A quick hello . . . countdown to La Rentrée

My Rentrée is not officially until the kids are back in school after the Labour Day Weekend, but I’ve been missing you . . . And since I’m in charge here, I thought I could pop in quickly to tell you a bit of what I’ve been up to:

Besides lazy afternoons reading on the terrace, I’ve done some walking, running, cycling, and we’ve swum in a huge, outdoor saltwater pool — and one magical evening, cycled to the beach and swum in the ocean, then cycled home to watch the sunset from the roof, a glass of wine in hand. . . .

The days haven’t been completely lazy. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been culling books. The same books that, almost three years ago, I unpacked and arranged onto the new shelves in the condo TV/guest room. . . . and showed you a photo of in this post as we began to feel settled in our urban condo, so different from our island home.  And in this post I wrote a bit about that difference, as we’d just hosted our first overnight guest here. . . .

I don’t think I ever posted a photo of the second wall of bookshelves, the ones directly opposite what you see if you click that first link in the paragraph above. And now I never will, because after culling several hundred books (and dusting and sneezing, dusting and sneezing!) , we’ve sent those off to a thrift shop. First step in a project to convert that room’s closet into a workspace just for me.

I’m hoping that by the time I’m blogging regularly again, I’ll be able to show you my closet-office (did you know some folks are calling these Cloffices? I never will, but that I never spoke of Jeggings or Shoeties. . . )

Meanwhile, we’ve also been spending time with the Grands, especially while the Little Italian is visiting. A splendidly fun (and just a wee bit tiring) day with her and two of her cousins yesterday. . .

And now I’ve caught up very briefly with all of you, I’m off to catch up with a more local friend, over lunch. . .

Bye for now — and if you want to catch me up as well, I’ll be reading comments, although I may not find the time to respond individually. . .

xo,

f

12 Comments

  1. Taste of France
    23 August 2019 / 8:25 pm

    Of all the things to cull, books are the most painful.

  2. Anonymous
    23 August 2019 / 10:47 pm

    You have been missed. I’ve been following on Instagram, but never comment, not sure why.
    Ali

  3. Mary
    23 August 2019 / 11:10 pm

    Hard to let books go—
    But we have a “free library “ at the side of our house and I send books out to be read by others.
    And others put books in, as well—
    And I occasionally bring a book in to read it.
    My friend brought over 20 travel books-all gone by the next day!
    Glad you will return, and lovely to read your posts
    And pictures on Instagram !

  4. LPC
    23 August 2019 / 11:18 pm

    I am very excited you are getting an office, and very excited to se it once it's here. I have been missing you here, and thinking of you, and hoping you've been quite relâché!

  5. Madame Là-bas
    24 August 2019 / 5:13 am

    I've been gradually moving books along. Donations to our complex reading room and the library book sale are good destinations that I can live with. I've got to clean the closet in our TV/den room. It could be an office but we opted for big shelves. It houses electronics, art supplies and books. It could be better used.

  6. Anonymous
    24 August 2019 / 5:20 am

    Lovely to see you back.

  7. Anonymous
    24 August 2019 / 6:30 am

    So nice to have you back,even for a moment
    Your summer looks busy and full of wonderful things-this was a great idea (although we missed you) and,if you've liked it, you should do it regulary
    Parting with books was always very painful for me and there was a huge one even this summer. Although they were books already "in waiting" in the cellar…..but they were my first childhood books.I guess it was the same for you
    Having an office is a wonderful thing,I'm so happy for you(and curious)
    Dottoressa

  8. Anonymous
    24 August 2019 / 12:59 pm

    So happy to “ hear” from you! I’ve missed you, too!

  9. Mary
    24 August 2019 / 1:03 pm

    As my mother would have said, "You've been busy in your tea half hour." Lovely to hear from you.

  10. materfamilias
    24 August 2019 / 4:07 pm

    TofFrance: Yes they are!
    Ali: Hi! 😉
    Mary: Living in a smaller space, I'm learning to recycle even more. . . and we live so close to a very good public library. . . I like your approach.
    Lisa: It will be a modest space, but I'm excited too. And have missed you, and yes, très décontractée 😉
    Mme: It does feel important to find good destinations for the culled books. They really still matter to me. . .
    Anonymouses 😉 Thank you!
    Dottoressa: The childhood ones would be really tough to let go. . . . btw, did you ever get to the beach this summer?
    Mary: That's such a cute expression 😉

  11. hostess of the humble bungalow
    24 August 2019 / 4:18 pm

    Books are very easy for me to cull as we have a wee little library across the street. My husband keeps most of his and our home is very small and short on storage. I am going to pare down my wardrobe when our bedroom renovations are complete! That may prove difficult as it’s fairly small but I notice that there are a few things that just hang on the gamers and don’t get worn aside from a few dressy items I don’t think I need to keep them.
    Enjoy your special anniversary date with pater!
    Have fun with your creative closet office space! Needs must.

  12. Mardel
    5 September 2019 / 11:01 am

    I have gotten much better at culling books, although I still have far too many. I will probably accumulate more as I actually have empty shelves, for perhaps the first time in my adult life. Oddly I like the promise of that, perhaps a reminder to keep books in circulation, Good to have you back.

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