Yes, Tuesday and Wednesday were comparatively quiet. And we needed some quiet. But neither day was totally uneventful. On Tuesday, Sept. 24, we worked in the garden from 7:30 to 11:30, then went back to the apartment and had lunch. After that, Cathy went out wandering and doing errands (she found glue sticks for me here in the village!! Yes, she is, indeed, a saint), while I wrote the blog post about our Sunday hike along the Mediterranean coast. Once that was done, I worked for about 3 hours on my book, which I hadn’t touched in quite a long time. Throughout the day Cathy did a charcoal sketch and a Caran d’Ache study, but we didn’t go out to find “studios” together. I needed to pull in and have some time indoors and alone, and she needed to have her own kind of solitude, more outdoors and in action than I. Even though we were working, we were both resting – we were resting because we had a soiree to attend on Tuesday evening.   September 24 is S’s birthday and she invited 6 guests, including Cathy and I, which, with her and T, made a total of 8 people. At 6:00, Cathy and I went downstairs to help prepare the food, and we brought a bottle of rose for us four cooks for inspirational purposes. At 6:30 the guests arrived: Mick & Nicky, our hosts for the work-away program and Nicole & Gilbert, our next door neighbors. We enjoyed our wine and food outdoors on our patio and, when the sun went down, T lit candles on the patio floor in the middle of our circle of chairs – it functioned rather like a bonfire (a tiny one, of course) and we found ourselves craving marshmallows on sticks. We’ll have to remember that for next time. The conversation was mostly in French, which was very good practice for me. I could follow most of it, but really couldn’t participate because my mind still doesn’t think fast enough in French. But I don’t mind at all, I have improved so much since the last time I was in France. We had a wonderful evening, celebrating the birthday of our wonderful new friend, S, who we have grown very, very fond of, along with T, of course. But we got to bed rather late on Tuedsday night – around midnight. We get up at 6 a.m. in order to be at the garden every day at 7:30, always a challenge. I’m sorry to say that I have no photos from Tuesday except for our art work. I needed a day off. I do get tired of living life behind a camera, even though, at the same time, I love documenting all this and then writing about it and sending it all for you to see. A conundrum. But the upshot is that I took a break on Monday and now I wish I had photos to show you…oh well…I’ll have to remember that for next time! On Wednesday morning we were up at 6…well, make that 6:15…we hit the snooze button a couple of times…and were at work in the garden at 7:30. At 11:30 Cathy and I left and went to the outdoor market here in Bormes-les-Mimosas. We bought a roast chicken, some cheeses, courgettes (zucchini), carrots, leeks, apples, and nectarines, and we bought a baguette at the boulangerie. Back at the apartment, showered and wearing clean clothes (we get really very dirty at this gardening job!), we had a delicious lunch. Revived and satisfied, we joined S and T down on our patio and we made some plans for the next three days. Get ready, because it looks like the quiet days are done and we are back in action! Plans made, Cathy and I wandered off and found a wonderful “studio” where I made 2 collages: for the first one I set myself the problem of using only a bag of very small scraps that I’ve been saving for the last couple of weeks; for the second one I set myself the problem of using only magazine materials. I’m rather pleased with both of them. Cathy did 2 Caran d’Ache sketches, one a small square and the other a 3-panel work. Today the weather is rather overcast, with a sprinkle of gentle rain every now and again, and the clouds are rather dramatic – I’ve added a couple of photos. I think the only skies I’ve shown you in this blog for Bormes-les-Mimosas have been a brilliant blue, now you will see that the weather isn’t always perfect here either. One of Cathy’s favorite subjects for her art work is clouds, so today offered her excellent inspiration. Remember about that silver lining? It’s easy to expect perfect days every day in a place like this, but the overcast skies and bit of chill in the breeze are offering us a day to rest. Then we will be off and running again. Till Sunday, when rain is predicted, and we will, again, be in need of rest. I didn’t get too many photos for Wednesday, either – just the clouds, our “studio,” and our art work. Here they are: