Lindsey

Lindsey newsletter # 94
Nantes, Saturday 18th November, 23-30.

Long time no see…

I now have to talk about a whole month…

A first week with a lot of lectures for me; Lindsey organising the house and building up more and more autonomy. Vikki then came back in time to let me fly to Lisbon for 2 days to go and fetch a prize for the ClassCode project. A last sprint and we were ready to fly off to Sardinia for a week.

I will only have some pictures here. Vikki took many more which you can view here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/i916aM321M39J6oA2.

We flew out late on Friday 27th, landing in Olbia at 11. We had a bad start: we had rented two cars through a company called Goldcar. We found ourselves stranded: they didn’t have the car I wanted (a Fiat 500) but found errors in the way we had filled the forms and the guy somehow convinced us that the only way to settle things was to pay for a special insurance which multiplied by 5 the amount we were supposed to pay. And at 11 at night, with some of us very tired and needing rest there was no alternative than agreeing. When a few days later I scratched the car, I was nearly glad.

A first night at Olbia, not far from the airport and a drive down the Estern coast to the first Agriturismo, somewhere between Orosei and Dorgali. On the way, a first swim, still in October.

Agriturismo is one of Italy’s best ideas. These are run on farms: the lodgings are rather basic but the bonus is the food. We opted for Dinner and Breakfast. And we were not disappointed: great food, most of which came from the farm itself. We drove around the area and on the Sunday went for the large expedition of the journey. We walked up to the Nuragic village of Tiscali. This prehistoric village is high in the mountains of the Supramonte. It took us more than 2 hours to get to the top. This was hard work for Lindsey (to be fair, I underestimated the hardness of the task); in Vikki’s pictures you will see some of the techniques we used to get up.

We drove down the coast a little more before turning West to the village of Santu Lussurghiu. The village is on a hill. Paved streets, arches between the houses and impossible not to get lost. We were able to visit the area which included ruins of all types corresponding to the different inhabitants over the ages. We also enjoyed the food with a special mention for the best pizzas I ever ate, the Sardinian bread, the Fiore cheese…

The town of Bosa was beautiful, as was the one of Alghero which had been a prized Catalan possession: they still speak some form of Catalan there.

A last night in another Agroturismo, a last swim in the sea, this time in November, and time to get back home.

The days after getting back have passed quickly. Vikki stayed a few days and then went off for another holiday, to Prague. Lindsey has been taking an increasing amount of decisions and is now very autonomous. Partly because she is, globally, much better, but also because I am buried in complex but great questions.

We are now preparing for Christmas, slowly.

Love

Lindsey newsletter # 93
Nantes, Sunday 15th October, 15-30.

Let’s face it. I didn’t get a single message asking me to update the blog. There can be a number of reasons to that. The first is that no one is interested. I can handle the fact that no one is interested in how I am writing about Lindsey’s progress, but I know that a lot of people are interested in Lindsey’s progress.

A second more probable reason is that we have had visits and the visitors have been giving out the news. Ah. I should be asking for the exclusivity!

The third much more probable reason is that Lindsey is much more active now, more engaged (this is the modern word) and present on the social networks or the phone. So again, many are getting the news anyhow and not needing to rely on me to write things out.

Ah. Yes, but all that doesn’t really explain why I have taken 3 weeks to update the blog nor does it justify this slackness.

Again, the main excuse is work (how boring can you get). But there is a more important reason: tranquillity. For the first time since July 2016 I am not living in a situation where only immediacy counts, where no real plans are possible, where it is one day at the time.

The shock and change came on the 26th of September when the (new) oncologist gave us the good news that things were good, the enemy had not come back. We were able to ask questions about flying and even long term. For the first time.

The medicines dropped from 8 a day to 3 a day and are not the worry of the day any longer.

So it has taken me a while to adjust. Essentially nothing has changed: girls come in a few times per week: Suzanne on Monday, Mélissandre on Tuesday, Michelle on Thursday and Marie-Pierre on Friday. But for a few hours only, so Lindsey has now quite a lot of time on her own. At least in theory because we have had Lali, then Jill over. And Vikki has arrived back recently.

Lindsey has started her potting again. Every Monday, 2 hours. She seems delighted. She has been able to go shopping on her own. First the bread, then the local supermarket. Of course, building up autonomy helps tremendously.

As I said before, we are now allowed to make plans (considering all things, this may be the most important sentence in today’s post). So we booked flights to Sardinia, leaving Nantes on the 27^th of this month. For a week. The rest of the plan is unclear: it involves renting cars, going between hotels, apartments and agriturismo.

So expect a future post full of holiday pictures!

Love

Lindsey newsletter # 91
Nantes, Sunday 10th September, 23-30.

I shall complete this entry at a further time. I just wanted to reassure anyone reading the blog. Lindsey is doing fine. I have just not found much time to go through the many pictures that were taken last week-end, format them and write about them.

So I’ll just try to write a little and will add the pictures at a later date.

In Nantes we have come back to routine. Girls come most mornings and afternoon which allows Lindsey to go out. Long walks into town, to the market or to visit Cambronne take place. I have taken the dust off my bicycle and have been going to and from work with it.

Last week-end was Lindsey’s birthday. So we decided to go to the island of Yeu to celebrate. Vikki is working and living there, and since she works on week-ends, the only way to be all together was to take the ferry to Yeu.

Vikki had managed to get a house for rental at a special house. The house was giving straight on the sea. It was lovely to hear the waves from the bed and see the fishermen pull up their post early in the morning while drinking the breakfast coffee.

In Yeu you can eat and walk. We did both. I bought some lobsters from the fishing boat and they became the birthday meal. And we had long walks on the coastline paths.

Very nice, very peaceful.

Lindsey newsletter # 92
Nantes, Saturday 23rd September, 22-30.

And two weeks went past…

After a few days on our own we were joined by Lali. She arrived in the right moment as I was going to face 8 strenuous days. I have given talks, taught robotics to children, launched the Unesco chair, gone to Ljubljana and back to the Unesco conference…

During which time Lali has been here looking after, with a visit of Vikki to help in the middle.

Lindsey has also become more and more autonomous, taking over in the kitchen, walking a lot, building her own agenda. Everyone who has seen her or heard her has noticed the improvement. Which is great.

On Wednesday (20th) she went to the hospital for an MRI. We will only know the results in a few days. So for the moment we are enjoying life. Today we even were sunbathing in the garden. I will try and not get stressed before Monday evening.

Love

Lindsey, newsletter # 88
Biarritz, Tuesday 3rd August, 1600

Jill visited us straight after our trip to England. The weather went from horribly hot (and no, I am not speaking of England here) to wet and cold. I used the days to finish off different bits of work.

