Monthly Archives: October 2016

Backs stories

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– Look at my back. It’s a question mark!
My sixty something dearest friend in her early retirement months is doing a self assessment of her forty something career behind a desk. 

Her question was more about the point. Not the posture. What was the point of a rounded upper back she developed sitting behind a desk? Formally, she was a seniour civil servant who outlived (office time wise) dozens of ministers and deputy ministers. Personally, she is a mother of two and a granny of 3. She has been married to the same guy, who still makes her laugh, for 45 years. 

Throughout her career she has been offered numerous top positions. She constantly declined. She was well too aware of the costs. That kept her head clear and down to earth. The earth of her family. Top positions would have brought her all the perks promised by her benefactors. She also knew they would have taken her away from her family. Her backbone.  

Ministers are gone, policies are enacted and changed, re-enacted and changed again.  Her family is there with her, for her. She is there with them, for them. Her spine line might not be perfect. But her backbone is perfectly aligned to her source of hapinness.  

Women struggle with family-work balance. We read more and more about it. Striking the right balance is a choice. With consequences in each case. It’s not always linear. Some choices are more fulfilling than others. Some choices are more fulfilling in some life periods than others. Once women are kind to themselves the balance is there. I only caught a glimpse of that. Thank you, dearest friend!  Ask me more. 

Merci Nancy!

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Merci Nancy!

What a lovely Sunday discovery!

A foggy uninviting weather forecast was proved wrong by the shiny Place Stanislas (Stanisław Square). It is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. Hotel de Ville opens for visitors on weekends. The view from its balcony is a sort of  royal-eye delight.

Untill 6 November, Place Stanislas  will be beautified by a garden, a tribute from the city to their Duke, the Polish King Stanisław I Leszczyński .

Stanislas was a plants-lover and a duke gardener.  Parc de la Pepiniere is one of his creations. Not literally. By his will, rather. It is a noisy place these days though. Toussaints school vacation time. To kids delight, it is occupied by a shiny-sparkly-noisy entertainment park. The Park is also a home to a small zoo. Its inhabitants – rabbits, monkeys, goats, ducks and swans – are not seemingly bothered by the carousels noise.

One of the Park’s alley took us to Charles de Gaulle square. To the right we discovered the proud Duke’s Palace, transformed into a museum.

Its inside court is worth a pick.

The visit to the Aquatic Museum was like a tour into exotic seas. Colours and shapes will satisfy little ones curiosity. Taking time to read explanations is gratifying. I learned a couple of new facts about sea inhabitants.

For lunch, we chose Michelangelo restaurant on Place Stanislas. Italian cuisine and a kids menu drew our attention. The place is spacious. Its visitors range from seniours to families with young kids. The food was good, tasty and authentic. For a few seconds my Summer memories of Emilia-Romagna resurrected. Kudos to the Chef and his team. Two hours later, Amorino, another Italian place, satisfied our sweet tooth.