Rentrée: for the French, this usually refers to the first week in September, when they return to work after their month of August vacation. For me, today, it’s returning to life in France after two weeks in California with family and friends.  

It’s jet lag; waking up at 4:20 AM and watching the moon move across the sky through my open window.   

It’s thinking of my first born, who’s birthday celebration I am missing.  I feel melancholy, for sure, not being with him to celebrate.  This will be the first “event” that I will miss since the move.  Part of the things I had to weigh in making my decision to make a move to France. 

It’s reflecting on the outcome of the Brexit vote and how that corresponds to what’s happening in my own country-a recurring conversation both here in Europe and while I was in States.  Both seem to be an endorsement of an “It’s all about me” attitude.  
It’s pulling my sourdough starter out of the refrigerator and feeding it to bring it back to life.  After all, one of the reasons I came to France was to bake bread as well as break bread.  

It’s taking walks twice a day, or more, because the town is so beautiful that I can’t stay away.

It’s obsessively snapping pictures with my phone- of the river…

Or fountains…

or flowers.

It’s a walk through town at 7 in the morning as the vendors set up for the Saturday market.

It’s the food…

and it’s the people.

I came back to a full house- a friend of a new neighbour, visiting from New Orleans, needs a place to stay for 8 days, so she is in  the third floor bedroom.  The second floor guest room is being inhabited by Jack Matusek, aka The Blogging Butcher, a student of Kate de Camont, who returned to do a stage (internship) with our friend Dominique Chapolard at his farm.  It was odd, after two months of quiet time here on rue Turroquet, but it’s all part of summer season in Nèrac: visitors in town from around the world, neighbours arriving to spend a few months at their second homes, stone fruits and summer vegetables at the marché and in the kitchen.