I bought what i thought was little mints to freshen my mouth. I received more than I bargained. These little gems have a sweet, but not too sweet exterior, and a gum centre. A taste sensation!

Yesterday, Marthe, my beautiful hostess, took me in her cute jeep on a wonderful ride.
At first, we stopped at a HUGE warehouse-type shop and purchased some trousers suitable for walking. I also needed a back pack. We found 2 that were suitable. I was trying to decide between the one that was more functional, or the one that was more chic. Not understanding what was going through my head, Marthe was saying something repeatedly that I didn't understand. I didn't understand why she was talking to me about green peas. A dear man standing close to us was watching a listening at the comedy unfolding in front of him. With kind twinkling eyes, he explained to me, in broken english, that Marthe was suggesting that I insert the huge heavy weight that was hanging on the hook. It was a courtesy bag, to insert in the back pack to ascertain how a heavy bag feels when it is on your back. We all had a chuckle because the word that she was using for "weight" and the word for "green peas" sounds the same, but is spelt differently.

Not much further on, the little rustic jeep was squeezed into a parking space. Immediately, I requested that Marthe take my photo of me admiring the geraniums. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! It's kinda like decorating the town with colour. (It's in the details of life, that one can find the most pleasure.)

And so I was transported into my favourite past time: searching for treasures at a massive garage sale.  It was an insight into the lives, garages, hobbies of the french people. I saw so many things that I would love to have purchased. The prices were negligible, in true garage-sale style.

My first purchase was possibly my favourite. it was a fake fur leopard scarf.  1 EURO!!!!!! Excuse me while I calm my heart at the ecstasy and adrenalin hit of finding a treasure at such an adorable price. Marthe told me that the french word for soft, which is, doux, becomes a cute word for a cuddly scarf, "un doux doux". Très mignon. Very cute. I then began to realise that I wanted/needed almost everything I saw. In the end I purchased a Mickey Mouse soft toy, ( who said that you can't BUY friends). I also purchased some cute arm bands that hold your sleeves up to stop them from hanging around one's wrists, very necessary, n'est-ce pas? I bought two essentials: miniature Eiffel Tower key rings! Marthe had a field day at laughing at me for buying those junky trinkets. I purchased a large coq. Yellow and plastic, but a large coq nonetheless. From another stall, I purchased a little french farmyard of plastic animals. Marthe didn't say anything, but I could see the despair at me purchasing such JUNK. little did she understand that it would make a perfect display in my future classroom, as we learn the names of these barn yard animals. Another adorable purchase was an exquisitely tranquil and content cherub lying on it's side = 1Euro!!!!! "Heart, please settle!" I also purchased some very austrian flower buttons. Goodness only knows what I shall use them for, but one day they will be the perfect answer to a future upcycling project.

Now for the "pièce de résistance". At this stall the delightful lady had two massive snake skins. They were from Africa. I swear these snakes had just eaten a herd of zebra. I believe that they were about 5 metres long. The lady recounted a story of how her son had killed the snakes whilst they were slovenly digesting a large animal. The skins were "to die for".... pardon the pun. The price: 100 Euros per skin put me off the purchase. Although I was tempted to buy the real fox fur, head still attached. Somehow, I don't think that New Zealand customs would see things from MY point of view.

Marthe bought some fabulous buttons, feathers and beads.

The nearby mountains watched on with quiet amusement.

OOOOOOOHHHHH fossicking. I could have spent ALL DAY there!

The stalls stretched down the road like a lazy snake. Please note the sky criss-crossed with jet trails. Picturesque to the max.

Narrow streets, aye? You can't see, but the bunting punctuating every 20 metres or so, are cute little t-shirt shapes, not your average little triangle shapes. Note to self, copy this idea on my return.

We drove further on, deep into the mountains. We paused here for lunch. In the foreground is a Pétanque piste. It was deserted as the summer holidays had finished. Normally, this area is coated with a blanket of snow. Please note: the most unusual shape of the mountain peaks in the distance. As we munched on lunch, i bombarded Marthe with questions about the wildlife in the mountains. OK. So there are wild pigs, Sangriar, wolves and wild cows. Uh huh. Marthe assured me not to worry as they won't bother us. Uh huh.

