Going back to school feeling

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Helena

We leave the day after tomorrow. In fact Hugo and Rupes left yesterday. We are staying on until the last possible moment to let Olivia’s ear infection clear up and also to enjoy some last-minute walks around the green fields.

Yesterday we spent the day in Annecy with my mother (who flew in from Rome) and our great friends Jean-Claude and Alex as well as their children Astrid and Elisa. Olivia and Elisa have been best friends since they were one. We met Jean-Claude when I fell in love with one of his wines and a friend of ours was looking for suppliers for his London wine bar. He is an amazing man, he now has an incredibly successful wine-making business, selling millions of bottles all over the world, but he also has time to do things like sell our car for us (which he did a few weeks ago) and give me advice about my novel which is about a housewife turned winemaker.

Annecy by the way has to be one of the nicest places I have ever visited; there is a stunning lake, great shops and swans gliding around the city centre’s waterways. Here is Leo on a boat on the lake.

My mother, the children and I are back with our other great friends Norrie and Mary. It feels like coming home. And talking of home….THE house. Well the news is not good. They want a price much closer to the asking price than we can come up with. That may change of course and I am not giving up. Meanwhile the upside is we can stay here and I can’t think of anywhere else I relax quite as much. The children are off playing with the rabbits and I am in Norrie’s office catching up with some work and admin. It also means we don’t have the stress of trying to sell Sainte Cecile and all the worry of what to do if it did sell (there are tenants there until March) or the expense of moving. And to some extent the heartbreak of leaving our family home of nine years.

It has been a lovely holiday and I do have that ‘going back to school’ feeling today. But I am not sad to be going back. I have great friends there too whom I am longing to see. And I am looking forward to getting back into my yoga/work/school routine. Last night I spoke to Rupert who said “It’s nice to be home.” So I guess for the moment Abu Dhabi is where home is. We’ll see what happens in the future.

The other great news is that the updated edition of Ciao Bella is in the window of Waterstone’s in High Street Kensington. Bang in the middle according to my friend Peter who saw it there. This is it, if you see it, buy it please. Then maybe one day we will be able to afford THE house!

THE house….

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Helena

My stepson Hugo is here. He is wonderful. But he wears his boxer shorts underneath his swimming trunks. What’s that all about?

Right, down to business…we saw the house. It is heavenly, totally heavenly. It was built in 1750 and looks like it will last another few hundred years. It is all marble, stone and wood. Solid, safe and glorious. It reminds me a little of an English farmhouse.

We played tennis on the tennis court. I played well and Leo lost a tooth. A sure sign that we must buy it. Having said that we can’t afford the asking price, but are keen to offer less. In part because we have just been told by the lady in the boulangerie in the nearest town (and they know everything) that we it is only worth a third of the asking price. But when you’re in love it’s hard to be practical….

Running in the rain

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Helena

This morning I went for a run around the lake, not the whole way round, it is 18 kilometres, but for about 15 minutes. Suddenly it started pouring with rain. My instinct was to shriek and call a taxi. But then I thought; rain, there’s a novelty, let’s see what it’s like. And you know what? It was heavenly. I had the same feeling I sometimes have on a sunny evening wandering through a green field. It was really lovely soft warm rain that moisturised my body and soul. I am not sure after however many years we will spend in the desert, I will ever complain about the rain again. Which is almost genetically impossible for someone brought up in England.

Last night at dinner Leo announed he wants to be a “popular singer”. I wonder if it is possible for someone who calls it that to ever make it, but feel sure his rendition of ‘the lion sleeps tonight’ will help him enormously. The girls are so grown up and beautiful after their Roman holiday – they are speaking Italian and seem so much bigger than the boy. Olivia is in love with Europe and calls Abu Dhabi “the onion, because it makes me cry”. Bea is at her happiest with her favourite people in the world Norrie and Mary. My mother has been staying with them and today we take her back to Geneva and her flight to Rome. After a month with the ferals she is looking forward to sleeping for several days.

Unlike our last holiday, I fear we will not be losing weight. Here at the dreamy Chalet du Lac we have breakfast then a three-course lunch followed by a three-course dinner, all washed down with fine wines. We stay here until Friday before heading back home to the Languedoc. Although it doesn’t really feel like home any more. It will be interesting to see what we think of it and whether Olivia changes her mind about the onion. I hope so, because we are quite happy there.

