Finding peace…and pools

Twice a week, I drag myself out of bed at the crack of dawn and after changing nappies and cleaning up the puppy pen, Arry, Alice and I set off for a run. Not being a morning person, it always takes me a couple of kilometres to get into the stride – a small part of me thinks I should turn around and go back to bed but once I get into the rhythm, my mind settles. To me, running is not so much about the fitness although we do encounter a lot of hills, it’s more of a meditation practice. I switch off the daily irritations and frustrations and instead, let my thoughts wander wherever they want. My watch loudly clocks in the distance covered but as I tend to stick to the same area, mainly because I then have a rough idea where Arry has disappeared to, I don’t pay a lot of attention to the voice in my ear. Occasionally we pass another walker or runner and there is always a tractor or two buzzing in the vines but this hour or so is my ‘peace time’.

I am often asked if I am happy here and do I think I made the right decision in leaving London. It’s a difficult thing to answer because, as I’ve said before, there was my life then and there is my life now. There are times when I have twinges of guilt, is it right to be happy when you have been widowed? For the first year after Tony died, I would wake up most mornings hoping the nightmare was over and he would be there snoring by my side. Leaving London and that part of me behind was the best thing I ever did and yes, I think I do deserve to be happy. France and all its quirks is where I want to be.

The missing link in all this peace and happiness is not being able to see Callum but with luck and the gods on our side, he will be here this week. The constant toing and froing of which countries are on the naughty list is a constant worry and I know I’m not the only one separated from their child. Naturally I have refrained from getting too excited especially as Yogi Bear would find it difficult to contain himself and he has been told to rest his foot ( a little operation to remove a little mass). We just have to cross our fingers and paws for the next couple of days and get our boy home.

With the weather heating up once again after a few somewhat cold and wet days, I had an invitation from our neighbour, Louise, to use her pool. With ours still in the construction phase, albeit getting there slowly, I wasn’t one to turn her down plus it was a good chance to see her design and deck area as I had already done so in a visit to our other neighbours’ pool last week. Being such a friendly village and with almost everyone having a pool, I am gladly accepting all rendezvous for a swim and a sneak peek. Unfortunately the pesky pandemic put a stop to the local Friday night get-together at the Bistro so getting to know your neighbours’ means donning a swimsuit and grabbing a towel. Good for the mind and the soul……

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears” (John Lennon)