F-Word of the Day: Fun

The F-Word for Today is Fun!

The F-Word of the day today is ‘Fun’. This afternoon is the last day of my English class for kids at the cultural center.  I can’t believe how quickly this year has passed – and how much fun I’ve had with the kids. There are 10 of them who range in age from 6 to 12.

So we’re going to have an end-of-the party, and I’ve got a few errands to still run to get ready for it.  I hope they’re going to have a lot of fun too – I’m planning some American games, prizes and some homemade cupcakes for them. And to surprise them, I’ve made Certificates of Completion for them – but those I’m going to mail to their homes next week, along with little thank you notes, because when I was a kid, I loved getting mail. (In fact, I still do!  I think I’m the only person I know who loves getting junk mail!)

When I woke up at 6:30 this morning, the sun was already streaming in through the sky-blue curtains in my bedroom. (The bedroom is on the south side of the house and looks down into the courtyard.)

The shadows of what seems like 50 or so baby swallows pass the window every few seconds at they zigzag back and forth through the Mimosa, olive and apple trees like race car drivers at Monte Carlo. Lilly (our family cat and my self-appointed writing muse) was sitting at attention on the wide white windowsill, trying to entice a bird or two to come just a little closer.

She was using that “cat language” cats use for birds who mock them by staying just out of reach – if you’re a dog person and have never heard cats do it, it’s kind of a cross between chattering teeth and chirping and includes a wide open focused stare.  Whenever I see a cat doing it, I always imagine they’re saying something like, “Bird…you are getting sleepy… very sleepy… you want to come over here and let me eat you…” (But that could just be me.)

As I got out of bed to start our morning routine, Lilly shot the birds one last look of disdain, before turning her back on them, and with a swish of her tail (to show them just exactly how much they bored her), she jumped down and went into the kitchen with me.  (She helps me make coffee by rubbing encouragingly against my legs and meowing at me to remind me to hurry up with it, because she’s hungry.)

My windowsill herb garden is growing nicely, and after watering them, I left the windows opened so I could enjoy the scents of mint, thyme, rosemary and basil.

After feeding Lilly, I woke up the kids, and put breakfast on the table for them: pain chocolat – (like croissants with bits of chocolate in them), chocolate cereal, milk and juice.  Breakfast, for the French, (at least here on the French Riviera) not only isn’t the most important meal of the day, it’s barely noticed at all. A cup of coffee, tea or, in the colder months, hot chocolate, and sometimes a croissant – is it, and it’s eaten quickly.  For most of us here in France – and especially on the French Riviera, our big meal – and one that people start thinking about in the morning – if not the night before – is lunch.

After making sure the kids weren’t trying to pretend they hadn’t heard me telling them it was time to get moving (they were), I brought a cup of coffee and a croissant on a tray into Alain.  We have this little morning routine I treasure – while he sips his coffee,  we read interesting bits of news to each other, synchronize our calendars, and talk about our plans for the weekend. I treasure this little routine we have for starting the day together.

For lunch today I’m making Ratatouille – a delicious vegetable dish made of garden tomatoes, fresh zucchini, eggplant, red and yellow peppers, onions and garlic.  (I’m planning on adding a recipe of the day to this blog too, so I’ll let you know when that gets done, and I’ll add my Ratatouille recipe for you.)  Normally it’s eaten hot, but it’s also delicious cold, and makes a great summer side dish – plus, it’s one of those dishes that the flavors get stronger and it takes even better the next day (that’s if you ever get to keep any leftovers!  We don’t usually have many in this house!)

Tony and I went to Toulon’s open air market yesterday, and got all the ingredients for it, along with fresh strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, nectarines and the first cherries of the season.  And we stopped at the butcher shop to get a roasted chicken to go along with the ratatouille.

So… The ‘F-Word’ for today is fun.  When’s the last time you did something just for the ‘fun’ of it?  Part of the point of reinventing the F-Words in your life is to make sure that you’re adding in the things you enjoy – whether that means doing activities, hobbies, visiting special places, having a girl’s night out, or doing something special for yourself or someone you love.  Fun adds flavor and spice to life – and it’s something we all need!  So don’t forget to add a little fun to your day…

If you live in the U.S., you’ve got a three-day weekend coming up. What are your plans?  I’d love to hear what you’re going to do to bring a little fun into your life!