Life here is very slow, but I feel like I’m in paradise. Take a look at my schedule; you may think so too.
8:30 wake up to my watch alarm, because my travel alarm’s batteries are dead. Make a cup of coffee and stare out the window at the mountains. Empty the dish rack, make the bed, and put away the laundry that was drying on the clothesline in front of the window.
9:00 pour a bowl of Muesli (granola made with raisons and hazelnuts—yummy, filling, and full of fiber and protein!), cut ¼ apple for the cereal, and pour on the milk. Crunch crunch. Finish my coffee.
9:15: draw a bath and wash my hair
9:30: dress, dry my hair, and fill my water bottle. Do the breakfast dishes.
Walk up the hill just a bit to one of the rehearsal studios in what used to be the home of a silk worm farm for the chateau. Turn on the light and the electric heater. Do a physical warm-up.
10-noon: class with Noah
12:15: walk back to my room. Take out the chicken stock I made yesterday; pour some of it into ice cube trays to freeze for later sauces. Put the stock on to boil, throw in potatoes and sliced Brussels sprouts. Chop onions, carrots, and celery and sauté. Throw them in the soup and season the soup. Eat lunch of soup and bread with Gruyere cheese.
Nap until 1:30
Explore the grounds. Find a terrace and a swimming pool (filled with algaed water). Sit on the stone steps by the pool in the sun and read until 3:30.
Come back to my room, make coffee, have a piece of baguette with regional cheavre. Write in my journal.
5:30 Have tea and biscuits in Robert Harvey’s rooms with Kaya Anderson and watch Sunset Boulevard on Robert’s VCR.
8:30-10:30 Take some chicken soup down to Kaya’s rooms to share supper with her
10:30 make a call to the states; the 6 hour time difference makes this the only reasonable time to call
One interesting thing: because these folks have lived in close quarters for thirty years, there is etiquette about visiting one another. Although one can knock on a door to make a quick plan or exchange items, one doesn’t just “drop in” for a visit. One is invited--usually by a note in front of your door or a chance meeting in the courtyard--to share tea, a meal, or a trip to town. People are very mindful of respecting one another’s privacy. When Kaya asked me to dinner tonight, she asked if I was “previously engaged” this evening. Some of this is British courtesy, of course. The etiquette structure reminds me of Edith Wharton’s novel of 19th century New York’s moneyed class, The House of Mirth. When her wealthy friends invite protagonist Lilly Bart to the country, there was a very distinct and structured etiquette about socializing in their country estate, as well.
11:30 to bed, to bed!
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