Friday, May 15, 2009

Garden Interlude

On Wednesday evening, Ken and I had the pleasure of meeting an Australian couple who read our blogs. Sue and Leon are from the Melbourne area and are in France for a month-long holiday. They've been to France a couple of times before.

Ken (left), Sue, and Leon in our back garden.

The weather was warm and humid all day, but nice. Just as they arrived, however, it began to rain. So we started out with drinks and nibbles on the sheltered front deck. The rain didn't last, and we moved our little feast out back to the garden.

We had a great time chatting about all manner of things. And we got to practice our Australian, mate. I can't think of the last time I got to use the word wombat in conversation. All the while a gentle thunderstorm rumbled by off to the west providing a little background "music" for us. All too soon it was time to say good-bye. We hope they'll come back again the next time they're in France.

Blogging has introduced us to so many different people from so many different places that we probably would not have occasion to meet otherwise. Ken says it makes all of us bloggers a bit like celebrities. People that we don't know read about us and our lives. Of course, we control what they read and see. We are our own paparazzi.

18 comments:

  1. Other Aussie 'slang' for your vocabulary:

    'Strewth!' (as in 'is that the truth?! Are you for real!?)

    'Flaming Hell!' (oh my god!)

    And you're already familiar with Bogan..... :)

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  2. You have no idea (or maybe you do) how much your blogs mean to some of us. My friend Marsha (from Seattle) first introduced me to your blogs a couple of years ago.
    We talk about you three (Callie included) every time we talk to each other......did you see Ken's blog?....Can you believe what Walt wrote today?.....How about how beautiful Callie looked in the picture of her looking at the birds?....etc....etc...etc.

    We feel like we know you so well. Thanks for letting us into your lives.

    Great pictures today....could use another one of Callie.

    Victoria, Bellingham, Wa

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  3. Wow, that's a GREAT umbrella! There's something just so relaxing to me about an outdoor table with a big umbrella :))

    I'm happy it's the weekend! And only about 2 weeks more of school!

    Judy

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  4. You two ARE celebrities. I check your blogs daily, and honestly I know more about your daily lives than about most of my family and friends.

    We live the same kind of life but here there's no glamor!

    I wish you two could come and sit under our garden umbrella sometime. (If we get a gite this September, maybe it can happen.)

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  5. Yours and Ken's are the first blogs I read in the morning because they are the most interesting. I have deleted some blogs that started well but went nowwhere or got too negative. I want to "discover" new landscapes, learn about new projects, gardening, food, shopping... what is going on in different countries, all written intelligently. Your blogs are always even with no shades of gray and your answers to comments are always objective.

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  6. PS : I added Sue and Leon's blog to my favorites because they are visiting the region where I was born. More to learn through someone else's eyes.

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  7. Hi Ken..I have to agree with the previous posters.We all feel we know you Walt and Callie by keeping up with your daily postings.Keep up the good work!!

    Marsha

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  8. Woops,sorry meant to say Walt!!!

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  9. A couple from Melbourne should have no trouble with rain. (That is Sydney tongue in cheek coming out.)

    I'm surprised you needed to move out of it. :-)

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  10. evol, thanks for the lessons! I'll be speaking like an Aussie in no time!

    victoria, thanks so much! Saturday's post is for you!

    judy, we've had that umbrella for over ten years! I like it, too. Yay for the end of school!

    carolyn, we'll look forward to it!

    nadege, we are humbled!

    chris, doubly so!

    marsha, glad you're enjoying us!

    victor, ah, rival cities! They did tell us they've been in an 8-year drought. Ugh!

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  11. oh, and evol, I grew up bogan!

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  12. yes you are celebrities!
    You have a splendid 'place'; and you are not hard on the eyes either!

    I am jealous that you meet your blogger readers. I hope to do so some day as well

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  13. You guys ARE celebs!!! Alex and I can't wait to come visit you and to meet Ken!! Yayyyy!!
    BTW, your backyard looks HUGE, like I could get lost just taking pictures!!
    Take care and have a great weekend..
    Leesa

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  14. Hi Walt,
    Sue and I are now in Sancerre and enjoying the local wine. Tomorrow is a Brocante before we move onto Auxerre and the to Dijon for the week.
    Talk soon MATE!!!
    We really did enjoy the experience of meeting you both.
    Have a good life.
    Leon & Sue

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  15. urspo, meeting fellow bloggers is fun! Hint, hint.

    leesa, looking forward to seeing you!

    leon, we enjoyed it as well. Bonne continuation, as they say!

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  16. I'm a newcomer to your blog and am enjoying it immensely. I take vicarious pleasure in the good life in la belle France.

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  17. You won't catch us teaching you any Australian slang mate. We're not complete drongoes!

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