Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The tie to France...............my brother


In the cool of the evening...............


................he flew across the Channel, from his home in France, and helped us wash down the delicious chevre from Normandy with a nice bottle of wine.  My dear brother, my only sibling, who almost lives in a vineyard.  

What a great evening.  The apartment buzzer rang as I tossed the salad.  The fish pie was baked, DH had opened the wine................and there we were, after far too long, toasting and eating in the company of real family.  

John, with his easy Summer haircut - apparently my SIL gave him the once over and tidied him up before leaving home!


Although I am eight years older than my brother, we were very close as children and, despite the many miles between us since I left home and came to the USA, thankfully still are.  He, and his family, left London to live in a small village in the south of France several years ago.


Sailing regatta in the bay.


For the next couple of days we explored our home town, visited with our cousins, their children, and friends, shopped a bit, had meals in our favorite fish 'n chip place, hung out in some favorite pubs, and enjoyed our lovely seaside.


An old-fashioned hardware shop full of things you can't find anywhere else - we love shopping there!


One of our special village pubs down at the end of a narrow lane winding precariously toward the sea - always nice for lunch and a drink.



All too soon it was time for him to leave.........to return to his village where the wine is cheap (and good!), to his garden where the ripening tomatoes needed TLC, and his wife and daughter too of course.  What a great time we had at home together for a little while.

10 comments:

  1. You can tell you are brother and sister! How wonderful that you were able to spend time with him. That village looks like a wonderful place to roam. I would love to peak inside that hardware store!
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  2. Good Morning Mary..... What beautiful photos of your home town,,, what a lovely place to grow up... the photo of you and your brother is really nice.... how wonderful that the two of you got to spend time together... thank you for sharing with us,,, I really enjoyed it....

    Hugs;
    Alaura

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  3. Hi Mary, you're like bookends! So like each other. The age difference is the same for and my brother and I, but he is the eldest and lives 'abroad' in deepest, darkest Wales!
    Love the Hardware shop names 'Fork Handles' obviously a Two Ronnies Fan (from the famous 'fork handles sketch').
    Thank you for your lovely comments...hope when it's a little cooler the tea bread will delight you, otherwise it's simply NOT cricket! :o)

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  4. Mary, I am so happy the two of you shared this special time together. Seeing your photo makes me smile.

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  5. Time spent with family is special, even more so when we live on different continents. We realised that all to clearly last weekend.
    Nice 2 ronnies touch!
    Your local looks wonderful, the perfect village pub, how we miss them!
    Now, I want to head that way even more than ever.
    a bientot
    Maggie.

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  6. More wonderful pictures! Love love love that hardware store. And so nice for you, spending time with DB (dear bro).

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  7. Lovely for a little while to share time together as a family. Oh how I would love wandering through that hardware store. I do remember driving through the little village where your brother lives and saying Mary's brother lives here.

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  8. There sure is a familial resemblance there with you two. I'm so glad you had a nice visit together and with your cousins. I love that little hardware store as it reminds me of one in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea here in New Brunswick.

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  9. How lovely to have had chance to spend time with your brother and what lovely places you had to visit together. Great to see a proper hardware shop as well, they are few and far between these days.

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  10. What a wonderful memory to look back on. It is wonderful that you two were able to get together again. What a charming place too!
    Take Care,
    Ulrike

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