Back to Biking

Today, I felt like I was really "back on the horse" after my knee injury. Only, this particular horse is a bicycle. I was able to rejoin my Monday morning biking group for the first time since September. It felt so good to be back despite the fact that they seemed set out to kill me! These woman chose the hilliest route around and pushed hard and fast.


Oh well, I survived and once I could breathe again, it felt pretty good. We did make a stop at a 5th century chapel in a nearby little town just to check it out. Amazing!

My fellow American ex-pat wife is leaving France in late March, so the French women in the biking group held a farewell luncheon for Susie today after biking. It was wonderful!! Champagne, starters, salads, veggies, chicken, cheeses, wine, and three desserts.

Excellent food, excellent conversation in French and English. Twelve women were there, so at times, the French got pretty loud and pretty overwhelming but still fun to listen to.
Two funny little anecdotes from today... These beautiful yellow flowering trees that keep showing up in my pictures are called Mimosas. When I have told several French people that we think of an orange juice and champagne cocktail as a mimosa, they are horrified! They cannot believe that we waste good champagne on orange juice!... During our after lunch coffee today, I was told that the French say that strong coffee will "wake the dead" whereas weak coffee is called American coffee or "sock juice".
Tabitha brought her grades home and proudly announced that she is top in her class this trimester!