Over the Hill

#Birthdays#milestones#doors#walkingtrails

Well it is no secret that this year (next month) I will be celebrating a special birthday ... 

My personal odometer is rolling over into a new decade.

Last year I celebrated while I was in France with new and old friends with many meals out, aperitifs and of course some good tasting wine.

My friend, Madame M. explained that in her area of Belgium they have a saying when you celebrate one of these birthdays ... You must "Veranderen uw voordeur" which literally translates to "Change your front door".

At first you might think it refers to changing your looks which it can if you want it to, but I think it has more to do with your outlook on life and other goals you may want to set for yourself.

So I have tweeked my looks a bit with a new hairstyle and some colour, but my real changing of my front door is the addition of walking in my daily life...

And in June, my goal is to walk a section of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella ... along side a dear friend!

This will be the real changing of my front door!

                        

And I don't think it will surprise you that I have taken many photos of doors during our travels...

The Doors

During our three months in France I took many photographs. 

Sometimes there would be a theme to what I was going to photograph. 

 

Most of the time I was looking for photos for "postcards" that as Monsieur Honey would say "tells a story" and there were times when I would just shoot and click.

One day on one of my "bla bla" walks with my friend Madame M  (generally we walked in silence but on occassion we would discuss family, friends and the world) she told me about a "Belgian saying" ...

"Veranderen van voordeur!" 

Literal translation is "change the front door"!

This saying is used when you celebrate a milestone birthday i.e. your personal odometer flips from one decade into another decade.

Next year this will be happening to me and I'm changing my front door... I 'll let you guess what the new number will be!

So I have been thinking about this quite a lot as I was looking at all "My French Door" postcards. 

Some very old and in need of repair, others more modern and colourful.

For me though I don't think it has anything to do with external appearances.

Oh yes I could fight the natural aging process by buying into all the hype of cosmetic surgery such as "face and boob lifts, tummy tucks", Botox  and the other treatments with their "Fountain of Youth" promises made by the plethora of beauty products on the market; but I think I'll save my pennies/dollars/euros and add then to my adventure piggy bank!

Age is where your heart is!

For those of you who know me well... I will still do some maintenance... I'm not ready to wear "Gray" hair and I will continue to put on my face everyday... In other words put myself together.

It's not that I'm so vain as in the lyrics of Carly Simon's song "You're So Vain"  rather I've always believed that you never know who you might run into... your next employer, a new best friend, etc...

                                  

                                               

      

                             

 

So the changing of my "Front" door next year will be about fulfilling a personal commitment to try something new ... 

I plan on walking part of the Pilgramage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Anyone else up for the challenge?

Saturday Stroll in Goujounac

Saturday afternoon was spent in the commune of Goujounac in the Lot Department...after a most delicious lunch at the Hostellerie de Goujounac, we ambled along the village streets.

Here are some postcards of our stroll through the village.

    Deep red doors framed by matching red roses. 

   Old faded blue entry door.

    Lobelia growing from the stone walls.

   Baby blue door softened by baby pink roses.

  What's behind this door?

 

    Someone new has moved into the neighbourhood!

    A Monkey Puzzle Tree

   One of the Church doors...

  Do you see the poppies growing from the Church roof?