Fri:29.May.20 Pantin.fr

Back in Pantin, back to civilisation. Over 10 weeks at the cottage, hiding from that mean virus that's ravaging the world. But I got a mask in my pocket (not on my face, no need to overreact neither) and I am not afraid. Everything that could be done at the house, has been done:

  • Fixed all 5 or 6 cottage bicycles
  • Introduced my Silberpfeil to the Morvan
  • Sanded and painted (3x) the two dormers
  • Fixed the wine cellar door
  • Built a new wooden fence and removed concrete and wire
  • Ran during a 55-day streak a 6k trail
  • Built a tree house, a swing and more stuff for Max

What I've been putting successfully off so far is the picturization of this blog, with hundreds of images sitting around and waiting to be invited to my planet. Since I lost my Photoshop licence I am having a tough time getting to it, and the blurry attempt to use free MacOS software discouraged me beyond despair. And then there's the final layer of blaster that is still due at Maupertuis, but motivation we'll surely be back once my daddy is allowed to enter the country again and continue his mission of enhancing the house. Scheduled for the end of June.

Let's see how to deal with living and working from a new place, this weekend is a good start to settle in. Cheers!

Tue:12.May.20 Mailly-le-Château.fr

Decontainment in France started yesterday, a new Liberation day that surely will become yet another holiday for France's preferred month ;). Now, instead of to-be-justified with written proof exceptions and basically a 1 hour / 1 kilometer restriction we can now freely move around (100 km or within the entire département) without carrying those ridiculous dérogations. Yesterday was still a bridge day, with the old emergency state being already over and the new not yet legally acted, allowing me to do a back and forth drive to Paris to fetch Babcia and bicycle for some more relaxing weeks to come at the cottage. It felt good to see that Paris is still around, and bustling. And it feels even better to be back at the countryside to wait for more clarity. No school yet for Max, no Deezer office open for work. Definitely at least 2 more weeks of full remote. Bring them on.

Fri:24.Apr.20 Mailly-le-Château.fr

Still confined, still at the cottage. Still things to do. Spring is slowly turning into summer, and our garden into a beautiful piece of nature. Maximilian is turning into a little savage, spending more than half of his life outside now. A couple of weeks to go it seems, until school kicks back in... an attempt to normalize our lifes. 2020 will be a special one, I am sitting back, relaxing and enjoying what's coming.

Thu:26.Mar.20 Mailly-le-Château.fr

Fully confined for now over 10 days, meaning that I haven't left our cottage since (except for a Sunday stroll around the village). Almost 10 days of working remotely, half-time on my previous full-time job and the other half with Max in the garden. Actually an ideal mix of getting the most pressing things done at work, while dealing with the least pressing ones here in Maupertuis (which is why they're still up for being taken care of...). I probably went through the corona flu without being taken out (for now), a couple of days of physical struggle and here I am, resistant against the world's biggest thread! Tomorrow it will be my turn to face the outside world and to go shopping and experience the locked down country.

  • Fixing the garden bank: check
  • Mowing the lawn: 1 acre done and 1 to go
  • Freeing and attaching the grapevines behind the house: check
  • Cutting back trees: ahead of the plan
  • Planting strawberries: check
  • Bring 3 old bicycles up to speed: spare parts ordered

I guess the confinement can continue another 4 weeks until I start to get bored... I'll sit back and relax and follow the battle online. It looks like the world (or at least Europe) is getting a handle on things, we might get back to normal a bit faster (sometime in May?) than I thought only two weeks ago, when I expected a standstill until summer. Anyway, as opposed to our first longer stay here at our cottage (from Feb '17 to June '18) we are feeling less isolated just because everybody else is too, resulting in more communication and tools (apéro Skype ;) to beat the loneliness. Good luck, and stay safe.

Fri:13.Mar.20 Pantin.fr

Ausnahmezustand an einem Freitag den 13.! Life has been slowed down by the infamous Corona virus, and Monday it'll come to a full stop: no more school until further notice, allowing us to flee to our cottage tonight and stay in Burgundy for a while. I am already working remotely today, we'll see how to handle the school-less next week and hence the Maxbespaßung. A change at the right time: first for me, since routine now kicked in, putting me at risk to make my mind wander; second for the world, which is wandering already way too much and fast, forcing a collective slow-down which might be a finally healthy move. Let's see how things evolve, life as we know it will very likely be very different for the next 6 weeks. Bring it on!