Work has been complicated. The one thing I have learnt over the past months is that you start by having a problem but very rapidly become the problem. I obviously didn’t have to suffer as much as other partners I met in the hospital who in at least two cases ended up losing their jobs as they no longer were able to give the performance they used to. But the system does try to eliminate you. Excuses of all sorts are used, but no pity.

The nice bit has been that we were counting the days to go on holidays.

And on Saturday 29^th we were off. The first trip was simple: down to Fromentine, less than an hour away, where we met up with Ulli and Jacques, and Jacques mother “Mémie”. From there the boat to the island of Yeu. Pictures of the island are in the Blog a few weeks ago (on the first of May we were there). Vikki and Fabien were very kind with us and Fabien even let us have his car. This resulted in me being stopped by the police while bringing some lobsters to the fridge.

We stayed for 2 nights at the Hotel des voyageurs, which is situated next to the port. And we had a lovely time, entertained by Ulli and Jacques: a lot of (excellent) food, some walks, a bit of swimming and great conversations.

We left the Ile d’Yeu on Monday the 31^st and drove down to Biarritz. This was supposed to be a 5 hour drive but took close to 8. A lot of traffic and getting lost quite a bit. Our car is now so old, and the navigation system seems to have maps dating from the past century!

In Biarritz we were greeted by Maria Jesus and Manolo who had waited for us before getting back to Zamora. It was lovely to see them again!

Lindsey newsletter # 89
Biarritz, Wednesday 16th August, 1400. Dia de San Roque
One year ago today we were flying back from Korea…
The preliminary remarks for this entry are the following:

• The entry is unfairly balanced: I have a lot of pictures covering one part, hardly any covering the other. It possibly is due to having more time to take pictures
• There are several food pictures. Admittedly, food is important for us. Specially right now. Because of Pancreas trouble, Lindsey has to be very careful with what she eats. This means spending a lot of time looking for things that are both delicious or safe. Anyhow, there are several pictures with food. So yes, it is a key issue!
• I wanted to blame work for being late in writing things in the blog. But now it appears clearly that work cannot be blamed as work has not been an issue for the past 2 weeks.

We got to Biarritz and enjoyed more than a week there. Solitude (ie being two) only lasted less than 12 hours as Julie, Ian, Brook and Alfie arrived from London on the first of August. We brought them to our « usual spots »: the ferry to Hondarribia, the trip to Bayonne (with now the stop at the great Asian shop they had there). But also a lot of beach. The boys learnt to surf, we walked a lot.
The highlight (at least for Lindsey and I because I suspect that it was quad noising in the Basque valleys for others 😉 was a climb to the Rhune and lunch at the Yasola.
Technically, Lindsey, Julie and I only walked up to the Yasola, while the boys –including Boris who had arrived by then went to the top and then down to the Yasola.
The Yasola is a « venta ». It is placed 20 steps into Spain. In the old days these places would be used for smuggling. Now, it is a restaurant serving cordero (lamb) and some great omelettes.
Julie and co left on the 9th.

We drove to Morales on the next day.

Morales has always been an important place for us. In the past months Lindsey got many direct and indirect messages of love and support from Morales. It mattered therefore a lot that we could make the trip.
In Morales people were thrilled to see Lindsey. Interestingly between the more enthusiastic were (some of) the bar owners who were so pleased to have Lindsey there.
In Morales the fiestas take place in August. And that can be fun but also noisy and exhausting. So we only travelled with the intention of staying 4 days and coming back on the 15th. The 15th is an important day, called el dia de nuestra señora. It is the day where an important mass takes place, where my father would go and participate to the wine tasting competition which inevitably would finish way past 3 o’clock, involving everyone to wait for his return to start lunch. Everyone would mean a party of about 30 of us who would wear their best clothes and eat together in el cuarto, the place we built at the turn of the century for that.
In the evening, when possible, we put a table out, drink wine with the meat which has been gently cooked on the vine shoots. And look at the sky, count the shooting stars.

Morales is also the place where the spitfire is kept, brilliantly looked after by Jesus.
Every day in Morales, before it became too hot, Lindsey and I would go off in the spitfire for a drive down the small roads, at 70km/h, taking in the scenery, stopping in the small villages. The spitfire is of course an easy way to start a conversation in every village we stop. There are also the chances of seeing remote villages, old churches and a lot of wild life.

One of our first stops was in Villavieja del Cerro. I have been able to trace back de la Higuera’s living there in the early 16th century, so it was great to be allowed in the church which dates from that period.

As Lindsey put it on the last day: “can we just drive off?”

Lindsey newsletter # 90
Nantes, Thursday 30th August, 20-00.

After 3 days rest in Biarritz Lindsey and I left for Cantabria on Friday 18th.
We had rented a large house in a place called Hazas de Cesto, about 10km from the sea and at the foot of the mountains.

Cantabria is a region of the North of Spain, stuck between the Basque country and Asturias. It is known as green and mountainous and very much a place for food lovers.

The plan was that Juanma and Rosa, Jesus and Merche were supposed to drive up in the afternoon to open the house. Lindsey and I were to have a later start, pick up Luisa and Jose at Bilbao airport and arrive for a very late dinner.

The plan failed rapidly as our friends from Alicante misread the time of their flight which they then missed. They decided to rent a car and drive all night. We laughed about this at a later stage but in the moment it was bad news.

So Lindsey and I drove directly to the house where we had a great first evening, using the barbecue for some pork, sausages and morcilla (the Spanish version of black pudding, with the difference that each region has its own… the Burgos one being the one I prefer).

Eventually, Jose and Luis arrived at 4 in the morning but found the wrong house into which they nevertheless marched… it seems the owner was sympathetic and helped them find the real house.

On the Saturday, lunch was in a restaurant in the medieval city of Lierganes. We then drove to the Severiano Ballesteros international airport for Jose and Luisa to drop their car. And from there to the coast. Rocky with huge cliffs and lovely beaches. In the town of Ajo we managed to do some shopping: more meat which was duly grilled in the evening.

Sunday, Casa German for lunch (my red beans were just as good as the chipirones en su tinta I had as a second course, Lindsey preferred Asparagus and meat). In the evening I prepared one of my specialities: barbecued oysters.
Monday, we needed a rest and we made a rice salad. Lindsey spent a lot of time cutting all sorts of vegetables to put in it.

Tuesday we went to Santander market. The excuses was that at that point Luisa was worried that having missed their flight in Alicante, they could be black-listed for the return, so we had to go the Sevy Ballesteros airport again to check (all went fine). I never saw such a fish market as the one in Santander. We chose 4 lobsters and two Tuna (Bonito del norte). I froze some bonito and cooked the lobster which we had for dinner.

