18 May 2016

Waiting, and staying busy

Walt's in the air this morning, on an Air Canada flight. He should be on the ground at Paris CDG airport in about two hours. Then he'll race (I hope) into central Paris to try to get the 12:59 train from Paris-Austerlitz to Blois. It's a 90 minute train ride for him, and for me a 45 minute drive up to Blois to meet him.

Dinosaur Kale

The Télématin news this morning says, of course, to expect perturbations. Both the transit kind and the meteorological kind. They are predicting rain for this afternoon. As for transit, something like 75% the normal number the RER trains are running between the airport and central Paris, and approximately 67% of the mainline intercity trains are running. With any luck, Walt will get where he wants to go, even though passengers might be packed in like sardines.

A Fireball Tomato plant

Yesterday afternoon the neighbor from across the street came over and rang the bell. She and her husband were down here from Blois over the weekend, and some of their children and grandchildren were here too. As they were preparing to drive back to Blois, she came over to say hello and to bring me some foie gras they had left over from weekend festivities.

Squash seedlings

« On dit que le foie gras n'aime pas voyager », the neighbor told me, « alors j'ai pensé à toi et à Walter. » I had some for my « quatre-heures », which is also called le goûter, the French name for a mid-afternoon snack. There is more for us to have as an appetizer this afternoon when Walt gets here, and I also bought a bottle of champagne for the occasion. And I have a fig or two left over to go with the foie gras. Life is good, even when it's raining outside...


When I bought the champagne at the supermarket last Friday, the man ahead of me in line at the checkout stand looked at what I was putting on the conveyor belt and offered his opinion that the champagne I had chosen was one of the best I could ever hope to taste. "I tell you that because I know the Heidsieck Monopole well — I come from Reims," he said. Reims (or Rheims in English) is the big city in the Champagne region, where some of the very best sparkling wine is made.


I'm posting here a few more pictures of seedlings in the greenhouse tent, as well as a photo, above, of the elephant bush plant (Portulacaria afra) that has traveled several times across the Atlantic Ocean. As far as I know, this one started life in Salton City, California, sometime in the 1980s or earlier, spent about 10 years in San Francisco, and then came to Saint-Aignan via a new séjour in Southern California in 2003. CHM brought a cutting here in 2004, and I've kept it going.

24 comments:

  1. This so called Jade plant survived summers of neglect in Salton City in the desert of
    Southern California when I was away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And that is hot (!) and dry. A hardy plant ideed.

      Delete
  2. According to the Air Canada web site, Walt's plane has landed at Paris-CDG.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now, I keep my fingers crossed.

      Delete
    2. The site says the plane "arrived at gate" at 9:29 a.m.

      Delete
  3. Who ever has leftover foie gras? Lucky for you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Heidsieck dit: la santé à la réunion ... :-)!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just got this message, sent by Walt about half an hour ago:

    "I'm at Austerlitz. RERs were quick and easy. Waiting for my train."

    In a second message, he said the train to Blois is listed as on time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's good news. I was right to keep my toes crossed, even though I couldn't walk for two days!

      Delete
    2. I hope you didn't miss any important appointments.

      Delete
    3. Now that you mention it, I had to cancel one with my podiatrist because my toes were stuck. Now I can call him and see what he can do.

      Delete
    4. You two crack me up! I need to learn toe crossing soon, since it seems to have worked perfectly today.

      Delete
  6. I hope all continues well in Walt's journey today :) You'll have a nice belated anniversary celebration, with that foie gras and champagne -- and the figs!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Remember the days when one would have to dash about trying to find a phone booth in order to call
    home?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love that you picked the best champagne and I think your neighbors like you a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The joy of anticipation1 Glad to hear of Walt's message. Life should be getting back to normal at what I think is the most beautiful time of year!

    ReplyDelete
  10. My toes are crossed for you. Let us know when you both are home, I will uncross them ... if they will uncross ...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Everything came off without a hitch. I picked Walt up in Blois at 2:30 or so and we drove back. We just had lunch of spinach/mushroom lasagne that I made yesterday. Callie and Bertie are in a tizzy. It's raining. More tomorrow...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Any idea how late the Relais d'Artémis is open for lunch? We could take that train and the three of us could have lunch there?

      Delete
    2. The train gets in at Blois at about 2:30 p.m. I can't imagine that the restaurant would be open for lunch at that hour, but I'll check.

      Delete
    3. Since I have to be at the station forty-five minutes before the train leaves for my wheel chair, the earlier direct train would be probably too early?

      Delete
  12. It's 12:51 in Montréal and I am just checking - Good to read that everything went smoothly and that Walt is safe and sound at home. Callie and Bertie must be happy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. As a matter of interest, how much was the champagne? Tony Hull, Adelaide SA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tony, I got the champagne at half price. The original price was 26 euros, and I paid 13 euros. I should have bought another bottle or two.

      Delete

What's on your mind? Qu'avez-vous à me dire ?