Lots of New

With the light coming in from the window it's hard to see, but for those who've been here, you can see that the layout is the same as before, but the counter tops are a bit higher. They're also nicer, in quartz. The cabinet fronts are glossy. The overall effect is much lighter than before because of the light that reflects off the surfaces. The induction burners are over the dishwasher on the left (behind the table in the photo).
The walls of the whole ground floor are off-white with a very slight green tint, like an apple (not the skin, the flesh). We're very happy with it and don't want to have to go through another repainting job. It seems that in the States painting doesn't involve so much work. Of course with the water damage, we knew there would be lots of priming, but we've been through three weeks of dust and paint before another week of kitchen installation. That took longer than expected because the guy had so much readjusting to do.
I didn't want to do any blogging until it was done. Then, the news from Louis this morning (preceding post) pre-empted my own news.
At the end of March, Candace was in town and Samuel Labarthe was one of the actors dubbing the film she was working on. He invited her to see the play he's in these days and she invited me. The play is "Pensées Secrètes" ("Secret Thoughts", based on David Lodge's Thinks.... Just two actors: Samuel Labarthe and Isabelle Carré. Wonderful! I'm reading the novel now and the play, which Lodge also wrote, is better. Anyway, the French version is great and the actors are great and the set is great. We had a fine evening of catching up and then went for a drink after the play with Labarthe to thank him for the invitations.
The weather has turned cold and rainy. We need the rain, but I could do without the cold. I've been able to see a few ball games, PUC 1 and PUC 2. I've also seen a few Phillies games because I subscribed to MLB.com this year.
So, that sums it up. We're off to see Sacha, Gwen and Louis.

Sacha Lebelle-Thomas

4:00 a.m. April 18, 2012. 3 kg.: 49.5 cm. (6 lb.,almost 10oz.; 19.5 in.)
Mother and baby doing fine.

Paul and I are going over later this afternoon when visiting hours start. It's the same hospital where all four of my kids were born, just a few minutes from where Louis and Gwen live, so it was a logical choice for them.
That's all for this post. Coming up in the next one some pictures of the paint job and new kitchen.