Herault Family Life

Private Thoughts .........

2009-05-12T20:43:00.004+02:00

..... public audience.

It was almost exactly two years to the day that I started this blog. For two reasons really:

Firstly -
I was interested in the idea of blogs, the wizards available and what you could do with them. That is, how far you could manipulate and tailor the behind the scenes code (although retired, I still retained an interest in IT !).
And I knew from experience that the best way to understand a programme, was to actually use it.
So that is what I did.

Secondly -
Ever so often, throughout my life, I have tried to keep a diary.
I always loved the idea of looking back at them in years to come, and remembering in greater detail what actually happened day to day.
But each attempt never lasted.
Mainly because my thoughts arrive faster than my hand can keep up with, and my writing would deteriorate abominably.

So that is why I set up my blog. As a 'diary' to document my life with Richard and the girls. To enable me to remember my thoughts and reactions to events happening around us.

It never crossed my mind that other people might read it, and when I received comments from the few - I was always astonished yet thrilled!

The trouble is, when you have an unknown audience to your private musings, sooner or later you upset someone. And that was never my intention.

I have therefore decided that this blog has run its course and I will revert to the traditional concept - and go 'electronically private'. Of course, I have to work out how to do it first.....

This blog was great fun though while it lasted!

Not Fair !

2009-04-09T17:51:00.002+02:00

My recent visits to the UK, surviving without alcohol, have all had a noticable effect on me. I have lost weight.

Now I am not saying I was obese before, but compared to a local population who are on average substantially slimmer than their UK counterparts, I was carrying some surplus.

And this is always pointed out to you when the doctor you visit regularly for checkups is not only very slim, fit and handsome but also happens to be older than you even though he looks at least 15 years younger!

With our medical records slowly being computerised, Dr Castan is also able to immediately tell me on each visit that I have yet to lose even a kilo......

So today, I drove to my checkup on a high. Ready and waiting to be congratulated that my BMI had dropped quite noticably.

Except he never weighed me.

I am SO SO pissed off.

Student life - French Style

2009-04-08T17:09:00.004+02:00

Unbeknownst to LeeLee, I am compiling a cookery book for her to take to university this September.

It contains all the usual recipes that you would expect (rice, pasta, potatoes, etc) - chosen for not only their nutritional value and ability to fill you up, but mainly for their cheapness!

Unbeknownst to me, LeeLee looked for a cookery book at the library when she went to Beziers today.

And she found a French cookery book, written by local students for students.

And she just had to show me when she got home, knowing I would appreciate why she was laughing with surprise!

I shall list the first few recipes for you:
1. Melon & Parma Ham
2. Parma Ham & Mozzarella
3. Roast chicken (bought from a local butcher) & Homemade Garlic Mayonnaise
4. Smoked salmon, Roquette Salad & Wholemeal Bread (lemon wedges on the side)
5. Avocado, Pear & Tomatoes with a Tarragon Dressing
6. Baguette filled with Garlic Roasted Mushrooms & Roquette drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar
7. Toasted Bread topped with Scrambled Egg & Asparagus

Are you laughing yet?! Does this give you an idea as to some of the differences between students in our two countries?!

I kid you not when I tell you that not one child in her class has ever opened a tin of baked beans, and many have never bought a ready made pizza. They buy the bases and then add their own toppings including a wide variety of vegetables. And they all make their own pasta sauces (never from a jar or tin).

I have an awful feeling that LeeLee is going to be a bit disappointed with my cookery book!

After The Fire

2009-04-07T17:31:00.003+02:00

Recently I mentioned the deliberate 'clearing by fire' that was taking place around our village. And I thought you might like an update.

Less than two weeks has passed, and there is very little evidence of the fire unless you look very closely. You can hardly see that it ever took place from the main road now. It is astonishing to me the amount of new green sprouts appearing amongst the burned ash. And that bushes and trees like the holme oak and indeed wild apple and cherry are untouched and blossoming whilst the bramble and unwanted undergrowth has gone. Very clever.

***

We were on the way back from the Supermarket when I stopped to take some photos. I had bought a packet of thyme for a recipe I am cooking tomorrow because I knew my own plants had not yet recovered from the winter.

Silly me. I must stop thinking and acting like an étranger.

Look at all the wild thyme flourishing along the roadside wall, all of which had survived the recent fire and was in full flower! I grabbed a few handfuls and realised that I had wasted a few euros buying packet stuff.

Fire ! Fire !

2009-03-30T12:18:00.006+02:00

We live surrounded by the garrigue. And with the constant fear, during most months of the year, of fire.

However, such a natural habitat has also to be 'managed' and looked after in basic ways.

Fire is a terrible risk but it also has a definite part to play in nature. It clears out the undergrowth that is choking the wild plants (thyme, rosemary, holme oak, etc) and is the trigger for many dormant seeds to sprout.

Also, the more undergrowth that is got rid of, the lower the risk of 'unmanaged' fires spreading - from a carelessly discarded cigarette for example.

For a few years now, the local hunters have been assigned the responsibility of providing the manpower to help with the management of the garrigue.

Each licenced group hunt in a strictly designated area around/near their village. And are given instructions on how and when maintenance needs to be carried out on the garrigue.

This week it has been 'controlled clearing by fire' and every able man in our village was out to ensure it was done safely and kept contained and under control.

And Richard was there to take pictures for me, since I was away!

One area was on the left as you drive into our village, covering an area all the way to the upper road to Taussac.The last two pictures above are from across the valley so that you can see the extent of the burn after the flames had all died down and everything was safe.

Another area was to the right as you enter our village - and where you can just see the little hut (with a red tiled roof) is Cyprian's vegetable garden. The fire surrounded his garden but it was kept safe. They are experts at this!

Just How Friendly Are You?!

2009-03-26T11:56:00.003+01:00

.....I hear you ask.

Yep, we had some more friends around this evening for a meal. English and Scottish tonight. It was fun actually talking in just one language for a change.Thank-you Carole, John and Colin for travelling all this way south to see us and for making it such a great evening!

More Friendly Meals !

2009-03-25T10:00:00.001+01:00

Our social life is so busy! Tonight we invited our neighbours (Christel, Eric & Juliette) and village friends (Josette & Cyprian) to dinner and it was great. Lots of food, a very moreish punch (congrats to Richard) and two new desserts that were successful.

LeeLee's boyfriend (Kevin) braved the evening with promises that there were French speakers coming plus Juliette - who fell in love with him at the last party (she is only 4 years old, so no jealousy from his girlfriend!).But she was shy, and it was not until later that she was brave enough to sit with him for a cuddle. It is amazing what an ice-breaker Disney cartoons are!! Even when they are in English.....

In my usual fashion, I decided to plan ahead and make enough of the main course and the puddings to feed two armies - so that I would have enough left over for tomorrow's party.

This retirement lark is SO tiring.

***

I made a walnut tart and a bread & butter pudding for tonight. Neither of which I had made before.

Since I do not actually like b&b pudding (memories of it from school) I used a slightly different recipe that puts simmered dates between the layers of buttered bread and has NO raisins. I cannot stand raisins and I am the chef. So what I like is all that matters.....

The top is sprinkled with sugar and then caramelized under a grill or (if you do not have a grill) by your husband wielding a flame thrower!

OK. So now I know that it was not a good idea to leave a rim of baking parchment sticking up. How was I to know it would catch alight......

Slobber Chops

2009-03-22T13:44:00.002+01:00

You can take the girl out of the UK but not the UK out of the girl......

There is nothing like a Sunday morning brunch of a chunk of gros pain filled with English sausage, home-made bacon and two fried eggs!God, it tasted wonderful!!!!

Friendly Meals

2009-03-18T12:09:00.010+01:00

Friends were round for a meal last week and it was one of those times when you look in your fridge and cupboard for inspiration. There was a little of Richard's home-smoked salmon left which would have been a shame to waste - but not enough for 6 people as a starter.

So line some ramekins with clingfilm, drap with some thin slices of smoked salmon, fill with prawns, chopped avocado and stick it all together with salmon taramasalata. Then keep your fingers crossed when you up-end them onto the plates..........Yummy!

After salad, we then had duck confit (found a tin in the cupboard) made into a pie and runner beans - yes, I lugged some runner beans all the way back from the UK in my luggage! Remind me why we are all putting on weight?!

Warming Up

2009-03-17T12:05:00.002+01:00

Spring is here. And the cat is outside catching all the emerging wildlife - birds and of course snakes.

This is what we found on the terrace this morning - two poor snakes lying on their backs after being well and truly played with by Smokey.Richard went to pick them up to throw them into the ruin - when the first one immediately turned over and started having a go at the tongs! That gave him a surprise!

Richard's Wine Cellar

2009-03-16T11:46:00.004+01:00

We are having a change around in our lounge due to a change of TV.

As a family we are all avid readers and collect books. None get thrown away because our favourites are read again and again.

And so we are always short on shelving.

We decided that it would be possible to build shelves on the wall to the left of the fireplace but wood is expensive.

In the UK Richard did a lot of woodwork, designing and building furniture, but it is not a hobby he has been able to continue here because of the cost of quality wood.

I suggested using bottle containers (like we used to have in our UK kitchen) as shelf supports and buying oak planks to provide the cross pieces.

In Castorama, a small plank of planed oak cost 68euros and by the time we filled the whole wall - we would need to be millionaires!

We decided to visit a wood specialist in Beziers where they store raw tree trunks split and ventilated for years to season them. Wonder if they would sell us one or two, or are they just for 'trade'?

We were like kids in a sweet shop!

You tell them what you are looking for (oak, chestnut etc) and using a forklift, they take down the whole split trunks and seperate each tranche for you whilst you look through until you find one you like. They then quote the price based on usable volume....

Getting ready to wince, we asked the price of our selected whole tranche of oak tree, 4.5m long, 27mm thick, 34cm usable width at its narrowest point - enough for 4 shelves. And they said 54 euros. What?! Are you sure?!

And so that is what we bought, as a start.

When we got it home, we decided that the shape and markings on the tranche were too beautiful (and the price so good) that we could afford to just cut its length in half to make two shelves.And so after spending a few hours sanding it down, Richard has the makings of his wine cellar.Or, as far as the cat is concerned, a climbing frame.

Getting Hot, Hot, Hot ......

2009-03-15T11:31:00.007+01:00

...... but for the wrong reasons.

Yesterday I drove down the hill to Lamalou to get the bread and admired the clearing work still going on in our Commune.

As a new initiative, for several metres either side of all our roads they are clearing the terrain totally - to try and prevent fires spreading when inconsiderate travellers throw lighted cigarette ends out of vehicle windows.We are in the National Park and surrounded by the garrigue. There are strict rules on when we are allowed to have bonfires - basically, only in the midst of deep winter and snow is on the ground!

I drove down to Lamalou this morning to get bread and spotted a whole tranche of garrigue by the road that had obviously caught fire last night .....Luckily the clearing work did its job and the fire was contained - it only destroyed about 1/2 square kilometre of land.

