New Terra Amatiste

Yesterday I took Ila to her new school, Terra Amata, to finalize the registration for next year. Ila was very excited and wanted to stay in the school right there and then - especially since she approved of the playground and got excited when I confirmed that they do indeed have lunch in school.

Afterwards we bought her a new book for Petite Section - the vacance practice. We're going to study our colors, numbers (all the way up to 3!), and following instruction in French. Rio promised to be the teacher. So far so good - Ila has done about 6 pages of exercises yesterday and according to Rio she's pretty good.

And yes, the school is located on the site where the earliest examples of human habitation and controlled fire (300,000 years BC) were ever found.

Father's Day Swim

The father's day was probably the coldest and grayest day we had in the last two months. But Kai decided that the best way to celebrate it is to go for a family swim. Rio and Ila quickly put on their swimming suits and swim rings and were ready to run down the hill to the secret staircase that takes us to water in a quick, dramatic descent.



Sign pointing to the very hidden staircase. In theory you can take the sea path all the way to the port. It's a lovely or a scary walk - depending on the size of waves.

Our local park

One of the reasons we chose to live in Mont Boron is because it surrounds a big hilltop park. The park spreads pretty far and is composed of several different areas: olive groves, dry lawns, moored areas and rocky vegetation. There's also the distinctive Mediterranean cypress and the umbrella pines framing the sea and city views. In the spring time the park was filled with beautiful white and pale yellow wild flowers - lillies, hyecinths and many others that I've never seen before. Now that the weather turned warmer and dryer you see flowering cacti. In May and early June the olive trees blossom, and spread their little white starred flowers all over the walkways.

This land used to be the hunting forrest of the Terra Amata ancestors (400,000 years ago). I think one day I need to organize an archeleogical dig for Rio and Ila!


View towards Nice

Flowering cacti

Rio turns 7 and loses most of her teeth

In the typical mid June tradition Rio had a beautifully sunny birthday. I baked her a requested chocolate-chocolate-chocolate cake - and lots of cupcakes. The French moms went wild for the cupcakes. There's awareness, but nobody sells them. So the people seem cupcake deprived. Perhaps it's time to consider opening a cupcake cafe in Nice?

On the morning of her actual 7th birthday Rio lost her 3rd tooth in that week. Now she's a true gappy 7 year old who is still full of silly thoughts, but also who is becoming a beautiful tall girl who likes to read, draw and play school with Ila.

Anybody needs nice cheap antiques?

Because at least I'll feel that somebody I know profited from those good deals! Both pieces are, in my opinion, very good bargains. But unfortunately I can't squeeze them into our current place. The cherry wood and marble top bahut from the 1920s is in perfect condition and quite impressive - both in workmanship and size. And only 180E! You could probably offer 160E and they'd take it. Same with the empire bed. I've seen similar beds in Paris for five times the 100E they're trying to sell it for...yeah, it does need to be reupholstered due to some rips on the inside. But you'll be sleeping with mohagony swans by your head. And it even includes a new looking mattress.

Face only a mother could love...well, father too...and little sister especially

Rio just lost another tooth. One more to go in the next few days.

La petite souris visit smile

After weeks of eating mushy foods, Rio finally managed to lose the top front tooth while brushing her teeth in the morning. There's two more wobbling and eager to get out (another top one - this will be one gappy smile in few weeks!).

Last night la petite souris, the little mouse, snuck into her room and left some money under the pillow. Yep, that's right, the French have a little visiting mouse, not a fairy - seems kind of practical, easy to explain. Rio didn't question it at all - it's just part of the childhood package.