almost there from ruth on j's computer

we're nearly there....well, nearly able to clean teeth, wash hair, boil water and, most importantly, the thing we have all been waiting for, having coffee outside looking at the vines in the early sunshine. meanwhile i have been whizzing about missing most of the blogger action, so apologies for zero response........... here the cicadas have at last shut up and pissed off with the tourists, we need jumpers in the evening (forgotten what it felt like to be cold for a while there!) and the pool at bedoin has some space to swim in it occasionally, and in three weeks i have to leave for three months. dooooh! now julian has been a complete star and, aswell as rewiring and replumbing the entire house solo ready for halogens and hi-tech life in the hamlet, he has built the most romantic and shapely rounded plaster en suite shower in the ceilingless bedroom with seashell grey mosaic tiles! last night we walked back under the stars from a pizza at our local hamlet with friends and it all felt very exciting! meanwhile work moves on without us, still lives remain unfinshed and clients become a little antsy; my cello fingers can't imagine feeling the strings under their coat of filler, despite the fact that i now have a 2 month contract, mostly in paris, as soon as glyndebourne (any requests let me know now!) is over playing haydn's marionette opera philomen et baucis with the infamous musiciens du louvre ( that dreadful audition i did!) and then with the concert d'astree next summer playing rameau....all a bit stunning really and i can't quite believe it! i suppose normal-ish life will return soon! for the moment we are playing houses and trying to decide if we can splash out on the range cooker we dream of! (oh, go on, i hear him say to his cautious wife....) love to y'all.