But next time?

Bread Is The Loaf Of Life

2009-03-14T10:31:00.003+01:00

Last month, it was our neighbour's special birthday and a surprise party was arranged.

Whilst another neighbour took her to Montpellier shopping, everyone else piled into their lovingly restored house and set everything up.

And a great time was had by all. Chrystel had no idea and was completely taken by surprise. Even more so by the 'slightly suggestive' presents that took some explaining to her little girl.... I so want to order my bread for our next party by the metre!!

Accented Franglaises

2009-03-13T21:36:00.002+01:00

When Nic started at college, a Scottish boy joined that same year after having only been in France for 6 months.

We asked her today how he was getting on 18 months down the line and (other than telling us 'he is just a silly boy') she commented that he still spoke French with a strange accent......

Oh, to be able to comment from such a position of perfectly midi-accented French!! I can continue to dream that one day, I too will be there.

***

Nic's English teacher believes in 'stretching' her native English speaking students, rather than letting them coast along at the same pace as the French kids in their class.

Not only does she give them extra, more difficult, tests but she also marks their work to a different base.

Today's test listed 40 questions to which they had to give the appropriate answer. The overall mark was to be out of 20 which meant that each question carried half a point. Unless you were English.....

Nic was not impressed to find out that she only scored 18/20 because she missed ONE WORD out.

For one question, the answer was 'During the game, we were all screaming'.

Nic realised that she had mis-spelled the last word, and tippexed it out. But forgot to go back (when it had dried) to write the correct word over the top.....and the teacher deducted two whole marks!

Hee Hee!

Germanic Franglaises

2009-03-12T10:00:00.006+01:00

Both LeeLee and Nic have the same German teacher. A teacher who likes to point out to the students when any German words they come across are derived from other languages like English or Latin.

And who likes to ask the English speakers in the class to translate what the German phrases are in English, as a comparison to the equivalent French phrases.

In LeeLee's class there is one French boy who lived in the UK for a year - from the age of zero. That is - from birth.

A point that has passed the teacher by because she keeps asking him for the equivalent English phrases before asking LeeLee. Each time he points out that gaga and googoo is the extent of his English proficiency but it makes no difference.....

***

The students were discussing immigrant workers in their German lesson, and learning that they are called 'Invited Workers' in that country.

The teacher then asked LeeLee what the equivalent translation would be in English. And was not impressed when LeeLee replied 'Illegal Immigrants'.

***

The distinction between 'I will' and 'I want' causes some confusion when a native English speaker is learning German within a French school. Both of our daughters can attest to this and their teacher always asks them what 'Ich Vill' is NOT in English.

It is not 'I will', Madame.......they reply by rote.

Today her class were translating the phrase 'I want to watch TV' from the German into French. And the teacher asked LeeLee to confirm that in English you would say 'Vatch TV, I vill'.

Knowing when NOT to disagree with an pugnacious German, LeeLee meekly agreed.....

Who Sniggered ?!

2009-03-11T10:00:00.003+01:00

All I can say about a recent newspaper article reporting that a Police Officer (a male one, not a WPC, I hasten to add!) is suing his employer because his colleagues kept laughing at his beard....is that Richard should make a fortune too!

In the 20 odd years that he was a copper in London, he must have had a beard for at least half of that time. And I can assure you it caused great hilarity amongst his workmates.

And me!

I am sure I have a few pictures somewhere....... Yep! Those were the mug shots I was thinking of!

Peeved Franglaises

2009-03-10T11:00:00.001+01:00

Needless to say, both Nic and LeeLee do well in their English lessons. And also expect to do well which is where they need to learn that life is not always as you expect.

Usually LeeLee averages 19/20 and today she received back last week's devoir maison. And got 15/20.

What?! Pissed-off, she ranted furiously at Richard all the way home in the car and seamlessly carried on as she entered the house and met me waiting to welcome her home.

Turns out they had had to write a summary of all that they had covered in their English lessons so far this school year. In English of course.

And LeeLee missed off several lessons-worth from her list. And therefore got marked down.....

You try keeping a straight face in the presence of this much righteous indignation!

***

Nic generally averages 18/20 in her English.

But was a seething mass of gobsmacked fury when she found out that her teacher had given her only 15/20 last term for Oral - because the teacher did not think she participated enough in the class.

She should put her hand up more often to answer questions it seems. Even though we had coached her to give the others a chance to answer since they needed the practise more, and explained that she should not expect to show-off too much.

Oh well. Parents do not always know best it seems.

***

Today Nic and her class had a controle (test) in their English lesson.

And then, whilst the rest of the class looked at 'situation' pictures to decide what the relevant question must have been to the answer quoted by the teacher, the teacher gave Nic an extra 4-page controle.

Which she thoroughly enjoyed doing, whilst also laughing as she listened in to the rest of the class' attempts at English.

Give that teacher an apple!

Artistic Surprise

2009-03-09T21:48:00.004+01:00

Nic had her art lesson at college today. She was pleased that her usual teacher was back after he had been away for the last two weeks.

They started a new assignment today - artwork incorporating a slogan. A slogan in English rather than French.

Nic was in her element. Whilst eagerly choosing a slogan to use herself, she also dealt with the queue of students asking her to translate their ones - they wrote theirs in French first.

The teacher noticed this, and asked why everyone was pestering Nic. And they all laughed and said 'Because she is English of course!'

The teacher exclaimed 'What? Since when?!'

Turns out he had just spent two weeks on a language course in order to improve his English sufficiently to deal with this assignment!

Ah, bless.

Deja View....ing Apparatus

2009-03-08T21:25:00.002+01:00

How come, each time I return home from a spell in the UK, something unexpected awaits me?!

At least this time I got into the house before the girls started giving each other surprised, knowing looks......unlike last time.

We carried (OK dragged) my baggage into the lounge to unload all the goodies they were hoping I had packed for them. But even I, in my tired state, noticed that they were more interested in looking at each other and then running out to the kitchen to whisper at Richard.

Puzzled, we carried on for a while until their patience ran out and they both started speaking at the same time - asking if I had noticed anything DIFFERENT in the room.

No, I replied.

So the girls then pointed out that the huge 27 year old TV (that we have had since we first got married) was sitting on the coffee table right next to me. Yes, that close and I had not noticed.

And that a new TV was in its place.

Well I was tired and that is my excuse. No mention of eye tests please from the back row.

***

Flying Easyjet so often, I am getting good, VERY good, at this travelling lark.

I take very little with me and bring whole shopping arcades of stuff back.

With one hold suitcase and a shoulder bag as my hand luggage, I am restricted to 20 kg in the first and as much as I can carry over my shoulder whilst nonchalently looking as if I am not weighed down by the equivalent of the national debt.

Before queuing up at check-in, I sneak to an unmanned (unwomaned?) weighing scales and have a quick check - my hold bag weighed 19.95kg. Am I good or what?!

At check-in, they weighed it in as 20.0kg exactly! And commented that they had never before had someone who had managed to that!

Where Was The Body Hidden?

2009-02-18T17:18:00.003+01:00

Richard and the girls picked me up at the airport, and we travelled home - chatting and catching up on the news all the way.

As we parked in the village and started to walk up the hill to our front door, I heard the girls whisper to Richard 'You have told her, right?'

What?! I was heard to ask.....

......and as we turned the corner I saw, outside our house: We have suspected that our shower has been leaking for quite a while but it was not obvious where and how much.

Until I was away, and Richard went into the cave underneath and noticed black mould growing on the stone walls. So in the bathroon he took out the shower tray to see what was the problem. And he started to dig, and dig, and dig.....

200 kilos of sand later and he came across the rocks that had been supporting the shower tray.....in fact about 200 kilos of rock as well! Finally he reached the villa flooring - about two feet below the level of the original shower tray!We are now trying to decide what on earth to do in the bathroom. So watch this space for further episodes of this saga....

PS
The cat was nearly executed by Richard.
She thought Richard had found her the biggest, most salubrious litter tray in the world!

Makes You think

2009-02-17T11:03:00.007+01:00

A couple of days ago, Richard went out in the morning to get bread from our favourite boulangerie in Lamalou.

As he drove down the steep narrow road to the town, he was as far over to the right hand side of the road as possible to avoid any vehicles coming up the hill. Where the drop is near-vertical, there is a low stone wall.

Being in a right-hand-drive car, he had a great view of the drop as he glanced out of his driver's window when he passed a part of the wall that had been breached.

And what he saw jolted him. The undercarriage of a four wheel drive vehicle, hanging suspended, upside down, caught in the trees. Roof smashed flat.

In France the law is that you MUST stop if you see evidence of an accident to check if any help can be provided.

Having been a police officer for many years, Richard has vivid memories of investigating car crashes on lonely roads in the UK. Too often, the bodies left undiscovered for many hours, sometimes days.

With no one else on the road, Richard then realised he did not have his mobile with him. Just typical!

He drove on a little way in the hope of seeing the local policeman who is usually there - but not this morning.

So he called in at the nearest house and asked them if they knew about the accident. No was the answer, so Richard and the householder walked back up the hill. And then down as near as they could get to the vehicle whilst telephoning the gendarmes.

They could not see anyone in or near the car - and then the police confirmed that it had happened the previous night. Luckily the accident had been seen 'as it happened' by another motorist. The people were helped out of the car and amazingly no one was seriously hurt.

Very lucky. Thank-goodness the accident was seen happening. Richard only saw the undercarriage because he was driving a right-hand-drive car. The driver in a left-hand-drive car would not have seen the vehicle.

The next morning, we saw the news about the three soldiers who were found dead in a vehicle that had crashed during the night in the UK, who were not found until several hours later.

A sobering story.

Get Real !

2009-02-16T10:39:00.002+01:00

Following her great offer from the Royal Holloway University, LeeLee has been on a high and eagerly awaiting her next offer through UCAS......she never has been one to doubt that she is wanted!

When selecting her five UK Uni choices she primarily looked at those that ran a Mathematics course combined with Management or Finance and then at the 'standing' of the universities themselves.

Very much a realist, LeeLee knows she will need to work in order to be independent as an adult and she wants a long-term career. And, if possible, a well paid one in business! That is what comes of growing up with two working parents and a mother who successfully climbed the corporate ladder without any problems being female.

So her course and university choices were selected to 'impress' future employers - let's be honest, getting a job is becoming very much more difficult each year and she has no intention of living off her parents. Thank goodness.....

The girls were born and brought up near Guildford in Surrey and LeeLee in particular has fond memories of this town - albeit mainly the shopping centre!

And so she selected Surrey University as one of her choices. Not actually a very well thought of uni, especially in terms of the sciences, but somewhere that she knew she would be comfortable living.

And their offer came in yesterday. They want 16/20 overall and 17/20 in Mathematics.

Get real! That is a higher offer than Cambridge University! Who do they think they are......

....well certainly a uni that LeeLee has no intention of going to now!

Getting to French Uni

2009-02-15T15:27:00.001+01:00

With the UK UCAS system we were fairly up to speed. The student chooses five universities/courses and completes the application on line. And waits for any offers forthcoming.

