A quick catch-up post: a month ago I had the chance to take a helicopter ride over the Bay of Cannes. We had fifteen minutes in a Robinson R44 (four-seater helicopter) and flew to the nearby Îles de Lérins. Six years ago I did something similar in a small plane, where we flew over the Estérel from Cannes airport. That time I got to fly, but not this time, though I did get some gorgeous photos.

One of the photos was of trains along the coast that looked like miniatures from above. Not long afterwards, I found the fun tiltshiftmaker.com and tweaked that photo to truly look like a miniature train scene! I did the same to a train over a stone bridge I shot in Tende two years ago, and to a photo of Nice’s port that I took last autumn. That last photo is the same one I use for the title header here — I love how it turned out.

Tomorrow I’ll be going to the Russian Orthodox cathedral, which isn’t far from my place, and then to Nice’s port to better shoot some small boats whose colors caught my eye last week (I only had my mobile phone at the time).

Phew! After working out a solution to the privacy issue, and with enough time to be able to post once (maybe twice) a week, I’m back to writing here.

This is Grey a month after his arrival — he’s much healthier, happier and more playful. I’ve also finished cleaning the original terracotta tiles (tomettes) in my living room, and will write about that in another post.

The new cat is here, and already with Kanoko — I was given no choice in the matter, the three women who brought him let him out in my living room before I could say anything. It’s going well though, they’ve both got their ears perked forward when they watch each other, even when they hiss and growl. Grey needs antibiotics; I had to use a towel to hold him steady for his pill and he’s chosen that towel to nap on. One of the ladies brought Feliway, so perhaps that’s one reason they’re both at ease.

As I mentioned yesterday, Grey got pretty badly beaten up. I learned more of his story today: he’s originally from Le Cannet (just north of Cannes), and people there knew him and his owner. They saw his owner, a woman, put him out on the streets, and asked her what she was doing — “I don’t want him any more, I’m moving” was the answer. When he was found this Monday, he had a 42°C (108°F) fever and was at risk of death from blood poisoning. He was brought to the vet by a lady who rescues cats, checked for any and all diseases etc., and is fine apart from his infections (being treated with the antibiotics).

Grey is very thin and bony, and his fur is rough due to being on the streets for a while. Le Cannet residents said it’s been about a month or two, rather than the week we first thought. Despite having been abandoned and on the streets, Grey is indeed very gentle and affectionate. He’s already let me brush him and showed me his stomach for petting, and has a lovely deep purr. He’s shown no aggression whatsoever other than the occasional hiss at Kanoko, but even those are rare. I’m looking forward to seeing his transformation as he regains his health!

(As for his name, “Grey” may very well stick with him since he is indeed a striking grey, even his eyes. I had a list of other possible names, Grey not being among them! None of the others fit, though. Update: I’m going to stick with Grey, using “Earl Grey” as his full name. Not terribly original, but most French people recognize it better than just “Grey”!)

I’m back to write about adopting a second cat, since I learned quite a lot about animal adoption agencies other than regular refuges (animal shelters) in France. Two weeks ago I asked a few friends and colleagues whether they had or knew of any kittens available, and also asked my kind neighbor, “Francine” (name changed for privacy), the same lady who gave me Kanoko. By “kitten” I meant aged 3 months to one year, hoping for a cat near Kanoko’s age to be a companion for him. Kanoko is well-behaved and careful with his claws, but unlike Malo (my previous cat), who had been able to go outside and find other friends for playful cat tussles, Kanoko can’t. Francine checked with a friend who works for an adoption agency that rescues cats found on city streets and puts them with foster families until adoptive families can be found. I had no idea such associations existed before. If something like this would interest you, ask around since it works best by word of mouth. It’s cheaper than going to a refuge as well, since donations are “optional” (you should donate), and smaller amounts (40-100 euros) are fine. Refuges here ask for anywhere from 400 to 800 euros for a cat. (When donating, do be sure to take into account whether they’ve had to vaccinate, operate, etc.! Vaccinations for a cat cost about 50 euros, males are about 60-80 to operate, and females are 100-150.)

