Show me the talent

The Blue Jays have been doing a lot of late season trading. So the kids headed out with their dad and a friend to see what all the fuss was about. 

The Jays even won!

Family snaps

Cycling the towpaths of Bath

We have been having lots of fun in Bath - and here is just a taste

Lavender envy

outside our friends' home. Ours is in its second year and doing fine by smelling good!

Farewell & au revoir

Celebrating Jean & Bob's 50 years of marriage

It's been a tumultuous year for some of us...

Bonny lasses on a carriage ride

We will miss our little village

Before we say farewell

Before we left France, we snuck in a few fun times amongst all the culling, packing, cleaning and car related jobs.

Bastille night, we headed into Bergerac and met up with some friends for fireworks over the river and old town. It was splendid and a lovely way for Seb to wrap up with his mates.

Sophie did repeated sleepovers with her best buddy, so we came up with a treat for her older brother - an (almost) midnight cycle feast. He invited Nour and we cycled to a nearby field for blue Stroumph candy, soda and pringles - all under the magnificent night sky.

 We didn't have much rain in July - in fact, the Dordogne was headed for a drought. So when it suddenly rained heavily, we did what our family often does  - FAMILY DANCE PARTY!!!!

And on our last full day, we all managed to squeeze in haircuts

Technicolour summer

Pinxtos party

This was so much fun that we should do it again one sultry summer's eve in Toronto.

And then there was Bilbao

Bilbao is overshadowed by San Sebastian's fun in the sun reputation. 

But Bilbao has the Guggenheim...

Sophie with one of Louise Bourgeois's magnificent pieces

Jumping for joy under maman

Anish Kapoor is currently taking Versailles by storm but here is his more sedate Reflectorama

My dress matched Jeff Koon's Puppy

Sophie fed Puppy

Sophie likes Tulips - even those by Jeff Koons

More Koons - a la Salvador Dali

The impressive permanent exhibit - The Matter of Time

Sophie in the centre

motion in art

The architecture was indeed a delight

Admiring its form

But Bilbao is not just the Guggenheim

 The Philippe Starck re-designed wine warehouse: La Alhondiga

looking up you see a glass-bottomed swimming pool!

looking down, there is an amazing array of pillars holding up each block

When it's hot

We had quite the heat wave 10 days back - mercifully a short one. Papa scooped 3 pre-teens and took them to an adventure park under the trees.

And then after dinner - and with the temperature still in the 30s - visiting Olivier cooled us off with the hose.

A family tradition - year 5

And we present to you the Order of the Phoenix. Apologies to those whom we will see over the next 10 days or so, as we will probably be a bit preoccupied...