The rescue of Sushi Sam: a true story

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Helena

When we left France, we needed to find a home for was Sushi Sam, Olivia’s goldfish. He ended up in a lovely place. In fact he ended up where I want to end up – in the Savoie. I don’t want to live in a washing trough but I do envy his view of the green hills and the little lane he lives on that leads to our friends’ house one way and the church the other way. Sushi Sam has a friend in the Savoie as well. He is called Sausage John. We left them in August and were confident they would remain close friends. Then we had this email from our friend Norrie…..
“As you know I walk past the old stone washing trough near the dairy-farm twice every day and always check on Sushi Sam and his friend Sausage John. Three evenings ago Sushi Sam was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he is hiding in the weeds,I thought. But in the morning he still wasn’t around and I prodded the weeds and dead leaves at the bottom just to make sure. Sausage Sam swam away from my stick, but no sign of his friend.
I then remembered that I had seen a family with two children looking into the trough on Sunday afternnon. The schools are on Easter holidays and there are a few strangers about.

The Rescue: I waited around one evening until I saw them again and asked if they had seen the missing Sushi Sam. I explained that he was the friend and pet of a family I know and especially their older girl who would miss him if he wasn’t there when they came back in Summer. There was an exchange of looks but no-one said anything.

Yesterday Sushi Sam was back and swimming happily side by side with Sausage John.
It seems that the little girl only wanted to keep him during the holidays and was sorry that she didn’t know he really belonged to another little girl. Could she still come and watch them from time to time on their walks.
End of story.
Love from The Rescuer.xxx”

Falling in love again

Posted on December 20, 2008 by Helena

How could I ever have left him? Or is it her? Actually I always think of Sainte Cecile as feminine, I suppose Cecile is. And as for selling up…..what a stupid, mad, cruel and short-termist notion.

I can’t tell you how nice it is to be home. There is something deeply satisfying about it. I feel grounded, happy, content, like donning an apron and making fresh pasta.

The children are like, well, kids in a sweet shop. They are exstatic. Around every corner is a toy they missed or a tree they climbed. Every few minutes they tell me how happy they are to be home. Irritated as they are by the mess left after all the summer rentals. Bea is most idignant over her trampoline. The cover has been broken. Olivia suggets we make the tenants pay for it and then we will be rich enough to stay here for ever.

It’s a nice thought, but actually I am not unhappy with our two homes. If we can keep things ticking along. In seven years there will be no mortgage to pay here and we can look forward to watching our grandchildren play on the swings just as our children have done.

As Rupert says; Sainte Cecile is part of us. Selling it would really be the maddest thing to do and I am sure we would regret it for ever. I have fallen head over heels in love again, and not just with all my shoes (although the reunion has been extremely emotional) but just with HOME. The slight bend in the road before you get to the house, the roaring fire, Max (who is looking great, fatter and younger than when we left), the Olive trees in the garden, the sound of the source. All that’s missing is my dog. He moved in with Madame Fontenon up the road. Maybe today he will pay us a visit and complete the perfect homecoming.

Brazilian Birthday surprise

Posted on December 17, 2008 by Helena

No, nothing to do with waxing, but Two Lipsticks & a Lover is now available in Brazil. The news was a lovely way to end an otherwise fairly unremarkable birthday. The highlight was lunch with Olivia and Bea at IKEA where they looked and behaved like princesses. Leo was at a friend’s house and all was apparently going super well until he tried to leave with said friend’s Spider-Man socks. Any grandparents reading please take note – I can’t find a pair anywhere in Abu Dhabi….

So tomorrow we head off back to Sainte Cecile. How do I feel about this? I’m not sure really. I know there will be lots of admin chores and things to sort out (although thankfully Max now has a home thanks to my lovely in-laws). I am almost nervous about how I will react at seeing our home. Will I lock myself in the bathroom when the time comes to leave and refuse to go? Will I long for the sunshine and domestic staff in Abu Dhabi? Will I feel emotional every time the children say or do something they could only do at Sainte Cecile?

Our home is a little like an old boyfriend you split up with when you were still in love. Seeing him again might re-kindle your feelings or you might realise you are totally over him.

I hope it’s the latter when it comes to Sainte Cecile. I think we will have to sell. And there’s nothing worse than parting with something you still love. As Leo’s friend realised when he saw his Spider-Man socks walking out of the door.

It’s a girl!

Posted on November 23, 2008 by Helena

So Wasta (pictured) is a girl, and she is now called Chloe, which suits her well. She seems to be settling in well, and has helped the children to settle down too. They are a lot happier I am pleased to report and have not mentioned moving back again. We probably will have to go back at Christmas to sort out the house and Max and I can guarantee that while we are they will be grumbling about not being in Abu Dhabi.

If they’re not, I will be. This weekend was amazing. We spent Friday on the beach at the Shangri-la hotel then Friday night at a jazz concert underneath the stars and last night watching Cecilia Bartoli perfor acrobatics with her voice.

She was incredible. A true diva; all bejewelled and fabulous in a pink ballgown. Her voice is incredible; powerful, sensual, seductive, just unforgettable. And she had a sense of humour. I loved her and I love the fact that here it is possible to see superstars like Cecilia whereas back home tickets would have sold out months ago.

