Trip recap
Luckily there’s chicken soup in my nearly empty freezer, because I’ve acquired a cold, sore throat and aches. I wore a mask much of the time on the plane; I think this came because of the stress and panic of those letters about copyright, plus jetlag. Was going to bike to the market today, but instead will go back to bed for a bit, thankful to have my own bed to go back to.
Right now, I’m looking out at the tender bright green shoots sprouting on the branches of the lilac, the curly willow, the viburnum and honeysuckle – so far behind France. But the big bunch of cut forsythia in my kitchen is brilliant; what a colour.
Annie left a pot of daffodils and a welcome home note on the front porch. My son left an omelette in the fridge. Monique came over for aperitif, so I could tell her how gorgeous her country is, which she knows. So much the French have done right: high speed trains, great public transit, major push for bicycles, emphasis on beauty and good food and so much more. We are far behind in many ways.
I just made a list of what was invaluable on the trip — with all the changes of temperature, from chilly to hot, the layers worked — and what I brought that I didn’t need, like a skirt, a third pair of shoes, lightweight summery stuff. I was worried, but the phone worked out really well with the app Airalo — a very small charge for every connection needed for the whole trip, wonderful.
And let’s face it, I was really lucky this time — the weather was stellar almost every day, and there were no strikes or major issues. Even at the end — the fact that the downpour forecast for the whole day held off until I was in the metro to the airport, and that there was a huge disruption at Pearson, with a shooting shutting down the entire area, not long after I was safely home. My good health throughout. Tickets worked fine. No bad news from home; once I was in a museum in Milan when I got a phone-call that the basement had flooded and the tenant was thinking of suing. I burst into tears. I was in London when my distraught son called to say a man had been shot in the street and Sam had held him as he died, and I couldn’t be there for him.
So much could have gone wrong and, this time, didn’t. Grateful for that. So much went right, especially connecting with old friends and new friends and my own past. And by the way, it seems I gained no weight in three weeks of devouring bread, cheese, many pains au chocolat, wine, delicious meals. Incredible. The miracle of France!
Now real life begins again. My course at U of T that starts May 5 is far from full, so I need to hustle. There’s a huge amount to be done around the house, administrivia, and my head is throbbing. Tomorrow I hope to be well enough to go across town to see my kids and grandsons. Robin came today to clean the windows, climbed all over the roof to do so, and now we can see clearly the good weather and blooms that are arriving.
Happy spring, my friends. Thank you for coming with me. It’s so good to be home.
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