Quiet (and muddy) days of August

We arrived in Lille a year ago on the first of August. We didn't know then that we were in the middle of the French national vacation month. It seemed like a busy city, certainly compared to what we were used to. It wasn't until the end of August and the beginning of September that we realized how many people actually lived here. Many restaurants, bars, and stores close down for a week or more and use this time to change over ownership or just to redecorate or refurbish for a new look. There is even one hotel in the center of Lille that completely closes for the month. 

The vacation migration was much more obvious to us this year. At the end of July and beginning of August many places began closing. The number of people on the streets are noticeably fewer and even nighttime bars became quieter. That's not a bad thing, really, but it will come to an abrupt end with the Braderie happening the first weekend of September. 

I'm working on getting my daily step count back up and my weight back down. Both numbers moved in the wrong direction over the past several weeks due to both the heat and my health concern. 

While most people go away in August, we are staying put. August is a busier time at Bailey's boarding kennel and they have a one week minimum this time of year. Our next trip isn't until the end of September when we'll go back to London. It's sort of nice being around town when fewer people are around. Although some things or closed (our favorite brewery down the street), those that are still open are less busy. We went to virtual reality experience this past week that featured simulations from the International Space Station. It was excellent. We also went back to the Musee de l'Hospice Comtesse, which had a display of tapestries made in Lille in additional to the regular Lille history exhibits. 

Bailey is enjoying getting back to longer morning walks on the trails at the Citadel, but we have established a pattern of a short walk to a nearby park in the evenings for a quick pee that doesn't involve going all the way to the Citadel. We haven't had much rain in the past month and July was the hottest month on record in Lille, and yet Bailey managed to get herself coated in muck on yesterday's morning walk. She doesn't go into the water on purpose but she went down to the water's edge to get a drink. What looked like a muddy area next to the water was actually entirely liquid and she fell in. She was surprised but scrambled out, entirely coated in black slime from her belly down. She spent the rest of the walk rolling in the very dry grass trying to rub it off. Much of it did fall off, but she definitely needed a bath. 

I had not given Bailey a bath since before we moved, so she was due for one anyway, but now she really needed it. She wasn't bad about it really, even though I kept her in there for a while and did a lot of scrubbing. She did jump out once and led me on a chase through the apartment but only jumped on one piece of furniture in the process, thankfully. We both survived it and she looks and smells much better. I am pretty sure she will keep her distance from anything that even looks wet from now on.

Bailey running with a friend, Jacopo, a Bracco Italiano.

They had played together in the past but we encountered Jacopo and his people twice on this walk. He spotted her from a distance and came running both times, wanting to play.

He's not as fast as she is, but he's energetic and a good playmate.

These are some of the tapestries at the Musee de Comtesse. They are really amazing, incredibly fine, detailed work that really look more like paintings from a distance.

The Musee de Comtesse also has some really beautiful paintings. 

This is inside an art nouveau style bar in Lille. 

Some Malinois have dark legs like this, but Bailey does not.

A big heart

All is well, but I'm back home after a night in a hospital followed by an angioscopy procedure this morning. The diagnosis is that I have a somewhat larger than normal heart, which consequently works somewhat less than optimally, but no coronary heart disease. 

When we first got here Clay got us set up with a primary care physician. After taking my family history he recommended a consultation with a cardiologist. Fine, sensible, a good idea. Clay found one who speaks English and a few months ago I had an appointment. He did an exam and EKG in the office and then scheduled me with a colleague for a stress test. The results of that were close to marginal so they then scheduled this angioscopy. We had a pre-test consult with an anesthesiologist last week but then I think something got lost in translation. We went to the hospital for what we thought was pre-test consult Monday afternoon but ended up being checked into the hospital for an early morning procedure scheduled for the next day. 