In parallel, LeeLee is doing well and actually getting to grips with the French process for 2009 - much to our amazement!

A student has an automatic right to go to a French University if they pass their French bac (ie get 10 or above out of 20, overall). However, the exams at the end of the first year, the second, etc at Uni are VERY difficult and students are chucked out then if they do not meet certain high criteria.

To get to French Uni is a complex process.......or seems so to us anyway!

First Deadline: 20th March
By that date the student has to have made known his/her 'wishes'. You make 36 'choices' in your preferred order - specific courses and specific institutions eg university, prépa, lycée professionelle, etc.

Second Deadline: 20 April
The student must have sent a copy of their dossier to all their choices. The 'dossier' will be specific to each choice - not the same for all. It will detail all their education history, school reports etc as defined by each choice. Some will want ALL your school reports going back through the years whilst others will just want copies of your lycée reports.

First Stage: 9-12 June
You will receive one definite offer from one of your choices. You do not receive any refusals, just offers.
You have to answer either:
1. Yes.
2. Yes But.
3. No But.

Answering (1) blocks offers from any other of your choices. The institution that made this offer, is where you will go.
Answering (2) blocks offers from any 'choice' below the institution that has made this first offer ie if the institution that was fifth on your list of choices, made this offer - answering 'Yes But' means you can only accept a subsequent offer if it is from one of the institutions positioned 1-4 on your list. Any offers from institutions 6-35 are blocked and you never 'see' them.

Second stage: 20-23 June
More offers arrive and you respond.

Third Deadline: 16 July
The student must have answered at least one offer with a yes, or you are thrown out of the system.

The final bac results are published 14 July and the student has the option of a maximum of two rattrapages. In loose terms, a re-examination if their results are not good enough, either overall or in specific subjects.

A rapprapage is ALWAYS an oral exam irrespective of the subject and can boost your result by a maximum of 5 marks. It is however VERY rare to get the full 5 (more usually an extra 1-3 marks are obtained if you are very lucky) since you can imagine how difficult it is to impress an examiner 'orally' in say Mathematics!

So wish LeeLee luck......

PS
Apologies for any errors in my posts about the French education system - we are learning! Please do not take it all as gospel truth!

Fred & Frederique

2009-02-14T16:07:00.004+01:00

Recognise us? I am the one on the left! Not sure that the anti-wrinkle cream is working.......

Champagne, chocolates, flowers, and Italian red wine.....what more could you ask for on St Valentine's Day!Heart shaped fried eggs of course! The teddybear ones were for the girls....

Honesty.....

2009-02-13T12:43:00.001+01:00

....always the best policy!

With final bac exams due in June, the students sit two (possibly three?) bac blancs before then - mock exams. LeeLee sat her first bac blanc in January and has been eagerly (!) awaiting the results. And so have Richard and I.

School work has always come easy to LeeLee and she has never had to 'pull out all the stops' like many students. But her French Bac results last year hit her hard and opened her eyes - we just hope it has not been forgotten since then!

Whilst away, I kept getting text messages as and when she got her results....with a yippee or a groan to reflect the marks.

To work out the overall bac result it is necessary to take account of the coefficients for each subject - which is where the French bac system gets complicated for us.

LeeLee is doing a bac scientifique which means her science subjects carry higher coeffs than say the languages. She chose mathematics as her speciality which means it carries the highest coeff of 9. For LeeLee, her maths mark is therefore taken account of NINE times whilst her French oral and written marks are only counted twice...thank goodness!

Also, for a bac S, you take your final French oral and written exams in 2008 and all the others in 2009.

For a bac L (languages) you would have taken your sciences in 2008 and the others in 2009. As clear as mud?!

The marks are summarised as 'points' above or below the pass mark of 10/20.

In summary, her results were (coeffs in brackets):

2008
06/20 (2) French Oral (pts = coeff*(06-10) = -8)
04/20 (2) French Written (-12)
10/20 (2) TPE ( 0)

2009
11/20 (9) Mathematics (pts = +9)
15/20 (6) Physique-Chimie (+30)
09/20 (6) SVT (-6)
10/20 (3) Hist-Geo (0)
10/20 (3) Philosophie (0)
19/20 (3) LV1 English (+27)
15/20 (2) LV2 German (+10)
13/20 (2) Sport (+6)

? (2) Art - no mark yet (an optional extra, so only counted if the student's mark is over 10 anyway).

After 2008, LeeLee was minus 20 points and can effectively 'ignore' her TPE, Philosophy and History/Geography marks as they reflect parity.

As expected, her English mark countered her French marks whilst her Physics mark (a pleasant surprise!) and her German both boosted her overall.

Maths was a disappointment but has a story behind it. All exams are each four hours long, and the maths paper had four questions, the last of which carried 50% of the marks. However, the school accidently forgot to give the students this last question until twenty minutes before the end of the exam - they had not realised it was on a seperate piece of paper! So all the students suffered low marks.

LeeLee's weakness is always going to be the quality of her French. In all the exams (even Maths for example) the student can lose marks for every spelling mistake or accent missed. Her professeurs admit there is a bit of a lottery - if your paper is marked early in the day, the examiner might take the time to try and understand your bad French. If it is late in the day - the examiner might hit you VERY hard!

She is pleased that in the German exam, you are always answering in German. But in English she has a 50/50 chance of either an essay in English (great!) or unfortunately comprehension where you answer in French.

SVT (biology) is her weakest science subject because there is always an essay to write - in French of course!

Last year we took advice and let LeeLee move up to terminale rather than resit premiere (in order to resit the French oral/written exams). And we can better understand why now. With only coeffs of 2, it is possible for her to counter these low French marks by her other languages. We hope.....

A letter arrived this week from the lycée detailing her exam results, and giving us her overall bac blanc mark (12.18 out of 20) and stating that she was 70 points ABOVE the average of 10/20.

She knows what she has to do now.....

***

When LeeLee saw the letter we got from the lycée, she laughed. And told us she was thankful she had told us the truth about her marks as and when she received them. Some of her classmates had 'fibbed' to their parents - not realising that the school would be officially informing their parents of their results!

French schools are not foolish.

Ups & Downs

2009-02-12T20:39:00.001+01:00

Wondering why I have lost weight (subsisting on plain meat & veg) whilst the rest of the family haven't?!

Could it be the maple-cured bacon that Richard has been making at home whilst I have been away?!

They have been enjoying pan fried home-cured bacon in fresh baked baguette !!!So of course I just had to bring back some pork sausages from the Farmers' Market where I stayed in London.........

***

Richard asked me what I would like to eat on my return....and I opted for 'nothing plain' and French cheeses. So the first night we had a delicious homemade curry, and for lunch today Richard produced some ripe Brie de Meaux and a gooey St Félicien - so gooey it had to be put in a bowl by the end of the meal.
And Richard and the girls had.........a strong cheddar with malt-vinegar pickled onions and a smooth stilton. Happiness all round!

***

Flying with Easyjet out of Gatwick, my hold baggage allowance was 20kg plus unlimited hand luggage provided the bag fitted into their 'cage'. Now that was a challenge I could not refuse.....

It is amazing what you can carry/lug around London when you have too!!

I weighed in at 19.9kg (bag, not me!) and carried on a shoulder bag that left me with aching muscles for days.

It is amazing what English sweets and cheese, pickled onions, sausages, hot cross buns, Chilian (carmenere) and Italian (amerone) wine weighs!

It Must Be Love

2009-02-11T16:37:00.006+01:00

We had a great evening helping our friends Riet & Albert celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary today!Congratulations!!

A Mountain Of Debt?

2009-02-10T12:24:00.001+01:00

We have been trying to find out what, if any, tuition/living loans LeeLee would be eligible for if she went to Uni in the UK. And it is confusing I can tell you.

First we understood that she would be treated as per any other student from the EU. And that was only to be expected. Basically the Government tuition/living loans are only available to students who have home addresses in the UK. Again, this seemed logical to us.

But we have been told by several people that she SHOULD be eligible....but we were not quite sure how and could not find anything to support this in all the documentation.

If in doubt, phone them up I say....so that is what I did.

I spoke to the Student UK Department and they confirmed that a student has to have lived in the UK for the three years before commencing Uni. OK, clear enough.

Then, as I was just ringing off, they said 'Of course, she could just live in the UK for ONE DAY before the 1st September to be eligible as well.'

WHAT?! You cannot be serious! We just have to fill in the PN1 form on line, they said......

So that is what we did - attempted to do anyway. And when it asked if the student had lived in the UK for 3 years prior to starting, we answered honestly and said no. And it chucked us out and said we had to call the Student EU Department.

So that is what I did, explained the situation and was told that all she had to do was live for just one day in the UK before the 1st September....because OBVIOUSLY LeeLee was eligible for all the normal loans because not only did she have a UK passport but had lived there until she was 12 years old. The system was designed to stop hoards of non-UK students applying - not OBVIOUSLY eligible students like LeeLee!

Wonderful - a helpful Government department. Shame it is not documented anywhere - only PUSHY parents (like Me!) get to find out.

This department is sending us a paper copy of the PN1 form and have told us to write a covering letter explaining her situation - and to refer to this letter on any eligibility question that we answer in the negative.

Watch this space...

***

Uni in France or the UK? That is LeeLee's decision to make.

And, not least, the issue of cost is a major factor.

In France she will pay just under 300euros in tuition fees each year, plus living costs which will be means tested. There are no loans as we understand it but bursaries that are not repayable if your family income is low.

In the UK she will generate between £10-£15,000 of debt for tuition plus about the same for living costs (according to the Royal Holloway brochure). That is a massive £20-£30,000 of debt.

Quite daunting for a girl of eighteen years old.

LeeLee's Middle Name......

2009-02-09T11:34:00.003+01:00

....Indecision!

Anyone following our fairly uninteresting life will know that our eldest daughter is in the middle of the very complex process of applying to universities - in both France and the UK.

After many years of yearning to get started on Uni life in London, last year it hit her that she will find life there VERY different to the life she LOVES down here now. And so LeeLee has been voting for French Uni, including a two year course at a prépa.

Being parents, we encouraged her to keep her options open for as long as possible and to apply through UCAS as well......and with much nagging, she just made the deadline by couple of hours. That's our girl.....

And guess what?! Her top choice came back with an offer immediately! And I mean - within a couple of days of LeeLee pressing the GO button on the online application process!

Yes - the Royal Holloway University wants our daughter. Are they desperate for students on their Mathematics & Management course I hear you all ask?!

Even more surprising, they have offered 13/20 in her Bac General with 13/20 in her speciality Mathematics.

LeeLee is now going round the house on cloud nine and absolutely over the moon that they not only want her, but that she does not even have to get a very high mark......

As parents we have pointed out that she does have to actually GET these marks....but LeeLee has not quite grasped that fact, we think!

There is something about being wanted....she now thinks that maybe UNI in London might be worth reconsidering.

