Well I was expecting to have written here a little more than I have, but life in France has been really rather busy. We first had a lovely couple of slow paced weeks staying with Vincent's parents during which we did some much needed re-setting. Breathing slow, eating slow, eating lots, sleeping in (yay for grandparents on hand), gardening and wandering and adjusting to 'la vie Francaise'.

But since then, things have been turned up a notch. We moved into our little apartment in the old city in Montpellier and each morning I toddle off to my French intensive class. 3.5 hours of overwhelm (introverts are not made for language classes). But challenging as it is, it's great to be doing something that uses my brain in a different way, to see and hear daily improvements, to have some time away from the kids, to walk from our lovely apartment down through the beautiful streets, to pick up a croissant if I'm running late and haven't had breakfast (and sometimes even if I have), to be immersed in life here.

But the hot and long summer evenings mean that the kids are not asleep until 8.30 (if I'm lucky. ok who am I kidding, it's more likely 9, sometimes later) and then there is the post bedtime clean up, the wash-off-the-sweat shower and then the homework begins. So nights are late, teething one year olds mean that the nights are also wakeful, and life in the street outside wakes me early. I'm TIIIIIRRRREEED.

Still, it's fun. Fun to be living in and discovering a new (to me) city. And a beautiful, lively, interesting one at that. I try and take a different route home each day, sometimes getting lost in the labyrinthine cobbled streets and am often gobsmacked by the beauty of this old city. We complement Vincent's dad's weekly supply of fruit and vegetables and his mum's jams and preserves with daily market goods - cheeses and hams and ok, yes, haribo lollies.

And then on weekends it's back to the hills for adventures and grandparent hugs. And more garden goodness.

I have one more week of classes, and two more weeks of Montpellier life and then new adventures lie ahead... until then! xx