Everyday Life

We have now hit stride with creating some routines that govern our daily lives. It's helpful, while still allowing us to do things on the fly as opportunity allows.

A typical day looks like this.

I continue to be an early riser, getting up anywhere between four and six a.m. This allows me some quiet time in the morning to deal with email, get the house a little organized from the previous day's events, get the bills paid (either here or in Toronto) and take Abby for a walk in the fields around the house. We have subscribed to the Globe and Mail online so at that time in the morning I can get the previous day's paper and get through it before anyone else has awoken.

Emily has to be at school at 8 a.m., so I get her up before 7 so she can shower and have breakfast. Her school is a bit of a hike so I will drive her to school most mornings. Then I have to get home, get Natalie up and then take off so that I can catch the bus into Avignon. We are a one car family now so I leave the car with Jane. I am taking french lessons in the morning for three hours. It's like a return to my university days. Commuting by bus to get to school. It's only about a 20 minute ride into town and my school is very close to where the bus terminates, so it's pretty convenient. Jane gets Natalie to school for her 8:30 start.

We often have visitors so Jane may then set off to do some form of activity with whoever is here. Currently it is our niece, Caileigh Suline, to be joined shortly by Jane sister Kate. Otherwise, Jane might get to her gym or get some shopping done. Natalie finishes at 11:30 and has a two hour lunch. Since it is still pretty warm during day here, she will often go for a swim after lunch before going back to school at 1:30. The afternoon session runs until 4:30.

Emily stays for lunch two days in the week but bringing a lunch is not allowed. The school provides a canteen and I am informed that the food is not anything that would rate a Michelin star. It can be a bit of a rush for Emily since on some days she has to be back in an hour. Her classes end at 5 p.m. so it's a long day for her compared with Toronto.

Both girls find school challenging on many fronts, not the least of which is going to school in french all day. They can't really zone out very much, and kind of half listen, since to do so means to miss something. They have to pay attention all the time in order to comprehend first the french and then the subject matter being imparted to them. I feel for them some days. They can look worn out when completing a day of school.

I finish my school around noon and either grab lunch in town or else come home. Then it's off to the gym for me to get some exercise. Mine is in a town close to Montfavet but it is the best one that I can find. I have to cycle there since the car may or not not be around or Jane may have plans for it in the afternoon. It would be nice to go for a workout earlier in the day, before school, but the earliest that I have found any gym here opens is 8:30 a.m.

We all usually catch up after everyone has completed their daily routine. Jane likes to sit by the pool from about 5 p.m. and 6 to read her book, have a glass of wine and she is usually joined by the kids and I for a swim while it is still warm enough to do so. The fig trees on our property have stopped yielding any fruit, but it was pleasant to grab some figs on the way to the pool, with a plate of cheese and bread to have a snack before starting to get dinner ready. I am not sure how long the weather will remain warm enough to keep the pool open, but it's nice while it lasts. The temperature still reaches about 28 during the day and it cools off to anywhere between 15 and 18 at night.

The kids use the intervening time between their break after school and dinner to get homework done. Jane and I work on getting dinner prepared, and if we time it properly we can have dinner outside in the garden before it gets dark. Then it's clean up and getting ready for bed. Kids are usually tired by this time but don't want to admit it, so they usually take to their rooms to read and/or listen to music.

Having just read the content of this post, it reminds me that I must do one for each of several topics alluded to. These will include food, school and education, and getting to local markets.