I have been finding it a little bit difficult to write, recently. I have stories, and then I forget to blog them in the calm after the chaos that is our family life. ;) Not to say that life is totally chaotic, but many of you reading have met my children, and know that they are always. busy. always. talking. always. going. always. asking. questions. and. not. settling. for. easy. answers. AND they only sometimes stop when they are sleeping. We have just finished three (now five, since restarting this post and hitting publish!) nights in a row where everyone has slept through the night, and my goodness, it is wonderful!!! They are still. always. busy!! I love them, and I love their enthusiasm and energy, by my goodness, sometimes it leaves me half dead. (Yeah, I'm tired, but getting some sleep helps!)

I have also figured out that I am very very glad that I don't live in Vancouver, or anywhere else that rains frequently. The bits of intermittent rain here, that happen over two or three or four days while the sky stays gray?... Not so good for my sanity. Apparently, I need my sunshine. Or cod liver oil. *shudder* (hee hee!)

I have also realised that while I may not interact with a great many people on a regular basis, I do still need people around, and preferably anonymous people. I know that I am somewhat anti-social, and have a small circle of (very good) friends, but I apparently count on having anonymous people around me so that I can people watch, and be a part of something bigger without joining and without everyone who knows me knowing my every move. So, while 'here' is charming, there are not, quite simply, enough random people around to entice me out of my little rabbit hole all the time. I had not previously realised how much I require many different people around, for me to feel right with myself. And I think back to the places I have lived, from tiny town to small and medium city, and where I have been happiest, well, it wasn't in the tiny town where everyone knew me from birth. ;-)

I also miss my sewing machine, and will soon have the loan of one for a while, and the best (if not only) shops near Rabastens are in Toulouse, so YAY!, a reason to go to Toulouse, maybe even twice! LOL! Riley wants a Dragon blanket, or a dragon sewn onto his new IKEA quilt, or maybe a dragon wall hanging... I look forward to the challenge, and have many different ideas for proceeding, depending on what fabric I find. And I knew I should have mailed my fabric for my outstanding projects, because when else will I have this much free time?? *snicker*

So, I have figured out that I need to get myself into the larger communities, and do the browsing and window shopping (and possibly some actual shopping) that have been my carrots on the end of the my world stick for the past, oh, two years or so. ;p I am checking train schedules, and looking up some of the better places to shop in Toulouse, and I`ll 'do' that city for a while, then I`ll check out Albi, and possibly branch into some other European cities. Window shopping, real shopping, sitting at a café... bliss!

And if there is someone who lives in France, and wants to meet me halfway somewhere for a coffee, or tea, or some fabric shopping, then please, let me know!