Friday night fun

Friday night. E rang me the night before to ask me to go to the movies with herself and her husband, J.  It would be a light dinner at her place beforehand. I was delighted, as not only do I love a good movie, but also it was an opportunity to learn where to go, how to purchase tickets and such like. What a kind and thoughtful suggestion! Jeepers, some people are so open-hearted.

I purchased some flowers from the supermarket. Whilst waiting for e to pick me up, I asked Marthe to take a photo of me. I dislike photos of myself full front on, and rigidly motionless. So proceeded to stand side on to the camera and faked a 'walk" so it looked as though i was walking. How crazy! As if anyone would be walking in the tiny lounge with barely any room to spin a cat! Anyway, I thought I would explain the story behind the picture.

E and I chatted merrily as she negotiated the 6 o'clock traffic congestion. Some things are universal; traffic congestion is one of them, even in the adorably small town of Gap.

As soon I reached the entrance of E's house, she lovingly showed me around her garden. I promptly brought my ever-handy i phone into action and snapped these images of the last blooms of autumn. This pink flower seems to mirror the whole "La vie en rose" metaphor about my 10 month stay in France. La vie en rose translates as "life in pink". This particular shade of pink seems to follow me wherever I go. This is, in reality, a fact. I register this colour loud and clear above other colours in my perception. Edith Piaf's iconic song resonates with me on all levels.

Even a simple monkey apple tree sports this beautiful colour.

As E told me all the names of the plants in french, they went in one ear and immediately zoomed out the other ear. There is no way I could remember these names. Perhaps if I lived in France longer than one year, I would be able to grasp will be able to grasp all the names of these beautiful plants that spring to life in the summer months after having experienced below zero temperatures.

What an incredible backdrop for a dwelling! Do you think that if you ever lived here, that you would take the mountains for granted?

We then entered her beautiful home. E appreciates the work of a greek artist. I love it. I love the contrast of the 2 dimensional image of the woman in the foreground against the scenic mediteranean backdrop.

The smokey-ink-blue of this picture has a typically greek profile along with symbolism. I can only guess the story behind this picture. What do you think?  If this was in my house, I would be able to spend a lot more time on pondering meanings that lie beneath the surface of the picture. It looks like a print. Maybe with my ambitious drive to resurface my artistic flair, I would copy this style of work.

   Ah! Here is the name of the artist. E likes this artist so much she had purchased a small book about him. She offered to lend me the book.  There is no way in the world that i could read and understand the text in french. As well as this, it is too precious to lend out, in my opinion. You know what it is like when you lend a book to someone.

When E and her husband visited Paris a couple of years ago, they visited an exhibition of this wonderful artist. On the spur of the moment, they made a purchase. As I was admiring all these pictures on the wall, J could see that I loved what I was looking at. He disappeared upstairs. He returned with a carefully folded cardboard folder. In it was a tissue wrapped original of Fassianos.  I was honoured to take a photo. It is a mixed media masterpiece. I love its opulence, colour and reference to all things Greek. I inquired why they didn't have it on display. The answer: "It doesn't look right on its own. We need to get another one." ( I suggest that art collection is addictive.) They pointed to a perfect spot on the wall behind the couch where it will sit.

In my head, I wished that they would put it on display and enjoy it in the here and now.

I snapped a beautiful rose that E had in a vase. It's not real, but it sure looks real.

E said that it was just a light meal before we go to the movies. She had set the table beautifully. I felt so humbled by such hospitality. I think that the flowers I gave her, look beautiful.

E had some wrinkly, old kiwifruit in a bowl. She couldn't eat them. They were bitter and not nice at all. Bof!

Before dinner, I was asked what i would like to drink before dinner. Having NO IDEA what the options were, I unwittingly declared, "Surprise me!" If any of you readers try this mode of action, be forewarned!

J smirked and reached for a mysterious bottle of amber fluid from a high cupboard. He poured a very generous portion into a glamorous glass. It poured with the ease and "glug" of water. E did not partake. J and I chinked glasses, "Santé!" Oh the glint of mischievous humour as J watched my reaction to his mystery drink. My eyes widened and my throat instantly exploded into fire, as I, like a dumb blonde took a generous initial first swig. "OMG!" I was NOT expecting the burst of whiskey-like qualities that hit my senses. J quietly chuckled to himself. He probably thought,"Gotcha!" (In french, of course.) Anyway, after the first shock, I downed the rest. Now that my throat was on fire, I decided to go all the way. The unknown liquid turned out to be a gift from his son. A Japanese whiskey. Lucky me. I think this expensive drink was only brought out on special occasions.

Well, for a light meal, we began with a delicious salade with a simple, homemade dressing.

E had pre-prepared an incredibly, sumptuous spinach and feta pie. As you can see, it was a very successful creation.

As we ate, I was treated to extremely old photos of E's greek family from a distant generation.  I loved the stories that each photo initiated. The gene's of E's family was that of tenacity, fun and a strong, pioneering spirit. They had a story of trying to break into a foreign culture, with all the difficulties that comes along with living in a foreign land.

I loved the colourful, healthy desert of fresh fruit.

A neighbour had given E and J a large helping of her plum tart. We shared this culinery delight with lip-smacking appreciation.

We then bundled into warm clothes and took the short car ride into town.

As we walked the streets to the movie theatre, E stopped a lady to ask for directions. After we had walked on a little way, J remarked to his wife that he felt embarrassed. The lady that E had stopped was a teacher at J's school. He thought that the teacher may have wondered why J was going on an evening outing with two women. He he he. Gotcha back, J!

The movie theatre was VERY small. It ran arty type movies. Not your Blockbuster movie theatre. IT was tucked away in a dark alley. The entrance was a tiny doorway, as you can see. 

The movie was a Woody Allen movie, Blue Jasmine. It was in english with french subtitles. PERFECT!!! Typically Woody Allen, it was satirical, with dry humour and plenty of social comment. It held up a mirror to society. It showed us how we have lost values through materialism and surface relationships. I came away feeling deeply ashamed of myself, as I could see that I was a walking example of the trappings of a shallow contemporary lifestyle.

To finish with, I would like to comment, that I have  enjoyed the opportunity to re-evaluate myself whilst in Gap. Family values, mindful usage of technology by young people, open spaces, large blocks of land for family dwellings, joyful community spirit and healthy eating habits are all a return to my childhood values. Somehow, over the passage of time; stress, over work, time-poor and the pressures of relationships, I lost myself. 

I walk everywhere. This is GOOD thing.  I smell the freshly cut grass, I talk to dogs and horses, I greet "bonjour" to passers-by, I inhale the sweet scent of pine hedges; crunch the dry stalks of strong pasture grass under foot; pause when a view captures my attention etc. I love passing the petanque piste, a community meeting place; park benches where aging women discuss with animation je ne sais quoi; greet friendly school kids that shout "bonjour" to that visitor at school that doesn't speak very good french; pause at patisserie windows at the artistic gourmet creations, gaze at the spectacular displays in the charcuterie, and so the list goes on.

Thank you for joining me.