Wise words

I subscribe to two daily e-mail letters and I highly recommend both. The first one is A Word A Day, a great chance to learn new words and their etymologies (in English) and the second one is Ajatusten Aamiainen, to give you a good feeling and a smile on your face every morning (in Finnish).

With AWAD comes a quote each time. I want to share today's quote:

Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are -- chaff and grain together -- certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away. -George Eliot (pen name of Mary Ann Evans), novelist (1819-1880).

I'm lucky to have a DH and friends with whom I feel safe in this sense. And I know they get a lot of chaff to blow away :-)

Back home and leaving again

My trip to Belgium was wonderful. For 5 days I didn't have to think about cooking or cleaning, but enjoyed 4 course dinners, nice people, wonderful scenery, bicycling, walking and also the interesting topic of the conference. The boys survived my absence (and DH survived Tuomas throwing up one night...) and were happy to have me back. Tuomas and Risto stayed up late on Friday and waited for me (i.e. souvenirs...) to come home "hi-mom-what's-in-the-bag-anything-for-us".

The venue of the conference was Auberge de la Ferme, a place worth visiting.

The view from our village, Rochehaut, down to the village of Frahan.

The view down from Frahan towards Rochehaut.

The vineyard. Pinoit Noir on the right.

Tomorrow I'm leaving again. This time a trip of mere pleasure. I'm off to Barcelona with my friend on a mother-daughter trip. Since she and I are both mothers of three boys, i.e. there are no daughters to drag along, it's just going to be the two of us. Oh, what a shame..... I'll be back early Monday morning, relaxed and happy!