Playing In The Park...

Daydreaming Again....

I Hope you will Forgive me, Dear Readers, if I bring you back to that Lovely Little Park for another visit on a sunny Summer morning. Will was already there the next day when Gabrielle and Renee arrived. He told himself that he just needed to be sure about Renee before he decided if he would say anything to Daphne or not. He knew it wasn't really any of his business, but he felt he needed to make it his business, because he cared for Daphne, and he was concerned that she would not find her happiness without her child. But he really hadn't decided if he would say anything or not.

As the child and her babysitter walked past him on the way to their bench, they passed through a ray of sunshine and Will could not help but notice how it cast them in a golden glow that startled him with its beauty. He had the oddest feeling that it was a moment he would always remember.

He had not really noticed the babysitter yesterday.

Today he thought she was very pretty.

And very young! 

He thought she couldn't be much older than twenty.

Just then he realized the child was staring at him, 

boldly curious, as only children can be.

He was astonished again at how much she looked like Daphne!

There was a moment of awkward silence. The babysitter was ignoring him.

He watched as the child turned and whispered something to her sitter.

Then she turned back and gave him a cheerful wave.....

"Bonjour, M'sieur" she called....

"Bonjour, M'amselle..." he replied.....

 

But before he could say any more, 

she just giggled and ran off to chase the birds!

Will had not expected that he would have a chance to speak with the babysitter.

But he could not let such an opportunity pass without saying something that might gain him more information. He turned with a smile and said...

"She is very cute! Surely you are not old enough to be her Mother?"

It was not very original... but it got the conversation started....

Gabrielle shrugged. She didn't like to be thought so young. 

"No, I am just the Nanny," she replied.

"Ah", said Will, "her parents work, I suppose?"

Gabrielle just shrugged again. She did not contradict him, 

but instead she asked him if he was American.

"Only half American," he admitted.... 

"the other half Swiss. But I live mostly in the States."

And while they discussed his life and his business, 

Renee chased the birds.....

They all flew off to a safer distance but one....

Suzette wanted her breadcrumbs!

All the other birds were calling from their safer perches....

"Suzette, Suzette, Beware.....!!!"

She had a moment of doubt... and retreated to the fountain rim......

Renee thought she could just reach out and touch them.....

But Seraphina did not like that idea.....

She made her escape in the nick of Time!

But Suzette was not giving up so easily....

Everybody else had abandoned the breadcrumbs....

At the last minute she dodged Renee and swooped down to the breadcrumbs....

Victory was hers!

And she jumped on the one she had been eying for a while!

But Renee seemed to forget all about the birds as she gazed into the fountain....

what did she see there?

Well, Dear Readers, I hope you will forgive me 

for spending so much Time Just Playing in the Park....

It was such a beautiful morning......

I think we are all just Daydreaming Again!

The Park Bench....

The Point of the Park.... (And More Sparrows....)

I Left you last week, Dear Readers, with only one of the tiny sparrows painted. They were quite challenging to paint! I will not bore you with the details of how many coats of paint they took, but I will say I worked on them for hours! Unlike pigeons, the males and females are colored quite differently, so I had to decide which were which before I painted them!

In the picture above, I have started the painting of three males

 (they have a black throat) 

and three females which are mostly a streaked brown.

Here is a male nearly done....

And here is a female, held in front of the pictures

 from my Petersen's Bird Guide.....

I believe this is Seraphine Sparrow....

And Suzette sparrow....

And yes, I believe this is Capt. Jacques Sparrow.....!!!

But before we get too carried away with Tiny Sparrow Tales, 

Dear Readers, I must show you a bit more of the Park....

and Perhaps Explain the Park...

And to do that I must take you back to Daphne's Story......

So Daphne's Story Continues....

Some of you who are Very Patient and have been following this "Tale of Sorrow" for a Very Long Time now Might recall that we last heard of baby Renee when she was just on the verge of learning to walk, and she had become the Joy of her Grandfather's life.

Well, it was not very long after Renee started to walk that her Nanny, Madame Durant, gave her Notice! She told Madame deMontaigne that she was not young enough to run after a toddler from dawn to dark, and she would be leaving immediately! Of course, Madame deMontaigne called on Raymond to help out while they were between Nannies. And you really do not want to know how many Nannies there were over the next few years! Madame deMontaigne was not easy to work for, and Renee was a lively child with a great deal of curiosity. Maintaining peace in the household was a challenge on the best of days. And so the years passed.... and Renee was growing up. The current Nanny, Gabrielle Saint Claire, had lasted far longer than any of the others. Her secret was her youth and her wits and her patience and her need to keep the job. Not to mention that she had five younger sisters, so she was well acquainted with the trials of young children. She had taken the job in the hopes that she could save enough money to eventually go to the University. She wanted to study Design, furniture design in particular, and she had a passion for old furniture and antiques. But that was still a Dream for her future. Her job was the care of Renee. And as you can imagine, if you are living in the city and you have the care of a child, you will probably spend a fair amount of time in the nearest Park.....

Almost every day without fail

 they headed to the Park in the middle of the morning...

It was a Lovely small Park a short walk from the Town House.

At this early hour it was almost always empty 

and there were plenty of benches....

Gabrielle's favorite spot was at one end under a small grove of trees. 

She could sit and check her emails and still keep an eye on Renee.

Because Renee liked to watch the birds.....

Sometimes they brought bread crusts to feed them....

And sometimes someone else had already fed the birds....

And Renee would run after the birds.....

And try to pick up the food.....

Just so she could throw it to them herself!

It could amuse her for quite some time!

But on this particular day, they were not alone in the Park...

After a Great deal of thinking about Daphne's story,
Will had finally let his curiosity lead him to find out where the child was living....
And then when he happened to be in Town, he thought he might just pass by the House...
And he happened upon the child who looked so much like Daphne
that his breath caught in his throat...
So he followed her... just to be sure.....

He did not even spare Gabrielle a glance......

But took a seat under the trees where he could see the child chasing birds across the Park.
He wondered if he should snap a picture....
No, that might be too much if Daphne were to see....
Then his phone rang and he took the call from one of his purchasers.

But Gabrielle could not help but notice the good looking man
who sat on the bench nearby!

Her life was lonely enough taking care of Renee
and with no time for a social life of her own.
It was harmless enough to indulge in a
Park Bench Fantasy for a moment or two....
She could not help but overhear his phone conversation....
He sounded a bit like an American...
but he was talking about furniture....
Louis Quinze settees and Directoire Armoires...
It set her heart to racing!

Surely, it was a harmless little Daydream....

 And Renee....

She just Dreams of catching the Birds....

Ah, Dear Readers,
Park Benches are for Daydreaming, after all,
And perhaps that is the 
Whole Point of the Park!
And the Sparrow Tales...?
Those will have to keep for another Day!