Week 24

I reached a significant milestone this week! In today’s blog, I share my achievements, one of my favourite pieces of music and some photos from an afternoon spent in Mèze, a small town on the Étang de Thau.

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Achievements

Carte Vitale

My health card arrived in the mail on Wednesday. I feel like I’m a proper resident of France now! At just under 6 months in, I’m right on track with my administrative tasks. I’m so pleased with how smoothly eveything has gone for me.

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Voting by mail

Thanks to information that was posted in one of the Facebook groups I belong to called ‘Canadians in France’, I’ve registered with Elections Canada. I intended to look up the information so it’s great when someone else does the homework. I will receive my ballot in the mail when Canada has an election this year.

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Photos

I went to Mèze this week in the hopes of finding pink flamingos. Apparently you can see them year round, although there are much fewer there in winter. I took the bus and disembarked at the closest stop to the beach, then walked down to the port. It’s a quick walk – just 10 minutes.

After lunch on a patio, I walked to where I was told I would find the flamingos. Unfortunately, the beach was empty. I asked someone walking by if I was at the right spot – he said I was and to come back next week. I’ll wait a few weeks until the weather is a bit warmer.

I ended up walking nearly 7 kms to, from and around the Conque wetlands. It was a sunny day and I loved being in nature and soaking up all the colours, from the blues of the water and sky to the stunning shades of red, yellow and green in the flora.

Here are some photos from my walk. I was particularly drawn to the red plant shown below. It’s called Glasswort and looks beautifully translucent in the sun. The final photo wasn’t from my walk – I took it from the bus window on the way back to Pézenas. It seemed like a good seque between an afternoon spent nature and my return to town.

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Song of the week

For no reason other than because it’s been on my mind, this week I’m sharing Patricia Barber’s Too Rich For My Blood. This is a ‘sit down and listen’ song. A song to experience with your eyes closed. It’s long – just over 8 minutes – but worth sitting with right to the end so you can experience the percussion and her incredible vocal range.

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À bientôt .