Retrospective White Out

2009-02-08T00:04:00.005+01:00

Back in January and knowing I was going to be away for a while, I sat up late on my last night to set up a series of posts to be published in my absence. I did not want my regular 'readers' (that's just my sister Lesley, really!) to give up coming to my blog address.

It is only now, on my return, that I have been able to reread them 'live'. And I have so many apologies to make for bad spelling, incorrect usage (or lack of) commas and generally abysmal English (eg their instead of there).

I will try to do better in future.....to paraphrase my old teachers!

***

Staying in South London last week, what a surprise I got looking out of my bedroom window one morning.Now THAT is snow! One foot deep. The pond in the middle of the Common was well and truly frozen solid - people were even seen walking across it. Flying back today, I was lucky that I had booked with the only airport open - Gatwick.

Because there was going to be a special party in the village last night, I had unsuccessfully tried everything I could (a month ago) to sort out a flight for yesterday from Luton, Stansted, Heathrow or Bristol.

Someone was looking out for me - since I would still be stranded there now if I had been successful!!

PS
Anyone recognise where I was staying?

Boxed Memories 3

2009-02-02T11:57:00.004+01:00

In the boxes I came across just one School Report, and it was mine, aged six.

In every subject but one, the comment was GOOD. In Art, I was Very Good, showing great promise (!).These fairly begrudging comments were for a pupil who came FIRST in her class! Yes, I was FIRST!!

Please note, children today, what teachers were like in our day!

Boxed Memories 2

2009-02-01T11:33:00.005+01:00

My Dad comes from a railway family.

His father was a Railway Engineer and was granted a 'railway house' for the duration of his lifetime and that of his widow if he died first (which he did).

Employers looked after their staff it seems in those days!

Grandad retired and it was some years later, when steam gave way to electrified rails, that he was asked to come out of retirement to oversee this change for the Southern Railways. His detailed knowledge of the 'old system' being viewed as far more useful than any records that had been kept!

Grandad dies before I ever knew him, but I have very early memories of my Nanny living at their 'railway house' in Campbell Road, Eastleigh.

Specifically I remember the pitch black soil in the garden that produced wonderful vegetables.

The fact that there was no bathroom in the house.

That the parlour was out of bounds to children! But held unbelievable treats! That was where the round jigsaw was kept - that we were only allowed to play with if we had been good!

That there was a runner along the sideboard on which all the china ornaments were placed. And how easy it was for a child running past (when they shouldn't) to accidently catch the runner and cause the china to tumble!

In the boxes, I came across the rent book for the 'railway house' for whilst Nanny lived their as a Railway Widow.

She was paying £1 10s 0d per week in 1966.
(if you do not understand this UK money, ask your parents. Or, good grief, your grandparents!).
Which was increased by 4d per week in 1967.
The rent man came every week to collect the rent in cash.
And every six months, the Railway sent a man to inspect the rent book.

Boxed Memories 1

2009-01-31T11:13:00.003+01:00

Last year my Dad sold up his bungalow and everything had to be sorted through. Since he is now in a care home permanently, not much could go with him Luckily he is not a hoarder like my Mum used to be and is very practical. Not a lot went with him!

But the rest of us chose items that we wanted to keep. Most of the family are good like Dad but I am sentimental and knew there would be things that would come with 'memories attached' for me.

My sisters and brother were great - boxing up everything until I could be there to go through it all. Lesley's garage was filled up!

At Christmas, because Richard and the girls drove over, he was able to bring back the boxes for me........and I have (this last week) started sorting through them. With help from the girls of course!! Looks like they are chips of MY block rather than Richard's! They wanted 'everything' that Nanna and Grandad had collected over the years!

The next few posts are dedicated to some of the things I came across........

***

My Dad was born in 1928 and celebrated his 21st birthday in 1949.

And, would you believe it, we came across a few of his 21st birthday cards! There was one from his Mum/Dad, one from a workmate (Bob) and one from his cousin and her husband (Mary & Charlie).

And (very special) one from his fiancée - our Mum!

This means his Mum, my Nanny, must have saved them all the time until she died, through at least one move that I remember.

And then my Dad/Mum must have also, through at least two moves.

Incredible! I do not think I have kept even one of my 21st birthday cards!

Dad's cards were so pretty and detailed. Not at all like today's ones. The girls and I thought them lovely, and definitely worth saving since two generations had already taken the time and effort to keep them safe.

Homework Pitfalls

2009-01-30T10:00:00.001+01:00

Nowadays, I hate homework.

Specifically, testing Nic on her homework.

Even more specifically - her French homework!

Tonight it was CONDITIONNEL PRESENT and the CONDITIONNEL PASSE tenses of DRE verbs.

The sentence above should give you a hint - got it yet?!

The INFINITIF are given in capital letters, which means that the accents are missed off.

So when I say the infinitives, she looks puzzled. I then spell them, and she goes - Oh! You mean.......

Basically, Nic has to correct my mispronunciation before she can understand the question, in order to answer it!

Then we move on to the slightly different stresses between the AN and EN syllables.......

Laughing?! You are laughing?!

Well, try testing a native French speaker with these:

1. Infinitif = REPONDRE

What are the CONDITIONNEL PRESENT and the CONDITIONNEL PASSE ?

2. Infinitif = REPANDRE

What are the CONDITIONNEL PRESENT and the CONDITIONNEL PASSE ?

Smart-alecs!

PS
1 = j'répondrais, j'aurais répondu
2 = j'répandrais, j'aurais répandu

PPS
Just incase you are patting yourselves on the back, I chose the EASY ones to test you with!

Father Of A Teenage Daughter

2009-01-29T10:00:00.002+01:00

Richard's solution for an amorous boyfriend!

All Free!

2009-01-28T10:00:00.005+01:00

Can you believe it! There are generous people in this area of the world who are happy to give away their surplus things!

We all have far too much in our cupboards, caves and children's bedrooms -yes, I do mean you, LeeLee & Nic!

So if you live in the Languedoc - why not have a clear out and support this wonderful initiative.

C'est Gratuit has been set up by Lizzie who owns/runs a bed & breakfast (le Couvent) in nearby Roujan.

Before you are tempted to give a good home to the items listed, do try to give away lots first!

I have just got to persuade our two daughters that their bedrooms should be less cluttered.....

Food, Glorious Food!

2009-01-27T10:00:00.003+01:00

We love food, as anyone who has seen Richard and I has probably guessed. But what the hell - what else is retirement for!!!

And we are very lucky in that just about all our friends love food as well. What does that tell you about how we choose our friends?!

We get to enjoy so many meals in their homes or at restaurants.

Now this is what I call a prawn!And look at this duck. Riet & Albert commissioned a family member to make the perfect carving board with a deep 'moat' so that all the juices are saved. Friends Jan & Alex trreated us to a wonderful meal at a local restaurant - including a melting chocolate fondant. The foie gras was to die for but since I was eating it at the time, no photo was taken!

Where There's a Will .....

2009-01-26T10:00:00.003+01:00

....... there's a way!

Cat biscuit is more expensive than dog biscuit, per kilo.

It is obviously more expensive to make something into smaller morsels! Either that or the producers think that cats are more discerning and have to have better ingredients. Well, let's be honest, dogs eat anything whilst cats are fussy.

Or so I have always thought.

Smokie will not eat anything raw. Offer her uncooked fish, prawns or meat - and she stalks off in a huff because she thinks you are trying to poison her.

Her normal biscuit contains morsels in four different colours - dark brown (meat flavoured?), light brown (more meat?), green (vegetable) and beige (cereal). And since she considers that she is a Midi meat-eater who will put up with veg, she always leaves the cereal.

We have to leave it in her bowl for at least three days (refusing to top it up) before she finally gives in and eats it.

Being a sucker (or just a shopper who forgot his glasses), Richard bought her an alternative 'flavour' of biscuit this month.

And she is refusing to eat it at all now!! However long we leave it in her bowl.

Amd then we found out why she was not withering away into an unfed skeleton........Yes, that is the dog's dinner bowl she is standing in. With her head, shoulders and front two legs deep inside the dog's bag of biscuit!

Having taught Xena that her life would not be worth living if I ever found her nicking biscuit out of the bag - she was sitting, just out of sight of this photo, almost in tears!

False Meconium Syndrome

2009-01-25T10:00:00.002+01:00

A recent medical study has concluded that eating blueberries every day improves your memory and significantly slows down (and indeed inhibits) the onset of alzheimers.

Wow! Impressive or what!

There is one catch however - you get 'false meconium syndrome'.

Yep! In layman's terms, you get black pooh. Similar in colour and texture to that which new born babies produce.

Well, just to be different, our dog will have 'false meconium syndrome' by tomorrow. I can guarantee it.

Not because we have force fed her blueberries, but because she tugged and tugged at a tissue sticking out of the kitchen bin whilst we were out. And managed to get hold of the black wax coating that had sealed a tasty cheddar cheese I brought from the UK. Well sucked, we expect it to reappear tomorrow in the garden.......

PS
Look at that Little Black Bomber from the Snowdonia Cheese company in Wales! A delicious cheddar, if you ever get the chance to try it!

One Rock .....

2009-01-24T10:00:00.003+01:00

.... short of a stone wall.

Will someone please point out to our dumb cat that mice do not generally pop out of the gaps in the stone walls of our houses down here.

Especially the gaps that are six feet UP the wall! Did I hear someone say DOH?!

Glossy And Purple

2009-01-23T10:00:00.003+01:00

Look at this gorgeous 'aubergine' jug! I must find out more about it.

PS
It is purpley/blue, honest. It is the flash that made it look so blue in the photo!

Too Many Cooks.....

2009-01-22T10:00:00.003+01:00

.... in the kitchen?Of course not! Every one is an essential member of the culinary staff! Well I was anyway ..... not sure about the rest!

Pre-Emptive Strike

2009-01-21T10:00:00.005+01:00

Before anyone starts to mention that only blogging about our cat, dog and the children is boring to read - I wanted to point out that not much actually happens down here in the middle of the countryside.

Other than to the aforementioned cat, dog and children!

I could of course mention that LeeLee visited her boyfriend this weekend. The boyfriend who turned out to have 'le gastro'.

I could go on to detail the number of times she threw up herself before we finally agreed on Monday that she really was not well enough to go to school and infect another hundred friends when she 'bisoued' them!

I could mention the fact that her mother was then up all night sitting on the throne having obviously gotten too close to her sick daughter!

But then - that would have been boring as well, wouldn't it! And stomach churning!

PS
Before anyone asks - I did not rush to get the camera when LeeLee was worshipping the porcelain-bowl God. I am not that callous a blogger, desperate for stories to write about!

PPS
Unclean! Unclean! Even loving parents do not want their daughter getting too close when she has 'le gastro'! PPPS
Note to parent. Point out to child that snogging someone with an obviously contagious bug, is NOT a clever thing to do!

A President To Remember

2009-01-20T23:22:00.005+01:00

Will we remember where we were and what we were doing the day that America's first black president was inaugurated?

