Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Back Again

Well, my goodness it has been awhile!



We survived the move. It actually went pretty smoothly. The last time we moved I was in a fit of hysterical tears prompting Mark to make an emergency phone call to my parents, begging, BEGGING for extra hands. But not this time! We were ready. Up early. Coffee in hand. Sitting on the veranda waiting patiently for the truck to arrive.

We're somewhat settled in the new house, but still have to undertake a pile of renovations, most of which will wait until the fall. Until then, I will try not to let it bother me that every single room in this house is painted a dull shade of brown.

The garden, however, is absolutely fantastic. Each week brings a new surprise with different blooms popping up here and there. I've never really had such a large green space before, and there is much to learn. I've already damaged my lavender. I pruned it yesterday, not realizing I should have waited until the spring.

I've also recently returned from a trip to France. It was a present for my upcoming 40th birthday. Mark surprised me with the news shortly before our move. I married a good man. A very good man! He had booked the flights and arranged for babysitting, before I even knew what was going on.

Most of our time was spent in the Dordogne valley. This was my third trip to France, but my first to this beautiful area. It was truly spectacular. The Dordogne is the stuff of fairytales. Castles, medieval villages, dense forests.......... Perched atop a hill amongst the vineyards outside of Bergerac, we stayed in one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever been in.We capped off our trip with a couple of nights in Paris before heading home.




Online, I plan to keep things pretty quiet until the fall. In September both boys will be in school and I should have a lot more free time to devote to work. It's been tough over the past year to accomplish anything and as a result I have felt an enormous burden of guilt weighing me down. I just could not keep up with the pace I'd set for myself in previous years. But, I do miss it. I need it. I'm really looking forward to diving back into the creative swing of things once again.

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are.
xoxo

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

love the antique-ee-looking umbrella! i have a thing for umbrella's! oh and maybe the sun will shine here tomorrow, thanks anyway! k

Joanne said...

Welcome back Charlene! Congrats on settling into your new house and Happy (belated) Birthday!! I'm so very jealous of your trip to France, by the way. A place I must get to before I die. I've abandoned my blog for quite a while but I will pick it up in the Fall. I always consider Fall season a time for new beginnings...hmm, I wonder what's my husband has in store for my 40th in November? :)

Lorelei Eurto said...

Welcome back to blogland! You've been missed!
What a wonderful trip you got to take!! Enjoy your renovations!

Victoria Bennett Beyer said...

I'm glad to hear you are settling into your new home.

On another note - a surprise trip to France?! I didn't know that actually happened to people. I'm so jealous. Love the pix from there.