***This windy Wednesday morning, Terry and Gina packed the last of their bags and grabbed the trusty Blacklane van for the airport. Their email sounded like they had made it through all the challenges of Charles de Gaulle airport unscathed if not untouched, and were getting ready to board. We wish them a good and uneventful ride home. They were lovely, good-sport guests who put up uncomplainingly with all our eccentricities and a markedly cramped guest bedroom. Thanks for coming, dears! Hope all the wine makes it home without turning your clothes maroon.***Warren had some little housekeeping chores in mind today - he wanted to fix a drop-front desk that is built into our guest bedroom. Apparently, it has been a problem since it was installed since the screws that held up the drop front pulled through the wood. Warren's carpenter-senses were offended and he decided to fix it. It took several trips to Castorama, our neighborhood do-it-yourself Home Depot equivalent, but bedarned if it doesn't look like he succeeded. Kudos to the resident handyman, and to his perseverance, not to mention his determination to ask for weird stuff in French. (cheese is one thing, strange hardware fittings are another...)
***The flowers on our terraces are loving the warmth and the longer days (we're up to about 16 hours of daylight per day.) A pretty pale pink rose bloomed joyously on the pagoda terrace, contrasting nicely with all the red latticework. On the bigger terrace, the hydrangeas knocked themselves out, covering themselves with purple-red blooms. I've never had hydrangeas before, so particularly enjoyed them. Currently, I've got two kinds of blooming lavender and a few pots of petunias, pansies, violas, ivies, balloon flower, little carnation-cousins, and lots of the sturdy geraniums that like the terrace heat. Plants are so inexpensive here that I'm forcing myself to show some restraint, just because of space issues. But I keep losing my resolve when I walk by the charming fleuristes ...***It's going to be nearly ninety degrees here in the next few days. It'll be a shakedown cruise for us to see how we handle the summer heat. I don't do all that well with heat, so have some trepidation. An encouraging thing is that we can open terrace and bedroom doors to get a crosswind through the apartment. It is truly a blessing and one that many Parisians don't have since many apartments only have windows on one side. Not only does that limit ventilation, but severely limits incoming light, a particular concern in the short, short winter days. We keep counting our blessings to have gotten this well thought-out apartment.
***We were delighted to hear that Elizabeth made it home without any major adventures, despite her complex train to airport itinerary. Well done, lady-person! She emailed that she has a cat glued to her leg, Velcro-style. Mapie really missed her, despite loving and dedicated care from Don and Walt, the expert cat-sitters. Our gratitude to all who care for that priceless, worthless cat of ours.
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