They don't know it yet but they soon will. I'm off to Corsica and will make my way to the savage camping by Sunday noon. I'm on a flight to Ajaccio and will need to stay in a hotel overnight to catch the first bus Sunday morning. I'll spend the week and return on the same flight with the Bello Boys and the Mommy. Updates might be sporadic but I might be able to get them through.

Frunty got a "Z" shaved into his head yesterday. He copied the hair style of another boy at the "camping sauvage" who got a buzz cut and then a design razored into the short hair. Pit now wants the same thing too. This savage camping is turning out to be true to its name. I suppose this means the boys have made new friends and Pit is starting to warm up to the idea of speaking Italian to the other children. Frunty has a head start on the talking which would explain why he's sitting on Georgia's lap playing games. (Georgia is Frunty's little cousin only 2 years his senior.) Food continues to be an issue because of the lack of refrigeration and the special dietary requirements. Apparently the other kids love the corn crackers and other gluten-free products which mean the supplies have dwindled and are hard to replace in Corsica. I wonder if Giovanni is supplying the camp with fish from the sea. The cool air has died down which might mean the sea is calmer.

Sickness strikes! An intestinal bug has affected several of the campers in Corsica. The Mommy has been hard hit but luckily the boys are ok. A few of the other children in the group are not so lucky. They think it is some bad water or Corsican tap water that the people are not used to. Hopefully the bug and the string of cooler weather will pass quickly. The so called Mistral has forced the campers to wear light fleece sweaters at night and has tossed the sea to make it murky and cold. What's more, the group of a dozen or so loud Italian children are a little daunting to our boys which means they’re not playing nicely and being somewhat difficult. It’s only Day 2 so I’m hoping all of this has to do with getting used to the new situation. I’m sure they’ll recover from the tummy aches just as the weather turns warm again so they’re bound to have a wonderful time. The boys also just need a little time getting used to speaking and hearing Italian again and they’ll be good as Corsican gold.

"It's so hot here!" was the latest report from the troop this morning as they were getting ready to mobilize today for the trip from Ajaccio to Sartene. Temperatures have been in the mid 30s and very dry. So dry that 3 major fire outbreaks between Ajaccio and Sartene have threatend road closures and the boys have seen a steady stream of Canadair water bombers overhead. 4000 hectares of brush and forest have been consumed and it is believed that 2 of the fires were started by arsonists. The boys find all of it quite exciting.

The gang have arrived in Corsica and are super excited about their new campground - if you can call it that. European camping is nothing like camping in the forests of Canada. These are more like resorts with the only difference being that your room is a tent. They have full modern facilities and The Mommy says the pools (yes, there is more than one) are just as good or better than other pools she has been to at fancy resorts. They were especially lucky to get one of the biggest camp sites with lots of shade and a picnic table. Perfect for them since they eat lots of picnics trying to follow their special diet. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be helping Frunty. He has had a bad reaction for the past 10 days and usually wakes up frantic in the middle of the night. Today they are all a extra tired because the overnight ferry boat was so modern, fun and exciting that no one got to sleep until late.

I heard from the troupe that they have left the campground in Aix and moved to a nice hotel in Toulon for a few days. They plan on getting a break from camp life before taking the ferry to Corsica for more camping. They spent the day on the beach and say it’s just beautiful. It seems like the good weather has come back after that spell of cool winds that forced them to wear sweaters in the mornings and evenings.

As for me, I went to Paris to meet up with my sister & company. We had a great time and dinner was at a quaint little bistro with "specialities from the territories". K especially liked the escargot and we enjoyed a refreshing red wine that was served quite cool.

Breaking News Flash!!

Frunty has lost a tooth. The broken, crooked, bashed in front right tooth has finally fallen out after weeks of wiggling. Frunty sucked the tooth free and made way for the new tooth that is already making it's way out.

Sur le pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse tout en rond

The family was waiting for a bus to go to the next town, Avignon to see the infamous bridge and have a nice outing under clear blue skies and hot sun. The camping is going well and Frunty really likes sleeping in his own tent. Maybe it's good because he gets a break from Pit. Frunty couldn't resist telling me this morning that his brother threw his Lego on the ground in the restaurant. The Mommy is having fun keeping those two in line. She's having a harder time finding corn crackers as their bread alternative. What would you expect - they're in the land of the French baguette. Well they are certainly not starving and maybe they'll find new yummy things in Avignon.

The campsite now has 3 tents! Shells has arrived with her tent and Frunty has his own abode. It took several people to figure out how to set it up but some Italians figured it out and tonight he'll be on his own so he's very excited. I don't know how he'll fall sleep! Apparently, they're off to a camp store to buy a headlamp for him so he can read before getting some shut-eye. The weather has really heated up and so I heard of grand exploits in the pool. The Mommy is glad to have Shells to help look after the boys and everyone is happy to have each other for fun in Provence. Tomorrow they'll walk around Aix-en-Provence and maybe make a plan for more day trips.

"Absolutely Fabulous!" That was the description I got about the day trip that family took yesterday. They visited an abbey and hiked both the easy and difficult circuits. Most people do one or the other but the boys loved it so much that they almost ran the difficult route so as not to miss the bus. The boys admired their tour guide, Thibault, who made their daytrip extra enjoyable. Next stop was a village where all the houses are painted different shades of ochre. Apparently the pictures are beautiful with the brilliant blue backdrop of the Provence summer sky.

The boys are enjoying camping but they have a hard time settling down in the tent. After they are put to bed, The Mommy might go next door to socialize with the neighbours while the boys supposedly fall asleep. No chance. Through the trees from the next camp plot, you would see the boys come out of the tent for a quick pee in the nearby bushes and hear lots of rustling and whispering from inside the tent. Last night they were awake until 11pm!

