We've been busy...

I'm sure I won't cover it all, but we have been busy. Unfortunately because of a "technical glitch" i did not get to the linen festival.

When we parted ways on Thursday, my new friend took our cell phone # and we took hers. In Canada we have 10 numbers plus the 1 in front, but here in France it is 2#space2#space1#space2#space for four more times and we didn't receive her message saying when to meet them, so they carried on without us, while we sat home waiting for word to leave. I was very disappointed, but I guess it was not meant to be. So Sunday we decided to take a small road trip and drove to a few more of the landing beaches from D day. Took a tour through one of the German bunkers that were protecting the beach and had a guide point out the various points of interest.

This village is twinned with our city back home. It is where our "North Shore" regiment landed on June 6, 1944.

The weather has been less than stellar, but it is not flooding anywhere and there are no mudslides or forest fires, so we do our best to dress accordingly and just "soldier on", rain or shine.

On Monday we headed out for an overnight trip to the WWI memorials, cemeteries and battlefields. 

You cannot imagine what it feels like to see so many graves...so, so sobering. The stories of hardships of living in the trenches for years! This was a war fought in trenches...unthinkable today! A war where over 8 million died! Allies, enemies and civilians...8 million!

It is hard to wrap your mind around those kinds of numbers.

Canadian WWI Memorial at Vimy Ridge.

There are 940 cemeteries dedicated to the war dead. Staggering!

This one was particularly thought-provoking. It has over 46,000 graves in it...all German.

They were the enemy to us, but they were some mother's sons, some wife's husband, some child's daddy...  So, so sad.

Essex Farm, was the site of an advanced dressing station where Dr. John McRae wrote In Flanders Fields.

While away we purchased a couple books, but they will wait for later, because it can all become too much, when you bombard your mind will all this sadness.

Such a beautiful country! So nice to see the countryside at peace the way God made it...

We are back "home" and have had a quiet day, laundry and tidying, and a few things to do before leaving for Paris in 2 days to pick up our son and his family. They will be spending the last 2 weeks with us. Hope they pack woolies, and raincoats!

In case you are wondering, I have been keeping my fingers busy too!

I bought some cloth napkins while at the linen shop and decided they needed a pretty crocheted edge to dress them up, so thats what I am working on, and the other night while watching a movie I decided to crochet a rock...well I didn't really crochet a rock, I crocheted a cover for the rock. It was sitting on the window sill outside and I figured it could use some spicing up too!

I have seen this several times on line and always thought I might like to try it, so I did!

Not great, but I will try it again when I get back home. This one will stay behind...

If you think you might like to try it, just google crochet covered rocks...hit images and you can find lots of inspiration. Mr. O says, I have too much time on my hands when I start crocheting covers for rocks...he just doesn't get it. <grin>