I am going to take the girls to the ballet in December and Leo has his stage debut on the 12th. Shortly after that we head back to France, leaving Chloe with Betty who looks after us and the house. In lots of ways I am looking forward to it; I can’t wait to see our friends, my dog, Max, my shoes but I don’t think I’ll be sad to come back here.

Bea has asked me to post her blog about our day at Shangri-la, so here it is:

my blog about the shanbri-la
so i fink that the shanbri-la is very nice but when we went in the lift i said this place rocks and it does really .and after we went to the pools and we went to see the pools they had one like if it was little but it was very dyp you no .then i said im going to the big pool! and mummy said im going to the little pool !and after the pools olivia and me went to see the boats i ask someone .can we go on a boot please ?and they said yes .you will stay here for the man. so i fink that the poeple that do the boot must stay there all day and it is very hot outside but it they job.so thats what they must do all day .

Heaven knows we’re miserable now…

Posted on November 18, 2008 by Helena

This was the conversation on the way to school today.

Olivia: “Mummy, I don’t want to tell you this but I have to tell you something.”

I assumed Bea had eaten my lip gloss or Leo had been wearing my bras. But it was worse.
“We want to go home to France.”

“Why?” I asked.

“We miss everything.”

“Yes,” Bea chipped in. “This was supposed to be an adventure, but it’s just been terrible.”

I was at a loss for words. And depressed. Fact is there i no going back, not in this economic climate. I listed all the things that are good about life here; the beach, the yoga (they started yoga yesterday), school finishing at 1.30, all the help at home, the malls.

“Won’t you miss all that if we go back?” I asked.

“Wherever we go, we will miss things from the place we have just left,” said Olivia in her most grown-up and patient manner.

She is right of course. So we will be miserable wherever we go….there’s a cheery thought.

A quiet life in the country…..

Posted on July 1, 2008 by Helena

Loud The Savoie is idyllic. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to, rather like Devon on steroids but with mountain ranges. But this tosh about a peaceful life in the country is, well, tosh.

I am pleased to report that the well-known and well-documented international terrorist conspiracy to keep me awake has another victim: Rupert. I never thought I would see the day but since we have been here he has been woken up by:

An over-sexed or over-something moth living in the beams

Rats or some rodent with fast friends running over our heads

Cows mooing (I am not joking, it woke me up too)

A neighbour’s dog running upstairs

Lambs bleeting (I noticed he ate his roast lamb with particular gusto on Sunday)

Dogs barking (no change there, we are in France after all)

Tractors racing (or at least that’s what it sounded like)

Birds singing

Cockerels crowing (to be expected)

It feels like we’re living in a mini-farm. But I love it. I have invested in some multi-coloured ear-plugs and am fighting the forces of evil. Rupert says he can’t wait to get to London next week for a bit of peace and quiet. I might just stay here with my earplugs in.

Another scene you seldom see….

Posted on June 23, 2008 by Helena

It is not often that reality turns out to be better than one’s fantasy. For example those red croc stilettos from Fratelli Rossetti are great, but they have yet to change my life. And a cream cake rarely tastes as good as it looks. But here I am, in the Savoie, in a cottage called La Clementine and I couldn’t be more chuffed.

I have had my eye on this little place for a couple of years. It is close to our friend’s Norrie and Mary’s house. It sits in the dip of a valley, surrounded by rolling hills and mountains. It is made of stone and wood and extremely simple.

“What if it’s not as lovely as you imagined inside?” asked Rupert as we drove towards it. There is no pool, the bathroom is tiny (I have had to spread my three suitcases of products around the house) and the kitchen is the size of our bathroom at home. Compared with many of the luxury places I have stayed on our travels (thanks to being a journalist, there has to be some upside) you could describe it as spartan. But I totally love it. Who needs all that marble and people running around after you anyway? This is the most magical place I have ever stayed in. It just feels like home, exactly what we need now that we’re homeless until we get to Abu Dhabi. Come to think if it, we’re homeless once we get there as well. Have you tried to rent an apartment in downtown Abu Dhabi recently? Well, don’t. It’s a nightmare, worse than London and more expensive.

We arrived here yesterday afternoon after almost 10 days of travelling. We unpacked the car and as I write the coffee machine is warming up and my yoga mat (much missed during our trip as it was hidden in the top box of the car, which by the way has split under the strain of all my creams) lies on the floor ready for me to do sun-saltues with a mountain view.
The children have all run up to Norrie and Mary’s for their morning “flying biscuits” ritual and in the distance I can hear farmyard sounds. I will shut up now as I run the risk of sounding like one of those dreary people one wants to murder because they’re always droning on about how marvellous life is. But right now, it is.