On the last night of June and in the early evening darkness of the Dordogne around 11pm, I was sitting sipping the last of my rosĕ and watching the transition/alignment of Venus and Jupiter, easily visible in the clear skies around here.
And now like those planets we too are facing our own transition/re-alignment in the next few days. Maybe the mighty Magpies are also facing their own transition after a couple of disappointing slip ups in the past weeks. Maybe Nadal and Ivanovic are also facing their own sporting transitions as their stars fade, behind that of Leyton who is only a flickering resemblance of once greatness too. Or maybe, like us, they are all moving through their own third gear and into next phases.
Enough of that now and back to this last post.
We celebrated Anabelle's first birthday this morning with a special lunch at home. Enjoyed by all. We also had a small pizza dinner in Domme for her this evening as well. She did well to hang in there and loved all the attention we gave her.
And over this last week we have managed to establish a better routine for all with a blend of short trips, rests and especially swimming in the high heat now being experienced here. We have all learned to appreciate the cool of the Dordogne River in the afternoons. Throw in castle visits to Beynac and Castelnaud another grotte and gardens, more trips to markets and we will call this week another touring success.
But this is the end of this particular road for us. Tomorrow the transition/re-alignment towards winter in Australia commences. We will drive over to Clermont Ferrand where we leave the car and take the train back to Paris. In a couple of days time, Anabelle, Ben and Sarah will fly out from Paris to Brisbane and then on Wednesday the duo will drag themselves aboard the plane at CDG and, after a short Singapore stop over, will fling themselves into the winter of Canberra next weekend. Going from near 40 degrees to minus x degrees is likely to be something of a challenge. But then, that is our choice after all.
Our walk across the northern Dordogne seems like aeons ago and memories of our visits to Corsica and then Italy are being tucked away in the aging brain cells. For us this as been a great mix of personal extension, partial family get togther and a re-visit to a great part of our world.
This area of France, as with France itself, remains perplexing and always interesting for us. There are plenty of tourists in this particular area and you need that for businesses to grow. But it is a double edged sword especially with lots of 'les anglaises' around. Old customs and ways are kept. People can seem to be unresponsive at times. But we love it all and will come back for more, probably in the Lot which was just that bit too far away this trip but which is less over done with outsiders.
We might post a pic or two of Anabelle at Eiffel tower or checking out Avenue George V, but essentially this is the last blog for this trip. We have had fun and will try to get ready for more, as, and if we can manage it.
Over and out.