That was unexpected but fine. Clay went back home to get me a plug and cord to keep my phone charged so I could entertain myself. It was a private hospital, all private rooms, no real air conditioning to speak of but it wasn't too bad in there and there was a fan at least. The food was as bland and boring as hospital food in the U.S. I actually got more sleep than I thought I would. Clay had to give Bailey her evening walk on Monday and morning walk on Tuesday. Clay's brother Hugh is visiting so it wasn't ideal timing for that but we did do some things with him earlier in the day on Monday and got some other things scheduled for him to do by himself on Tuesday.

The cardiologist I was seeing speaks excellent English, but my interaction with him was minimal compared to the rest of the staff. Among the nurses they managed pretty well to get across what was happening and what I needed to do. Checking into the hospital was probably the most difficult, but Clay was there for that. 

The procedure itself was quick and painless from my point of view. I was sufficiently sedated. I felt very good about the quality of care received. The cardiologist did prescribe me a new medication and strongly advised 3-4 hours of "sports" per week. (I'm going to take up biking.) The bottom line, as I understand it, is that I had no blockage, nothing that required surgery or even a stent. I'm calling it a win. The cardiologist is going to schedule an MRI to rule out another possible problem so I definitely feel like I'm getting good care. Access to good health care is one of the reasons we chose Lille and I think this experience shows that it was a good choice. 

When we checked out of the hospital we paid the bill. The clinical bill for the doctor and procedure itself will be sent to us separately, but we paid for two days of the hospitalization alone, which came to 180€. Not worrying about going bankrupt for medical care is a very big benefit. 

Pictures are from my Monday morning walk with Bailey.

Our first year in France

It's been one year since we arrived at CDG airport in Paris, with a few bags of clothing and personal items, and Bailey in her crate. We kept that airline crate and it has become Bailey's den. We got a big piece of wood to lay on the top making it into a very useful table that lives on my side of the bedroom. I've since learned that crating is not common in France, but Bailey loves her crate, feels secure there, and goes into it willingly whenever we ask. 

We reserved a small room in the local brewery down the street and hosted a small gathering yesterday evening. There were probably 25 people who came and went in the course of the evening. We told folks that it was a dual celebration, marking our first year in France and our 30th year as a couple. Clay's beer friends came, of course, as well as some people we had met through the American Club in Lille, a couple who lives in our building, and Bailey's friend from the dog park. 

I might claim Bailey's friend as my friend, but really it's Bailey who made the relationship. We see her and her dog (an Australian shepherd) most days when we stop by the dog park towards the end of our morning walk. She made a real effort to get to know Bailey and she speaks English well enough that we've become acquainted as well. She has the same co-dependent relationship with her dog that I have with Bailey. I don't know much more about her personally, but that's enough to deem her a kindred spirit. Making human friends doesn't come easily to me, quelle surprise, so I'd say that one friend in one year is pretty good, or at least as good as could be expected. 

We have our carte vitale (French health insurance cards), and French driver's licenses. The main bureaucratic goal outstanding is the renewal of our one year visa, but we've been notified that it's in process and they've given us a three month extension already. I need to find and commit to a new language learning system. We are here to stay for as long as they'll have us. 

Bailey in her new harness.

I need to get her some cool velcro patches for the harness. 

The world's shortest blooming hollyhock, growing out of a crack in stone.

My favorite house in Lille.

We were in the dog park on Friday and spotted them moving the sheep to a new location. I hadn't seen this before. They normally just move the fencing to an adjacent location and move them around that way gradually. They actually moved them down the sidewalk along a roadway. I'm not sure where they went. There were one or two herding dogs controlling the movement. The guardian dogs were leading the way but not really assisting with the move.

Here you can see the livestock guardian dogs out front and a herding dog (Australian shepherd I think), at the rear. The owners and their dogs are Romanian. 

I had a good vantage point standing on top of the earthen mound in the dog park. See how dry and brown the grass is? We really need some rain.

The dogs and the people obviously knew what they were doing.

Full moon rising.

