How Was Your Week? A Week in France and Beyond

It doesn’t seem possible that a week ago today we were visiting our family who live in France. Although it rained EVERY day for most of the day, it was great to spend time with the family, especially since I knew it would probably be about six months before we saw them again. At the end of our stay, leaving was hard. Saying goodbye to the grandchildren, who are aged 14 and 11 brought a tear to my eye. They are growing up so quickly that it seems like the blink of an eye; we were changing nappies, potty training, and playing games of let’s pretend that Lenny the Lizard in Portugal had stowed away in our suitcase and come on vacation. It just so happened a lizard appeared on a rock in their garden so …

My Favourite Dog

It doesn’t seem possible that their dog —a blue merle —is eight and shows no sign of slowing down. He is such an intelligent dog and loves to play. While I will miss his constant requests to play ball, I won’t miss his strong doggy smell when his long, shaggy coat gets wet.

Karaoke and Jive

While we were there, we went to a karaoke night at a restaurant called Cascade. I have never tried Karaoke, and I doubt I will do so again. But there I was, performing a French duet karaoke! I confess I was very tipsy. And, as the music moved on to another song, a young man asked me to dance the rock jive. ERm… I surprised myself and Mr. Piglet, with my agility as my partner twirled me this way and that. I struggle to walk and have balance issues at times, so I was also surprised I managed to stay upright. Apparently, dance is good for the brain! And wine is good for silencing any inhibitions.

OMG, the CAKES

#FoodieFriday: If you’re on a diet, look away now!

Playing Chess

In an attempt to separate our grandson from his PlayStation 5, we encouraged him to play board and card games. Well sort of. Mr. P challenged him to a game of chess, and despite not playing since he was at school, he was rather surprised when he won both games.

Halloween

Once home, we quickly got back into the groove and got ready for the hoards of trick-or-treaters. I tasked Mr. P to buy a pumpkin. He came home with one the size of a large orange and about as much use as a **@#! chocolate t-pot. Sigh….

I rest my case

Last year we were mobbed by children and ran out of goodies, so this year I bought lots of sweets. However, because we had no street light, our outside lights had fused, and the wind kept blowing out the Halloween candle outside our gate to let children know we were willing to play, our house was in darkness. Needless to say, I must have been the only witch on Halloween to mount her broomstick and go find the trick-or-treaters to give them sweets.

Oh, and I didn’t waste the pumpkin and made soup. More about that on Foodie Friday

All Saints’ Day — Dia de Todos os Santos

In Portugal, All Saints’ Day — Dia de Todos os Santos — is celebrated on November 1st. It’s a national public holiday, meant to honour all saints, known and unknown.

Traditionally, people visit cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves of loved ones with flowers, especially chrysanthemums. It’s more about remembrance than festivity — quiet, family-centred, often followed by a shared meal. I like this.

In some regions, children go door to door saying “Pão por Deus” (literally “bread for God”), a bit like trick-or-treating but older and gentler — they’re given small gifts like cakes, nuts, or sweets.

Sad News

Talking of remembering the dead, I was sad to read that one of our dear blogging friends, Trent McDonald Of Trents World, sadly passed away. Trent was a regular on WeekendCoffeeShare and shared the Weekly Smile

Their sudden passing made me pause to reflect. None of us knows what is before us, and we should try to live each moment to the full.

That’s it for this week, folks. See y’all next week.