Look up. There's a harvest moon tonight

Did I mention earlier, that our planned two week September holiday to France was postponed?

Last May, we spent an unforgettable week in France, taking in as many art venues, and museums as time permitted throughout Paris. Day or night, the City Of Light may belong to the stroller, the idle walker with no purpose, but not for us. Just as visiting museums is essential to understanding Paris, so is grazing in the rarefied atmosphere of the antique stores and many dining establishments at every turn in the road. And the contents behind many pâtisserie windows, that make you want to stuff your face. What is it about the look of the traditional Paris bistro that makes you want to eat food that's hazardous to your health? (Hmmm. This may be another entry). Though they vary in ambiance, these small meat-and-potatoes places always have quality and authentic charm written all over their blackboard menus. Friends always ask where I usually stay in Paris, expecting a reply at the George V level, or similar. This is a great property, and I have unpacked there on more than one occasion. But the truth is, I'd much rather stay at a touristy property, that offers oodles of charm, close to the true Parisian flavour. This year, we wanted to expand on an art theme by spending several days at a small back-alleyway three star property in the thick of the Latin Quarter of Paris. Revisiting nearby Musee d'Orsay, to see many priceless Monet and other Impressionist art originals, with the balance of time taking in Provence, was to consume major portions of our 2006 holiday.


You should all know, there's something about Provence, that absolutely goes straight to the heart -- pardon the unintended pun -- the fragrances of thyme and lavender, the flavours of olives and honey, the views of the azure skies and sun splashed vine-yards. Our planned 'promenade' was to be an exploration designed to savour the Region in small bites (literally) with easy strolls in picturesque towns, hilltop villages and a stunning countryside. We wanted to quietly walk in the footsteps of Cezanne and Van Gogh and enjoy the essential Provence. These passions (and Ireland, which I hope to have an escorted group to next August) are now temporarily on hold until later in '07.

Plan B in the meantime, was a caregiver's surprise announcement of a Thanksgiving getaway at Inn On The Twenty - a small, romantic property in nearby Niagara wine country. Whoo-hoo. Our neighbourly cat sitter was secretly booked. It was a great couple of days away from the home environment, which we both needed. Time together. Time for pause. More time. The long weekend weather was simply glorious, clear and crisp, with a hint of Fall in the air (never mind that three feet of snow got dumped in nearby Buffalo, four days later!) On Sunday night, we both quietly watched in awe, as a bursting orange harvest moon on steroids, slowly rose over the historic town of Jordan. You couldn't help but notice also while in the Region, local vintners working from dawn to dusk harvesting the endless fruits of their labour, which stand in regimented rows on both sides of the back roads throughout the terroir.

I'm rethinking these nice thoughts -- a moon later, as they say in the old Western movies -- looking skyward from our living room bay window. Tonight, there's that harvest moon, once again. So many good things have happened in the past month. Merci, beaucoup (got to practice where I'd like to go back to next year.)