda and I are going to Greenwich along the Thames. A great day to find a little pub by the river for lunch.

Paris was magnificent. So much cleaner than I remember and the buildings take your breath away. I overdosed on art museums with my two day museum pass and travelled up and down the Seine on the Batobus on another two day pass. I stayed at the Hotel de Rouen for the first two nights, as recmommended by Chris Stark. It was tiny, clean, basic, friendly and comfy, but most of all central. I could walk to the Louve in five minutes.

Then I stayed in Yvette’s lovely apartment for two nights. Just around the corner from the Place de la Republique and delightful. I joined Yvette for an outing for lunch with the NZ-France assocaiation she belongs to. All a lot of fun and a chance to practise my French. I was very privileged to spend another few days having an authentic French experience.
Thanks to all the lovely hosts I had in France I really enjoyed my time there. Total immersion is definitely the only way.

After I left Michel and Michel and my home away from home in Montpellier, I spent “un bon weekend in Avignon” with Claire and Philippe, their son Francois, and an American student Garrett. We practised our French on each other! It was a very family oriented visit which I really appreciated. Sunday lunch on the terrace under the wisteria with Louis, Claire’s father, was wonderful. It was another very French experience.

Then two days in the countryside at Jonquerette with Ruthilt and Andre. They took me out and about with two American friends on a tour of the Vaucluse area. It was stunning and so Provencal, with all the poppies, olive trees, geraniums in pots, cream, pink and orange buildings,fountains and ancient churches. It was amazing. I really was privileged to have the opportunity to be there with such lovely people.

On to Cumbria later this week to spend a few days with Jennie and Owen. Of course Jennie is my daughters namesake. We were close friends here in London in the swinging seventies and I am looking forward to catching up with them in their “new,” very old farmhouse in Sedbergh. A chance for reflection and cross country walks.