To prevent unexpected escapes from the tent, The Mommy attached a tinkerbell to the door zipper. Somehow, Frunty kicked or knocked this bell with his foot all through the first night. Needless to say it only happened the first night before The Mommy rearranged things to prevent another sleepless night. All in all, things are going well for the family and The Mommy is looking forward to having Shells join the group. This way The Mommy can have a few moments without having to watch the boys like a hawk.

Update from the field: they're having fun on their trip! The boys are excellent little travellers - without being asked, Frunty immediately carries extra luggage, he slung the tent over his shoulders, plunked his day pack on top of his trolley suitcase and wheeled away. The camp ground is great and they have met some friendly people. After the boys were asleep in the tent yesterday evening, The Mommy was invited for some rosé with the German couple next door who have a full facility RV complete with fridge, kitchen and flat screen TV. It took some time for the boys to stop horsing though probably because they were over-tired from the long day trip in the lavender fields. The boys said they loved the lavender and Frunty was the first to spot the rows and rows of flowers. They were the only children on the day trip so the Japanese ladies wanted their pictures taken with them and everyone admired their good behaviour. The weather is dry but cool so they’re wearing their sweaters and are looking forward to their next day trip tomorrow to see castles and quaint villages. More updates as they come.

Most mornings, Pit will wake up and look at us with a big sheepish grin like someone who indulged in too much of a good thing - sleep. Or maybe he’s ashamed for waking us at various points in the middle of the night while he feels well rested because he was in bed for 12 hours. Today was no different except that his first words were, "Good morning mommy. Good bye daddy." Then I got big hugs and kisses while I suffered through his horrible dinosaur breath. How can someone so small have such bad breath - must be the hummus from last night. Anyway, after a few final errands and packing, I took the family to the airport for 11am and they were off. I received news after they were settled in their camp: the trip went without a hitch but it did take a long time - about 9 hours door-to-door. They’re tired but excited.

In preparation for their month long journey across France, I gave the 2 boys haircuts. Their short hair makes them look very sharp. Later in the afternoon, The Mommy took them to see Ice Age 3 in the movie cinema and then went to a Lebanese restaurant for dinner. The boys really enjoy the falafels, hummus and baba ganoush.

We came back from a really good day in the west of Belgium. We went with Matt Hill and his 3 oldest children to see the Koksijde Airshow. This means there were 5 kids between the ages of 7 and 4. It’s amazing how the time passed. By the time everyone was settled down and had a chance for food and potty - it was time to go. I suppose it didn’t help that the kids were anxious to go to the beach rather than sit on the grass and watch planes and helicopters in the sky. We did manage to convince the kids to hang around long enough to see some skydivers, a helicopter or two, a Belgian F-16 and a Swiss F-18. We then headed off to the beach.

The weather was perfect for a little beach time. Not too hot and sunny with intermittent light clouds, a breeze from the shore that was strong enough to fly a kite, but not enough to make it chilly. The beach is very wide, probably 100 meters or so, and as long as the eye can see. Frunty and A took off to tide pools and found shrimp and tiny fish that some other kid caught for them with a net. S was the only child really interested in wading in the shallow waves while Pit and E stayed behind to play in the sand or with the kites. No one slept in the car on the way home despite the long day. I suppose it’s because everyone really got along and had fun.

Summer vacation has started here in Belgium and the streets in our neighbourhood are getting progressively quieter. I am excited about leaving on the 7th and am finishing up packing now. We are really looking forward to meeting Michelle in Provence and then the cousins in Corsica.

Frunty and I have been practising "dictations" and Hooked on Phonics and Pit and I, the alphabet. Today we'll meet some school friends, Antoine and his brothers, at the park for some play time. Otherwise, we are taking it easy.

Yesterday we went down to the Sablon for a medieval show. The fighting amongst the men in armour was great and considering how hot it was, good for them. We had Lebanese afterwards and I am grateful the kids like this kind of food which meets our requirements and is delicious. In the evening, the babysitter came again and Daddy and I rode our bikes to the comedy show. There were some good laughs though the humour was quite dry!

The weather is changing with more wind and grey skies now. Perhaps we'll have to leave the park early...off we now go! Happy weekend everyone!

Happy Canada Day and our first day of holidays.

How nice to wake up when we were all ready! What a luxury to stay at home and not rush off anywhere. We made pancakes, later on a cake for our celebratory bbq with some fellow Canadians, played games, went to the park to play touche-touche and practise riding bikes, did a few errands (pick up contact lenses and throw all the glass jars into recycling...crash!)...you know, passed a lazy, summer day with gorgeous weather at about 31 degrees Celsius.

First thing after breakfast though, Frunty did a dictation in English, practised spelling words and some math as well. We plan to do some work each day and I got him a Cars notebook! It is really fun to watch Frunty progress and with the summer here, it is time for him to improve his English formally. Probably in Provence he'll be speaking French again and then in Corsica, a lot of Italian but we'll try to keep his English progressing as much as possible.

What a great day!

To celebrate the last day of school, I took The Mommy last night to see the Ommegang in the Grand Place. Ommegang means "procession", derived from the Flemish words "omme" (around) and "gang" (walk or path). It is a recreation of the 1549 “glorious and majestic procession of Emperor Charles V”. We went first to eat some Lebanese food before sitting in our perfect seats to see the show which had some very talented actors showing great skill with flag throwing, equestrianism, stilt-walking and more. They had increasing height of stilts and it was incredible how tall the last stilts were. They had the shorter stilts walk underneath the stilts of the tall ones. The clear sky warm day and late sun made the evening very comfortable and it was great to see such a recreation in the grandeur of the Grand Place.