Bienvenue à Mon Aventure

I am in France but Tilde is not.

After a long blog sabbatical, mostly caused by the disappearance of my earlier works, I have decided to resume my efforts.  Naming the blog is important. I have tried "Home and Away" and "Wondering and Wandering" but it seems that there are too many variations of these words on the Internet.

So, as I lay in my cozy bed in the French town of La Charité-sur-Loire, my mind would not stop. What name would be unique to moi? Surely, there can only be one dachshund named Tilde and I always spell the familiar maternal title "mum." I am also the mum of a darling daughter who will soon be travelling with me but she's quite private.

my bed in La Maison des Mots, boarding house and B and B in La Charité

Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a reader, a dreamer and a traveller. Not so much a tourist

as a person who likes to "borrow other people's lives." I'm greedy for experiences. My "real life"

is enriched by books, films and travel.

I love to visit France

France is my special destination. J'adore everything French:the language, the food, the style...and on it goes. During Covid, I worried that I might never get a chance to visit again. I turned 70 this year. What if I wasn't strong enough to navigate cobblestones and train stations? What if? What if?

I mentioned that I like to vicariously enjoy different lives. Well, during Covid, I began to visit Instagram.

Who can resist crazy dachshund dogs (not as cute as Tilde), French décor (lavender. faiënce and candles),

or gardens?

My mantel in France houses books that I have read and  bottle of Domaine La Petite Forge that I purchased on a personal visit to a winery.

Over a year ago, Meta (with its omniscient algorithm) suggested that I might visit #maison-des-mots. Barbarajo, a former Vancouver bookseller, had renovated a house in the French town of La Charité-sur-Loire. I already owned one of her cookbooks Cooking for Me, and SometimesYou. More investigation

She had a garden, two libraries and a cat called Minette. My husband is allergic so we have no cat. Quel bonheur! I sent my deposit immediately. Covid or not! This was my 70th birthday present to myself! Une chambre d'hôte in La Charité-sur-Loire. Bienvenue à mon aventure!

My soon-to-be travelling partner. (I am also her Mum.)