Chapter 24 - So Serene Because the Roses are in Bloom

It's disconcerting to have an elder brother who's actually an elder.  Pierre has had another birthday.  He wouldn't allow a photo after he blew out his candles; who knew he was so vain?  I was, however, able to sneak a candid shot or two later on, so his grey hair and pot belly have been duly documented.  I suppose one never outgrows being a little sister.

Andre and Michelle have had birthdays as well. 

 Michelle revels in her new-found adult prerogative:  i.e. pursuit of Aaron.

The others are pairing off as well:  Phillippe and Constance;

Andre and Janessa,

And Marcel and Belle.

Eve entered elderhood with a good bit more grace than her husband did.

In due course, we had a flurry of weddings.

And in somewhat less due course, it's finally happened.  Kolton and I have our own baby on the way at long last!

This has led us to our difficult decision to leave the family home and move to a place of our own.  No hard feelings and I'm sure we'll visit often, but it's time.

Chapter 23 - Everything's Coming Up Roses

Things are definitely looking up for me:  enter Kolton!

He's a first-rate boyfriend:  interesting, attentive, kind to the children.  He even likes Simton Abbey!

The writing continues to go well.

My efforts to cook healthy meals and work out have paid off magnificently.  In the words of a tweener hit from a bygone era, "Holy Moses, everything's coming up roses".

Andre and Michelle are growing up well; their favourite hobby is to whipsaw an unsuspecting great-aunt out for her daily constitutional. Fortunately for me, they're gentler with their not-so-great aunt.

We had a quadruple birthday extravaganza for Eve, Marcel, Philippe and Pierre.

Aunt Monique has ruined Marcel altogether.  She taught him to fish and it's all he wants to do at any hour of the day or night.

Philippe prefers chasing girls, playing guitar and video games.

What is it with the men in this family and their fascination with mixology?!? Pierre has walked away from the top of his career as a concert pianist to become a mixologist.  I refrain from publicly voicing my opinion that it's proof of his laziness.

On the upside, he was able to make some brilliant cocktails for Kolton's and my wedding.

This is a Shadow Realm.  It's said to fend off the Grim Reaper; I'm sure if I were the Grim Reaper, I'd head for the hills if anyone thrust such a concoction into my hand!  Philippe emboldened himself, however, and seems to have suffered no lasting effects.

I'm discovering that my reason for being so put out with Pierre is envy; I'm a music lover myself and have never had the confidence to try making a go of it.  So I'll give it a go and let someone else be vexed with my walking away from a brilliant literary career.

Andre and Michelle are in high school now. 

 Andre has taken over the business aspects of the garden and doing quite brilliantly with it. 

Michelle is eager to start dating as soon as she finds the right boy.  The only one she finds interesting is Aaron Quiroz, who is much too old for her.  Kolton keeps a close eye on them, and who could possibly resent a chaperon in this getup?

Chapter 22 - Stasis

Make that last before the next two arrive! Yes, Eve had twins again.  May I present to you Andre and Michelle Desjardins?

Fortunately, Marcel and Phillipe are indeed out of diapers and going to school.

They're a delightful pair.  I hope their siblings turn out even half as well.

My writing goes swimmingly; I've published sixteen books and my royalties rival the income from our garden.

That was the good news.  The bad news is that I've never had a boyfriend; only a few flirtations that went nowhere and one of those was way back in high school.

Obviously I need to get out more.  The first attempt was less than stellar; you may note that everyone here is female, elderly, one of my relatives or some combination thereof.  Next attempt isn't much better although it's gratifying to see that Michel finally made it into mixology. Now we're getting closer. Closer still but nowhere near where I want to be.

The mirror tells me that there's something else I must do as well.

As if there weren't enough to do between babysitting, learning to cook, keeping up with repairs and tending the garden!

Meanwhile, Pierre has had a birthday, as have Andre and Michelle.

My own birthday will be here all too soon; it would be lovely to have a family of my own by then, and even better if said family didn't consist of a change-of-life baby like me.