Je suis ici! I am here!

It was a more-or-less uneventful night and day of travel that eventually ended in Duras. I am extrememly tired from the long haul, but took a long after-lunch nap to recharge the batteries a bit, then did some yoga stretching on my bed at the hotel to work out the kinks. I'll be okay by tomorrow.

It was exciting to approach Duras on the drive and to see my clocktower from the distance, holding up one end of the town. At my hotel, when I opened the window, the clocktower stands out above the other clay roofs--always there, always a solid form on the horizon. I find that very comforting, not to mention very convenient when giving directions to future visitors.

After my nap, I took a long walk around the perimeter of the town, noticing the views in each direction, the colorful flowers tumbling out of every window box and planter. I noticed a sign for a book festival today at the chateau and see that there are lots of people milling around there.

Now I am sitting in the Cafe de la Paix, same spot where I wore out a couple of chairs on my last visit here. I am enjoying a glass of rose' and a Perrier, and the free wi-fi,  and the sounds of happy people talking and smoking and squinting into the sunlight that's tracing an arc above and beyond the chateau.

On my stroll around town, I came upon my house from all possible directions. The prior owners have left me a garden in pots on the sidewalk. There are pansies, begonias and geraniums to help color the town--my begonias, my pansies, my geraniums! 

Today I am a tourist and I can be wistful and enjoy my strolls and flowers and rose' and the views. But then there is tomorrow and the helpers, the bank, the appointments. I think I shall have another rose' on this near perfect day, then prepare myself for a week of work.