Training it to Paris today

Yesterday, the third and final coat of varnish went on the stairs, banisters, and handrails. What a relief. My shoulder is sore from the repetitive movement of paintbrush strokes. The next step in the project is sanding and painting the walls, but that's going to take a while. We'll be otherwise occupied for the next two weeks.

An artichoke plant out in the yard

I'll be leaving for Paris on the 11:30 train out of Onzain, near Blois, this morning. Walt is staying here to take care of cat, dog, and garden.

Poppies growing out by the pond

The train from Onzain takes me into the Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris, and from there I'll take the metro over to CHM's place. We plan to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant down the street from his building tonight.

We planted zinnias around the well...

Then Monday morning we'll leave early for our trip up north, into Picardy and then via Amiens over to Rouen in Normandy. One stop we'll make is in the little town of Neufchâtel-en-Bray, near Rouen, to sample the famous cheese made there. I plan to be blogging every day, if possible.

... and red-flowering flax

On another subject, the temperature here this morning is about 13ºC — that's 55ºF. Chilly, and in mid-July. And yesterday's high was just barely 72ºF. So we are no longer sweltering, and we're back to wearing long pants and flannel shirts for the morning walks with the dog. The sun is shining brightly, however, and good weather is predicted for the next three or four days in northern France.