It sounded strangely familiar. A call, days before she was due to visit, from la soeur, warning that she might not make it, due to a missing passport this time rather than a merely out of date one. Fortunately all was well following a couple of expensive hasty dashes to the Liverpool passport office, despite some less than precise parental birth and marriage details. The fates hadn't finished toying with travel plans yet though. A forecast of heavy early morning snow in the frozen wastes of northern England forced a drive south late in the evening before her flight. But it was all worth it as she arrived on time in Lyon in 18 degree sunshine.
That was an isolated day of good weather though. Spring steadfastly refuses to arrive. There was however enough watery sunshine to allow the odd outing or two, including a trip to the park and ride on le petit train again. Not that much extra amusement needed to be provided, as aunt and niece generally found enough entertainment in each other's company. Not sure what la tante thought of the entertainment on offer one afternoon though, when it was a small bear cub with a sore head that woke up from her afternoon crèche rather than a happy, smiling toddler…
The day la petite was at the crèche, papa took his little sister for a first look at the new shopping complex at the Confluence. The year-old development has been criticised for being out of the way and poorly served by public transport, and veers between being very busy on Saturdays and during school holidays to empty during the week. It was indeed virtually deserted on a cold and breezy spring Tuesday, but getting there was easy enough on the tram, and we took the river shuttle back into the town centre, which was a pleasant way to travel. The top floor of the centre is also devoted to restaurants, with wooden decking and terraces, which I imagine would be very pleasant in the summer.
