Fête de la Musique

If it wasn't for the fact that we were all bundled up in fleece and wool, it would have been a fabulous weekend. Hubster made huge progress on our backyard wall and the kids actually were nice to each other for 17 minutes Saturday morning.

This past weekend was also the Fête de la Musique. This idea, started back in 1982, coincides with the summer solstice and basically celebrates all that is good about being outside, dancing, singing, and making noise. Sometimes the noise is good and sometimes it's not, but what matters is that everyone is out enjoying the sounds they are making. All over France, in the big cities and little villages, there are people out playing all kinds of instruments and all kinds of music. I can't tell you how excited the hippy in me gets.

The village sponsored a concert on Saturday night, so I wandered up there with Mini-Husband and The Princess after my other two children were safely tucked in bed. Some people there asked if Hubster was 'babysitting' to which I pointed out that fathers do not 'babysit' their own children. Fathers let the mothers escape the house without those small accessories so that said mothers don't implode. And thank God for that.

Unfortunately, Saturday night was down right cold here in the Auvergne so when the rain started to fall, the band getting ready to play, covered the bongo drums and made a hasty retreat to the beverage tent. We hung around for a bit, Mini-Husband and The Princess running and playing with some of their buddies, while I chatted with the village party crowd. Finally, the band gave up and loaded everything back into a battered old Renault and split. The rest of us drank the rosé that was left and turned up the car stereo in my neighbour's Volkswagen. All in all, not what was planned, but an enjoyable evening all the same.

Here's hoping that the rest of the summer turns out a little warmer than it started and that the good vibes from an old CD player keep everyone dancing and full of joy straight on till I can send them back to school in September.