Wednesday we had Alubias con almejas: broad white beans with clams would be an approximation. This was produced by Merche and was simply delicious. I will add it to our menu this winter.

Thursday we had the chuletones (T-bones) we had bought a few days ago in the local shop. As an aperitif I produced a plate of Bonito sushi which was lovely. In the morning we had separated into 3 groups. Juanma and Rosa chose the beach; Lindsey Luisa and Merche went to the local village of Escalante where there were fiestas: they seem to have had a great time. Jesus, Jose and I went back to Santoña where we waked all the way round the hill which closes the entrance to the bay. The walk involved getting to two lighthouses, the most impressive being el Faro del caballo which you reach after a steep climb down 740 steps. When you get to the faro you can still go down a little and throw yourself into the crystalline (but cold) waters of the bay. Which we did of course. When reaching Santoña again, we found a bar to eat something, choosing two dozen sardines, some anchovies (of course), pulpo and other wonderful seafood.

Friday we drove to the nearby village of Matienzo. The village is in a valley which doesn’t have a way out. The rivers all end up in a flow and through a system of caves this continues to the next valley. After a nice walk we went back to casa German where we ate cabrito (young goat). Sumptuous. I then felt so full that I decided to walk back. A full 10 miles. Then a swim in the sea and tortilla de patatas (and still some tuna to spare) to finish a great gastronomical week
On Saturday we drove back. A stop in the seaside town of Castro Urdiales and back to France

Lindsey, newsletter # 83
Bletchley Park, Sunday 9th July, 2300

June ended peacefully with Lali going back to Biarritz. Lindsey and I then just let the days go by. That is only half true: still some work involving organising a conference in Slovenia in September and making sure that everything would be ready for the summer break.

On Saturday 8th we took the train to Paris. Once there, a rest and into Paris to meet up with old friends. A walk by the Seine, crossing to the Ile de la Cité, then the Ile Saint-Louis. A nice sunset with Notre-Dame. And then a meal in a Lebanese restaurant. We still have to suffer the effects of a heat wave, but as I am writing these lines (on the ferry to Dover), I am realizing that perhaps we will regret the heat in the next few days.

The goal for today is to get to Bletchley Park where we have our hotel. I have been to Bletchley a few years ago, before the Turing hype started. Very little had been done to the place at that point and it seemed strange that a place of such historic importance would be so abandoned.

Lindsey, newsletter # 84
Somewhere… before a tunnel, Tuesday 11th July, 2300

We are cruising round the ring.
On Monday we managed an early start (2pm) and we went up to Long Itchington were we moored for the night close a lovely pub. Pétanque was on the programme before dinner.

On day 2 we had rain. All day. We still managed to do more than 9 hours of navigation, getting very wet, specially in the Hatton flights, a series of 25 locks which brings you to the top of the hill. Unrewarding in this case because of the rain.

Lindsey, newsletter # 85
Somewhere… next to Nuneaton, Saturday 15th July, 1200

Saturday 15th of July

On day 2 of our trip it rained non stop; we moored at the entrance of a canal and were able to walk up from there to a pub.

Day 3 saw an improvement. So much so that we decided to stop the boat and wander off for a long walk. We reached an old mansion (Baddesley Clinton was the name) whose gardens probably deserved a visit, but at 12 pounds a ticket we decided that our money could be better employed elsewhere.

We spent the night at Catherine de Barnes. The towpath kept us close to the town. No food around so we ordered an Indian meal which was delivered to our boat!

On day 4, Thursday, we had to struggle quite a bit. We approached Birmingham from the south, having spent the night at a nice place called. So we turned right at the Bordesley junction, entered into the canal and after 500 yards found the first lock padlocked. The canal wasn’t wide enough to turn round so we had to cruise backward: Jacques at the steering wheel, Thierry with a rope to the stern (or should we call it the bows), and Lindsey and I with rope and pole trying to keep the bows aligned. That took us a while and quite a lot of energy..

This made us have to go through the centre of Birmingham with many extra locks. At last we got to Salford Junction, which was the other end of the short-cut we weren’t allowed to take. A bit further, more trouble when gravel barges seemed to be floating unattached in the middle of the canal!

All this made us arrive quite late at our rendez-vous of the day. Were waiting for us, and treated us to a great meal, Rick (Lindsey’s Brother), Helen (his wife), Jonathan and Joshua, sons.

We had a really nice evening and it was quite simply a special occasion.

On day 5 we had a lovely cruise up to Fazeley and down again to Atherstone where we spent the night. We went into Atherstone where we ordered a Chinese takeaway and waited for it in one of the numerous pubs of the place. We probably made the wrong choice but managed to get a glimpse of rural brexit England. The meal was great… but far too much of it. I think we will be eating Chinese till the end of our trip!

Saturday (day 6) started with a bad news. The lovely weather we had expected had transformed itself in just another one of those boring “summer” days. A bit of rain, a grey sky, some cold wind.

We moved south with a dozen locks, some of which were manned by volunteers. It turns out that, as a hobby, some people are prepared to stand in the rain wearing a life-jacket, a handle in the town, waiting for the occasional traveller to appear on his barge.

Lindsey, newsletter # 86
Nantes, Tuesday 18th July, 23-45

On Saturday we cruised the few miles that separated us with our next meeting: Jill, Bill, Georgie, Julie, Ian, Brook, Alfie and Misty. We ate roast chicken as the chosen place was a Rotisserie. Lots of laughs later we embarked to get a bit further and moored on a rustic part of the river. No pub next door. Just the river and the quiet. Dinner… for the second time, the Chinese.

Sunday was the day to get back to base. It was supposed to be sunny but turned out to be grey, when not raining. It was also injury day: Lindsey started having a bad back on Friday, only moments after separating from the others. On Sunday, it was greater and she spent most of the day sitting in a chair. Which meant that when in the afternoon, after I had let Jacques and Thierry go off for a walk and was trying to reach bridge 101 which was the rendez-vous point, she could not help me. And that is when I chose to miss my sharp turning into the Oxford canal, find both ends of the barge touching opposite sides of the canal. I rushed through the boat to try to push us off from the bow, jumped on the stony embankment, slipped and ended with both feet in the river. There was also a nasty cut on the leg.

The evening brought us close to a great pub. The Folly. A nice place to end our trip.

Monday brought us back to France. A quite frantic day. Return the boat at 9-30 (in full sunshine, of course…), speed down motorways to catch the ferry. In the ferry Lindsey’s back pain became more acute: we actually had to get the steward to announce « is there a Doctor on board? ». There wasn’t, but a nice nurse came to help.

After a (hot) night in Paris, train back to Nantes. We saw the Doctor in the afternoon who didn’t seem too worried about Lindsey’s back and suggested that I continue with the cocktail of pain-killers I am becoming quite an expert on.

