ONE MORE SLEEP and THEN FRANCE and SOMEONE ELSE IS SLEEPING IN MY BED

OUR FLIGHT LEAVES TOMORROW. We have to be at the Vancouver airport three hours before lift off. We are so ready. I think that both of us may in the future opt for a spur of the moment trip. You know, the last minute deals. Planning for and waiting for something like this for twelve months is excruciating. This is our grand adventure, two months in France for exposure to the language and painting. I visit renowned sites and galleries of famous artists and I am taking art supplies myself so I can record some of the sites. We fly to Marseilles, pick up a car and drive to the Luberon hills village of Lourmarin where we live for twelve days. Then we will travel to the Dordogne region and stay for one week near Le Bouisson de Cadouin. From there for one week we go through the Loire Valley with great chateaux (castles) on either side of the Loire River. Ever north to the Normandy Beaches for a few days and to the port city of St. Malo. A hydroplane ferry to Guernsey Island where we stay for one week exploring Christine's paternal family history (Langlois). Then back to the mainland and a train to Paris where we have a Montmartre apartment for two weeks, and then alas, finally home.

It turned out so well. I was relieved when we received a call from friends who had relatives who needed a place to live precisely during the time that we are away. While I wasn’t worried about the house being empty, it is reassuring to know that someone responsible will be in our place in our absence.

SOMEONE IS SLEEPING IN MY BED
As it turns out, the couple who are coming to live in and whom I will call Frank and Wilma, are from Ottawa and are relocating here. While they stay in our home they will be looking for a home of their own. I couldn’t have a better sense of security than I do now. Frank has twenty years in law enforcement and is highly trained in surveillance, security, defence and protection. He has founded a company called Canadian Protection Services which operates in five provinces, marketing equipment and providing training to security agents and personnel for other companies. Its services have already extended internationally. His company has provided the training for the security contingent around Prime Minister Harper. All Team Members at CPS have past military, police and/or security backgrounds. Many of their close protection officers have served in various capacities overseas. All Team Members are independently trained, and evaluated regularly as new technologies and techniques become available. Both Frank and Wilma are licensed to carry firearms at all times. They are both Yudansha (black belt) rated Japanese martial arts practitioners. In exchange for staying in our home, his company will immediately install perimeter detection systems, perimeter protection, intrusion detection systems, fire and safety alarms in and around my home. Not bad right?

I had better grab some ZZZ’s today because the trip to Frankfurt is a long one and the adrenalin is high. I may not sleep on the plane.

I WILL SEEK TO DESCRIBE OUR TRIP ON THIS DAILY BLOG.