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The Wind Rises, Again
Le vent, il se lève. Yesterday evening it got darker a little earlier than usual. The sky to the west was filled with a mass of grey clouds, it glowed softly as the sun went down. The sky to the south still looked a little blue far off into the horizon. I walked out onto…
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Empty Days
Recently, my days are happily empty. I often sit by the window next to the heater with a drink. Although it is sunny here, the temperature is still a little low. Especially as soon as I get up, I don’t like to talk to anyone or think about anything. I simply want to sip my…
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The Freedom to be Still
The last couple of days, my face has been in pain especially around my eyes. Spring is a beautiful season, but in the countryside I suffer with hay fever. Although it’s not fatal, it is really annoying and at the moment the whole of France is on red alert. I would like to walk outside…
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Moving Like a Butterfly
My breakfast these days starts with spoonfulls of creamy yoghurt and homemade jam, followed by lightly grilled soft bread topped with local butter. Beside this I take an espresso with a glass of sparkling water. The conversation normally centres around what’s for lunch, the seemingly most important meal of the day here. But yesterday we…
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Re-Knowing the Moment
These days, I am still having intense dreams which disturb my sleep. Although I am happy during the day, at night when the mind rests, the worries I try to ignore come back to me. It feels like a trap that I cannot escape from sometimes… but today, I was reminded of something: it all…
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Living Life as an Exchange
Travelling has helped me to view the world in a functional way. No matter where you are, there always exists some form of value exchange. Sometimes it overwhelms me and gives me a headache, this way of thinking. Perhaps it makes me tired because I constantly feel that I have little by way of value…
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The Warmth of Little Things
Every time I travel somewhere, I learn a little bit more about how to keep a home. In most countries I’ve been to, I’ve been invited to someone’s house so I’ve been able to see how people live differently. I realise that there is no right way, there is only a preference… and over the…
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Simple is Better
If there’s one thing I always learn from Ardeche, it’s that the little things are important. Especially when it comes to food, which I want to believe is at the heart of every culture around the world. Over here, there is nothing particularly fancy. Life is simple, but the nature is rich, beautiful and provides…
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Growing Through the Seasons
At the end of a long day yesterday, we sat at the table and had a simple dinner. Ham, cheese, butter, bread and a big glass of red wine. Just enough to keep the tummy content before an early night. At the other end of the table was a box full of photos and it…
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Walking Slowly Through the Valley
Today, it rains. I look up and see undulating grey and white, as if the sky is reflecting the land in monochrome. I sit by the window and watch small wisps of cloud pass through the valley, until the entire area is draped in white. There is something peaceful about rainy days, it gives me…