Settling In.....

We are all very happy with our digs for the next 5 months.... its ticked all the boxes .... plenty of room and a studio. The kids are all booked into school and start next Thursday - there is anxiety mixed with excitement, the French is not great but that will change fast.... Rose is looking at some grapes in Corsica so may have to travel there next week. Toby and I are planning a surf trip for 2 weeks around Bordeaux early October. I have a stack of art materials coming from Paris next week to get stuck into and hope to get some paintings done for an exhibition when we return... JJ Julie and their kids have been here for the week its been great exploring the local haunts ..... I have been getting into a cycling routine every day a 16km round trip to the village of Sommiers.

Aubai House

Home in Aubais!

Adjusting to the slow life in our new home and contemplating a journey to a nearby Sunday market....

Happy Times....

Well just landed in Aubais and moved into long term abode and Rose is already declaring this is our new permanent address....only 4 hours in... I am not far removed from this sentiment - the village is classic narrow paint scraping streets and stone some colour no sign of visible life apart from the odd out burst of undisernable french from high, and an amazing house that I will photo and post in next few days. JJ Julie and their kids here for the week so plan to explore some local bull fighting markets oysters and generally settle in and prepare the kids for school.....

Boys Own Adventure!

Saxon Orlo and I lucked on a wicked medieval Keep (castle) yesterday from the 11th Century - classic stuff on a hill surrounded by a small town - it was full of dungeons, torture chambers, a moat, tunnels etc etc see images attached.... we have arrived in Le Mont-Dore an alpine village in the central Aubergne region - full of mad cheeses and meats and chilled red wines. Found a good walking trail up in the mountains around a lake this arvo and found a patch of wild raspberries and blueberries and pigged out as you would expect....

In Loire Valley...

Have had a few days lapping up the rather huge froggy houses and some quality wines from Loire Valley.... the place is one Chateau after another. Great medieval villages, narrow cobbled streets and grandness.... Currently motoring through Vichy and heading for couple of days in mountains of Le Mont-Dore for some hiking and then to Nime by Friday.

Last Day in Paris!

Few images from Luxembourg Gardens and Saxon sailing.... we leave Paris this weekend to travel South ending up near Nime in a week.

Rodin....

We have had 2 extra ring-ins this week from Germany (friends of the Girls) so busy & loud.... took in the Ridin Museum and gerden that everyone loved and explored the Monmartre area. This is our last week in Paris. We have leased a car and are setting forth next weekend to meander South through the Loire Valley and Massif Central regions to end up in Aubais near Nime and new home. We have a week with some friends staying from UK then kids in school.......

Winter Warmers.....

Something for all you blokes suffering the cold back home..... The latest Paris attire for men I understand...

New York Surf Art

Check out this 10 min shoot re surf related art show in NY from favorite James Kalm...

Am starting to really miss the flow of the ocean.....

http://www.youtube.com/user/jameskalm#p/u/1/1XlzUSrvKaY

New York Surf Art

Tarp Surfing....

Toby put me onto this new sport which I may have to learn......

Click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9sdSCa0V-Y&feature=player_embedded#

Villers-Bretonneux....

We drove to Villers-Bretonneux North of Paris in the Somme today to see the Australian Memorial to the over 60,000 Australian men who died on the Western Front in WW1. My great Gandfather, Frank Walton, was one of the 10,000 men who fought there and died on 5 April 1918 and was never recovered but is remembered with his name on the memorial...... Its a beautiful site on top of a hill they fought to occupy - the visit amplifies the utter uselessness of war as its avoidable consequences....