If my first winter living in the Breton country side was long, slow and cold, my first summer has been just the opposite.

It started off with a whirlwind trip back to the United States for my brother’s wedding in New York.

I hit the ground running; I arrived 4 days before the wedding and in that time had to locate the rare tailor in New York who wasn’t so booked that they could squeeze me in to hem my bridesmaid’s dress last-minute. Once that was done, I scrambled to find shoes for the wedding and a dress for the rehearsal dinner, help my sister do the flowers for said rehearsal dinner and generally cope with the madness that ensues leading up to any big family event. And this was no ordinary family event, but a big New York wedding with over 250 guests. Despite the size and the formal attire, the wedding was so fun and laid-back. We danced the night away in between multiple courses of a delicious dinner. Oh, and there was an ice cream truck…

Girls gettin’ ready

Boys all ready to go, and the cutest nephew in the world

Bridesmaids

The newly married couple

Family boogey down

After all the excitement leading up to the big night, and a late bedtime, we were all pretty exhausted the next day. So naturally we recovered with even more copious amounts of food and alcohol at a brunch.

We were all tuckered out the next day…

Father and son (the happy groom)

We didn’t have much time to recover though before we were packing up and flying to California. To beloved friends…

the backyard of my childhood home…

delicious Mexican food…

margaritas…

bloody mary’s…

and beautiful beaches…

My six days in San Diego flew by far too quickly and before I knew it I was back in Aéroport Roissy making a mad dash to catch my train back to the middle of nowhere. I just made it, with 2 minutes to spare!

Since my return to Kreizh Breizh (Central Brittany) it’s been a whirlwind of work (as a waitress at a local crêperie), hosting French students for English immersion (one student after the next from June-September) and making the most of the gorgeous un-Breton like weather we’ve had for most of the summer by biking, hiking, and rowing in our Canadian canoe…and when I have the odd spare moment, a bit of trying to catch up in my sorely neglected garden.

Lac de Guerlédan

Friends come to visit

One of the many summer BBQs…

Summer concerts galore

The dogs don’t move too quickly in this heat…

My two boys having a summer’s say snooze

The dogs have shed their winter coats and are soaking up the sun too

Our new arrivals: Ducks Mr. Green and Miss Scarlet.

Garlic, one of the few things I’ve grown successfully this year.

We have one more week of students, and then it’s off to England and the United States! Counting the days…