I think we will.

I am not sure it was something I expected to see in my lifetime, but it was an event I watched with our daughters - and we were all moved by it.

Sixty years ago, Barrack Obama would not have been allowed to sit on the same bus with white people. He would not have been allowed to eat in the same restaurants.

It brought home to us all how things have changed so much for the better - in actual living memory. The reality sixty years ago is something that our daughters' generation has no concept of.

They discussed segregation in their history lessons this last week. To them, 'history' implies a century or so ago. Not a time when their aunts and uncles (even some parents) were alive!

I wish President Obama, America and indeed the World all the best wishes for the future. Things ARE changing. And for the better.

It took one very brave and determined black woman to refuse to stand up on a bus whilst the white passengers sat down.

Individuals CAN make a difference in the long run.

It's A Cat's Holiday

2009-01-19T09:00:00.006+01:00

At least someone in our household appreciates my homemade soup!But me thinks we either need to get bigger dining room chairs, or Smokie is due to go on a diet! Although how she has got so fat with mice this small in our house is beyond me! Maybe it is all skin and fur.....soon to be renamed 'baggy puss'.

It's A Dog's Life

2009-01-18T09:00:00.004+01:00

You just find your favourite sunny spot on the terrace and settle down for a snooze - when the sun moves!

***

Poor old Tara, the Great Dane, did not have a good Christmas!Having found that her gut was blocked, she was rushed into surgery. This was dangerous since at six years of age, she is considered a VERY old lady.

The vets, just as quickly, rushed her home again for Christmas Day - they did not want to be on duty keeping an eye on her at the surgery!

Then back she went on Boxing Day..... only to be told that she would have to be on a liquid diet for the next six weeks.

All that leftover turkey and ham - and not allowed to eat it!!

Only Mad dogs ......

2009-01-17T09:00:00.005+01:00

.... and Englishmen.

What happens when a wife leaves her English husband alone, with their two daughters, in a foreign country for a short while?

Does he do the housework?
The laundry?
The school runs?

Yes, of course! As well as ............ deciding to produce home-made bacon because our local supermarket is having a foire de porc at ridiculously cheap prices!It was delicious, by the way!

PS
Did you know that there are people in this world who have uploaded home videos of themselves making bacon in their kitchens? I kid you not!

PPS
What about beer? Good old fashioned real ale?
Now, I would like to come back to some of that after I have been away!!

Getting the Knives Out

2009-01-16T14:00:00.002+01:00

When we did our wedding list (all those years ago!), we chose a set of cutlery that we liked.

We were given 4 complete place settings as presents and (when we could afford it) gradually added some ourselves.

Then, one short of a complete canteen, they stopped producing it! Were we annoyed or what.

Moving on several years, we looked everywhere for a good quality cutlery design that would hang up (because I hate everything stuffed into drawers). And finally found one in John Lewis. Surely now we could build up a full set!

You guessed it - after collecting nearly, but not quite, 12 place settings - it was discontinued!! Now we were FURIOUS because no one did anything even remotely similar even though we searched the Internet incessantly.

Then this Christmas we opened our present from my eldest sister and her husband (thank-you Lesley and Steve!) - and it was a cake knife and slice that EXACTLY matched our hanging cutlery. Unbelievable!It was from a charity organisation called Tearcraft that has set up workshops in India to produce a range of items for sale.

I was on their web site like a shot hoping to be able to buy the items we are missing by unfortunately they only do a few in this style.

So we are still looking - if you know of any cutlery like ours, please contact me!

When Only Mum Will Do ........

2009-01-15T10:52:00.003+01:00

....... to chivvy, nag and generally get things done!

LeeLee is eighteen years old and wants to go to university in October 2009.

However, having always yearned to go to Uni in London, she has been having serious doubts about whether the student lifestyle there is going to be too big a culture shock after settling into life here in France.

She is even questioning going back to the UK at all. She rather likes the sound of Montpellier!

Following sensible advice, LeeLee is however keeping both options open and hoping to apply to both - which is where things get interesting and complex.

Applications for Cambridge University (one of her UK choices) closes October 2008.
Applications to other UK universities closes 15 January 2009.
Applications for French universities START 20 January 2009!

For UK applications it is necesary to have a reference from your college.
In France, however, these do not exist. A dossier, that has been added to throughout your schooling, is sent to the universities - the lycées do not understand or provide references.

So we started early. Last April (2008) we asked LeeLee's lycée for a reference. We printed off, and translated, all the informatiuon we could find about references for them.

The reference was finally given to us November 2008. Too late for LeeLee to apply to Cambridge. A bummer, but that's life and we moved on.

For applications through UCAS, the student has to provide a personal statement. LeeLee has been working on hers since last April.

And by Christmas it was still VERY ropey to say the least. It is all well and good searching and reading examples provided by UCAS on the Internet, but there are only so many times you should put 'fascinated by', 'thrilled by' and 'yearning to learn more' when discussing why you want to do Mathematics at university!!!

I have been in the UK for a few weeks, and before I left I reminded LeeLee AGAIN that the deadline was imminent.
That she still had to finalise her personal statement.
That the reference still had to be translated.

I flew back on the 11 January, to find that things had not moved on much at all. She had indeed given her personal statement to Richard to read, and he said it was appalling.....

....so there I ended up, sitting at the computer with LeeLee until midnight of the final day, getting her application in.

And we made it. Just.

God help her if she does not get any offers!!!!

And God help the UK universities if they accept her.

Are Dads' bonnets the things to wear there?!?! Do students need to be awake for lectures?!

Cosy Tea

2009-01-14T13:00:00.003+01:00

We received an inspired pressie from my brother and his wife for Christmas. A tea cosy!Now you might think that everyone and their Granny has one - but they are impossible to find down here (tea cosies, that is, not Grannies!!).

So thank-you very much, Susan & Patrick! We have been using it each and every day since!!

Thank-You !

2009-01-13T13:00:00.001+01:00

Our dear friends Albert & Riet have been wonderful whilst I have been away. Helping Richard and regularly treating him and the girls to delicious home-cooked meals.

Let's be honest - you just know that two people who keep bottles of Dutch Genevre in their kitchen freezer, are definitely our type of people!!

Back Again

2009-01-12T22:46:00.007+01:00

After three weeks in the UK, I flew in yesterday afternoon and have been catching up on family life again. School runs, shopping and the glorious sunshine!

As I emerged from Montpellier airport I was wearing short sleeves and thinking summer had arrived early.

When I left, it was like this..... In England it was BITTERLY cold - and snowed. I got wind/frost burn on my cheeks - face, not behind, in case you were wondering. And I came home to this..... Need I remind you why we emigrated?!

***

LeeLee has just started her Bac Blancs. Her mock exams. Philosophy and Chemistry/Physics today.

There she was, writing away, when she noticed that whilst she had completed two sheets (both sides), everyone else was on their fourth.......PANIC!!!!

Then she realised - she had forgotton that, because the exam paper provided for the exams is petit carré (rather than grand carré), she was meant to leave one line free between every line of writing.

Good grief - we think she would forget her own head if it was not held in place by Richard's woolly hat!!

***

For any person sitting A'Level mocks at the moment......the exam paper for the Chemistry/Physics Bac Blanc was 14 pages long! It was three centimetres thick!

LeeLee nearly fainted when she saw it!!

***

I have been away for three weeks.

During that time, Xena has remained convinced that I was actually in bed. All the time. And therefore, her place was in HER bed, UNDER my bed.

Even though Richard, in exasperation, actually picked her up bodily and SHOWED her that our bed was empty.

She refused to get out of HER bed each morning. As far as she was concerned, her place was with me. Even if I was in fact one thousand miles away.

He resorted to putting the lead on her and dragging her out and down the stairs.

There is only one word for this - DOH!

Joyeux Noel !! See You Next Year!

2008-12-18T09:18:00.002+01:00

Lots of things happening at this end, so I have not been able to find the time to blog.

I promise to resume the 'tales of our life' towards the end of January 2009 (wow, that sounds funny as I type! 2009 ?!).

Until then, we would like to wish you and all your loved ones a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

When The Chicken Crossed The Road

2008-12-04T12:06:00.005+01:00

I love soup. When I say love, I mean LOVE.

So that means we have homemade soup fairly regularly - which the girls are oh so happy about, as you can imagine!

Roast chicken for dinner - the odds are that we will be having chicken soup the next day for lunch. And I never believe the girls when they suddenly remember that they have an unexpected extra lesson slotted in between 12 and 2 o'clock at school and therefore need packed lunches!

With 'hard to find' parsnips and swede in the veg basket at the moment, it will be chicken and veg soup of course.And delicious it was. Absolutely yummy. And I was feeling very proud of myself, until Nic asked why she did not appear to have any chicken in her bowl............ turns out I had forgotten to add it. It was still on a plate in the fridge.

The dog is happy....the chicken crossed the road into her dinner bowl that night!

Chilly Toes & Gobble Gobble

2008-12-03T10:00:00.003+01:00

My hands and feet are naturally cold - and I get quite uncomfortable if they get warm. Especially my feet.

I now know that the cold weather has well and truly arrived here because last night I found I had chilblains in all my toes on my left foot. As far back as I can remember, I have had chilblains each winter.

I mentioned them to Richard and he was suitably sympathetic - but said that he did not know what they felt like because he had never had them! Now that is not normal is it?!

***

Guess what?! Christmas is going to be a good one....

....whilst in Intermarché yesterday to buy another whole salmon (to make gravlax, keep up with the story!), Richard saw that they had some turkeys!

Yes, real fresh turkeys! So one went into his shopping basket as quick as a flash - they only had four!And at Les Halles, would you believe, we found some super looking parsnips and swede - so that is our veg basket filled up for the winter!

It is the little things that you miss.....

Must Be Love

2008-12-02T10:30:00.000+01:00

My husband loves mince pies.

But the necessary 'mincemeat' does not exist in French food culture. You try and translate it for your neighbours - we have and they were VERY confused and bemused, I can assure you!

You cannot buy it here - unless you are prepared to drive miles and pay a king's ransom for a small jar of it.

Christmas is coming, so what does a devoted wife do?!

Make some of course!!! Surely, something with 1lb of butter and 2lb of brown sugar in it, cannot be all bad?!

I will tell you in two weeks time when it is ready to make mincepies with!

Advent

2008-12-01T22:23:00.007+01:00

Just as the girls were going to bed last night, they formed a deputation and came to check: You have remembered to get us Advent Calendars, haven't you?!

Given that they are 12 (going on 25) and 18 years of age, I said: Surely you are both too old for them?!

Nic immediately stated that since LeeLee had had one when she was 12 years of age, Nic ought to have one!

LeeLee replied that it would be unfair if Nic had one and not her.

And so they went off to bed grumbling to each other.

This morning, happiness reigned.

I remembered where I had hidden the Advent Calendars a month ago (yes, I have been known to forget where their presents are secreted around the house!) and they were delighted to eat a minuscule morsel of cheap chocolate before going to school.

