Hello Normandy!

For Christmas, we received a "coffret cadeau", meaning something like a gift certificate, a booklet with all kinds of castles and mansions and domaines all throughout France one can choose to spend a night at, breakfast included. Kind'a like a B&B only at a castle. Because there are a lot of those in France.
So we choose Le Domaine des Marroniers because it was not too far from Paris (2.5 hours) and because I read in a magazine about how pretty Deauville is, a town nearby. The domaine was in the village of Cambremer.

Part I - Cambremer

So after turning around for almost an hour (the GPS did not like the area) we finally came back to where we actually started from, the St Mary intersection. We should have turned right here like she points, but it is easy to get misslead in the dark... and we got here:

The next morning I HAD to have a pic of St Mary so we went back to take pics. She is so beautiful.

And the pretty sights on our way to some gardens (keep tuned).

In case you're wondering, that one on the ground is a mule, sooo cute.

And here we are at 'one of the most wonderful gardens of France',

as we were told, and it was marked as well...

Jardins du Pays d'Auge

(They are known here for making the apple cider, and it is really a good one).

 And we are in.

Deauville and other coming next :)

La Cuillette de Torfou

Strawberry fields forever...

it was like hearing the Beatles in my head while strawberry picking last Saturday.

There were lots and lots of strawberry fields...never saw so many in my life.

So this is a vegetable and fruit farm not too far from where we are and there's a reason for each season! The signs change depending on what's ripe and ready to be picked. You go and choose whatever you want to, as much as you want to. We don't go that often but love the berries and since we missed them last year we got there as soon as they put the signs up.

Strawberries, raspberries, cherry tomatoes, a cucumber, beets and...sweet peas. Yum. And 2 salads that came in later, from a choice of over 6 varieties! I confess I spent quite some time in the salad area, could not decide which one to pick.

So we have been eating strawberries for a week now (I didn't realize it at the time but I picked almost 3 kilos). And since summer came by as well, I will make some real American strawberry shakes! Ildilika, come over :)

What would you pass on to your daughter, if you have or should you have one?

So here is Thursday, well in about 15 minutes that is. My frog charming is watching a football game. A Football Game! Not sure what is happening here since we never watch sports, but I'll take the time to write.

Even if I do not want to make this a regular, writing about personal stuff, my girl, lately I often keep finding myself pondering over instances in my life as a mother, clips I am telling myself I have to engrave in my memory and remember forever since they are flying by so fast...

While talking with a friend who has a newborn a few days ago I was thinking - I don't even remember when I stopped breastfeeding, when exactly did she start walking, when did she not need a diaper anymore, when did this all happen AND had time to diassapear already??

I am not taking as many photos as I used to, things seem so much more...normal, even if I am wondering daily in amazement at how beautiful her feet are, or the fingers, or the eyes or every little tiny part for that matter. Because they are still little. At the same time I see her getting bigger. This must be normal for a mom at my age I suppose? And I've been telling myself these are things I need to write down, to record, maybe not necessarily here, but just preserve somewhere, because, I will not remember them all... 
And I want to create traditions for us - like going every Saturday morning for croissants at the boulangerie, or going every month to Paris for a small concert, or theater, or a walk to Sacre Coeur, the beautiful big church in Montmartre. Or taking a portrait pic once a year, like americans do, you know the professional photos which you frame. Or or or I need a list! Ideas out there? :)

The 'wisdom' transmitted :)