Anyhow, a much nicer medical visit than the one which brought me to open this blog exactly one year ago.

Love

Lindsey, newsletter # 87
Nantes, Tuesday 25th July, 2300

One year later… Dia de Santiago again.

One year ago at this time… Technically this fails this time in France means errrr, orrrr, I am no longer sure what time in Seoul. So perhaps we were still in the waiting moment. Or perhaps were we trying to rest.

What I do remember was getting up very early, Lindsey being injected some radioactive stuff and Vikki and I asked to stay with her and keep her in the dark. This involved covering her entirely with a blanket when a nurse tapped on the door.

Then leaving her, letting her go in on her own for the very complicated operation. We had been practising for hours the movements she was to do when asked, while Dr Chang was touching her brain, in order to know where to cut and where not.

Then the wait. Hours and hours. The choir. If you scroll this too long post you will find in somewhere. And finally the deliverance. Dr Chang with a smile on his face inviting us to go and see Lindsey with who we were even able to talk.

We celebrated today. A bottle of cava and a lobster. Some may find it weird to celebrate but I know that one year ago I would have signed with both hands for a glimpse of the present situation.

The photos on this week’s entry are by Jacques. Taken last week while in England, barging on the Warwickshire ring. I do have pictures of this week where we have had Jill’s visit, but will keep these for another time.

Lindsey, newsletter # 81
Nantes, Thursday 8th of June, 23-00.

Wow… Two weeks since the last entry.

And, to say the truth, not much to write about.

From a medical point of view, no news is good news. In many ways Lindsey is better: quiet and stronger. She needs times to rest but she is also able to do much more.

Lindsey remains muddled at times and needs time to find her words, but then she also has to do it in three languages, which remains quite a challenge.

Following our trip to London we had some days off (mysteries of a French month of May). We were supposed to go to see Myths in the Morbihan (check around 13’45) but the days were far too hot to attempt a long trip of that type.

I have been busy with interviews following the Unesco chair. But have been able to deal with many things from home.

We did use those hot week-ends to experiment with cooking: a bargain on the lobsters with our local Denise allowed us to try these in different ways. And we continued with our attempts with raw tuna and have concluded that it depended on the tuna, not the chef.

Today, finally, we were able to go into town to Hélène’s atelier. Hélène has been Lindsey’s pottery master for the past 5 years. When I left Lindsey with Hélène I was rather nervous, thinking she would be frustrated. But when I got back she had produced two pots and Hélène was very impressed, saying that Lindsey had in fact not last any of her dexterity. And Lindsey herself was both very proud and happy.

Love

Lindsey, newsletter # 82
Nantes, Thursday 29th of June, 22-00.

Have I been attacked by some Russian hacker? Or was I too happy for words a week ago, after the results of the MRI Lindsey went through on the 14th? Anyhow, I now find that I have not updated this blog for 3 weeks now!

I feel very guilty for all the Lindsey supporters who are in part to be thanked for the great state she now is in.

So I shall have to recall the memories of the past weeks.

On the 14th, Lindsey went through an MRI. On the 15th, Lindsey and I went to the appointment with the oncologist. I was very nervous… Looking at her eyes, her body language. Oh, yes I was sort of reassured about how well Lindsey had improved over the past month, but I was not sure that those external impressions would be sufficient.

But the news was really good with all parameters better than expected and we were given leave till September. As I wrote to some, probably the first good news since last July!

The week after went peacefully. Lali (my mother) arrived as a visitor and having her around allowed me to go to Paris. A trip in the middle of the heat wave…

On the 18th of June we celebrated the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo with a visit to Cambronne.

Part of the activities of the last few days has consisted in organising our summer programme. Let me write it out here. If a reader of this blog finds himself (herself) within a reachable distance of the following, he (she) is more than welcome to contact me and we will arrange a reunion!

• On 8th of July we travel to Paris and from Paris by car to Napton. Napton is the starting point of our canal boat trip on the Warwickshire ring. We will be doing this with our usual crew (Jacques and Thierry). We start sailing on the 10th and will go either clockwise or anticlockwise (still to be decided). We shall be back in Nantes on the 18th.
• At the beginning of August we will be down in Biarritz. As far as I know, so far, no visitors announced. The idea is to rest, possibly to walk and enjoy the Basque summer. At some point we will go to Morales for a few days. Morales where Lindsey has a lot of supporters!
• From 18th to 25th of August we will be somewhere in Cantabria. This is North of Spain, a part we don’t know. This should prove a great way to finish our summer!

Lindsey, newsletter # 78
Nantes, Tuesday 2nd of May, 23-45.

After Biarritz we had a nice gentle week; Just Lindsey and I. Logistics was a key issue as I had to work. So we had girls coming in mornings and afternoons, making lunch. Every day I would write out some instructions and try to think things out in advance. Lindsey is much better, so things worked out very well.

On Friday (28th) we left for Fromentine, from which we took the boat to Port-Joinville « capital » of the island of Yeu.
L’île d’Yeu is 45 minutes by boat from the coast. It is one of the islands of the Atlantic. Possibly the most remote: no bridge, just the ferry. 4000 inhabitants in the winter, 40 000 in the summer.

L’île d’Yeu is (in)famous for having been the place where Pétain was kept prisoner after WW2. He entered prison at the age of 89, after having been the (legitimate/elected) President of France since 1940. Interestingly it is difficult to find passages of his presence in the Ile d’Yeu: his tomb is hard to find in the local cemetery and there is no mention when you visit the citadel where he was kept prisoner. At this moment where we are very worried about the possible success of Marine Le Pen which would be on par with the Brexit and Trump results, one has to wonder: the fact of hiding from the people the dark parts of their history must have something to do with the fact that when you appeal to their historical sense they fail to respond…
We had rented a house for 3 nights: once there, Luis, Corinne, Robin, Boris and Lali joined us.
On Saturday we managed to have a great walk on the north coast but had to get back early because we had a rendez-vous to go fishing in the afternoon. This fishing involved climbing down the cliffs, taking profit of the low tide. Those who went finished with bloody hands but a fantastic result.
I then had no time to rest and had to join Vikki in the port. She had found a fisherman prepared to sell us a couple of lobsters. The lobsters were just enormous. The male was 3.1kg. The female 2.5. I have seen a lot of lobsters but never anything like that.

Back came the lobsters and the problems started. We had to cook them. And the pans in the house were not prepared to have them. Fabien brought one which seemed huge -I forgot to mention… more about Fabien and his family in a moment- but was still not huge enough. Oh yes, it needed 45 minutes to get the water to boil, but even like that, getting an animal of that size into the pot is quite a challenge.