Ah! Christmas is coming!

***

My brother and his wife kindly sent the girls English magazines as 'alternative' Advent Calendars - and they were thrilled. Thank-you so much, Sue & Pat!

In The Clouds

2008-11-30T22:37:00.003+01:00

We were astonished to see snow falling yesterday evening.

Yes! Snow!

Albeit, slightly slushy snow, but snow none the less.

This morning we woke up in the clouds. But soon after, the sun shone through and the sky was clear blue and bright.

I LOVE winters like this!

PS
It was so cold last night that I went to bed wearing socks, leggings, a T-shirt and a fleece.
Richard went to bed in just underpants.

Swimmingly Delicious

2008-11-29T22:49:00.003+01:00

Many, many years ago Richard had an absolute triumph making gravlax (or gravad lax) - Swedish/Danish style salt-cured raw salmon.

At Intermarché a few days ago he noticed whole fresh salmon on special offer and suddenly his eyes gleamed. And he decided to have a go again.

Even though it was impossible to get true dark muscovada sugar, it was a great success - and very delicious!

Fathers Everywhere ......

2008-11-28T23:18:00.004+01:00

......... will empathise with Richard.

That is, if they have daughters!

Richard deals with getting the girls ready for school in the morning (more patience than I!) whilst I have to sit up into the early hours of the morning listening to them recounting their day - in the minutest detail.

Anyway, this morning I got up to be met by a very disgruntled Dad.

Richard exclaimed that he could not understand how our two daughters, both of whom had been wearing jeans every day throughout the summer for school, should suddenly decide that mini-skirts were suitable wear now that the temperature outside has dropped below zero!Ah, bless! Don't you just love Dads with daughters!

Contentment

2008-11-27T23:15:00.005+01:00

Not only is Richard happy that I am home again (I hope so anyway!), but he is also pleased with his presents.

You did not think I would forget him, did you?!

Mince pies......... and a new book to read.I know my man!

Welcome Home!

2008-11-26T23:02:00.004+01:00

Richard's sister kindly dropped me off at Stansted airport in plenty of time for my flight this morning - having warned me about the diabolical queues that have been plaguing travellers trying to get through security there.

Don't know about everyone else, but I obviously look VERY honest.

No one stopped me.

No one weighed my bag.

No one opened my luggage.

They all just waved me through.

***

Richard & Nic met me at Carcassone; en route we picked LeeLee up at college and I was happy to be home.

The girls said they missed me - even though they had spent HOURS on the phone each night telling me all about their days (minute by detailed minute!).

And then asked what English delights I had brought them!After ogling all the sweets (Refreshers, Dolly Mixtures, Polos, Fruit Pastels, Wine Gums, etc), drooling over the Terry's Chocolate Oranges and reminising over the Prawn Cocktail Flavoured Skips.....they gave me lots of hugs, and asked when I would be going back to the UK again.

Don't think they will be worried if I go to work there, on and off, provided I do not use up all my luggage allowance with clothes!

Serious Patience Required

2008-11-25T23:45:00.002+01:00

Interview day.

I had forgotten how difficult people can be - or rather how many not very bright people there in the world.

Four ladies were called for an interview today. Five turned up. Three from Spain, one from Scotland and myself.

I should have realised there and then that it was not going to go to plan. The extra one had travelled from Spain for an interview that was actually not until NEXT week! Good grief!

The first 15 minutes was for completion of the request form for a Criminal Record Bureau check. One hour later and we were finally getting there - the Interviewer was just about retaining her sanity through clenched teeth and a smile that had become fixed and rigid.

We had all been sent a letter detailing EXPLICITELY the documentation we had to bring, and the payment method required for the CRB check (UK bank cheque or postal order, card details on the back; no cash accepted).

If I tell you that I was the ONLY lady who had actually brought the right stuff - you should have some idea of the trouble the poor Interviewer had with the others.

They did not comprehend the idea of the CRB check at all - that it is based on your current address and that all supporting documentation must be for this address and in your own name.

Forgotten your passport (left it in the hotel) - no good, ID required.

Forgotten your driving license - no good, impossible therefore to be registered as a driver.

A bank statement for an account in only your husband's name - no good.

A utility bill in your parents' name because you have recently moved back to live with them - no good.

A UK driving licence with your old UK address on it even though you have lived in Spain for the last eight years - no good.

Documentation based on the UK address of your son even though you have lived in Spain for six years - no good.

Cash offered in Sterling or Euros - no good, not accepted by the CRB.

UK cheque with no supporting cheque card - no good, not accepted by the CRB

I could go on, but I think you are getting the idea.

I do not think I am particularly unusual - but I can at least read and comprehend written instructions!

PS
Two days after I got back home, I received an acceptance letter from the Company. I would love to know if any of the others got through!

Weary Traveller

2008-11-24T23:26:00.001+01:00

With the exchange rates hitting our income heavily, I have been investigating job options back in the UK and have an interview tomorrow in Surrey.

So off I am travelling the world, you might say.

Planes, cars and trains - that has been me today.

Excellant trip with Easyjet to Gatwick from Montpellier.

Shame about the uncouth British two-family group that were on the plane - straight out of central casting as the 'anti-frog' brigade. Made us embarassed to be from the same country.

However, they were put in their place quite delightfully by a dapper elderly Frenchman who spoke perfect English.

Whilst they were pushing and shoving me and several other people (all the time loudly proclaiming that it was unfair that the French were being given priority boarding ahead of the English), this charming gentleman turned to me and said 'Ladies first - please go ahead of me'. That shut them up, until we got on the plane anyway.

But I can tell you, NOTHING would make me work as a steward on a plane!

With the interview tomorrow, I found a guest house close to Gatwick airport for the night and I was actually very impressed with their service.

The free pick-up at the airport was prompt and they had already investigated the train/station options for me to ensure my free return journey tomorrow would get me to my appointment in plenty of time.

Since they had a triple room unoccupied, they had upgraded me at no extra cost from my single/en suite. All for an inclusive price of £40. Not bad at all, I thought.

So if you are in need of a room, breakfast, free airport transfers, and helpful servive near Gatwick, try the Springwood Guest House.

By The Fireside

2008-11-23T00:08:00.005+01:00

The cat decided today that she was not comfortable lying on the floor in front of the fire.

So she moved onto the dog's bed and snuggled up to Xena.

The dog realised, and pushed off, very pissed off. Leaving a happy cat.Knowing that she is NOT allowed to be nasty to the pesky feline, Xena looked for help to her human family. Did not get any, so lay down trying to look despondent but well behaved.This did not work, so she went back to her bed, turned around on it a few times to get comfortable - whilst 'accidentally' treading on the cat.

Who then pushed off, very pissed off. Leaving a very happy dog.So the cat went and nicked someone's chair instead.That's the most exciting thing that has happened today, by the way.

Fondue Time

2008-11-22T00:15:00.004+01:00

Homemade white vegetable soup for lunch today.

That's what we call it anyway in this family.

Basically cauliflower soup - with any other white (ish) vegetable that I can sneak in without the girls noticing.

So today that was leeks, potatoes, courgettes, parsnips...............couldn't think of any others.

At the table we then sprinkle on cheese. Yummy!

Nic must of got a bit carried away with the cheese though because by the time she had eaten the soup - she was left with a large amount of 'fondue' at the bottom!According to Nic - extra yummy!

What's My Name ?

2008-11-12T23:29:00.003+01:00

Guess the fairytale character that is called the following in French ?!

GRIGRIGREDINMENUFRETIN

Not a lot of people know that!

Farewell PinPin

2008-11-11T23:27:00.009+01:00

Today, the young children in the village said good-bye to a much loved pet.

Our neighbour's young son came round to see Nic last evening to tell her that his rabbit Pin Pin had died ..... and that the funeral would be today.

At 10:00am this morning Thibault, Nic and a few friends from the village met up and designed/drew the 'farewell' posters. And at 14:00, PanPan was laid to rest and the children built a cairn over his grave with his name made out of bent wire.Enjoying life, it is good for children to also understand that death is a part of the cycle.

A Tearful Evening

2008-11-10T23:38:00.009+01:00

I am as blind as a short-sighted bat, and therefore I wear contact lenses.

Special ones that I keep in 24/7 for two months and then throw away. My eyes are very un-sensitive and I totally forget I am wearing lenses.

However, when I change over the lenses every second month, I have to give my eyes a rest and wear glasses for two days.

And I HATE glasses!!

Glasses are expensive and I only have to wear them for two days every two months - that's only 12 days in any year.

So when I lost my glasses a few years ago, I decided that I was NOT going to waste money replacing them for just 12 days a year - I would make do with my prescription sunglasses. Call me a miser if you wish. Whatever.

Only problem is, my sunglasses are VERY BLACK sunglasses.........

......and so for 12 days a year, I go round looking like the Blues Brothers irrespective of how sunny or overcast the weather is. Even in the dead of night, I am wearing sunglasses.

And, as you can imagine, I am a great source of amusement for Richard, the girls and just about everyone in the village, the local supermarket and anywhere else I cannot avoid going.

Now I am the official 'onion chopper' in our household. Always have been. Always will be.

Because I wear contact lenses, I do not notice the usual problems when cutting up onions. Chopping them has absolutely no effect on my eyes. I do not weep. I do not cry. I feel no pain.

Until I forget that I am wearing glasses instead..........and then I howl pitifully, with tears pouring down my cheeks!

Whilst Richard and the girls look on in amusement, with no sympathy what so ever - and Nic runs for the camera!Yes, very funny, ha, ha.

***

Think the recent storms have done for our one and only aubergine plant.

What shall We do Today ?!

2008-11-09T23:55:00.006+01:00

It was cold and wet outside today.And I think you can guess what the animals decided to do. The following photos were taken over a period of three hours this afternoon.
And Nic managed to stagger from her bedroom to the chair in front of the fire, picking up a couverture on the way!

***

If you draw a straight line from the tip of Xena's tail to the end of her nose, and then extrapolate to the right.......

......you will hit the exact spot on the kitchen floor where her dinner bowl will be placed at 18:00 precisely.

Clever or what?!

At The Going Down Of The Sun.....

2008-11-08T23:22:00.007+01:00

“They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”This evening I am watching the Royal British Legion Festival Of Remembrance as I do every year. With pride, with sorrow and in tears.

And I feel a connection with my Dad who I know will be watching also. In the past, my Mum would have been with him as well, and I am sure she is looking down now.

***

My childhood is full of memories of Dad in uniform. He was a soldier and also taught music in the Battalion and played the euphonium in the Parachute Regiment's Military Band.

I am, to this day, deeply moved and uplifted when I hear a military band.

I remember many a cold day, wrapped up in scarves, mittens and a woolly hat, watching Dad on parade with the band. And always, at the end, the promised visit to pat Ringway (the 2nd, 3rd, etc) - their regimental mascot, a minature pony. Who seemed to change appearance slightly every few years?! I loved watching their manoeuvres on the parade ground, always impressed that they could play music and march in complicated formations at the same time!

