Being friend and a godmother

I sometimes wonder if I'm not the worst friend: never calling, forgetting birthdays. My only redeeming feature is the obsession of sending my friends a postcard when I travel somewhere far and exotic. Which is the only regular correspondence I get to write these days to give some news to all my friends who are all over the places.

Of course, having friends nearby does not guarantee that we would hang out often, a J. told me in Newcastle. Everyone has their lives, their rhythm and it is difficult to meet up regularly,  Sex in the City style. So once a year I try to be a good friend and pay a visit. This time, I went to be a godmother as well, and meet my soon to be 3 year old godchild again.

He is going to pre-school in September and I racked my brain for something that could be useful but gave up with coloring book and stickers..I was looking for a blouse but all they had was plastic and vinyl blouses, which were very ugly.

I woke up at 5am on Saturday to take a 7:40 train to Aix en Provence to meet them, and M. was shy and pretending to sleep in the car until we got to the farmer's market and shopped for vegetables. S and C were as their usual calm and I really love their couple dynamic. Because the weather was scorching hot and it was high season for tourists on the beach, we waited until 18h to go to the beach and have a picnic.

 

We took the highway adin 30min we were in La Ciotat. We first headed towards the Figuerolles, which was accessible through a descent along fancy residentce and restaurant, and a view over the geological rock formation that was the local curiosity.

 

We didn't stay long and soon climbed back up to get to the other beach for the picnic. C took a dive in the 27C water, and M was playing at wetting rocks. We dined on chicken, cherry tomatoes, potato chips, grapes and melon. S was on a  day diet without fiber as she was to undergo a digestive endoscopy and other check ups, so she was on a rice and chicken and meringue diet.

We got back home satisfied and tired, took a nice hot shower and slept like a rock until Sunday 7a, when my body clock impulsively woke me up, despite the absence of any sound I could then hear M. babbling to his parents. But I stayed in bed until I felt too hot and th toilet was calling. After a breakfast on freshly baked pain au chocolat, M and I worked on collecting pine balls when his Mom were doing some real gardening. It was my bonding time with the little man, and we did play nice. We checked the swimming pool temperature, which was only 26C, so we waited till the afternoon to play in the pool.

C came back from his regular Sunday mountain bike excursion, we hung the laundry in the blazing sun, we picked (and ate) some late strawberries and tomatoes for lunch, and soon we had to send C to buy meat for the bbq. While C prepared for lunch, S and I tuned her harp that C made for her, and we tried to play some of her old pieces. I even tried to accompany her while she sung her old motets. It was the first time I played the harp, and the first time we attempted to make music together, but it felt great!

Lunch was the scene of some discipline drama for M, who was punished for not obeying. It was the first time I saw S yell and be that angry....After lunch we all had a nap...

After the nap, before M finished his, we took a dip int he pool to get refreshed before everyone would pack for Monday again. 

Sundays are great, really...and I miss them already.