first days at the new school

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Stella and Sasha have now each had their first days at Trois Cailloux. Stella now in First Grade, and Sasha at the Jardin d'Enfants (kindergarten).

Here are a few pictures… (To see the photos in big, just click on them.)

Grades 1 to 5 started their first day with a one-and-a-half hour walk through the Forêt dominiale de Sainte-Geneviève.

Stella and grade 1 classmate (and already great friend) Esther were the first to arrive at the meeting point

The children of Trois Cailloux - grades 1, 2, 4 and 5

The children with their teachers - from left: Catherine (principal teacher), Martin (music), Catherine (english & german), Babeth (assistant teacher). 

the classroom of grades 1 to 5

Add cation

Stella at her desk

with her mom-made crayon trousse

The kindergarten children, Timeo, Manoa and Sasha, with teacher Aurelie

The first day for the kindergarten also started with a walk to the school

Once arrived at the kindergarten, the children quickly felt at home...

The cook, at work

...with his assistant

Marketing 101

story time at the end of the day

Lunch time in the school courtyard

Stella, Esther and Alexis at play

first painting class for classes 1 and 2 (pre-paint)

Timeo, Sasha, and a special friend

Stella and Sasha are already looking forward to Monday morning...

Delicious unreasonably generous rhubarb

Fresh from our potager (orchard)...

Back home... our garden

Spot the monkey?

And now the e-vehicle (environmental motorcycle) 

Stella's baggage porter.
- Watch out porter - on-coming high speed vehicle! 

A few pics showing progress in Maizey

Here are a few shots of what we have been working on this week...

The biggest job over the last 2 weeks has been the creation of an additional bedroom (and adjacent bathroom)  on the second floor. The new bedroom window will be located between the small "dormitory room" window and the barn door.

Here you see the rooms being built. (The daylight comes from the open barn door.)

This photo was taken Thursday morning (barn door was closed)

By Thursday evening, half of the ceiling was up! (Where Gianni is standing will be the window to the street. Near JD are the wooden beams we are leaving apparent in the new room.)

This is the 'dormitory' room where we will have two sets of bunkbeds for the younger ones in the family. 

Removing the wall paper (or most of it) was a large team effort (it took 5 or 6 people!).  To cacher la misere (hide the misery), I have had chief responsibility for gluing toile de verre  (a pre-painted wallpaper made of glass fiber). 

It is fun to do!!

This is the living room. We have removed all the plaster to expose the old stones in the wall. (Note: the 'bricks' in the fireplace are wallpaper and are not staying!)

Erick came today and helped out. He got right into the task and left us with a beautiful wall.

The lower part of the left wall was the first section to get fresh mortar. Note the extra big stones all the way to the left - these are remnants from Maizey's old castle, which was destroyed during WWI. Every family in the village was allowed castle stones for use in re-building.

And here are a few photos from our orchard...

Our tomatoes in our recycled make-shift greenhouse.

Our first harvests...

One of our two bunches of ripe rhubarb.  I have already taken about 30 stalks from this plant, but one can hardly tell!

We have lots and lots of very happy strawberry plants, but no red fruit - yet!

Our first peony! This one is for Mom/Isoäiti!!!