The lobsters were only eaten on the Sunday. Showers and strong winds, but we managed to squeeze two great walks between these. And yes, the Lobsters tasted delicious.

On the Monday we again manages to have a fantastic walk. Yeu is a place to remember. You walk and pack as many images you can, to remember these on more dull days. We took the boat back on the evening.

If we had a great time in Yeu, one reason was that Fabien (Vikki’s boyfriend) lent us a car (his mum’s). And having a car made a huge difference. Nobody brings cars into te island. Only the islanders have cars (tourists move around on bicycles). But in this case, even if Lindsey is very strong, cycling was not an option. So we had a car which was great to move us to trail heads and be able to walk from there.

Today, there were several news to celebrate: Saint-Boris for one, my Unesco chair being made official for two, and Lindsey having her nails painted for the first time ever (says she) for three.

Lindsey, newsletter # 79
Nantes, Sunday 14th of May, 19-00.
Too much going on. Keeping up is hard work!
The team of the week had Lali here who came back with us from the Ile d’Yeu and left on Friday. This enabled me to get some work done, and they had time to do a lot. Lali of course contributed to filling bin-bags with weeds from the garden. Lindsey spent time on looking after herself but also starting to share responsibilities in the kitchen.
They went to the market a couple of times, which enabled us to have some nice fish and meat in the evenings.

On Wednesday we saw the oncologist for our monthly visit. She was very happy with the progress made. We got the go-ahead to start the last scheduled session of chimio on Friday (5 days, like all the previous ones). The next time we see her it will be after the June MRI.
She also gave us grounds to start organizing the summer. Obviously we will not be going to the other side of the world, but we can move. Lindsey asked her if we could go in a boat; the oncologist pulled a funny face until I made her realize that Lindsey was not thinking about going sailing in a force 5 but rather just going for a canal boat trip like we have done in the past.
The different good news got Lindsey looking after herself: the nails and a trip to the hairdresser.

On Saturday 6th I flew off to Nice where I was picked up by Hugues and met up in Provence with Jacques and Thierry. This is what has been known for the past 25 years as the « week-end husbands ».
It was my first break since July. I suppose I really needed it. But it was not easy to let myself go ». I wasn’t nervous because not only Lali was with Lindsey, but Boris had come to Nantes to spend the week-end. It just didn’t feel right.
I will not publish pictures nor give details of the week-end order to let the reader maintain a reasonable good image of me.

There seems to be a competition at Cambronne’s tomb: whereas for weeks and weeks Lindsey has been the only person depositing an occasional flower, we found a large bouquet of flowers deposited there by some competing group!

Boxes of photographs have also been opened… I can’t resist publishing one special one.

Love.

Lindsey, newsletter # 80
Nantes, Thursday 25th of May, 16-00.

The trip to London

On Friday 19^th started our trip to London. This had been a challenge we set up at the end of last year, when things were really not doing very well. The goal was to go to London for a few days, stay at Julie’s. Where Lindsey’s family would try to gather and meet up.

My essential contribution was to get myself invited at the London machine learning meet-up, which would provide me a chance to do some work during the stay (and steer out of Lindsey’s way).

So on Friday we left, by train to Lille; then in Lille we changed to the Eurostar. The trip being exceptional, I had booked first class and this meant that when we boarded the Eurostar we were rewarded with a meal. We got into London at 4-30, took the tube to Wood Green where Lindsey was picked up by July, Jill and Misty. I dashed back into town for a small meeting followed by a trip back which took longer than expected: some incident occurred ahead and it was declared that the Piccadilly line was suspended. Two buses later, I was back. Lindsey was clearly having fun. Great.

On Saturday we went out. The official reason was going to a Japanese shop. But bringing Misty for a walk seemed to be the real reason. Lindsey and I are not dog lovers (understatement). So it always seems curious that other reasonable people can be of a different opinion regarding dogs.

Anyhow, a nice walk, some shopping, a meal. I was half asleep after the meal when I heard a lot of laughs. I looked into the kitchen and found the 3 sisters dancing!

On Sunday we took a trip to the other side of London. Where we met Lindsey’s cousins (Howard and Carlo), their wives (Beth and Gaby) and children (Madeleine and Alba). A very nice meeting. Holding 8-month old Alba on her knees was obviously a highlight!

On Monday we wanted to go to a London market. Unsurprisingly Monday is not the best day for that. Portobello road did have a section open; enough for us to go around, try things on. Mid afternoon I left for my evening appointment, leaving behind me a crew of 4 who then decided to go to Covent Gardens for a drink.

My appointment was a thrilling event taking place next to London Bridge. I was invited to speak at the London Machine Learning Meet-up. A great crowd: I rarely get 250 people prepared to listen to me for nearly an hour!

We again did 2 groups on Thursday. I was not included in the shopping group and headed off to UCL instead. Then regrouped at Julie’s house after having made the mistake of going to Camden market. As suspected only French and Spanish is spoken there nowadays.

A curry that evening was a rewarding end to our London trip. I even found some meddlers (actually this is the first time I saw the word) and those were our desert.

Wednesday, the long and uneventful trip back: the most exciting was crossing Paris by rue Sainte-Anne and filling up our Japanese pantry.

Lindsey, newsletter # 75
Nantes, Thursday 6th of April, 23-00.

So I stopped writing just before my 45th birthday. Or was it 46th? I get confused.

The return to Nantes was uneventful. The bonus was that we had eaten really well during the week end and have attempted to keep the standards up, both in the house and by going out for meals.

We were helped by having the visit from Claudie. Claudie is a friend from the Saint-Etienne days. Her sons James and Simon were in the same class as Boris and Vikki. And (for those in the know) her younger son Oliver is the reigning PIF champion. So when Claudie suggested that she would be happy to come and visit there was little hesitation. Yes! And during 3 days Lindsey took Claudie around her favourite spots, spent a lot of time chatting.

When Claudie left on Thursday evening, there was a real sense of emptiness, compensated in great part by Jill’s arrival.

While Lindsey and Claudie would be talking I was working or in the kitchen… Getting out of the way, mainly. Other jobs include cleaning out the terrace: the nice days are arriving and we are looking forward to sitting out.

Another key event of the past few days has been getting into zombies. One evening Lindsey decided to go to bed early I tried watching a successful TV show called « the Walking Dead ». At first it was ghastly but very quickly I got hooked. The next evening Lindsey was not wanting an early night so I tried getting her to watch it. To my surprise, she got hooked too. So that is becoming our evening pleasure.

We didn’t have many medical novelties these days. No frights, no urgencies. Routine… I try to diminish medication (inside what the Doctors allow me) but it proves difficult. Bring something down and the discomfort will only be noticeable 24 or 36 hours later. We keep having blood analyses regularly and this also keeps us busy. In the morning to get it done, in the evening checking that all is OK.

