Instasamedi {14}

Instasamedi for the first week of September?

It's all about slippers, sun, school kids & a swan.

{OK & geeky alliteration too.}

Saturday slippers.
{samedi, Annecy, chez nous}

Autumn-coloured ancient auto.
{dimanche, Annecy, near chez nous}

The day before back-to-school...
This girl who I saw at a local bookstore must have been happy, don't you think?
{lundi, Annecy, Librairie Decitre}

Back-to-school bikes.
{mardi, Annecy, high-school down the street from chez nous}

Afternoon rush hour... one tourist boat coming in & one heading out.
{mercredi, Annecy, le lac}

Cute retro packaging on my brand-new box of baking soda? Yes please!
{jeudi, Annecy, chez nous}

Swan-tastic!
{vendredi, Annecy, on the shores of le lac}

Instasamedi {Summer 2012}

C'est samedi !  

C'est le mois de septembre !

Back to school is just around the corner...

Back to blogging, however?   

That starts NOW!!!

You know what?

To sum up my summer (!) 

I've decided to share some Instagram photos.

My (fallen into disrepair) Instasamedi feature 

usually tells you about my week via seven photos.

But today?  I've allowed myself to post a dozen!  Pourquoi ?

Well, it's been 12 weeks since my last post {eeeeek!}

So without further ado, on y va ?

juin

We spent the last week of June on Belle-Île-en-Mer, 

which is {as its name suggests} a beautiful island 

off the Atlantic coast of Brittany.

One of the island's many gorgeous beaches

Sandy feet?  Yes please!

On the way to & from Brittany
{which involved train, métro, train again, bus, ferry...}
we stopped for a night or two in Paris to see friends 
& fancy stuff like this: 

Sacré Coeur, je t'adore !

juillet
July was mostly spent in & around Annecy.
Highlights?
The three-day Musilac Festival,
time spent with my mom in Zee Middle-of-Nowhere, France
{where she & a few of her friends had rented a place}
& lots of sunshine.

Yes, we saw LMFAO at Musilac.
{But please note:  this is NOT mon mari & moi !!!}

Rush hour in the village where my mom stayed...

Shadowy self-portrait in front of Annecy's Hôtel de Ville {= City Hall}

août

August was full-on vacation mode.

We spent a week in the Cantal region of France,

which is full of pretty villages, {long-dormant} volcanoes & cheese.

See that open window?  That's where FQ's grandpa lived as a child.

Cheese please! 

And then?

A week in Ireland!

I.  Loved.  It.

Pub perfection in Dublin.

Rainy yet festive?  That works for me!

It seems that the Irish love bad puns.  Moi aussi !

Me hanging out with the Irish Sea.

So there you go.

Feel back in the loop?  Moi aussi... ooof !

More soon, I promise...

Alors à bientôt & bon week-end tout le monde !

Instasamedi {13}

Cherries, donkeys & the red carpet?  

Not a bad week!

Good thing I got to the market just before they ran out of cherries...
{samedi, Annecy, marché}

I think my flowers didn't mind Sunday rainy Sunday...
{dimanche, Annecy, sur notre balcon}

Cute café just around the corner.
{lundi, Annecy, close to chez nous}

We drove around the Lac d'Annecy & stopped to visit with these new friends.
{mardi, Menthon Saint-Bernard, near the lake}

OK, so it's not Cannes, but Annecy's Animation Festival features a red carpet all the same!
{mercredi, Annecy, Centre Bonlieu}

Fancy Animation Film Fest Lanterns
{jeudi, Annecy, Centre Bonlieu}

Last day of the Animation Film Fest {& last freebie ticket!}
{vendredi, Annecy, Cinéma Décavision}


Voilà for Instasamedi this time around.
More on the Annecy Animation Festival next week, d'accord ?

Instasamedi {12}

So as you saw from my post the other day, E & me is back! 

And guess what? So is Instasamedi! 

Without further ado, here is a-photo-a-day from last week:

Saturday night sunset
{samedi, Annecy, view from our balcony}

Home-made smoothie & zillion-calorie pain aux raisins for Sunday breakfast? Yum.
While flipping through a swimsuit catalogue? Pfffft.
{dimanche, Annecy, on our balcony}

Merci downstairs neighbour who went hiking up in the mountains
& brought me back this petit wildflower bouquet!
{lundi, Annecy, chez nous}

Dear French Immigration Folks,
Please give me the 10-year Carte de Séjour (Resident's Permit) like you are supposed to.
That way I can stop suffering through horrendous self-portrait ID photo sessions!
(mardi, Annecy, after a trip to the local "Photomaton" machine}

Nerdy gardening weekend events.
{mercredi, Annecy, les Jardins de l'Europe}

Monsieur Stripey dropping off his tax return at the last moment...
{jeudi, Annecy, close to chez nous}

Happy June 1st! Let's roll into summer...
{vendredi, Annecy, down the street from chez nous}

Instasamedi {11}

This past week?

It started off with my parents' last few days in France this visit.

They're back in Canada now. {Sniff sniff.}

My sister Liz, however, is still in full-on-French mode.

