Les cousines à la ferme

Olivia and Lilou had such a good time at their grandmother's last week. They played, drawed, played outside, went swimming and of course went to the farm to see the pigs, the donkeys, the chicken, and the baby cows. And of course you have to wear a skirt for that. I hope they grow up to be good friends.
 











Randonnées dans les Pyrénées

For me, going to the Pays Basque means a little slow time, time to go on walks, to play with our kid, not minding the time, eating later, not being lived by the clock for a change and it does me good and it does my family good. Just driving up the hill, until the road stops, or a bunch of 'brebis' stops you. Giving the kid some unlimited playground time & some grandmother-time, discovering new places, new viewpoints, going to the only store in town, singing out loud with my playlist on my brisk-walks because there is nobody around. This time I even followed a yoga class, got a haircut & went swimming in the next village. It felt like a little me-time getaway without having to miss my family. Now back to our life - before our next adventure!














Olivia's Wishlist (4 years old)

Olivia is turning 4 next month and I thought it was time to make a list of the things she always puts on her 'list' when she sees something in the store. She is very interested in the world map (since her godmother went to Africa and we are going to America, she always asks me to show it on the world map), still Frozen obsessed, she likes to be creative, to read books with her dad and me before bed, play with little toys and invent little stories, she loves to takes pictures, to help us cook (so I love these knives I put on the list) and she wants a watch, but as she cannot read the time yet and has no real concept of time, I thought this special watch would do the trick. This is also her first real year at school, so I am wondering if we should already start the kids parties or wait another year? 

Lunch by the Ocean

 Whenever we touch down at Biarritz (to visit my mother in law) we have this tradition to go and eat at 'La Plancha' by the ocean. Chipirons a la plancha (little squids) as appetizers and merlu a la plancha (hake), with lots of garlic and butter, served with an oven potato with sour cream and chives sauce that is to die for. We ate at the terrace; the wind was warm, the sky 50 shades of blue, our toes in the sand, the kid happily playing, the ocean wildly throwing her waves, the new coastguards getting ready for the summer season. We just sat there for an hour or two, breathing in the fresh air and breathing out the stress from everyday life.
















Saturday Strolls & big city thoughts

Saturday we decided to go for a quick lunch and walk in Antwerp, still one of my favorite cities in Belgium. I remembered that my friend Anne told me about this Vietnamese street food bar she really liked, so we went to check it out. The food was perfect for our mood: light, inspired, original, full of fine flavors. Ooh, how I love Vietnamese food. We really should think about travelling to Vietnam in the near future. They also had the cutest hello kitty chop sticks for Olivia. Definitely an address to check, when you are in Antwerp. We walked through the city, strolling in and out of design shops, way too cool shops, way too expensive shops. Sometimes when you live in a small town, you forget the joys of the big city, the people watching, the vibe, the trends. But on the other hand, I'm happy to live in a small town, without the need of overspending every weekend, no queues in the supermarket and the bank, raising Olivia without the dangers of the big city and easy access to everything. The only thing I would love again is to have a wide choice of restaurants and food markets, but then again, I would probably cook less too. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Luckily we can enjoy both when we want and need too. That is a luxury in itself. After our Asian food, we promised Olivia to go for pancakes with chocolate and whipped cream, she was the happiest little girl!