As I write these lines Vikki is still in the house. She is leaving tomorrow for l’Ile d’Yeu, a very beautiful island south west from Nantes, where a boy-friend and a job are waiting for her.

We will be missing her. Vikki appeared right at the beginning of this blog. She rushed up from Australia when Lindsey and I found ourselves stranded in Korea and left everything there.

She has since proved to be a great nurse, cook, housekeeper, organiser. She has cheered us and allowed us not to have to face routine (no routine with Vikki…).

I am not sure how we would have done without her. I would clearly not have been able to do all I have been able to.

So a new period is starting now. Even if Lindsey is much better, things are not sorted out yet. Far from it.

But I certainly should finish today’s post with: Thank you Vikki.

Love

Lindsey, newsletter # 76
Biarritz, Thursday 20th of April, 23-00.

Long time no see… One of the great advantages of the wonderful friends and family Lindsey has is that there are always people around and this makes it difficult for me to have time to digest the different photographs, reconstruct the stories and publish this blog.

So (back some time) Vikki left. And we moved on. At first, things have proved simple. On one hand, Lindsey has been feeling better. Which of course helps. We also had another visitor: this time Jill (Lindsey’s mum). So again, Lindsey went for long walks and did a lot.

As often we went to the market where I was convinced by the fishmonger that the tuna I was buying was so fresh we could eat it raw. And so we did. In sashimi at lunch, in Donburi in the evening. I added another sashimi to the menu by stealing the eggs from Mrs lobster. They were nice too.

On Friday (14th) we went down to Biarritz, stopping in Bordeaux en route where complex logistics allowed us to pick up Rob and Joan Jones, from Ontario Canada. My mother came up from Biarritz and Boris took a bit of time off work for us to gather at Place Saint-Michel for a meal. I had met Rob 20 years ago, but Lindsey, Lali and Jill had visited in 2013.

They went there on a trip to visit Vikki who was « studying » at the East point of Canada.

When I went, a few months later, I got to see Vikki, but not to go all the way to Ottawa.

After leaving Bordeaux, down to Biarritz where we will be spending the week. And straight away for a walk along the corniche, which is a path overlooking the ocean.

In Biarritz, we found Susi, Ramon, Aitana and Mateo who had spent the « semana santa ». We still managed to squeeze in a lovely meal, in remembrance of all the Sabado Santo meals we had had (in Morales) over the past.

They left on Sunday, just when Boris arrived. And the scheduled visits were only starting, with Luis and Corinne expected for Monday, and Jose and Luisa for Tuesday.

Love

Colin

Lindsey, newsletter # 77
Nantes, Thursday 27th of April, 10-00.

Back from Biarritz where we had a great week. [Actually, posted 4 days later…]
Monday 17th

We went out to Ascain and walked the « Chemin de Saint-Ignace ». This took us from Ascain to the train station which brings you to the top of the Rhune. After getting lost (not much) we had a lovely walk of more than 7 km. I was doubtful this would be too much for Lindsey (I actually had the same worries about my mother). But with her new sticks, jolly conversations and a great scenery, we got round nicely. The lunch in Ascain (with about 5 restaurants to choose from!) was brilliant too.

In the evening Luis and Corinne arrived, straight from Santiago de Compostela.

Tuesday 18th

We had a nice quiet day. Some walks, a lot of talking. Then we suddenly decided to play ping-pong. To my great surprise, Lindsey tried too and it was interesting to see that coordination was still very good.

The medical event of the day was taking the weekly blood analysis. We did this in Biarritz. I asked for a count (in French Numération) which consists in saying how many primary components can be found. But they did a full analysis without the count: they even found that Lindsey had huge sugar levels. Of course! She had had a large breakfast just before (which is OK for a count). Interesting to notice how many times things go wrong in these medical examinations.

At the end of the afternoon, Luisa and Jose, from Alicante, got here. Then Boris, Luis and Corinne left.

Wednesday

On Tuesday evening it was decided to go for the Rhune on the next day. The Rhune (or Larrun in Basque) is the mountain you can see from everywhere down the Basque coast. There are several ways up to the top, including a 1924 train line!

We did 2 teams: Lindsey and Lali took the train to the top, Jose, Luisa and I walked from Olhette. A long walk up: it took us 2 hours. Very sunny but a cold wind. We joined up around 11-30 drank some hot chocolate and started together the walk down. The original plan was to walk from Larrun to the Venta Yasola. Ventas were trading posts all along the border between Spain and France. The Venta Yasola’s main business is just food: they provide lovely lunches. But when I phoned from Larrun they told me they were overbooked. That sounded like bad news, but having nothing better to do we walked there anywhere, with a one hour short trek in mind.

The short trek proved to be quite a challenge. It started as a road used by the cars to bring things up to Larrun. But the steepness of the slope made is very difficult, and a couple of slips arrived rapidly.

Then we got lost and started taking paths that were no loner on maps but seemed to be going in the right direction.

We eventually got back on track, only to find that it was very difficult for our less well equipped/less steady on their feet members. Very steep, gravel and stand, slippery and even dangerous at moments. Lindsey found the way to do this: just sit down and slide down. My mother eventually followed suit.

With that the easy trek took us 2 hours and a half and we reached Yasola at 2-30, feeling ravenous and knowing that the cars were still possibly 2 hours away.

Luckily, at that point Yasola had seen most of their clients leave and they were happy to serve us a meal: essentially omelette which just tasted delicious.

Down from Yasola to the car did take us those extra 2 hours and we got home at around 6, exhausted but happy for having done it.

The walk was great and the scenery was beautiful.

Thursday
Resting after La Rhune. We walked into Biarritz. I had my first attempt with Uni. Uni are urchins. They went into my favourite sushi in Japan. They proved to be both the easiest thing to prepare and absolutely delicious. We will have to do these again

Friday
The outing of the day was to Bayonne. We stopped on the way in an Asian shop where I was able to reload on a number of Japanese and Indonesian ingredients I wasn’t being able to find. Then a walk in Bayonne and lunch at Ttipia. Ttipia is a sidreria. The meal typically consists in an Omelette, fish, meat and cheese. We went for the « light » version: no fish (Bacalao). The special thing in a sidreria is drinking Cider. Every cider is different. The Basque one comes out of a Barrel which is placed against a wall; There is a tap, you place your glass a yard away from the tap, aim and open the tap. Obviously you miss a little.

Saturday
I was left to clean the barbecue and other jobs while Lindsey, Luisa and Lali went shopping. A bathing suit and a pair of jeans were produced (for Lindsey). More importantly, it was clear that They all had a great time.