She's even learning how to make yummy quiches!

Scroll on down for Instagram proof...

My mom & her lettuce friends at the market.
{samedi, Annecy, marché à côté de chez nous}

Warm enough for brunch on the balcony!!!
{dimanche, Annecy, chez nous}

"It's gonna heat up!" = good slogan for this local plumber/heater dude.
Add that to the sun & the blue sky = hope that spring is not far off!
{lundi, Annecy, close to our apartment}

Stir-fry for dinner s'il te plaît! {mardi, Annecy, chez nous}

Liz & her delicious mushroom quiche!
{mercredi, Annecy, chez nous} 

View from the Visitation Basilica above Annecy... swoon!
{jeudi, Annecy, Basilique de la Visitation} 

Vélo !
{vendredi, Annecy, vielle ville}

Instasamedi {10}

My parents & my youngest sister, Liz, are still visiting.

I'm still taking daily Instagrams, even if I'm not blogging much!

La semaine derrière ?
It involved cheese, carnival, cookies (ok, macarons...) & flowers.

Ready?
On y va!

Local cheese + my mom's dictionary on the kitchen table.
{samedi, Annecy, chez nous}

Last weekend was the Venetian Carnival here in Annecy {La Venise des Alpes}
{dimanche, Annecy, next to Pont Des Amours}

My mom, Dave, my dad, Liz = les touristes à Annecy!
{lundi, Annecy, sur le Paquier}

Macaron tree in one of Annecy's most famous chocolate shops.
Liz treated me to a blackcurrant-flavoured macaron.  Trop bon !!!
{mardi, Annecy-le-Vieux, Chocolatier Patrick Agnellet}

First daffodils of the year. Merci, Mom!
{mercredi, Annecy, chez nous}

Roses from mon mari for International Womens' Day.
{jeudi, Annecy, chez nous}

Retro building near Annecy's train station + blue sky = pretty!
{vendredi, Annecy, Rue de la Poste}


Hope you had a good week with some blue sky &/or blooms too!

Instasamedi {8 & 9}

OK, it's been really really REALLY quiet on Rue de France lately.

That's too bad... I know!

And my newest feature, Instasamedi?

The last post was already two weeks ago.

Two weeks is a long time... I know!!

But I have the best excuse ever for not blogging lately.

My family is here visiting.

That's fantastic... I know!!!

Speaking of knowing things, let me explain what you need to know...

I live in France, 

my brother lives in Australia, 

my parents, my sisters & my nephew all live in Canada.

It's been ages since we've all been together in the same place, 

yet here we are in zee Alps!

That's amazing... I know!!!!! 

As you can imagine, we are having a wonderful time.

And!  

Despite not blogging,

I have still been taking daily Instagrams, 

so here are the last two weeks' worth.

You've been waiting for a while... I know!  

So here you go!

Instasamedi {8}

My little sister Liz + maple taffy = best Saturday night in a loooooong time!!!
{samedi, Annecy, chez nous}

No swimming??! But it was so tempting, given the rain...
{dimanche, Annecy, Plage d'Albigny}

No more icy cobblestones, youpi!
{lundi, Annecy, vielle ville}

My brother Dave in my living room!!!
{He'd just gotten off a HUGE Melbourne to Geneva flight...
with his Quicksilver Annecy T-shirt & huge smile!}
{mardi, Annecy, chez nous}

My brother's travel mascot/dinosaur posing on our balcony!
{mercredi, Annecy, chez nous}

Dear Instagram, 
Thanks for making my nephew Ben look as if he grew up in the 1970s like me...
{jeudi, Annecy, chez nous}

Setting off for an hour-long lake tour with my siblings on the Lac d'Annecy !
{vendredi, Annecy, Quai Napoléon III}

OK, so we've caught up on the first week of my 

February Family Festivities!

Ready for the Instagrams from last week?

Instasamedi {9}

Siblings shadow shot.
{samedi, Annecy, au soleil}

‎(Non-shadow) siblings shot avec chocolat chaud.
{dimanche, Annecy, chocolat chaud central}

Could my husband's hometown in Le Beaujolais be any more scenic?
{lundi, Pommiers, view of the village & its vineyards}

Did this West Coast girl make her brother take her out
for {really yummy!} sushi here in the midst of zee French Alps? Mais oui!
{mardi, Annecy, restaurant Ô Sushi}

I love how there are 3 languages on the cinnamon etc in Swiss Starbucks.
Geek? Moi? Mais oui!
{mercredi, Geneva, Starbucks}

Thanks for putting up the blinds, Dad & Dave!
They sure help frame the view from our living room.
{jeudi, Annecy, chez nous}

I see you, Dad!
{vendredi, Chambéry, little street dans la vielle ville}

So voilà... there you go!

Now you're all caught up on the Instagrams & family fun

from the past two weeks.

Here's hoping you've enjoyed this {très belated} post,

even though I used a few too many exclamation points 

& "I know!!!"s...

Any photo capture your fancy?

Also, how about you?

Are your siblings scattered around like we are?

Have you had any family reunions lately?