Tilia seeds, apples and Alejandro Zambra

It happened again, we went for a walk and we came back with apples from one of the garden trees (another kind of apples, that we will use to cook our baby's compote), and flowers.

We have Samuel's parents at home these days. They help us a lot with the garden and housework. Since Sacha was born, the more time we spend together, the more we feel how lucky we are having them not so far away. Actually, we are so happy about Sacha knowing that he can enjoy his four great grandparents. 

The end of the summer is approaching and I feel nostalgic. Sacha is growing up so quickly, fruits are ready to eat and we feel like all plans we did for this summer are being postponed because of the lack of time. Nothing new actually. I guess this is the way life goes on and this is also something we have to get use to when we live in the countryside, we have a job and we have children, right? 

When I feel nostalgic I often read books I've already read. Don't ask me why, but I felt the need to read something by Alejandro Zambra. I got "Facsímil" from the library, which is not maybe one of his most popular books, but one I also like a lot. I do love his writing. Even more, one of my favorite quotes about the exercise of writing is coming from his book "Formas de volver a casa", translated into English as "Ways of going home":

"I knew little, but at least I knew that: no one could speak for someone else. That although we might want to tell other people's stories, we always end up telling our own."

I guess everything we write, we create, we plan and dream of in life has something to do with our story. Being nostalgic as we are feeling today and thinking about childhood, our ancestors, our own stories and life nowadays, we decided to start working on a new handmade project we had already been thinking about. It has something to do with tilia seeds, persil and a tribute to our ancestors, so we started picking up seeds from the floor, under the tree. It was a silent moment full of peace.

Lesson of today: simple things are often full of love and honesty. 

"Du bois à la maison", the project

“Du bois à la maison” means “From the forest to home” in French. We are Samuel (a photograph and film maker) and Sara (a writer and graphic designer), a family with a 1-year-old baby that changed city living in Paris for country life in Cazals, a 600 inhabitants village in the Lot department, in the South of France.

We decided to start a common project as a family to share our daily life and passions in the countryside. Books and poetry, photography, gluten-free food, stationery, handmade jewellery and decoration objects, ethically made, are some of the highlights, but mainly rural lifestyle. This is not about trends, but about a new life in connection with nature, its seasons, wild living, healthy food, handwork, traditions and new challenges and opportunities.

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