...and then there was spring.

...ONE NEVER KNOWS what images one is going to hold in memory, returning to the city after a brief [excursion] in the country. I find this morning that what I most vividly and longingly recall is the sight of my grandson and his little sunburnt sister returning to their kitchen door from an excursion, with trophies of the meadow clutched in their hands—she with a couple of violets, and smiling, he serious and holding dandelions, strangling them in a responsible grip. Children hold spring so tightly in their brown fists—just as grownups, who are less sure of it, hold it in their hearts.– E.B. White, from his essay, "A Report in Spring", found in the book, Essays of E.B. White.

today has been just delightful. got woken up a bit earlier than i had intended when jake called me, and had a nice chat with him... then sent mme lyu a draft of my project proposal so she can decide if she can be my thesis advisor or not, did some work on my translation, and booked an excursion to the loire valley for when dad comes ... then i met scottie and her friend kessia, who is visiting lyon for the weekend, and we enjoyed the GORGEOUS weather today by walking around the roman ruins and vieux lyon. we stopped at a little bar/café on the hill beneath Fourvière and sat out on the terrace. i introduced scottie and kessia to "monaco"s, a.k.a. beer with a wee dram of grenadine in it, and it was a big hit. who knew that drinking pink beer could be so much fun? i bought mariel a really cute shirt - it has a giraffe with a bonnet on it and some crazy italian words ... it's just random enough that i think she'll love it... i had a migraine in the afternoon, but i took a nap and some medecine and when it finally went away i felt so much better in comparison that i could have danced all the way to dinner... scottie kessia and i went to dinner at a real lyonnais bouchon, "les amants st jean" in vieux lyon, and i opted to pay the 3 extra euros for the better meal and i think that it was money well spent ... i had a salade de chevre chaud, lamb with au gratin potatoes, fromage blanc, and a coffee -- all were delicious! all in all, a lovely, lovely day... and much needed, too. the weather had been pretty awful all week, so i was glad for a change ... and for a chance to wear my new skirt! hope the warm weather holds out for easter ... i tentatively told scottie i'd go to mass with them on sunday. the 930 church service will come awfully early in the morning, but it will certainly be a good cultural experience, non?

ok, enough of this. it's bed for me ...