Spending Mother's Day in France!

Sunday, May 10, 2015 was Mother's Day in North America more specifically in Canada as I'm a Canadian born mother.

Being away from our children and grandchildren is always difficult but more so on holidays and special celebration days!

I received messages from all which was wonderful and Monsieur Honey made sure my day was special!

It was a sunny, bright beautiful day ... View from our apartment mid afternoon.

We had a lazy morning, meeting up with the "Belgian Connection" in Place Picasso (located just inside "La Porte d'Espagne") at noon for a pre-lunch drink and then we each went on our own "Discovery Trip".

                           

    

The view from the Bar Le Pablo ...

Madame M. and Msr. Guy went shopping in Spain, checked out an old Church priory and did a hike in Ceret. 

Monsieur Honey and I ventured into Place des Neuf Jets in search of a late lunch ...where there are three restaurants/ cafés.

Only two restaurants were open and busy. 

We checked out the menus at both and all the tables were full or reserved.

We enquired at "Quattrocento" and were quickly acknowledged / a table would be available in five to ten minutes. "Parfait!"

                     Some rosé and nibbles ...

                 

We placed our order and enjoyed the ambiance of the square, the dappled sunlight through the sun shade umbrellas and the many people enjoying their Sunday "déjeuner"!

And it seemed we had been followed by the same two troubadours (who were entertaining us at Bar Le Pablo) playing their guitars and singing ...familiar tunes "That's Amore" by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra's "My Way" in Spanish. 

This all added to the ambiance of the moment.

We enjoyed a most delicious shared lunch ... salad niçoise, pizza (tomato, artichoke, ham, cheese and olives on a paper thin crust) oh so good ... followed by a creamy "Crème Catalan".

The whole while there was a large table table next to us with seven women enjoying their friendship over a delicious lunch.

They were having so much fun, chatting and eating delicious food!

I had commented how it reminded me of an elderly cousin and her friends.

But as time went on we both felt a sadness for the loss of our mothers.

A few smiles, chuckles and an exchange of words in my French (which hasn't been used on a regular basis in a long time) ... they informed us they were all "86 ans x 7 plus de 600 ans et toutes nos dents".

They were all eighty six years old, totalling over six hundred years and they all had their own teeth.

They had been friends since they were little and one of the ladies had been born in the house with the green shutters in the square, sadly they were all widows.

My "Mama" would have been the same age, she was born in 1929.

As Msr. Honey and I felt a sadness for no longer having our own Mothers with us on "Mother's Day" we decided to discreetly treat these wonderful ladies to their Sunday lunch.

I quietly went inside the restaurant to pay their bill ... when they found out, there were many "Hugs and kisses"!

We explained that it was Mother's Day in Canada and that we both no longer had our Mothers to spend time with and treat to a special lunch. 

It was a wonderful "Mother's Day!" We only learnt the name of a couple of these wonderful women, Simone and Anny.

It was nice to meet you all!

Fêtes des Mères (Mother's Day) in France is usually celebrated the last Sunday in May unless it falls on the same Sunday as Pentecost then it is moved forward to the 1st Sunday in June.

This year it will be on May 31st and I will think of these wonderful group of friends!

Happy Mother's Day to all no matter when this day is celebrated your part of the world!