As of… Wednesday, July 15
At this very moment… I’m listening to a dramatic thunderstorm develop over the mountains and watching all the boats race home before the lightning strikes. It’s like mother nature couldn’t take the heat anymore and unleashed fury.
Preparing for… the Big Hike in August! We took a practice hike up Mont Baron and Mont Veyrier which seemed to be uphill both ways, until the very very end, when we suddenly descended so steeply that my toenails threatened to detach. I took a picture from the top (not of my toenails) which looks like it has some weird filter on it, but that’s just what it looked like.
Here are some other summer snaps from the last few weeks.
Reading... a lot of cookbooks. And A Land and Its People by David Sedaris.
Cooking… as little as possible.
A recent highlight… stumbling into this bookshop that’s been in Annecy since 1731.
Found quote of the month… “People have tried and they have tried, but sex is not better than sweetcorn.” - Garrison Keillor
Heading to… Seattle for the weekend!
As of… Thursday, July 2
Recovering - from a week in Indiana - spent mostly inside hospitals and airports.
Highlights - Getting my dad home from the hospital in time to go to his granddaughter’s wedding. xo :)
Reading - I finished and loved Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Then - while being held hostage by United Airlines at the Newark Airport - I hunkered down inside an airport bookshop and added these to my To Be Read list. I started with Homebound by Portia Elan, which I’m loving.
Researching - How to write cookbook proposals… Also searching for a food/lifestyle photographer who can work in the style of How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry, but set in the Haute Savoie. Suggestions?
As of… Sunday, June 21
I finished my french intensive course! Maintenant je parle couramment français. (Ha ha ha! More like, Me Talk Pretty One Day.) It was a great course and I thoroughly enjoyed the week. I have a second “super intensif” week booked for July.
Disappointed that… I haven’t had taken more hikes. I had french class most of the day - plus it’s been way too hot for Míša to take hikes so we are swimming instead. That said, I’m getting nervous about my Big Swiss Hike in August and need to take some higher elevation practice hikes.
Reading: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke which is hilarious and much better than expected!
Eating: a lot of Salade de Chèvre Chaud.
Looking forward to: Indiana! I’m going to my niece’s wedding next week! xo
As of… Monday, June 15
I just got back from a weekend in Holland - Amsterdam was great but Woudsend was a surprising delight.
Nervous/looking forward to: A week intensive course at L’ecole de Français in Annecy.
Nervous/looking forward to: Riding my bike there everyday! It’s a 25 minute ride and it will be extremely hot. But it’s better than sitting in traffic. I think.
In the kitchen: prepping a week’s worth of my little nut pots and granola bars.
As of… Wednesday, June 10
I’m in my happy place and doing my happy things (hanging out with friends, swimming, hiking, biking…)
Creative highlight: I hosted my first retreat!
New to me: I climbed La Tournette and met some goats.
Looking forward to: meeting up with Daniel in Holland. xo
Reading… nothing. Falling into bed exhausted.
As of… Monday, June 1
I’ve relocated to Lake Annecy for the summer! My plan is to read, swim and drink rosé on ice. I’m off to a really good start. :)
Creative highlight from last week: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
Current projects: Preparing for the Women’s Retreat I’m hosting later this month. It’s called the Get Your Shit Together Retreat. It’s fully booked - but you can sign up for my newsletter to hear about future events.
Reading: One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune - which is the very definition of a summer read and I’m loving it!