Cheap Kiwi toy got in on the lunch action. Lunch was onion tart, banana, figs, bread and delicious cheese.

After lunch we walked along the dry river bed to a QUAINT little enclave of dwellings.

Stunning bright colours.

As it turns out Marthe and Hervé own a little house here. We paused at the restaurant for Marthe to greet her friends with the customary three cheek kisses. The restaurant was beyond beautiful. In the window was a bizarre display of small stuffed polar bears. The smell of aromatic herbs and chicken cooking wafted out of the doorway. Marthe invited me to take a peek inside. The entire restaurant was furnished in soft, rich- rustic wood. Oh la la.

And then we arrived at the entrance to Marthe's house.

The view from their house down the road.....

....... inside.......... they are currently instigating an entirely new interior ....

....... from the back door ........

......... up the road...... please note the adorable church bell.

I must share with you that when Marthe showed the view from the back of the house, she picked three wild strawberries. She invited me to eat one. Without hesitation, I nibbled respectively a tiny bite of this reddish-green fruit. My mouth was not prepared for this heavenly taste sensation, sweet, tangy and mature to perfection. How does one express taste explosion without it becoming obscene?????? After eating the first strawberry, Marthe could not resist the pleasure of insisting that I eat more than my fair share, the second strawberry.

By this time, my happiness of all these new experiences were starting to reach an all-time high.

We then recommenced our little walk. Ascending steeply up the mountain, we encountered another friend of Marthe's who owns a little stables of cute ponies. She organises rides for kids. Er... photo opportunity of beautiful pony not neglected.

Voilà. Cute stables.

Another unwanted duplicate photo.

By the time we had ascended for about 30 minutes, the walk flattened out. Both Marthe and I fell silent as we walked in awe and respect of the spiritual energy that enveloped us. I couldn't help but feel my heart swell with love for Mother Nature. Please note, those ever-present unusual and powerfully present peaks.

After another 10 minutes or so, I confess, I fell apart. I was overcome with the extreme spirituality of the moment. As I expressed my immense emotions as only I do best, with tears, Marthe was bewildered...... What was wrong?????? She soon got the idea that they were tears of happiness. I think tears are terribly contagious, no words were necessary.

Aw! An adorable metallic-silver champignon.

Here's a good story. You're gonna love this little vignette. 
I asked Marthe if we could pause for a few minutes so that I could sit, close my eyes and get in tune with vibrations. We found a lovely place in the sun, facing those gorgeous peaks. I duly closed my eyes and went into another zone.  Lo and behold, when I opened my eyes again, there in front of me was A WOLF!!!!! OMG.  Ha. No. It was a domestic dog that looked identical to a wolf. It came up to the two of us seated on the grass, wagged it's tail, nuzzled Marthe and gave me three big juicy licks on my face.  MAGNIFICENT!!!!!

My funny bone was tickled on that one!

On our descent, we heard a beautiful musical low clonking of cow bells. On my curiosity we navigated two electric fences to try and get closer to these majestic and massive beasts. As we peered through the bushes and i took a photo, Marthe informed me that although these beats wear bells to enable them to be located when needed, that they were in fact, "sauvage". Uh huh. I didn't linger. I found their horns threatening.

The route home was via the most magnificently azure- blue lake that I have ever seen in my life. The road followed the lake for about 10 minutes. I was silenced once again in humble respect of the beauty of this most impressive lake.

As Marthe was driving, I picked up on her weariness. As I was deeply grateful for her generosity in looking after me, I suggested that I command the kitchen on our return and cook a culinery delight from New Zealand.

So on our return to Gap, we stopped in at a gorgeous, huge organic fruit and vegie shop. It was a visual extravaganza. Every kind of regular and exotic fruit and veg that you could possibly imagine. I found these rather "crown-like" pumpkin fascinating. Marthe and I had a ball as she explained seasonal fruits, prices and cooking procedures to me. The man at the counter thought i was american. Ha! When informed that I was from the land of the Long White Cloud, he spoke all about his friend who lives in France, but he is from New Zealand. "Whatever." We then went to a butcher shop to purchase some mince.The butcher minced the meat on the spot. There was a restaurant attached to the butcher shop. Uh huh. Interesting.