One year in and we have no regrets. Hoping for many more.

Annual vet visit

Our one year anniversary in France is rapidly approaching. One of the first things we did upon arrival last August was take Bailey to a vet. It was actually a requirement, within a week of arrival, and we had found the vet and scheduled the appointment on our scouting trip in April, 2025, well before our actual move. It's been almost a year since that initial vet visit so we scheduled Bailey's annual check up for today.

It was after our morning walk at the Citadel and I think we'll schedule any future visits for the same time because it was the lowest stress vet visit Bailey has ever had. Both the receptionist and the vet offered treats and got kisses. Bailey went up on the scale and sat down without hesitation. She only needed two vaccines, lepto and kennel cough, so that was easy and she was good for the exam. The vet said her weight was perfect and remarked how muscular she was. 

I had come over with a year's supply of both Heartguard and Frontline. On the vet's recommendation from our initial visit, I've been giving Bailey a dose of Drontal every three months since we got here to handle any intestinal parasites that she might pick up as a result of dietary indiscretion that she may indulge in on our hikes. It's available without a prescription here. Today I got a three month supply of Simparica for fleas and ticks and a refillable prescription for more. The vet said that they don't really have an issue with heartworms in this part of France. 

It was a very easy and successful vet visit. Bailey got everything she needs to comply with the requirements of the boarding kennel for the next year. 

Hanging out at the dog park this morning.

There were two small dogs there when we arrived this morning. The one kissing up to Bailey is a puppy who really wanted to be her friend. Bailey was tolerant but not really interested. The little guy on the left was named Eclair ("Flash" or "Lightning" in English) and he was surprisingly fast on those little legs. Bailey bounced around and played with him a little bit, slowing her pace so give him a chance.

Bailey's dining table.

These signs are posted along some of the interior canals at the Citadel, warning of the potential presence of dangerous bacteria in the water due to the summer heat. Bailey doesn't go in the water but she has been known to stop for a drink. I'm watching her closely now and call her away from the water if she goes close to it. 

Bailey has a human friend that we see very often at the dog park. She gave Bailey this disc to play with.

Waiting at the vet's office today.

Laying in the sun in front of an open window at home today. This is the last open window day for a while; it's supposed to get hot again tomorrow so we'll be running our air conditioner.

These last two pictures are off topic, but I've been wanting to share them. Before we left Virginia, I scattered the ashes of all the dogs we've owned over the years, including a number of foster dogs who died in our care. There were quite a few of them, but I don't have an exact count. Although I scattered the ashes, (some in our pasture, others along the trails at Pleasant Grove), I kept and brought along the collars of each of those dogs. To display them I got a curtain rod and hung it in one of our windows. I quite like the effect.

This is a view from below of all the tags and other bling on the collars.

The rod turned out to be surprisingly heavy.

Summer flowers, wildlife, and more

Just some recent pictures. The weather has been much better lately but very dry, we really need some rain. The wildflowers continue to thrive, however. 

A momma Coot and two babies swimming through duckweed.

Another concert at the cathedral.

A scene outside our very local brewery down the street. Their friend was taking their picture standing behind them. I took this from inside the bar looking out. Then we went outside and exchanged pictures with them. 

Grazing as vegetation control.

Firewooks as seen from our window on July 14h. 

Yet another concert at the cathedral. This was a school vocal group from the UK. 

This is the back end of St. Catherine's church, take from a table outside a Vietnamese restraurant nearby, (see next picture).

French Vietnamese food. It was good but different from Vietnamese food in the U.S.

Bailey on the top of the hill in the dog park. 

Bailey with a new toy.

A grey heron.

Wood pigeons. They are larger, heavier, than regular pigeons.

A cormorant on one of the interior canals around the Citadel. 

An arum lily. Very unusual.

I spotted this guy from across an interior canal. He looked huge, stork-sized compared to the usual grey herons. My phone identified him as a great blue heron.