I loved trying to spot Dad, as well as the 'dishmop' drummers and of course the soldier that had the tiger's skin to stop the massive drum rubbing against his uniform. I always wished Dad had had a tiger's skin .........

What's On Tonight, Dear?

2008-11-07T00:36:00.003+01:00

LeeLee babysits for the young couple who live next door to us.

They have an adorable little girl who has been very well brought up - she sleeps every night, right through the night.

That's our idea of an adorable child. It is also LeeLee's idea of a perfect baby to sit.

Anyway, the Mum asked if LeeLee would be able to babysit tomorrow night - but on two conditions.

1. LeeLee must not, ON ANY ACCOUNT, mention to the Dad that France are playing rugby tomorrow night. If he finds out, she would never get him out the door!

2. LeeLee must not, ON ANY ACCOUNT, change channels on the TV. It will be recording the match for the Dad whilst they are out!

Tizzies & Tranquility

2008-11-06T00:23:00.003+01:00

First day back at school. What joy.

LeeLee is not at her best in the mornings. Especially on the first day back after a holiday and certainly not if it is before midday!

That is why Richard deals with the girls in the morning!!! I have not that amount of patience.

I get up when our first alarm goes off at 5:50am. And wake Nic so that she can go in the shower first - LeeLee takes absolutely AGES!

Five minutes later I wake LeeLee, get a grunt, tell her to buck up and get moving...and then I go back to bed.

Richard gets up when the second alarm goes off at 7:00am, makes the girls' packed lunches, yells at LeeLee three times before she will get off the loo, and pushes them out the door just as the school bus is about to give up on them and leave.

Then he comes back to bed and we pass out for a couple of hours.

It is a hard life!

Sad But True

2008-11-05T23:59:00.004+01:00

The last day of the holidays, and the girls are in a panic.

- Must tidy bedrooms.
- Must do homework.
- Must find all our school stuff and pack our bags!!!!

And then the phone rings. LeeLee's boyfriend and his best friend invite LeeLee and Nic for a surprise picnic.

But it's raining?! Oh well. Whatever.

The surprise was ...... it wasn't a picnic, of course!

No seriously - they were taken to McDonalds, and the surprise was that Ronald the Clown was there! Yes! I can hear you all getting REALLY jealous!!

The chaps were over the moon at having an excuse to be there to see Ronald. Not sure that Nic counts as a child though.

Anyway, the girls sat in general embarrassement whilst the two boys put up their hands to answer every question in order to win 'prizes'. And whilst the boys sang along to every song, and generally joined in with all the little kiddies. Even pushing to the front when the gifts were being handed out!

Finally LeeLee reminded them that Mum & Dad had INSISTED that they were back by 15:00 in order to get ready for school tomorrow.

Neither Richard nor I remember saying this - but LeeLee ASSURED US THAT WE HAD!!!!!!

And guess what?! After dropping the girls off at home, the boys went back for the second performance of Ronald the Clown!

Have I ever mentioned before that there is not a lot for young people to do around here.....

What Seems So Simple....

2008-11-04T15:39:00.003+01:00

....invariably gets complicated in this household!

There we were giving the kitchen a spring-clean. It is amazing how finding weevils in your flour concentrates your mind.

The 'weevil' cupboard is now only for things in jars. And the next cupboard along was getting a thorough sort through. Guess how many old spice jars etc we had?!

Then I remembered that we had once bought a spice rack but never built it.

Then I asked Richard if he thought it would be something we could make use of - thus enabling us to clear out the current cupboard and give it a good clean.....

Seemed such a great idea.

First problem, the spice rack needed to be built. But that is what husbands are for!

Then it was an itzy bit bigger than we remembered. And there was only one wall in the kitchen where it would fit.

Doesn't it look great?!Only problem - what to do with the clock and the paper/bacofoil/clingfilm dispenser that was on this wall.......

OK. The clock went up here. Only trouble - we all keep looking at the old wall!Then the dispenser. Trouble is - there are no other walls with enough space for it. Finally Richard said it could only go beside the window.

OK. That works. Except that the wall is lined with chestnut panels. Rock hard chestnut panels.So Richard now has a very sore wrist from screwing in the fittings!

But then again - that's what husbands are for! Isn't it?!

Late Nights Or Early Mornings

2008-11-03T14:38:00.007+01:00

With no school lessons to occupy themselves, the girls seem to be dwelling on their stomachs all this holiday.

How can two daughters be so hungry all the time?!

Long lie-ins. Then it is a case of trying to fit in both a breakfast and a lunch into the short length of time before they come and ask 'What's for tea, Mum?'

Out come the recipe books and their good old Mum spoils them with something home-made and sweet.

Queen of Puddings.Bread Pudding. PS
Bread pudding needs to be left to soak up the milk a lot longer when you are using up old baguette!! My Mum never had this problem when she made it for us as a treat.

PPS
And who was the clever Mum who brought back mixed peel from the UK in her hand luggage?! Only 59 pence a pot from Tescos whilst very expensive and VERY difficult to find here.

So something else you can all bring us from 'home' when you visit......

***

The girls are enjoying not having to go to bed at 21:00 in order to be vaguely awake for school.

We are getting to watch late night programmes and sitting up chatting into the early hours of the morning. That is - me and the girls are. Not Richard. He still goes to bed ......

Last night, Nic asked if we could play cards.

It was already 23:00 but so what.......I finally managed to thrash them at Newmarket at 2:00am and went to bed happy!

***

This last week, we three have been watching the 'Embarrassing Teenagers' health programme. And quite fascinating it has been to us all.

If you could get over the perpetual 'Ew, gross!' from both LeeLee and Nic when the close-ups of the parts of boys that very seldom get washed came on......

The biggest eye-opener was the fact that the UK has FIVE TIMES the teenage pregnancy rate of Germany and THREE TIMES that of France!

We discussed and dissected this for hours. How on earth, with a generation exposed to full disclosure and information on sex, pregnancy, contraception and STDs - can this be possible?!

The girls came to the sad and astonishing conclusion that it must be due to alcohol consumption. They thought the pregnancy statistics were horrifying given that these figures detailed pregnancies that went to term - and excluded those that were countered by the morning-after pill or an abortion.

They could not understand how teenagers could be so reckless and unappreciative of the consequences of their lifestyle.

The programme set up to interview the new students starting at the University of Manchester for this academic year - and struggled to find ANY who had NOT had unprotected sex. Virtually all of whom, had no accurate knowledge of the various STDs.

As a parent I found it horrifying and baffling.

As the parent of LeeLee and Nic I was impressed with THEIR knowledge and views on these topics. I am proud of my girls!

***

LeeLee was out at a party on Saturday night.

One of her friends was celebrating her eighteenth birthday with a big get-together of school friends at the village hall in Hérépian.

Two of the many teenagers at the party got very drunk. That is - two out of the 40+ teenagers that were at the party.

And those two have been getting some serious stick since then.

Says it all really. Life down here is very different.

Be Careful What You Wish For

2008-11-02T14:16:00.003+01:00

Yesterday evening, whilst the wind was still howling round our village, Richard mentioned that it was unusual for Meteo France to be so wrong. Where was the rain and thunder & lightening that they claimed we were in for?!

Well, it arrived during last night! Thank-you very much, Richard!

As the monsoon rain hit, and the thunder started rolling, Richard & I lept out of bed and started putting out the towels and pots under all the drips.

You cannot imagine the amount of rain that is falling, and the force of the wind blowing! We can hear cars screeching as they are blown across the road surface whilst the drivers are trying to control them. Frightening.

The cat decided that inside the house was for her - she has not been out for 36 hours. Goodness, she can cross her legs!

Xena has had to be sent out (she has epileptic fits if she does not wee often enough, would you believe!) and you have never seen a dog widdle so quickly. Nose into the gale and ears fanning out sideways.

The rain is being hurled against our house wall on the terrace side so forcefully, that it is being forced through where the panes of glass meet the beading in the patio doors, and dribbling down the inside!!! Never seen that before!Our poor palm tree is taking a battering - spending most of its time bent sideways. Cannot see Hérépian. Starting to lose sight of Capimont. Now cannot even see our neighbour's house!

Wind In The ........

2008-11-01T13:57:00.002+01:00

.......... pantiles!

We have had a gale-force wind blowing all night and throughout today. No rain. No thunder & lightening. Just wind.

I would not have believed it could be SO NOISY!

Incredible! It kept us both awake all night long, hearing the marine howling up the valley, buffeting the house and causing the tiles to ripple across the roof like waves on a beach. Constantly, all night long.

God, I need a siesta today. If only it was quieter.

So that is us today. Shutters shut, fire on and all our hatches battened down.

Autumn in the South of France. Bring your woollies and ear plugs.

***

We had stacked all our chairs in a sheltered corner of our terrace and made sure there was very little to be lost over the walls into our neighbours' gardens. Next morning, the chairs were the other side of the terrace and it is amazing what you do not realise you have that can end up in your neighbours' garden! Like several bottles that I use for candles. Unbroken as well. They make wine bottles to last down here!

Scary Night!

2008-10-31T13:03:00.003+01:00

A romantic dinner on our own for Richard and I tonight. Scary or what?!

LeeLee's boyfriend has invited her round for a Hallowe'en night of watching horror movies, with a large bowl of sweets. One slight problem....the boyfriend is scared of frightening films. But what the hey - that's love for you!

Nic is off to a double birthday party this afternoon, followed by a spooky Hallowe'en 'trick or treat' around to family/friends' houses in the village.

So what do Richard and I do?! Get ourselves the largest piece of steak you can imagine, open a bottle of red wine and make ourselves tournedos rossini (a meat-eaters heaven on a plate) plus potato cubes pan-fried with mixed wild mushrooms (Martine's speciality)! And a rich red wine and onion sauce! Yummy!OK. So the photo did not do it justice - but I had to be quick with the camera because we were VERY hungry!

***

Look what is coming our way! Getting seriously worried, Richard checks the Meteo France website and finds that we are on 'orange' alert for major storms. Rain, thunder and lightening plus the gale-force winds off the sea.

Oh, deep joy!

Snow !

2008-10-30T11:29:00.007+01:00

Richard woke me up this morning to tell me that he had been right to light the fire last night - winter has arrived.

He went to get the bread this morning and there was snow on the Espinouse Mountains behind us!

Well that is me NOT getting out of bed today - it is lovely and warm under the duvet.

PS
Last night, Richard lit the fire at 18:00. Tonight it was 16:00. Any guesses how early it will be tomorrow?!

Winter ?!

2008-10-29T11:31:00.004+01:00

The temperature is dropping this evening and Richard walked up to Robert's house to ask for a delivery of firewood.

On his return, whilst trying to get some blood flowing in his fingers, he decided that enough was enough and that he would light the fire.

You have never seen such contented pets. Xena refused to get off her bed to come upstairs at bedtime (but I am more stubborn than she is, and so she was booted up the backside!) and Smokey sat rather pointedly in front of the flames until a sucker moved a chair close to the warmth for her! Winter has arrived in the South of France according to the Upex household.