I was somewhat nervous about providing an inferior meal compared to Marthe's exquisite onion tarte. The shepherd's pie was a huge success. I suggest the quality ingredients had a lot to do with the final result. We dined with Hervé at 8:30 p.m. Marthe and I enjoyed recounting our day to Hervé, who was clearly exhausted as he had been to their third house that day and had attended to business as well as chopping wood.

What an epic day!
It's in the details that one finds the greatest pleasures.

Whew!

This is the train ticket that enabled me to travel from Paris to Gap, Provence. Please examine the ticket and agree with me that it looks complicated. I was darned lucky to have a kind colleague who can speak fluent french, to explain to me the mechanics and intricacies of this wonderful ticket. It is first necessary to catch two Metro trains to get to La Gare de Lyons. It is then necessary to arrive at the correct Hall in the train station. There are three massive Halls to choose from. It is then necessary to stand in front of the large electronic screen, find one's train by recognising the code, the time of departure and the destination. Once you have found that, then you must wait patiently for the platform number to appear. It does this about 10 - 15 mins before departure. Once the platform number appears, a sea of people merge en masse towards the platform. Once on the platform, it is necessary to find the carriage number. Once that has been found, then one enters the train, mounts the stairs and then finds the appropriate seat number. Once one finds the correct seat, one must negotiate with courtesy to tell the person who is sitting in seat number 88 to go away and sit in the seat number that is written on their own ticket because I would like my window seat for the scenic journey.

After the three hour trip to Grenoble, it is then necessary to exit the train, and do the whole procedure again to connect with another train to Gap. Oh la la.

The New Zealand flag adorns my bed. It's amazing how I have suddenly become patriotic!!!

The next day, I was very lucky to be given a day of rest. Thank goodness after a day of  the train adventures.
In the afternoon, I was given a lift the short distance into town. After spending some Euros on a Nano Sim card, that I was told was for free in NZ, I sat exhausted by the fountain to send a message announcing my new number. Oh no. Not so simple. The card didn't work. An hour of problem solving resulted in success, but another 25 Euros. Oh la la.

I took a shot of the fountain just before it exploded into an eruption of tall cascades.

With a big smile on my face, I proceeded to explore this quaint little town. The shop fronts had me fascinated. Very pretty indeed.

There was beauty everywhere. The typical architecture and  geraniums adorning every window were superb.

See what I mean?

Oh my goodness. This shop owner has made beckoning customers inside an art form.

OOPS! A faux pas. I didn't mean to include a duplicate photo. My blog skills are not yet honed so that I can delete it.

Cool ay?

Uh oh. Another duplicate.

Very cute!

A photo of the obligatory european church. The front door was open. I was really tempted to go in, however, it was getting late and I was lost by this time. It occurred to me that I should go in and ask God for directions to find my way to the bus stop. God definitely helped out because once I found the bus stop, I waited for ever for a bus. I asked a lady to explain things to me and I was blown away when she called her husband on the phone. He turned up in a van, like a chivralous knight and he and his wife drove me home. Oh la la. Now that is small town hospitality to the max!

It is necessary to turn your head sideways to try and get an idea of what this picture should be. Later that same evening, I had the time of my life as 3 families and myself shared a meal together. Rapid fire conversation. Lots of jokes, happiness and incredible conviviality towards me. As I burbled my hesitant french they all sat attentively in silence, trying to understand what I was trying to say. The italian red wine was rich and magnificent. the varied array of unusual foods fascinated me and I was extremely impressed with the confidence, articulation and joie de vivre of the whole gathering. What a soiree!!!! UNFORGETTABLE!!!!!

Sitting at the airport I was excited and nervous to the max. My heart was pounding and I was sweating with anxiety. The fear of the unknown. The journey began as a 3 hour flight to Melbourne.