The association lady set an appointment to visit my apartment and meet Kanoko, since she wanted to be sure my place was cat-friendly and that any cat she found would be a good match for Kanoko’s personality. Without me saying a word about Kanoko, she noticed he is indeed very affectionate, gentle and intelligent, so she assured me she wouldn’t set me up with a hyperactive or aggressive cat. There was a black, seven-month-old female kitten available for Saturday, so I agreed.

However, it turned out that the black kitten’s foster family had a small girl, who had fallen in love with the kitten and didn’t want to be separated from it! The adoption lady said that there was a female calico kitten she could give me on Sunday, though. “Great, I love calico cats!” I said. Sunday she phoned to say that it had been given to someone else, but no worries, there was a black and white male she’d try and have that afternoon. Sure enough, it happened again; the black and white kitten was given to another person by a different member of the adoption agency.

The lady handling my case was so unnerved with the other agency members that she had Francine phone me to explain: like many adoption shelters and associations (in many countries), some members gave cats to the first willing person to come along, without checking up on them or notifying other members trying to place cats. Francine’s friend was, clearly, of the sort who prefers to go forward carefully, so that each cat is placed with trustworthy people who are the best fit for its personality. Francine said her friend would phone veterinarians the next morning to check for adoptable cats and call me once she had any leads.

Monday morning she phoned to say that she had indeed found a cat who needed a home, and that he was very sweet. There was a small catch — he was five years old. Now, if you know much at all about animal adoptions, you know that adult animals can be nearly impossible to place, and once abandoned, often spend the remainder of their lives in shelters, if not worse, when in reality they can be great pets since they’re out of their rambunctious stage and are happy to have a real home. So, knowing he was a gentle cat, I agreed. This was when I was very happy to have a face-to-face relationship with the person in question, since it made all the difference: had I not trusted the adoption lady’s judgment, I would have feared the older male be more aggressive and take over Kanoko’s place.

The adoption lady continued the poor cat’s story: last week he’d been put out on the street by his previous owner, “since she was moving” (quoting her excuse). He’d been fixed and had spent his life as a single apartment cat, so he had no idea how to defend himself against other street cats, and promptly got beaten up by them. Since he’d also been vaccinated and ID’d, when he was found by an agency member who rushed him to the vet, they were able to contact the previous owner and get the cat’s back story. The previous owner confirmed she was abandoning him, and hung up. (I’m pretty sure her heartlessness goes without saying.)

Apparently he’s a beautiful semi-longhair, light blue (grey) tabby who charmed the vet and his rescuer with his gentleness, despite being in rough shape. (Cats are not usually gentle when injured.) He’s been under observation since Monday, and will come to join Kanoko and me tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. I’ll have to give him antibiotics for the first week he’s with us. He probably has a known name already, since he was registered, so I’m waiting to see what it is before deciding whether to rename him or not. It could go either way, since if he already has an identity that fits, it would be good to keep it, I think, but then again, the poor dear was abandoned cruelly by the person who gave him his name… it might be nice to have a new name to commemorate his “rebirth” into a new life. We’ll see tomorrow — I’ll also post photos here!

Colleagues and I often joke about English expressions and French ones that sound nearly identical in pronunciation. This weekend I came across this Chevy ad on my way to the supermarket and mentioned it on Monday at the office. “Yes we can” was promptly turned into “tu suis Cannes” (roughly pronounced “too swee can”). Literally translated, “you follow Cannes”, but the actual meaning is “follow [road] signs to Cannes”.

Neighbor update!
Today Francine, the kind neighbor, updated me about Gertrude’s visit before the judge last Monday. I nearly jumped out of my chair with joy when I read these two sentences (“elle/she” refers to Gertrude):
“Elle a été insolente auprès du délégué du procureur, donc il n’y aura pas de médiation mais un procès. Elle est amendable de 450 euros par infraction devant un juge si elle continue dans son comportement envers l’ensemble des résidents.”
Translation: “She was insolent with the attorney general’s representative, so there won’t be mediation, but a trial. A judge can fine her 450 euros per infraction if she continues her behavior with all of the residents.”

