FRIDAY
...airport good-bye
Finally it was time to say goodbye. It wasn't easy. But we're always together, really, because it's the heart that truly matters, no question...
THURSDAY
...a pablum-packed day of firsts
Now when it came to choosing a picture for this day, what else could I choose but Jamie's first taste of solid food! We were soooo excited to be there to share the event! And she really seemed to love it, as you can see for yourself. Grandpa got it all on video too. Pablum - who would have thought it could be such a highlight of one's day! We also gave Jamie her Christmas presents today, because she will be all the way around the world in Australia for her first Christmas!!! And I was sooo tempted to put in some pictures from the Butterfly farm - totally amazing! And then our final evening together in the Stone Mill Pub - so wonderful, including my being able to take Jamie out for a little while at the end, walking with her over a little bridge in the twilight. Incredible.
WEDNESDAY
...amelie?
Doesn't this just remind you of the garden gnome that got to travel the world and send snapshots of itself in front of famous places? Adorable! While Josh spent some more time at the conference, the rest of us travelled northwards towards the North York Moors. We saw castle ruins, and the remains of two abbeys, one of which might have been the one mentioned in the James Herriot stories (where Tristan scares people by pretending to be the ghost of a monk). Then we picked Josh up and saw some amazing churches in York, including a cathedral that rivals Notre Dame in Paris. And this was the day that we relaxed in a park by the ruins of yet another old abbey, and Jamie rolled over from back to front to back again, for the very first time! And Josh got it on video!!!
TUESDAY
...a jam-packed all-creatures kind of day!
After dropping Ron and Josh off at the conference, Heather and Jamie and I had an amazing day, jam-packed with wonderful times. There were (as always) so many pictures I could have chosen to represent this day - me pouring tea and eating scones with jam at Betty's place in York, loads of pictures taken at Alf Wight's home and veterinary clinic in Thirsk (James Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small), Heather and Jamie at the Agar Arms pub at twilight... But this picture is particularly precious. A moment in time for Heather and Jamie, and I was blessed to be able to share that memory and capture it on film. And then of course, Josh and Ron returned at the end of the evening, with the wonderful news about Josh's success. What a day!
MONDAY
...dear God, please send a thunderstorm!
And so her wish was granted! Monday was mostly an at-home kind of day. Josh had to go into work to prepare his talk for Tuesday's conference presentation. Ron and I babysat Jamie in the morning (Heather went for a hair"cut"), and then we sat together in the backyard and went for a walk through the park in the afternoon. Such a lovely relaxing time together. And finally, when Josh got home, we all stood together in the kitchen eating pizza and watching a thunderstorm. Jamie sat in her "Bumbo" on the kitchen counter (not eating pizza), thus carrying on the Neufeld tradition into the next generation - the celebration of thunderstorms unto the third and fourth generations of those who love to watch them!
Where to begin in talking about our first week in France? How about here? Last night we were extremely grateful guests at a dinner truly worth writing home about. So that's what I'm doing. Writing home about our incredible multi-course culinary experience at one of Nantes' finest restaurants. This was - hmmm - I think it was the fourth course. And yes, the cheese tray was truly a thing of beauty, but it didn't tempt me. Dessert follows cheese in the typical French dinner, and that was what I was waiting for. I was not disappointed. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