Traveller extraordinaire.

Taking care of business at a Dubai stopover. The airport was straight out of a science fiction movie. Glass, elevators, electric train and multitudes of people.

Can you read excitement in our eyes as we landed at Charles de Gaulle airport. We caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower in the distant haze.

We had wonderful facilities on board the plane. I watched about 4 movies. The screen in front of me kept me well informed about our flight.

The youth hostel that we stayed for the first night was extraordinary. Check out the ornate detail.

Do you feel the ambience?

We slept well that night. We were in the middle of Paris and there was not a sound to be heard. No sirens. No cars. No drunken yahoos. Incredible.

Not long to go now.

The last day at school was gut wrenching. The students and parents showed such goodwill that I was overwhelmed and quite speechless. The gorgeous cream and jam sponge and the enormous chocolate cake with awesome writing on it were magnificent. Each individual spoke to me with their eyes and I was truly humbled by what I saw.

The kids all pitched in to buy flowers which I adore. THE COLOURS!!!!!! Oh, this bouquet is GLORIOUS!!!! All the time and effort put into organising and making it happen .....    ........ ... (deep breath) ........    ........     THANK YOU!!!!

Beautiful, beautiful orchids.   MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm.  Thank you so much Glen Eden Intermediate staff and management.

After a simultaneously  draining and uplifting  last day at school, I enjoyed a little excursion over to the other side of town, Devonport. Well, it is a very cool place to visit. Look at how they have "wool bombed" the poles alongside the interesting shops!

I have seen photos of trees that have been wool bombed. But this takes the cake.

Cute courtesy doggy bowl as well.

Crochet love.

I love the french knitting coils made into lettering. It made me pack my old fashioned french knitting doll into my suitcase. I have also packed some needles and wool to resurrect an old hobby. I love knitting. I love buying wool. MMMMmmmmmmmm, colours, patterns, texture!!!!

Talking about packing. Er ...... I have some sorting to do. Urgently.

........ and some serious editing to do.

This morning when I was applying my make up, I glanced at the palette with a squint ( I didn't have my glasses on),  look what I saw!!!!! Oh my goodness.  

Kev and I took a final excursion to doggie territory, Kakamatua.

  

How rustic.

What comes after rolling in sand, seaweed and smelly dead birds?   THE BUCKET!!!!
Not one of Bandit's most favourite activities. I can't think why this is so. It's a massage, loving attention and a douche in beautiful luke warm water.

Metaphorically speaking

The subject of this still life masterpiece is the gorgeous cappuccino in the foreground. A most charming young man in my class produced a cappucino and a beautiful card as a farewell gift. Although I have another week before I depart, this boy was going to be in Sports Camp for the duration of my final week at school. My heartstrings were tugged as I read the lovely message that he had written about realising his learning potential. I was also deeply touched, as the cappuccino is a "hit". The mother must have read my blog! YAY! Thank YOU!!!! The daffs are a self indulgence. Yellow. Spring. YAY!!!

AW!!!! My beautiful husband came home from work on Friday with a beautiful bunch of the most vibrant, audacious flowers.Aren't they gorgeous? They are set off by the beautiful green walls in our kitchen. I love the arty ceramic heart that my son gave me for a recent Christmas gift. Flowers!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!

This picture has been included in today's post to serve as a metaphor as I embark on the great adventure in front of me. Please note the rustic, french alluring charm of all the details.

The beautiful lavender fields are a direct reference to Provence.... my destination... only less than a week away.

This beautiful sunset was captured the other evening as I completed the obligatory dog walk. Each time I walk through the cemetery I always am charmed and delighted at the spectacles that Mother Nature conjures for me. The setting golden rays were beyond majestically magnificent. If you wanted to, you could read this image as a metaphor for the closing part of my busy life in En Zed. Hmmmm.

Here's a little quirky piece of useless information. When the french say, "I am missing you", they say, "Tu me manqué". This directly translates as, "You are missing me." Weird, eh? Language is like that; full of irregularities and inconsistencies. How on earth am I going to cope with my VERY BASIC and literal french. Oh boy.