Gertrude’s mental health must be slipping indeed if she was so thoughtless as to insult a public attorney. Although I can’t say I’m surprised considering her profanity towards others, a mild version of which I caught on film, I can’t say I expected it either. So much the better, this way things will go more smoothly.

Yesterday I bought the latest Burda sewing magazine, as it had a few dress, coat, shirt and blouse patterns that caught my eye. One shirtdress pattern in particular was precisely what I’ve wanted for a while (their version of it sewn). I’ve had a beautiful light lavender check stretch fabric for years now that I couldn’t fit with a pattern, but this shirtdress will be great in it (I won’t be putting in any pockets, however). I’m also completely in love with this simple Empire dress, which I plan to make in a floral too.

I started tracing the pattern pieces yesterday afternoon. Kanoko, as can be seen in that photo, was drowsy and so merely kept an eye on my progress. Today, however, as I laid out the pattern pieces on the fabric, he decided to take things into his own paws… and mouth, as shown above! I probably won’t finish the dress today since I have other errands, but hopefully it will be ready to wear to work in another week.

For readers curious about my mentally ill neighbor, I’m still waiting to hear from “Francine” and so don’t yet know how things went with the judge. Rest assured that I’ll post as soon as I do.

A translator friend invited me for lunch today, in part to celebrate the recent US elections. His apartment is in the Mont Boron area of Nice, and so in addition to enjoying wonderful food and wine, I was able to shoot some beautiful photos! The one shown here is now among my all-time favorites; the orange sunset accentuated this church’s colors and of course the azur Mediterranean sky. There are 24 photos in all, in my flickr photostream.

I started on Boulevard Carnot, near the cape, and went towards the port/harbor:
o Villa, Mont Boron, also showing the deep blue sky
o Quirky cabin or shack to the left of previous villa
o Villa on an overhang
o Nice harbor from Boulevard Carnot
o Home guarded by griffons
o Citroën 2CV in a small street

Then at my friend’s place:
o His beautiful 1950′s parquet floor
o Unidentified flower (anyone know what this is? It has woody stems)
o One of the views from his place

Afterwards he took me for a walk back to the harbor/port — he knows all the secret paths!
o Rounded building
o Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours, full shot
o Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours, closer view (with the shot shown here being the closest)
o Veranda facing the sunset
o Villa facing the sunset
o Modern architectural lines
o Sunset colors on the rocks
o Waves on rocks against the setting sun
o Nice harbor, twilight
o Stairs to the sea
o White spiral staircase against the twilight, another favorite of mine
o Sunset over Nice
o Plongeoir (diving platform) at sunset

The previous owners of my apartment had set up the phone line oddly, putting it in a cupboard near the window onto the terrace. I had put my PC in the corner against the wall by the cupboard until today, when I cut the phone cable to reinstall the phone jack near the sofa nook. (Those photos are from April, before I moved in, since it’s easier to see. The rest of the photos are from today.) I don’t have a television (purposefully), but I do like to watch DVDs, and plan to set up my sofa nook so that I can both surf the ‘net and watch movies from it.

After cutting the wire, I took apart the phone jack, noting which wires had been connected. As I suspected, they were rather loose; a couple even fell out — I’ve had intermittent problems with my ADSL connection. Here are what the connectors on a French phone jack look like. I had found this wiring diagram to use for reference, and set about rewiring the jack in its new location.

Sure enough, the phone cable in my place wasn’t standard, and different colors had to be wired. Once that was figured out and done, it worked! On Wednesday the furniture I plan to use for the PC setup in the nook will arrive, and then I’ll show what it looks like — right now it’s somewhat unsightly, although functional.

My lemon tree has been overflowing with flowers lately, filling my terrace with a pleasantly tart and pungent odor. I had no idea how lemons grew until getting my tree a few months ago, so thought I’d share, photographing lemon development in three stages. All photos are from today. First, the flowers — older ones whose stamens will form lemons on the left, and a new blossom on the right. Open blossoms only stay this beautiful white for about a day or two:

Then the “baby” lemons about two weeks after flowering — you can tell they were stamens not too long ago:

And finally, lemons that have been growing for several months now:

A story in three photos: