December's Days

It's the last day of the year, and the last day of December.  Around our house it feels extra celebratory because it's K.J.'s birthday eve.  This month we lit a numbered candle every night and read a Christmasy story as we counted down the days until Christmas.  The first two weeks of December were spent in semi-lockdown, but we were able to abandon filling out forms to leave the house on the 15th.  That gave us a sense of relief that we still feel when we go out now.  

Even though we couldn't do Christmas gatherings in the usual ways, we still had a really festive month.  We've learned how to connect with others safely, we sang Christmas carols and enjoyed the Parisian Christmas lights, drank chocolat chaud, and FaceTimed with family.  We watched Christmas movies all December long, and it was all in all very merry. 

December 1 - The countdown to Christmas begins.

December 2 - Golden Leaves in Paris

December 3 - Cozy Vibes

December 4 - Power Outage, Peanut Butter Sandwich by Candlelight

December 5 - Christmas on the Champs-Élysées

December 6 - Discovering New Christmas Stories

December 7 - Helping Post Christmas Cards

December 8 - Afternoon Walk

December 9 - Steeple at Sunrise

December 10 - December Roses

December 11 - Selfies with my Boy

December 12 - Pop of Color

December 13 - Gingerbread Cookies

December 14 - Rainy Day Walk

December 15 - Another Moody Walk

December 16 - Bible Study Meet-Up

December 17 - Sunset Skies

December 18 - Our Christmasy Grande Rue

December 19 - Fancy French chocolates have the flavors printed on them.

December 20 - The Beautiful Faces of EIC Rueil's Zoom Church

December 21 - Another Dr. Who Ornament for the Tree

December 22 - Our First Bûche de Noël

December 23 - When will it just be Christmas already?

December 24 - Christmas Eve Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board

December 25 - E received a journal from each of her parents.

December 26 - A Boxing Day Farewell to Friends who are Moving

December 27 - Christmas Tea with Noreen

December 28 - The First Time I've Found Ranch Dressing in France

December 29 - I spy two boys who stirred up the pigeons.

December 30 - Chimney Pots

December 31 - Presents for K.J.

May your new year be filled with hope.

November Remembered

France was in lockdown this month, so there are a lot of pictures from my daily walks, a lot of pictures of our local parks.  We are so thankful the big park has stayed open during this lockdown!  It was closed in March and April during the first confinement.  Restrictions loosened up here beginning on Saturday.  Shops selling non-essential items were allowed to re-open, and we're now allowed to go up to 20 km away from home to exercise and be outside for up to three hours.  

To celebrate we drove to a favorite store that is part Hobby Lobby, part Home Depot, part pet store, part florist, and bought our Christmas tree.  It was so fun to be out of the house even for just a little bit and to see all the beautiful Christmas decorations.  This particular store is in a mall, and as we walked quickly down the slick and shiny flooring to pop into another store, E looked at all the masked people passing and said, "It's like Christmas shopping in a hospital."  It was an apt observation...but at least we were Christmas shopping.  Be careful out there, folks. 

November 1 - Back to Church Online!

November 2 - Beautiful Words to Keep Me Company

November 3 - Rainbow Over the Park

November 4 - Mornings

November 5 - Cold Morning Walk in Woods Near Our House

November 6 - I started walking around a smaller park for variety on some days.

November 7 - Made Tom Bombadil's White Bread

November 8 - Church on Zoom and Our New Heater/Fireplace

November 9 - Sunset Geese

November 10 - I love the steeple on the hill.

November 11 - Everybody loves the new fire.

November 12 - Still Some Fiery Leaves Remaining

November 13 - The benefit of the age of big houses is the age of having beautiful places to walk (in yet another local park).

November 14 - Still Some Golden Leaves Left, Too

November 15 - Out the Kids' Window

November 16 - Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Pumpkin Seeds

November 17 - Baking Bread, Take 2

November 18 - Walking to the Grocery Store

November 19 - Another Day Dawns

November 20 - I've started getting my walk in most days of the week in the four o'clock hour, just before sunset.

November 21 - The Local Tabac, where in pre-lockdown days men sat outside at tables drinking coffee and reading their newspapers, dogs at their sides.

November 22 - The Year of Home

November 23 - Sometimes I only have time for pacing back and forth around the garden.

November 24 - "Good-humoured, unpretentious and a bit eccentric, it's more like a well-read friend than a literary review."  Who wouldn't want that magazine?

November 25 - Cornbread made my kitchen smell so good.

November 26 - A Cold Thanksgiving Morning

November 27 - Cousin Jeopardy Competition over FaceTime

November 28 - And all of a sudden it's Christmas.

November 29 - Baked Camembert with Honey and Rosemary on a Sunday Night

November 30 - It's reached the point where my fingertips feel cold on walks, even when I'm wearing gloves.