show and tell (start at the bottom....it uploaded in reverse)

you are reading this the wrong way. start at the bottom, s'il te plait

mmmk this uploading is taking way too long. i have some pictures from that epic bike ride, but ill put them up later. today was good. i just kept reminding myself that i have tomorrow and sunday off! but the thing is....when you live in the family you work for, you're never completely off. the kids you watch during the day and are (supposed to be) finished with at 6:30 are always your responsibility, so we'll see how the first weekend goes. i think there's a bull fight tomorrow, in eyguires, and i'd love to go, but i want to go to salon en provence (that's the name of the biggest city near me) for the day. i think that bull-fighting during the summer is pretty common, so hopefully i'll get to see that. it sounds exciting.

today the kids were my complete responsibility. because the dad's work schedule is weird, there's usually at least one part of the day that he's there, which is good because having dad watch usually helps the kids to behave. not today. no dad. just me and my "surprise." it went well though. god, i cooked lunch, and it's amazing how much these kids can eat.

so after lunch i decided to make cookies for the surprise and i started, but then i realized they didn't have eggs. but since they don't really have cookies in european bakeries, how would the kids know. thus egg-less cookies were created. i don't think they loved them, but they didn't hate them. it's amazing what you do when you have to improvise. i also laid out in the sun which was blissful, and then i went to get some post-cards and bananas. got the kiddies, went to the park, and now i'm back here in the hizzouse waiting for dinner. today's friday, which means it's a weekend, which means i'm taking up all the offers on wine tonight. mmmm. i abstain on weekdays. don't wanna be an alcy in france!

no naps this week. none at all. im tired, but i have a feeling that the kids are going to wake me up in the morning because the kitchen is next to my room. grrr maybe they can change rooms? haha i'm going to finish watching UP en francais tonight.

random things:
a. shoes are removed when entering the house to keep it clean, but bread is eaten off a table (god knows if it's clean or not!)

b. a man had an off-center fu-manchu moustache today and no one seemed to mind. i thought it was hilarious

c. body odor is not frowned upon, as i sat behind a smelly group of parents today.

d. the french's style is very overrated.

e. the french line-dry their laundry and it is so much fun! except for the little undies and socks and bras. it's a lot of effort for tiny panties. and their washing machine is very different. it spins like a windmill, not a carousel.

that's all for now.


eyguieres is known for its fountains. here is a fountain.

hopping main street. the party's always poppin.

la maison. (the house) the little roof on the right is my room!

the street that i live on. view from the garden area.

the actual garden-in-progress.

the other stream by the garden and the house. (the house is like a 30 second walk from the garden.) I'm not sure what the purpose of all these little streams/canals are, but they're beautiful. Maybe it's to bring water from the alps down to the villages?

the view across my garden. (it's not really a garden yet....i planted seeds and if history repeats itself, they won't grow, but i go everyday-- rain or shine-- to water my little seeds, so i will have a beautiful garden in a bit hopefully)

that's my secret garden, on the left. yep, i smuggled seeds in. come and get me customs.

this is my street, rue de batuna. see that mail box on the right, turn right there, and i'm the second door.

That's me and adrien and his friends at dinner. It was the BEST THING EVER after a 4 hour car ride with kids. We're at the end of the table.

i fell asleep with the kiddies.

This is the actual castle. I think the name of the town is Carcassone.

this is the town we stopped in on the way to toulouse. it's surrounded by the walls of a castle, and this was one of the narrow streets.