Sunday
The long trip back to Nantes… This is one moment where I miss Lindsey’s skills. She has always been the driver. I have always said that the only reason for that was that I was the one who could read the map. But to be fair, she probably was also the better driver.

Love

Lindsey newsletter # 71
Nantes, Wednesday 8th of March, 23-00.

Sorry about this. I am being unable to update on time. More than 10 days since the last entry. Oh dear.

How can I organize things?..

Getting back to Nantes was hard work. Leaving lovely Biarrits, the great walks by the sea, and also the fat that I seemed to have infinite time to e with Lindsey. All that was hard. But the benefits were there to be seen. Lindsey so much better, so much more stamina, more strength.

Being back in Nantes involved facing very windy and wet days. Or the sort of weather you should expect in Nantes at this point of the year. We have seen days where it was sunny and raining at the same time!

Pictures… No pictures this time. I suppose that when you are on holidays you want to snap at everything. Get back to your usual surrounding and it’s not as fun to do so.

Treatments. We did see the oncologist who was happy with the progress made. We then went through a series of blood tests: a number of parameters have to be right to go through the next stage of medication. One of these is usually a problem and it failed again this week. So we are waiting for the platelets to go up.

Novelties. Yesterday late afternoon I decided to go out and listen to a talk (actually a great talk by a sociologist/economist/mathematician/Jesuit). Vikki had been sick. When I got back, Lindsey had prepared on her own the meal. First time since the summer. Very impressive.

Other great moments. We have been netflixing a curious drama called land girls. The story is great but the dialogues are hopeless. Everyone overacts and the situations are far too unlikely. Nevertheless we have become hooked to the developments of the story of these women, in rural England, in 1943.

Other great moments. On Tuesday morning we woke early. And Lindsey volunteered to make coffee. Ah. Coffee is not that simple: Nescafe for her (boil the water…), expresso for me (use the special ) machine. Downstairs. I hesitated. Then said ok. And Lindsey went. And took two trips to bring it up. And was happy about it. So was I.

Activities. Even if the weather is not nice, we are being able to go for long walks. Lovely.

Worries. The more I read about what is being said and written in the UK and the positions that the government is taking, the more I understand I have to do something about Lindsey and my situation. They are clearly taking us as hostages for their so called negotiation (and hundreds of thousands all over Europe). It’s not just worrying. It gets me angry. But there is just very little we can do.

Lindsey newsletter # 72
Nantes, Friday 10th of March, 22-00.

Same match (Ireland-Wales), but more than 5 years ago. 8th of October 2011. We were in Dublin. I had to give at a talk at a conference. Our friend Jose was there too…

The evening before we had found this pub which although in the centre of town was very nice. The landlord (Lindsey recalls the name as David) told us to be there at 5-30 (am) and we would together go and see the match.

The match… A quarter-final, in Wellington, on the other side of the world.

Lindsey and I did put our clock on (no Jose). We got to his pub. I had a first pint (yes!) and we moved to another place which was more secluded. Of course, there wasn’t a soul favouring Wales. We saw the match and I avoided showing how thrilled I was with the fact that Wales was winning (at the end, Wales won 22-10).

That was the second time I had to hide my emotions in such conditions ( I once had the luck of sitting in the Camp Nou and had to show no pleasure when Real Madrid scored the equalizer).

Lindsey is now sitting with me watching the match and thrilled by every moment. She has a special soft spot for Halfpenny. So far 6-5 for Ireland.

Yesterday she got the go-ahead for the round of treatment to start. Like last month, we are following the night routine. This means that in 10 minutes time we have the anti-nausea medication. 30 minutes later comes the chimio.

She has had a very active day today. Walking (with energy) more than any day this year. We had an MRI in the morning, then had lunch in a restaurant.

Fighting just as much as the 30 internationals we are now watching.

Love.

Lindsey newsletter # 73
Nantes, Tuesday 14th of March, 22-00.

A midweek entry…

Yesterday we saw the oncologist. She gave us the results of Friday’s MRI. Ah. I didn’t talk about this. Probably because I didn’t want to think about it too much.

The MRI had been complicated. It is not a nice experience (I had one of my leg once and that was hard enough… Lindsey has to get her head into the machine for 20 minutes and has been through 5 now…).

It had nevertheless been a nice day: Lindsey had convinced herself (she claims that Mélissandre and Camille, the two day-care girls were those who convinced her) that she could now go bare head. No hat. No scarf. Here is a picture of her having lunch with me in a restaurant on Friday!

After the rugby week end we started with an altogether different sport: sumo. We had become addicted to it whilst in Japan. The spring tournament which takes place in Osaka is now on. We saw a full day of this last year (here, in French). We even ended up, in Kyoto, looking at the matches on the Mongolian television!

On the Japanese NHK channel they give you the highlights of the day’s bouts. I thoroughly recommend!

For day 2, check here. If you go to minute 11-56 you get to the moment where Kotoshigoku prepares for his fight. Kotoshogiku is no longer the star he was (they were expecting him to be the first Japanese Yokozuna for more than 10 years… Kisenosato got that title a couple of months ago). But he is still as spectacular when he throw around the salt!

So now we look at the daily replay at 5-30 pm. A nice moment.

Lindsey asleep right now. She finished her chimio treatment yesterday. I expect it will take a couple of days to recover.

Love

Lindsey, newsletter # 74
Préfailles, Saturday 25th of March, 22-50.

I suppose I should be updating more regularly and tomorrow might prove difficult… Start back.

First few days after chimio (17th-19th)

Things went well. Lindsey went through the ordeal in a nice way. Tiring, but no real suffering. We managed to have one or two walks a day. Sometimes into town (and even back). Sometimes just to see Old man Cambronne’s grave, deliver some flowers, and walk back. Possibly as a testimony towards my father, Lindsey keeps calling him Cabrón. This is where those who can’t read English are suffering with the blog, those who aren’t from France will not understand how important (symbolically) Cambronne is, and those who aren’t from Spain will be missing the twist.

Little by little more and more « novelties » emerged. One evening I was delighted to get back to work and find out Lindsey had taken over the kitchen. Another evening we dared attempt together to cook Okonomakaki the proper way (then we had to admit that our cabbage and Chinese cabbage don’t taste the same).

On the 17th we went into town, bought our tickets to go to England (here I could bore you with how magnificent SNCF was selling me special tickets to which Lindsey is entitled to because of her condition for more than what I would have paid for a normal ticket when buying it online). On the way back we did stop at a place flying orange and green colours and seemed inviting enough before walking all the way back.

Then came a number of complicated days. Lindsey tired and me with a number of work issues to deal with. Some were great news like seeing an improbable European project accepted.

On Friday (24th) Boris arrived and I was pushed in a car. We drove. I was asked to keep my eyes closed, which I didn’t really (not with Vikki driving!). At the point where I thought we were somewhere in Brittany I was allowed to open again and found out we were getting to Préfailles.

