Two Years

Two years ago last week, we came to Paris for our 'look see'. To look for a house to rent and to see what the school we had chosen and the new life we had committed to from the other side of the world would be like. We ended up choosing the very first house we were shown, although not before viewing quite a few more in ever decreasing states of repair! I wish I could say that I remember this rhododendron bush from that first visit. It must have been in full bloom, but I do know that we would have passed it as soon as we walked through the gates to explore this house's amazing garden.


This year it was at its most spectacular as we hosted a farewell party for three of the closest friends we have made in the past two years. The high price we pay for this expat life that we are so fortunate to live is the sad goodbyes we have to say every year as families are relocated somewhere else in the world.


I have found it much harder to deal with the farewells this year, partly I think, because after two years we have got to know the people who are leaving so much better and also because as each of the friends we are close to moves onto different and far flung parts of the world, I am realizing that it could be a very long time before we are able to see them all again in person. I am learning from experience, that it is even hard to keep in contact through emails and phone calls with all the friends we have around the world, so that is why I am so happy that two years ago I also started this blog. It is a way for me to remember the wonderful experiences we have had as well as sharing bits of our lives with everyone we know. Together with Instagram (you can follow me @growingberries) and Facebook there is a chance I will be able to keep all these wonderful people in my life.


We were originally moved to France for just two years, but I am pleased to say that we are now staying on for another year. We're not ready to go. We still haven't hung all our pictures, some of our belongings haven't made it out of the moving boxes and there is still so much to see and do in Paris. Not to mention Keith's work which of course is what really keeps us here, not luck or my desire to stay put. I've decided to start taking more photographs of this house I love so that when we finally do have to leave I will have created a portrait of it. So, from now on, every week or so I will share a little detail. Remind me if I forget!

Remember, Remember all of November

Well hello again! Where did November go? It's been a busy month with not much time for writing or photographing and certainly no time for editing. A month when I forgot I had photos like this on my camera card. I thought you'd like to see it along with a few more snapshots from a November that's been and gone.


This is what I was doing on November 1st! More on that to follow, I promise, along with lots more about our trip to the lovely Luberon.


We stayed here.


Visited old towns and castles every day.

And it was gorgeous.

By the time we got back the last colours of autumn were glowing in our street. The leaves are all gone now and yesterday we got a dusting of snow.


My niece came to visit with my sister and beau frère. Florence was just as enthralled by 'baby' as the last time they met and was thrilled to be the big girl for the weekend.

India went to an out of this world Bar Mitvah where her twelve year old friend wore Dior. Only in Paris! India rocked it in an old H&M dress that we pulled out of the dress up box at the last minute and I did her hair just the way she wanted it.

Here's the how to if you ever need to detract from a Dior deficiency!


I visited the Army Museum and Napoleon's tomb in Les Invalides with my tour group. So much more interesting than I would ever have thought. I would definitely recommend it and don't miss the Musée des Plans-Reliefs in the attic. One of Paris' hidden treasures.


Our family of British Passport holders hosted Thanksgiving dinner for two American expat families spending their first Thanksgiving abroad.


Thanks to Picard frozen pumpkin and my favourite recipe the Pumpkin Pie was a success...


and perfectly decorated by Savannah.


Florence was in charge of table decorations. She was absorbed in this activity to wash the oak leaves I had picked up on the street for ages.


They looked just right on the table with the chestnuts from the trees in our own garden.


We set our table for fourteen for the first time ever...


and put hardly a dent in the 10kg turkey!


We are so thankful to have been able to share this Holiday with new friends who already feel like old friends.


When I wasn't busy with all that I was sewing, sewing, sewing in preparation for my first ever craft fair on December 1st. I am pleased to report that it was a fantastic experience which I will tell you all about soon.

Expat Halloween

Happy Halloween!

This post is dedicated to Sara Louise in Le Petit Village who woke up this morning with a bad case of the expat blues on account of the fact that she's not expecting any Trick or Treaters to come knocking at the LPV tonight. We happen to be on vacation in Sara's neck of the woods down in Provence right now so we celebrated Halloween early with all our expat friends last week, much to the bemusement of the French neighbours in our Paris suburb!

On the last day of school before the Tousaint break, the girls were all allowed to go to school in their costumes (even sixth grader India) for a musical parade through the corridors and a craft party in the classroom afterwards. I somehow managed to find myself responsible for Georgia & Savannah's third grade craft. After a bit of online searching for the perfect craft that could be completed by 46 third graders with minimum mess and maximum success in less than half an hour, we decided on this simple and effective idea from the craft blog Skip to my Lou. Orange, white and black tissue paper, decoupage glue and some empty jam jars are all supplies easily and cheaply found in France (unlike many of the requirements for other Halloween crafts out there in Blogland) and the pumpkin and ghost lanterns were a huge hit with the third graders. They particularly enjoyed putting into practice the art teacher's advice to apply the glue with their fingers. I was skeptical but it actually works much better than paintbrushes and is so much more fun!

As you can see, they added the perfect touch of friendly spookiness to our front porch to welcome all the trick or treaters we had that night.


The pumpkins that Florence and I picked the day before were carved into Jack O' Lanterns by Georgia and Savannah and their friends with minimum input by me. Apart from cutting off the tops, they scooped, designed and carved everything themselves. A welcome exercise in letting go on my part and an activity that kept them entertained from the moment they got home from school until it was time to go out and trick or treat.

The trick or treating itself was a huge success. Just like last year, we joined with our expat neighbours to hand out candy to all the girls' school friends. Kids in the USA tonight may not need a map to make sure they trick or treat at the right houses, but I doubt they will collect much more candy than our kids did! There were ghosts, cowboys, vampires, Disney princesses and ballerinas swarming the streets as if it was a regular American suburb creating such a fun and friendly atmosphere that we all quickly forgot that we were out begging for candy a week early! I am sure our French neighbours think we have lost the plot but it was worth it to re-create our favourite American Holiday here in France.

Back home for the traditional candy count. Watching the kids absorbed in this activity is my favourite part of every Halloween night.


A traditional Franco-American candy haul.

I love celebrating Halloween with my girls. I didn't grow up trick or treating in Britain so I have no pre-conceived ideas of how it should go, unlike Christmas or birthdays, leaving the girls free to create their own traditions. At it's best in the States it's simple and fun and rarely frightening when little ones are involved. After eleven years my girls are yet to choose to wear a spooky costume. This year, Georgia & Savannah were '80s Girls' circa 1984, India was an 'ironic' Disney Princess and Florence was a little artist. More on the costumes tomorrow...