If I were a mermaid on a balcony, I’d surely choose Antibes as my habitat.




I’d let my hair flow in the sea breeze. The salt from the breeze would fill my hair and make it look like a lion’s mane.
My special guests (my kids), with cameras in their hands, would come and mess my mermaid lion mane and then take photos and videos with a non-social device. Do memories exist if we don’t publically share them? Why yes.








Chubby cheeks, and they still want to travel with boring old Mum. The years pass and big boy gestures appear. An interest in music, toys discarded. Secret phone calls and whispered giggles.
As long as we feed them with love cereal, they’ll be alright. I hope.

Image credit: The 1st photo, of the Alpes, was taken by my 8-y.o. son.
Participating in Thursday Doors
38 replies on “Antibes and Musings”
Great photo from the plane. All the others are great too, especially the doors. Nice that you joined! I don’t have any new doors at the moment
LikeLiked by 1 person
There were too many doors to not join!
LikeLiked by 1 person
If I were Poseidon, I would nick Orpheus’ lyre and sing for the Medusa haired sea creature on the balcony. And then dive under the waves, blushing, because what on… ehm… ocean am I doing is this reaction. Lovely pictures Snow! (Mediterranean doors are the best.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mediterranean everything is the best! Also, you had the correct reaction, or Poseidon did. And that sea is just begging to be dived into.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, dear blog pal! 💚
LikeLike
Lovely! I was there for may be an hour or two, as part of an organized day tour from Nice. It is a beautiful place..
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s so many nice places a short trip away from Nice. I remembered Antibes as calm and peaceful, and it still was. Last time there was about 20 years ago!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for joining us and sharing these delightful photos and thoughts. Memories exist as long as we do or those who we passed them onto. Conversation and stories – the original social media.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, well said. They were the original social media, weren’t they? Thanks for hosting the challenge!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahhh! So joyous and coloury and doorful. You’d make a great mermaid on the balcony, but that’s not what mermaids were made for. 🙂 Love cereal is real and this post is it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love your comment and your wording makes me miss your writing! ”Love cereal is real and this post is it.” What better compliment could you get! 😌 As for the mermaid, she is trapped by reality, but longs for the sea. Meanwhile, she’s making the best of it and enjoying the moment. 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wouldn’t be worried about your kids. I’m sure they’ll be fine, and love their mum.
I, personally, absolutely adore the expression “Non-Social Device.” I might use it with your permission.
Au revoir, “Neige”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Go ahead and deploy it 😛 Non-social devices have washed their hands of the whole thing, deciding to go about their lives in another way. Sometimes I think we’ve forgotten there are alternatives. Our first instinct is just to copy and follow
LikeLiked by 1 person
There seems to be a reverse trend going on. We’ll see how it goes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I even read that youngsters are reading real books nowadays and bookstores’ business is picking up, at least in the UK. Just when their parents learned to read ebooks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My grandson is still not much interested in books… We’ll see how time plays…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful photos! I’ve never been there 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s the beauty of Antibes: it’s not a tourist hotspot! I wanted somewhere calm, pretty, and with a ”normal life” vibe. Though I did get the impression that during peak season they get British tourists.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure you’re doing a wonderful job with your boys even if they will, eventually, be boys! Great selection of doors too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! Old towns can usually be counted on for pretty doors, entrances and window sills and this one didn’t disappoint!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Antibes has some great doors
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amongst other things! 🤩
LikeLiked by 1 person
True, I live 10mins by car from Antibes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s such a beautiful area, the whole Côte d’Azur
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, I’m very fortunate
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your son’s got a good eye for a photo, he frames it well! 🙂 These Mediterranean doors are full of character. I feel that sharing on social media is often edited version of memories, curated for the audience. The real memories are those we share face-to-face and cherished over time – ever lasting 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I agree. Edited and curated memories. Have to say, I do that on my blog, too ☺️ Not for the audience, though. It’s more for the sake of privacy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I understand, same here 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Surely they are not yet teens with secret phone calls? You still have a few years before that?
Gorgeous photos – loved the one with the hanging plants- reminded me of the mane of salt- tousled hair you described.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! The plants were lovely. We were gawking at people’s home entrances but I guess they’re used to it!
The boys only 8, but starting school last year has made them act a bit like teenagers. They are big boys now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think Scandi children mature earlier than Aussie kids. My Danish exchange student noticed this back in 1996, so perhaps internet exposure has exercerbated this?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmm, maybe? Personally, I think it’s the Nordic way of giving them independence when they start school. They aren’t driven to school, they come and go independently. Not because we all want to let them run around unsupervised, but because women are equal to men which means we have to work 100% full-time jobs and the kids’ school days are much shorter than our work days. The grownups are at work so they need to manage themselves for a bit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That definitely would contribute, but then Australia has both parents working full time in almost every family now due to the spiralling housing costs. And children here are coddled far too much. Independence isn’t encouraged from what I can see.
Child bearing is delayed and children are then regarded as super precious – (fertility issues), which they definitely are – but to the detriment of other kids and those around them. There seems far too many helicopter parents here. Is that too judgemental a comment to make?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know, I’m probably a bit of a helicopter parent myself 🤣 And people have kids late here, too
LikeLike
If the boys are walking to school at 8 years, I would not describe you as a helicopter parent. I think my kids were 11 years before they did that. School was perhaps a bit further – 2.5 km away across two busy roads.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well yes, but there are cultural and infrastructural differences: (cities built around drivers vs pedestrians, safety concerns, etc). This is a tiny city in a tiny country, they aren’t really comparable. I didn’t want to let them go out alone and that’s why I track them with smart watches that have gps. It’s just that I had no choice. This society is built like this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tracking apps woukd definitely help and you are correct about the city sizes and spread. Distances are greater here.
LikeLiked by 2 people