Préfailles is a great place we have been bringing many visitors to. To the North we have Saint-Michel Chef-Chef. The Chef-Chef is not a mistake. This is the capital of butter cakes. Just before we reach the Pointe Saint-Gildas, fantastic for walking. We are supposed to be able to see the red buoy marking the wreck of the Lancastria, wich sunk on 17th of June 1940 claiming some 7000 lives (the exact toll we will only know in 2040… one of Britain’s most secret secrets (if Chef Chef is valid, so is Secret Secret…).

Vikki and Lindsey had rented a cottage for the week end and Boris has made the effort of travelling from Bordeaux.

The highlight of the week-end should have been the domino match. Only the result was a disappointment. Boris and Vikki against Lindsey and I. A team which had been able to do very well in long gone times against the mighty Lali and Belo. Until the latter decided to through the dominoes on the flour…

We did do better than Kisenosato who on day 14 was unable to even try to win his bout (Yes, I am talking about the Sumo tournament which is still keeping us excited).

So we were 14-13 and then…

Love

Lindsey, newsletter # 68
Nantes, Monday 6th of February, 18-00.

Frustration. I think the secret reason for writing all this has been to express frustration.

A typical day…

The blood testing took place at 8. The nurse comes to the house. I remember commenting about this with my mother the other day and we both had to admit that the French system was good on the patients. The blood test is now about numbers: platelets and the different items you are supposed to find in the blood. In this case platelets were the issue. It should take about 5 minutes to obtain the result. But I had to wait till 4 in the afternoon to find out. This allowed me to discover that Lindsey’s blood sample had a lot of travelling to do before I would obtain the result…

We needed the result in order to launch a new round of chimio. Obviously 8 hours doesn’t seem to matter on a long treatment like this one. But it means that I have to spend my day chasing for the results, then for the oncologist to get the go ahead. If not, the 8 hours become an extra day… As I wrote, frustrating.

Frustrating… the insurance company who should have reimbursed what it owes from the summer and who doesn’t even answer my mails. You sometimes feel that there is a deliberate strategy… waiting till we get bored or have more urgent issues to deal with. Of course, there is no penalty if they take ages to pay.

Frustrating. More administrative papers asking us to go and get some document in the office next to theirs and bring it to them.

Frustrating…

I suppose the bad weather, the grey winter, the very boring days have something to do with it.

If I did want to be a bit more positive I should say that my mother was impressed with the progress Lindsey has made (she was here a few days). I should also add that Lindsey does more and more. We are now able to attack complex cooking together. I usually run into problems once she feels tired and sits down.

We are making some plans… Biarritz in a couple of weeks time, London in May.

Love

Lindsey, newsletter # 69
Nantes, Tuesday 14th of February, 19-00.

A short entry.

We did get the go ahead so Lindsey went through 5 days of chimio. We changed a bit the protocol so it was at night rather than in the morning. I think it was a good idea to do so. But it does require some care at a time of the day where you would want to put your feet up. The way around this is by using alarms that keep on going off…ah, time for the pre-pill… ah time for the pills themselves… ah she can now have the pain killers.

The pain killers are working well. But of course, there is a logical effect of getting hooked to the d… stuff. I don’t think it is the most urgent issue but we will have to deal with it at one point. At present pain has ceased to be a problem. But the fact of having pain killers at regular intervals might be the reassuring factor.

Of course, toward the end of the treatment and in the days after, Lindsey has been tired. But now (we are Tuesday and she finished on Saturday) there is a recovery. Yesterday a one hour walk took place and today she went into town with Melissandre. And she walked in!

On Friday we will be off to Biarritz. I have to pack. This of course was not my prerogative. But I must make sure I bring everything she needs for the week we will be there. Sort of scary.

Love

Lindsey, newsletter # 70
Biarritz, Saturday 26th of February, 22-00.

Yes. Biarritz where we are ending a lovely week rest. The rest involved both of us, which in part explains why I have not been blogging.

Let me try to recapitulate…

Last week in Nantes there was a lot to do in order to be able to leave. Obviously safety was a key concern and that involved a lot of preparation.

On Friday (18th) we left. Lali (my mother) had arrived the day before and came with us. We stopped at Bordeaux for lunch (with Luis, Corinne and Boris). Sitting outside on place Saint-Michel was just great!

On Saturday we went for a walk in Biarritz. To the market where they were not only selling food (the gateaux basques were great) but also clothes. Lindsey was tempted and we bought a brightly coloured top. Later Jesus and Merche arrived from Toro. They had intended to drive all the way to Nantes to see Lindsey… it seemed easier to meet them half way.

On Sunday we just stayed around Biarritz, enjoying the company, walking down by the beach, feeling very lucky that the weather was so nice.

On Monday we went for a real walk. On the chemin côtier, from Guethary to Saint-Jean de Luz following the coast path. Well, you used to follow the coast path… because of the erosion, many parts of the walk were closed and you ended walking between the houses. Lunch in Saint-Jean de Luz. Decision was to go for lunch in a Sushi place in Saint-Jean de Luz. Sounds like a strange choice in a place where you would normally go for fish… or not.

On Tuesday I went to Bayonne to give a talk, leaving Lindsey have nice walks and enjoying the company of Jesus and Merche who had to leave.

On Wednesday we went to Pasaia. Pasaia is just before San Sebastian. We have picture of going to Pasaia more than 20 years ago. Boris is on these pictures. Vikki is not. Shows how old the pictures are. Pasais is a famous part. A gulley separates both sides of the port with a ferry running at regular intervals. The walk was great. The lunch was not quite as good as expected.

On Thursday a couple of great walks but the most exciting event was that Hara Kiwi took off. Hara Kiwi is this great youtube project Boris has embarked in with some friends. Somehow, a youtube star (who has more than a million followers… seems crazy) advertised Hara Kiwi in one of his videos. And suddenly people were flocking into Hara Kiwi. Not only viewing the videos (out of which « Posters » which in a very nice timing, came out today) but also subscribing. From 2000 fans yesterday, the number of these has risen to more than 16500 by the time I am writing this entry.

We have spent a lot of time just looking at the counter go up, go up, go up…

On Friday a morning drizzle seems to leave little room for outdoor activities. I managed to get a run, and then we were able to go out for lunch in a Portuguese restaurant in Biarritz. Bacalhau a Bras (what else?).

Then we managed to squeeze 2 walks in the afternoon. In the evening we were joined by Luis, Corinne and Boris, on their way down to skiing in the Pyrenees.

On Saturday (today!) a long walk in Biarritz, lunch, and an afternoon watching rugby.

Time to pack and get back…

Love