Things on the go

Well after six weeks back in northern France, I can't believe how fast the time has gone by and that there are only nine days before we fly to India. I had such good intentions of using this down time to get fitter, finish a painting promised to a friend and put a concerted effort in to learning enough French to get by. I haven't entirely failed in all of these things. The odd bike ride here and there hasn't hurt, as well as enough horseriding that I'm now comfortable if not confident trotting bareback; spending two weeks labelling little jam pots with the French workers at Eli's company has helped on the language front and the intentions of painting the picture are still there even if the inspiration isn't.

I have grown a little older in the interim; I celebrated my 28th birthday with not one but two yummy cakes (a mille feuille and a caramel cheesecake) made by our in-house chef, Henry. We also moved into a gorgeous house in a village called Tortefontaine (or twisted fountain) and have all been busy with unpacking, painting the odd worn-out bit of furniture and cooking and eating three times a day. So here are a few pictures of the house and its surroundings - Claudia and I the morning after we partied at the house with friends from London and Paris; Maude the cat stuck on top of a ladder (we rescued her after this picture); me and my birthday cakes; the Landy happy in its new home; our bovine neighbors and the crucifix on the road outside our house.

Please excuse the bad formatting, I'll get the hang of it soon I hope!
Next stop: Bangalore...