Les Obiones: Staying at a Lamb Farm

For the past couple of years when we travel K.J. has used Airbnb to find us a place to stay.  It's been a great way to stay somewhere reasonably priced, be able to cook our own meals, and most importantly--have a separate bedroom from the kids. 😊  It's also just fun to stay somewhere charming, old, different, or some combination of the three.  

When K.J. was researching our two-night stay in Brittany he discovered a sheep farm that was opening part of the old stone farmhouse as an Airbnb.  I loved photographing the lambs in North Yorkshire , so I was really hopeful our trip would coincide with lambing time in Bretagne.

Our hosts at Les Obiones were a young couple who left their former jobs and spent a year learning from the previous owner how to run the farm before taking over for themselves in October.  Felix invited us to come to the barn at feeding time.  The barn is a very loud place at feeding time; a chorus of maaa-maaaas greeted us.

A few lambs whose mothers weren't able to feed them were kept in a special pen.  They ran to greet us when we walked up and made a huge racket.  I think they knew what time it was.

Felix filled the tubs with milk and gave us the opportunity to bottle-feed the two who needed special attention. 

All was quiet for a few minutes.  The lambs were eager and contented eaters.

What a floppy-eared darling.

Rainbows and Stars

Spending a couple of days in Normandy and Brittany last month gave us an opportunity to enjoy "rainbow weather."  That perfect constant back and forth of sun and rain and clouds happened a lot in England, and I've missed it.  You can bet I yelled at K.J. to stop the car when we saw this out of our windows.

The rest of our drive included more alternating rain and clouds, but shortly after we arrived at our Airbnb someone spotted another rainbow across the fields.

March is a good time for rainbows, I suppose. 🍀

Rainbow-spotting always feels magical, but the best moment of looking up came that night when James walked out to the car.  He stepped out the door into the cold, and I heard him gasp.  I always think something's gone wrong or someone's been hurt when I hear sounds like that, but the next thing I heard was James saying with complete amazement:  "Look at the stars!!"  I never want to forget the wonder I heard in his voice.

I didn't have my big tripod with me, but I tried to capture some of the wonder with K.J.'s small, flexible one.  My camera lens was a little too heavy for it, but I got a couple of shots to help us remember.  I didn't realize how long it had been since we'd been somewhere so dark.

The Joy of Baptism and Religious Freedom

Sunday was a special Palm Sunday for our family.  

It's been a joy to watch James's faith in Jesus grow, and he's been wanting to be baptized for awhile now.  He was baptized alongside people from the Philippines, Nigeria, and Syria, such a special picture of how God is saving people from every tribe and nation.  What a gift to celebrate this moment here with our Emmanuel International Church family.

  

I was especially moved after talking to someone who previously lived in a country too frightening for them to be baptized in, for fear of what retaliation might be taken by the government.  For those of us who have always breathed the air of freedom, how thankful we ought to be!  This dear person was so thankful to now be living in a place with religious freedom.  

Earlier in the week I'd read 1 Timothy 2, and I want to take Paul's admonition more to heart, because I want to be thankful for and keep living a quiet life with all godliness and dignity.  I want others to be free to live a life of dignity without fear, too.  Join me? 

St. Ceneri and the Miracle of the Spring

Six years ago I was in the middle of planning my first mission trip with K.J. to Paris to Emmanuel International Church.  Since the trip was in May (our anniversary month), and because we were already there, we also planned to stay a week after the mission trip to do a little extra exploring.  My Pinterest search of beautiful places in France came up with a quaint village that we loved.  I have two blog posts of beautiful May pictures here and here.  

While we were driving that little rental car around Normandy we talked about the possibility of life and ministry in Europe.  We talked about it again with Parker at the end of that trip.  We couldn't have known that six years later we'd be visiting this same little village again with our kids and our lovely music leader from EIC Ternes!  

This visit didn't take place in the full bloom of May, but in the muddy middle of the first week of March.  After a sunny and warm farewell to February, March blew in like a lion, and I couldn't get over how cold I felt.  Once you feel the first warmth of spring it's hard to go back to winter's cold.  Even so, the village was as quiet and peaceful as we remembered it.

We squelched through the mud to the river's edge where a sign told us of a miracle spring that came up centuries ago.  The story seemed a little suspect, both because Why did you need a spring when the river was right there?  and because immediately after the saint required another miracle to get across the river, which to our minds, didn't seem like it would be that hard to swim.  

But the stones that mark the spring are really pretty.

We got caught in a downpour shortly after this, and we all climbed back into the car with wet coats and muddy boots, but it was a pretty little spot to stretch our legs all the same.

A Versailles Valentine's and 6 Tips for Your Trip

We live about a 15-minute drive from Versailles, so it's an easy place to take visitors.  On Valentine's Day we took one of my oldest and dearest friends to see this historical chateau and to enjoy a Valentine's treat.  It was such a gorgeous and mild sunny day!  Tip number one if you're driving is to enter at the back gate near Marie Antoinette's Domain.  You can drive your car inside the grounds and park for just 6 euros.

We didn't visit the domain of Marie Antoinette on this trip, but it is one of our favorite parts of the estate and another great option for when you don't have a lot of time.  We also love Le Grand Trianon.

Tip number two is to read a little something about what you're going to see before your visit.  The chateau's website has some great summaries of the different areas.  It's a huge estate so if you're not planning on spending a full day you might enjoy your visit more if you pick the spot that interests you the most.  Having a little knowledge about what you're going to see makes such a difference in your level of enjoyment.  

You can choose between two directions when you walk into the chateau, and for a quicker visit I always choose the side with the Hall of Mirrors.  I also take a picture of this hallway every time.

I love the rich green color of that wall covering.

Kristen came to us from Thailand, and we found an unexpected connection between the two countries we're living in at the moment when we saw a special display of a gift presented to the king of France from a visiting ambassador from what was then called Siam.  

Tip number three if you're planning to visit Angelina's for that famous Parisian hot chocolate, chocolat chaud, is why not go to the Versailles location?  It might be a little less crowded than on the Rue de Rivoli.  Tip number four is to order the pretty dessert, and tip number five is to share desserts and hot chocolates because you can't handle the sweetness and richness all on your own!

Tip number six is to walk off your desserts in the gardens and take a few minutes to sit on a bench by the reflecting pool for a few minutes and watch the rowers and the swans go by before leaving.

Cousins, Nephews, and a French Lesson

Over the month we were home for Christmas we got to meet another new nephew.  We've gained so many in the four years we've lived overseas!

I was browsing through newborn clothes in Monoprix when my newest nephew was born for something with French writing that couldn't be found in the U.S.  I ultimately passed everything by because it said something like petite chou, and when I quickly Googled chou on my phone it said it meant cabbage, which confused me.  I was pretty sure it would also confuse my sister-in-law if she Googled it, so I refrained from buying anything that day.  

But when you're learning a language you should always ask someone who knows more than you, and when I finally did I learned that though chou is indeed the word for cabbage, it also means something like, "cutie" or "sweetie" or even the English, "poppet."  I went shopping for Christmas with my newfound knowledge and now understood that this outfit proclaimed my newest nephew so cute and not so cabbage.  

The French are not alone in using vegetables as terms of endearment.  Much to her confusion, I've called Ella "little pun'kin" her entire life.  Sometimes this was shortened to "little punk," which doesn't seem as sweet.  Cue the pre-teen side-eye.

And now a few family pictures for good measure.

Trop chou indeed.  If you've ever tried to learn a new language, what's been your favorite phrase or expression that doesn't quite translate literally?