Vacance en France

I'm finally back!

So sorry to have been gone for so long - but Mummy Militant, Mini Militant and Militant Ginger all hit the skies for a holiday in France. It was the first chance for Mini Militant to meet his grandparents and the first time Mummy and I had been away for America in over two years!


Mini Militant rolled in style, thanks to our backpack/stroller. It was a lifesaver! Best Yard Sale purchase ever!
Although we arrived in Paris, that's not where we stayed. My parents have a beautiful house in the Poitou Charantes, which looked stunning in the height of sunflower season.

There, Mini Militant finally got a chance to say hello to his grandparents!

He simply adored their house - there was so much to explore!

He also got to meet his cousins, Saffy and Delphy. Here's Saffy teaching Mini Militant to make sandcastles. Unfortunately, Mini Militant was far more interested in eating the sand!

Mini Militant loved petit dejeuner. It was the best part of his whole trip!

Except when Daddy would disturb him mid-repasse.


Mummy Militant got to relax, too - a world away from the hustle and bustle of New York.


But while his parents relaxed, Mini Militant was never still for long. Here he is helping my parents out on the farm!






He also had the chance to get some shopping done. He loved the French shopping trolleys - unlike the ones in America, they don't have those oh-so-restrictive safety belts!

My parent's house was just as I remembered it.


Mini Militant and I got some good bonding time in - it's nice to spend time with him, rather than being stuck in an office. We all went out exploring as much as possible (again, that backpack/stroller was a God-send!)

But Mini Militant was more than capable of doing some exploring all by himself!

And when he'd explored-himself out, there was always lots of delicious French food available to recharge the batteries. Boo adored le fromage, le pain and other classic cuisine Francais - he's looking forward to being old enough to enjoy le vin!


And, unlike his Daddy, Mini Militant was always happy to help clean up after mealtimes!

Grandmere et Grandpere had made sure there were plenty of Mini-Militant-sized toys and games to play with. He loved discovering them all!

But sometimes, the best fun is simply had nosing about somewhere new!

America's supposed to be the land of the plus grand, but for this little man, his grandparent's house was a skyscraper!

Mummy Militant and I were never far behind to ensure that Mini Militant's curiousity didn't lead him into any trouble!

We took advantage of the local French markets - there's nothing better than freshly-baked baguettes and oysters straight out of the water!


And, of course, there were seven new friends for Mini-Militant to make. He adored my mother's army of dachshunds!


...and one Whippet.
Boo was disappointed to learn that they drive on the same side of the road in France as they do in America: "Where's the challenge in that?"


But his Auntie got him the best motorised transport possible - a trainset!


Sometimes, Mini Militant was moved to adopt the classic cafe culture of 'people watching.'


Although the people were occasionally not people at all. Here he is, watching les poules!

"Eggs come from where?"


All too soon, it was time to go home - and that meant lots of traveling! The night before our flight, we stayed at a hotel with no bed for poor Boo, so he had to sleep in a suitcase (he didn't mind, though!)

Then more traveling... and more waiting...

And finally the long flight home!

We had a simply wonderful time in France. Both Mummy Militant and Mini Militant were in poor spirits to have to come home. But we're looking forward to returning soon!