seasons

Mornings

NO Brekkkie!

Even though Liberty and Van’s schools are within walking distance, Michelle and I like to walk with them to school. I guess we are being a little cautious. Van doesn’t mind, and we often have some really good times walking in the mornings, talking about all kinds of topics. Van and Liberty have to go to school at different times, so one week I will walk with Liberty, who goes 40 minutes earlier, and then the other week I will walk with Van. Most mornings Michelle is up early anyway, but we still alternate.

The other morning after I walked with Liberty, I turned to head home. It was a warmer-than-usual morning, and it wasn’t raining (for once). All in all, it was the perfect morning to go have a coffee somewhere. Right beside the route we take to and from school is a Burger King! Why not have a coffee there!? Well, there is one problem. Generally, places like this open only for lunch. Can you imagine? No egg mcMuffin! No King Breakfast! They just don’t do that here (in the biggest cities, yes, but not here). There ARE smaller local bakeries and Tabacs where you can grab a coffee, but we don’t live near one. Oh well. This is just one small difference in life we have.

Sundays are even worse! Or better, depending on your perspective. I feel like I’m back in Manitoba in the 70s… nothing is open on a Sunday! There is the odd small market that will be open from 9 am to noon, but that is it. So is it a day of rest? Not really, for Sunday is the day all the Associations do their thing! Cyclists cycle, river canoeists paddle, photo groups go snapping, painters paint, and so on. For us, Sunday mornings we head to church!

Saturday is the day we do chores. We load up my trusty bike with the laundry, or with gardening tools borrowed from a church member. Liberty and Van like to enhance the lives of their chickens by building things for them (Popcorn and Charlie). We also like to get out and around Bayonne.

Laundry run on the bike
Extendable trimmer, chainsaw, hedge cutters, and assorted tools
Old stump converted into Chicken Resort
Most every city in France will have a Winter Ferris Wheel!

Yeah, this is Spring

Does that look like Spring? It sure does! We had forgotten that at the central park in town there are tulips all over the place. They have started to bloom, but not all of them, so the full splendour has not been revealed. It was a pleasant surprise to see all this. The city itself is not so ugly, but like most cities it is concrete everywhere. One funny thing about the parks here in general is that you are not allowed on the grass! So you end up walking through the parks on paved walkways… which for me sort of defeats the purpose. But I suppose I shouldn’t complain. It is still a visual treat.

W e are looking forward to getting out more and observing the wonders of nature. For example, there are loads of Praying Mantis egg sacs in the bushes around us. We can hardly wait for them to hatch!