I'm just on a roll...

Laurence arrived today and life was breathed back into le Chêne en Croix.

By that, I mean, there is more laughter, more conversations. Francis and his girls left, removing a serious source of dialogue. Then Sido's boyfriend arrived, and they tended to busy themselves with each other. Olivier has been sleeping and reading, and it was left to just me and Ludo to speak Franglais together. In this quiet, lazy way we passed the week. It's easy to slip into nothingness here.

But Laurence is full of energy and drive, and is making us all be the most we can be. It's nice.


One of those things I'm making the most of is the kitchen. No longer is it my adversary (Ok, that's not true; I still tremble every time I enter it.), but I'm filling it with more success stories than I ever managed before.

Today, I was terrified: Ludo had requested I make clam chowder to welcome Laurence to the house. However, lacking clams in this part of the world, I'd use moules. And I'd have to convert everything to metric on my own. (Thank God Tony's on speed dial...)

I studies Fannie Farmer's recipe all day. (All week, really...) When dinner time approached, I shut the door and made a mess. My stomach turned with anxiety; my breaths were heavy with fear. At one point I poked my head out and said, "Look, if this is bad, I'm buying pizza." If only I really had the money to do so...

But, alas, it was all for nothing. They loved it. They showered me with praises and promised to write rave reviews home. Olivier was so happy he licked the bowl clean (at the table).

And now I'm so exhausted from the anxiety, the preparation, the eating, the cleaning, I need to go to bed.