Lest my first blog post give anyone a sense that I am effortlessly transitioning to a European lifestyle…..

I forgot to mention to my readers that my first moments in my house were not simple. I did fill my house with flowers and take Sophie for a long walk but I left out that I was not alone in the house and was in fact greeted by an uninvited guest. As I ran back and forth through the living room dragging my suitcases up the stairs, I noticed a movement in the wood stove. At first I thought it was just my reflection but after closer inspection I saw what was unmistakably an eye. And when I knelt in front of the glass, I found another eye and what appeared to be a large crow looking back at me.

At first I thought maybe I could handle it. Surely, if I opened the window to the stove and opened all the doors and windows in my house, it would fly out. But here’s the thing. This was not a tiny sparrow. This was a crow that was half the size of my dog. Maybe it was PTSD from my childhood experiences with bats in our house, but the idea of anything that large flying in my space completely undid me.

I called the boys immediately and told them they had to come. Dave suggested that I reach out to another friend in town, but after I was unable to find anyone, he and Matt chivalrously came to my rescue. They brought a blanket and decided they would open the front window of the house, close all the doors to the living room and we would coerce the crow outside. Dave put a blanket over the door to the stove and Matt opened it slightly. Nothing happened. The bird appeared stunned and didn’t move. Dave generously moved out of the way and encouraged Matt to gently lift it up and guide it to the window. If you are curious, I was lying on the floor with a pillow over my head. Matt did in fact retrieve the bird and set it outside. It was stunned so it didn’t fly away so I brought out water and food just in case that might give it the strength. The birds entire crow family came out to encourage it, and eventually it disappeared.

One bird does not make a bird house. I’m not sure if I’m mentioned this but In France, people don’t use screens on their windows. I have tried to get used to the flies and occasional bees visiting but I was unprepared for my next guest. Saturday morning I was blow drying my hair upstairs in the bedroom. Sophie started barking her head off so I assumed she had seen someone walk past the window which is the usual cause for her outbursts. I yelled down for her to relax and was surprised when even after several minutes she kept barking. I decided to investigate and when downstairs. Sophie sat on the back of the sofa barking at the window. And sitting on the window sill INSIDE was a tiny fluttering Blue Tit (this is a type of bird). It was trying to get out but kept running into the glass. I tried to assist it by opening the window fully but the bird got frightened and flew into the kitchen. Cue PTSD. Apparently it does not matter if the flying culprit is a small sweet songbird. It’s the flying INSIDE…. I went into the kitchen after it and thew open the doors while screaming. Thankfully after a few tense moments, the bird made its way outside.

So there you are. I am not all sophisticated and European over here. I am still being Sarah and now I am considering opening an aviary.