I saw my first real-live octopus last Saturday -- when snorkeling with Benoit, Melanie, Simon, Alena, and Vince at La Trayas.
Ben, Vince, and I were swimming out toward the rocky island when Ben beckoned for us to come and see. At this point the ground was about 20 feet below us.. and there she was... buried in the sand.
Tucked outside her sandy cave, two of her spotted tentacles held court - while her delicate head and body were folded inside the sand.
Diving down, I could see its dark eyes looking outward from its cream, jellylike form huddling backwards.
Returning to the surface (gasping for air!), I wondered about its world and then swam on....
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Friday, September 10, 2004
Graham comes to visit
Hello there,
Graham arrived on Wednesday night and so I thought I'd write a wee word saying what we've done so far...
After he arrived at 5.30pm and sat through over an hour of Riviera Ruch Hour traffic, I think he was more than ready to sit on the porch and drink beer and eat ravioli and relax!
Thursday was more energetic... as we replenished the cupboards by going foodshopping before going for a swim in the pool before lunch. He beat me at frontcrawl bringing our score up to 1-1. Standby for a grand finale sometime soon! Then, after lunch and a wee siesta, we drove up to Gourdon and then to Greolieries to do a bit of sightseeing... and icecream eating and some photo-taking (Graham!). Later, after a great dinner, the boys beat me at Skipbo...so I fell asleep on the couch as they continued with Uno :-)
Today, Graham and I pottered around Antibes (trying out chickpea pancakes and staring at the gooods in the marketplace). Then, Graham caught the train through to Cannes to see the Cruiseboat show....
The weekend plans include some snorkeling and a beach BBQ... so for tonight i think I'll be quite happy to collapse on the couch with some (bad) French TV!
Graham arrived on Wednesday night and so I thought I'd write a wee word saying what we've done so far...
After he arrived at 5.30pm and sat through over an hour of Riviera Ruch Hour traffic, I think he was more than ready to sit on the porch and drink beer and eat ravioli and relax!
Thursday was more energetic... as we replenished the cupboards by going foodshopping before going for a swim in the pool before lunch. He beat me at frontcrawl bringing our score up to 1-1. Standby for a grand finale sometime soon! Then, after lunch and a wee siesta, we drove up to Gourdon and then to Greolieries to do a bit of sightseeing... and icecream eating and some photo-taking (Graham!). Later, after a great dinner, the boys beat me at Skipbo...so I fell asleep on the couch as they continued with Uno :-)
Today, Graham and I pottered around Antibes (trying out chickpea pancakes and staring at the gooods in the marketplace). Then, Graham caught the train through to Cannes to see the Cruiseboat show....
The weekend plans include some snorkeling and a beach BBQ... so for tonight i think I'll be quite happy to collapse on the couch with some (bad) French TV!
Sunday, September 05, 2004
water
This weekend was wonderful... as its hours were filled with water.
On Saturday morning, Melanie and I spent an hour or so wandering alongside the Brague river. We talked and talked, but we also saw small fish dart away from a falling orange leaf, the way leaves on fir trees dash upwards in streaks of green paint, and how stone arched bridges lean over pretty streams of blue water.
Returning home, we thought our exercise for the day was done, but - oh no! Our boys (Benoit, Simon, and Ivon) had other ideas. So, after a great lunch of steaming spaghetti and lardon, we crammed into Ben's laguna and headed for the hills. The joke was we were interested in 'swimming in the loo' ... but really we were interested in the Loup river and particularly the part where it carved its way down the gorge toward 'Pont-sur-Loup.' After scrambling down to its limestone banks, Mel and I sat and gossiped as the boys swam...and then had our turn. Plunging into the water was cold, cold, cold... but also incredibly refreshing as our breaths were swept away and downstream!
Today, we awoke at 7.30am and met Vincent to go snorkeling at the calanques. Reaching our usual place, we were pleased to see we were alone and that the water was calm. We had a wonderful swim... watching shoals of larger fish shimmering silver and green as they fed from the seaweed... as smaller fish pecked at the thin underlayer of the waves... as Scottish, tartan fishes darted along the underwater caverns. Ben and Vince even saw a Moray eel and an octopus!
Needless to say, the rest of today has been spent relaxing... but then there is still tomorrow...and soon thereafter Wednesday when Graham arrives :-)
On Saturday morning, Melanie and I spent an hour or so wandering alongside the Brague river. We talked and talked, but we also saw small fish dart away from a falling orange leaf, the way leaves on fir trees dash upwards in streaks of green paint, and how stone arched bridges lean over pretty streams of blue water.
Returning home, we thought our exercise for the day was done, but - oh no! Our boys (Benoit, Simon, and Ivon) had other ideas. So, after a great lunch of steaming spaghetti and lardon, we crammed into Ben's laguna and headed for the hills. The joke was we were interested in 'swimming in the loo' ... but really we were interested in the Loup river and particularly the part where it carved its way down the gorge toward 'Pont-sur-Loup.' After scrambling down to its limestone banks, Mel and I sat and gossiped as the boys swam...and then had our turn. Plunging into the water was cold, cold, cold... but also incredibly refreshing as our breaths were swept away and downstream!
Today, we awoke at 7.30am and met Vincent to go snorkeling at the calanques. Reaching our usual place, we were pleased to see we were alone and that the water was calm. We had a wonderful swim... watching shoals of larger fish shimmering silver and green as they fed from the seaweed... as smaller fish pecked at the thin underlayer of the waves... as Scottish, tartan fishes darted along the underwater caverns. Ben and Vince even saw a Moray eel and an octopus!
Needless to say, the rest of today has been spent relaxing... but then there is still tomorrow...and soon thereafter Wednesday when Graham arrives :-)
Thursday, September 02, 2004
initial scribblings
Hello, and welcome to my blogsite...
As 'la rentree' swings into full effect, new pens and new notepads are being bought and prepared for the semester ahead. And, I'm being filled with a sense of anticipation for the months ahead.
This is an exciting time for me, as I begin my married life with Benoit and as we share our days together in France.
Hence, as we are far from many friends and family (and as I do like scribbling), I thought this would be an ideal place to note and reflect upon things that have happened to us and sights that we have seen during our daily lives.
Feel free to drop in and out as you like.
I'll be here!
Best Regards,
Robyn
As 'la rentree' swings into full effect, new pens and new notepads are being bought and prepared for the semester ahead. And, I'm being filled with a sense of anticipation for the months ahead.
This is an exciting time for me, as I begin my married life with Benoit and as we share our days together in France.
Hence, as we are far from many friends and family (and as I do like scribbling), I thought this would be an ideal place to note and reflect upon things that have happened to us and sights that we have seen during our daily lives.
Feel free to drop in and out as you like.
I'll be here!
Best Regards,
Robyn
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