Flowers

The tyranny of the sweet peas continues.  I might have to get another vase.

I also picked all the roses from the garden this morning, to throw at our neighbourhood bride.  A couple of neighbours are getting married - I think their sons pestered them into it.  It is the first marriage at our Mairie for years - and the first our new Mayor has ever done.  She commented during the ceremony that she was probably more nervous than the couple!  The few hundred guests were not all able to crowd into the Mairie's biggest room, but I made sure that we were among the lucky few for our first French wedding.

It was all swiftly done, with much recitation of the Civil Code, very loud "Oui" from the couple and then outside for lots of bubble blowing and petal throwing.  Off then down the road for drinks (though I wimped out and took the car as my most beautiful shoes were already threatening to cripple me) in the garden of a local hall.  Though I find these occasions hard in any language, small talk is particularly a struggle for me in French.  Since the kids abandoned me straight away (CarbBoy to play football and TallGirl to sit around elegantly with her pal) I just got on with it and seemed to manage to not make a total fool of myself.

I think we possibly overdid it with dressing up... There were folk there in jeans, and CarbBoy was one of only two males with a tie on...  TallGirl definitely made the right call when she declined the feathers in her up-do option.  Still, probably better to be too smart than too scruffy.  

After a few hours, time for the evening guests to pile into cars to head off to their venue, and we rolled home.  In the garden for a quick glass of wine, the blackbirds were kicking off as they always do early evening.  However, the cheeping seemed louder than usual, and suddenly an owl appeared, with blackbird in hot pursuit.  I wonder if the owl (a Little Owl I think) had tried to raid the nest or steal a fledgling? 

Later, the kids persuaded me to put an episode of Friends on, and then another, and another and before I knew it it was 11pm and Ross was saying the wrong name at a wedding.  TallGirl a little bit believes that I am going to follow through on my threat and make her wait 6 months to find out what happens next, just like we had to after a season finale.