Lights and shades

Spring

I have been silent from the beginning of March - more than a month without writing, more than a month without you, dear friends and readers. 

Time has elapsed and events have happened. Of course, these are daily events without great importance compared to the course of the world. Nothing like Brussels, Lahore, Syria, Ivory Coast, and other atrocities, catastrophes, wars, crises of every hue that keep happening on Planet Earth.

No. Our daily lives have been impaired, hustled, moved round but not grievously hurt.

March

First, I lost my email account, which was hacked. As the blog was somewhat linked to it, some difficulties to retrieve it, the creation of a new email account and the attempt to find back my contacts.

Then, I had a bout of  depression. Not enough sunshine and the feeling that winter, rain, darkness, clouds, damp would never come to an end. The "I have enough of all" Syndrome.

Then, when things were getting better, a nasty cold with cough and fever. 

Of course, I could not keep it all to me: I shared it with The Girls but it turned as bronchitis to Eldest One. And that was frightening because it was a very bad bout of bronchitis. At one point, I thought she would pass away.

Ill

Now, things are going back to normal. Eldest Girl is bright and sprightly, up and about, just declared perfectly fine by her doctor. There are longer times of sunshine. Cherry trees and plum trees are in bloom. The oaks are putting on tiny bronze leaves. Lilacs show bigger tender-green shoots. There are tulips in the garden and not only under the protection of walls or shrubs. Blackbirds are hopping along the house and on the lawn. There are concerts of birds morning and evening. We know that there will still  be rain (giboulées), nevertheless spring is here!

Black thorn and blue tit

It is high time to write again.

Nonetheless there will be a change in my writing blog.

This one will remain as it is: something between a diary, a chronicle of life in the country, a commonplace book of reading, art, and music, a place where to chat. 

But I have decided to create another blog, "Lights and shades", that will be dedicated to the role of caregiver, his or her life, the joys and difficulties of this function that sometimes turns out as a full time job. And the life of the "caregiven" that is sometimes sadly forgotten when he or she gets older - of course, I am thinking of my Girls here. People with Down Syndrome (commonly written DownS) are always shown as children or youngsters. What happens when they are adults and growing old? 

You may not be interested by these issues: this is why I have decided to keep two separate blogs. But you are welcome to both and a lively interaction is all I wish for. There is already a Facebook page called "Camille de Fleurville-Malaret, blogger", which you may "like", and upon which you may leave comments and reacts or send pictures, for instance. I shall create another one for "Lights and shades" where I hope that discussion will begin. We may all happen to be caregivers to our parents or members of our families. But caregivers need care themselves, and respite. I wish the new blog and the new Facebook page will be a space where to talk, weep, laugh, live together. Welcome!

Down Syndrome... What then?

Down Syndrome? Does it matter to you?

And, last, it has been now a year since I have begun to write this blog. You have read it. You have made comments. You have criticized. You have approved. Under any guise, you have been a great support: you have been here. 

Thank you.