PS
Luckily, Richard noticed part way through the evening that the candles in the bottles on top of the fire were starting to get Brewer's Droop!

Clearance

2008-10-28T15:14:00.003+01:00

The main road (and I use that term very loosely!) that passes our village wends and bends its way down the mountain passes from St Gervais-Sur-Mare to Hérépian.

The garrigue reaches right to the roadside and is a fascinating mixture of scrub, wild herbs, flowering bushes as well as stunted holme oaks and gorse.

We have watched in curiosity this week as a team of eight workman have been clearing the garrigue either side of the road past La Sesquière.

Using a chain cutting little bobcat they have cut swaithes into the scrub, sometimes on almost vertical slopes, whilst following on behind with hand-held chainsaws. Each tree/bush is cleared around and up their trunks to about three feet off the ground.
It is a feat similar to painting the Forth Road Bridge - never ending! Such massive amounts of manpower, working continually for months on end!

What was happening?! Why?!

If in doubt, we ask our friend and neighbour Robert.....

..... and now we know.

It is on the instruction of the Conceil General. Land must now be cleared to a distance of 18 metres either side of the road to protect against incendrie. People chucking lighted cigarettes out of vehicle windows and causing hectares of fires.

Robert owns much land around here, some along the roadside. It seems he received a letter from the CG telling him what would be happening, and giving him a month to clear any wood/timber off his land before the team of workmen would move in.

Being conscientious and not wishing to lose all his oak, he set aside a week to go to work.

Except that the workmen arrived within a couple of days of his letter - and cleared his land!

They did carefully cut any substantial oak tree offcuts into usable lengths and left them neatly stacked.

OK, thought Robert. I will forgive them and take my tractor up there this afternoon to pick the logs up.

Except that a voleur got there first, within an hour of the workmen leaving for lunch, and swiped the lot!!

Last of The Summer

2008-10-27T15:09:00.004+01:00

We picked the last of our peppers today. That's it for another eight months.

Tip-toeing Through The Leaves

2008-10-26T11:37:00.005+01:00

Sunshine, a clear blue sky and a younger daughter asking what shall we do today?!

So into the car, and off to the chestnut woods we go. It was glorious. The light filtering through the trees. The autumn colours. As we walked along, it was obvious that the chestnuts were over their best and no longer worth picking off the ground. They were small, wizened and dull.

Then we would come across an area of large, plump, glossy brown ones buried in the leaf mulch! You just needed to use your sticks to find them - and to ensure that you were not disturbing a snake!Seems that there are lots of different types of chestnut trees and they 'fruit' at slightly different times. So another bag load of chestnuts for us to roast!

Here you can see where a 'river' forms when it rains - flowing down off the slopes, across the path and on down into the valley. Where the best fungi is found. But not today. After the drizzle we have had, mushrooms were appearing. But nothing would convince me to eat these ones!!

Early Morning Sounds

2008-10-25T12:47:00.006+02:00

We wake up to the sounds of hunting - dogs baying and gun shots.

It is the sound of the countryside here.

Our neighbour popped round this evening and gave us a share of the sanglier he shot. Learning (after 6 years!), we remembered to ask if it was a young one or not.

Oh yes, Eric said. It was a young one - so we knew we could barbeque rather than casserole!

When we asked whether it had been a successful mornings hunt, Eric did mention that he had shot at four but only hit the one.

No wonder there are plenty of wild boars around here!!!

Richard 'butchered' the sanglier in order to end up with several cutlets to go on the fire. All he had to say was - if this was a young one, I hate to think how difficult it would be to chop through the bones of an old one!! It was delicious.

***

Martine popped round and dropped off some cosmetic 'goodies' for the girls - her son works for a company at Avene les Bains. They were thrilled!

We are so lucky to have such generous friends and neighbours.

Bonne Vacance !

2008-10-24T11:23:00.005+02:00

Yep, it's that time again. Holiday time. But surely we have only just sent the girls back to school after the long summer?!

They arrived home on the bus tonight and you could hear them all the way up the road to our house - happy, chatty and excited.

Over dinner we asked them what they would like to do over the hols - go to the beach, visit friends, go to Montpellier ?

Their answer - stay and home and lounge around doing nothing!

So there you go. Nothing exciting happening around here for the next 10 days!

Not Always A Happy Ending

2008-10-23T12:00:00.004+02:00

Richard went to get the bread this morning.

As he left the village he came across the owner of the horses (see yesterdays post) in the field. And the body of the fourth horse.

Unfortunately, after all the trauma yesterday, it had not survived the night.

Everyone had tried their utmost, but sometimes that is not enough.

Nosiness

2008-10-22T11:47:00.009+02:00

Living in the countryside where nothing much happens, you get to be nosy. Yes - even us!

On his way back from getting the bread this morning, Richard found a couple of Pompiers' vehicles at the entrance to our village.

By the time he came into the house, these had increased to four. Then a gendarme car arrived ...... and a vet.Something was obviously happening. And it looked serious.

As we watched, our neighbour arrived at the scene with his big JCB and the Pompiers got out some strops and it was obvious that they were trying to lift something heavy in the field.

Usually there are four horses there. But none were visible this morning and we feared the worst.

It is a very steep field and very precarious. It was a dangerous operation taking a heavy vehicle down such a slippery slope.

After half an hour, three horses came into sight running around the field, but not the fourth one.

Another 30 minutes and finally a very muddy and dishevelled horse came into view, and the experts packed up and went on their way.

They were cheered by all the onlookers who had gathered on the main road to watch. I did mention that nothing much happens round here didn't I?!

PS
In the afternoon, Nic was out in the village playing with friends and one of them mentioned that one of their horses had slipped in all the mud and ended up partly down a puit (well). It's position had trapped the other horses against the fence.

***

A long lie-in, a visit from her boyfriend and an afternoon snuggled up on the sofa watching old videos........LeeLee is feeling a lot better.

Hunger returned in time for dinner, so all is well!!

Comfort Required

2008-10-21T16:32:00.005+02:00

LeeLee got up this morning and said she felt unwell.

Off she was sent to school on the bus - we have been parents too long to fall for that TOO easily!

Anyway, at 8:11am the phone rang and a very weak voice told us that she had been sick and could she come home.

OK. We gave in, went and picked her up and sent her straight to bed with a bucket and a glass of water.

I woke her up three hours later to see how she was. Still feeling grim and wanting to go back to sleep.

OK.

A further three hours later I woke LeeLee up, made her a hot water and lemon/honey drink (she was awash with cold water she said!) and asked her if there was anything we could do to help.

She asked if she could come downstairs and snuggle on the sofa in the sitting room with us......

....and could she watch one of her favourite old Disney cartoon films with us both.

Sometimes nothing but good old fashioned home comforts are needed!

Out Of Date ?!

2008-10-20T16:21:00.001+02:00

We are watching the pennies. Along with just about everyone else we know.

At the supermarkets, we keep an eye out for reduced price stickers, particularly on meat - since we have a large chest freezer that can hold enough food for an army!

Today we were at the cheese counter deciding what to stock up on for the week, when I glanced over at the dairy shelves.

There I saw a whole pile of specialist gruyere suisse (extra strong, artisanal) at less than half price.

All the packets said it had been cut from the whole drum of cheese on the 2nd October and had to be consumed by the 20th, today.

For goodness sakes - cheese matures! It does not go off that quick!!!

Richard and I had a delicious lunch - fresh gros pain, homemade chutney and a wonderfully full flavoured, mature gruyere cheese! Absolutely delicious!

Sunday, Sunday !

2008-10-19T20:00:00.004+02:00

We LOVE sundays. Always have done. Always will.

It has always been a day that we have spent together as a family, lying in until late, eating a lazy and (usually) highly calorific brunch. Where the girls can lounge around not getting dressed, and generally we each do anything we want around the house. Like watching old videos/DVDs, reading in bed in the afternoon, etc.

Little has changed since we moved to France.

OK, the brunch has evolved away from the typically English 'fried-breakfast' towards slightly Franglaise adaptations. And one or other of the girls is usually rushing back from a saturday-night sleepover so as not to miss out on our sunday together.

But generally, heaven continues.

Today, Richard went and got a gros pain and 12 slices of bacon at the butchers.

(as he left the village he was flagged down and warned about les Flicks hiding in the bushes....so that was one less speeding ticket for him!)

1. Divide the bread into four portions and split......
2. Fry the bacon.......3. Quickly pan-fry the sliced brie along side......4. Pile the melted brie onto the bread, then the bacon on top.....OK - for those of you with smaller mouths, cut up the bacon into smaller chunks!Heaven on a plate in the Upex household.

Nature's Bounty

2008-10-18T14:19:00.003+02:00

Today we went to pick up the keys for a new client who has asked us to look after his holiday home.

As we set off afterwards, I saw a bush on the roadside covered in fruit and shouted STOP THE CAR!

The first time I have ever seen a wild pomegranate bush! And it was covered in large fruit!I brought one home and cut into in. It immediately started 'bleeding' juice like I had never imagined. So much juice out of a hard skinned fruit.

Inside, the seeds were juicy if a little tart. Obviously I should have waited another week or so.....

***

As we were eating lunch together, one of the girls heard that the Jungle Book film was going to be on the TV that afternoon.

Amidst all their 'Ahs' and 'Oh goody, I LOVE that film, it was always my favourite' they started planning their afternoon snuggled up together on the sofa watching it.

(they are 12 and 18 years old for goodness sakes!)

Imagine their disappointment when the original black and white version with actors and real animals came on!

Then the frantic scrabble in all the storage boxes in our caves to find our own (albeit very worn out) copy of the original Disney cartoon version!

Falling Prices

2008-10-17T14:53:00.000+02:00

One of the positive differences we enjoy here is the fact that the price of fuel is immediately reflected at the pumps - sometimes changing three times a day!

Over the past few weeks, as the price of diesel mounted, our use of our 'truck' has decreased. At its highest, we even resorted to NOT filling up the tank each time - there is something frightening about paying almost 140 euros in one transaction.

Earlier this week we saw the price drop to 1.21 euros per litre, and then the next morning to 1.19 euros.

Richard was there like a shot and managed to squeeze in as much as was possible.

What pissed him off?! At the end of the day, it had dropped again to 1.119 !!!!!! And he had no room in the tank!

The Voice Of Doom

2008-10-16T15:38:00.004+02:00

There is something heart-stopping when you hear the voice of your bank manager on the answer-machine, asking you to meet with him in his office.

When Richard phoned him back, he asked specifically for me to be there as well. Oh dear.

Richard and I duly presented ourselves, having no idea what it could be about. He formally shook our hands and started to explain.

The bank was offering (from 1st January 2009) a new type of account.

But we are happy with our current one! I explained. Richard in particular, because he can always remember the easy account number and does not want to change it!

We would of course get to keep the last 4 numbers/characters of our current account number - the ones that Monsieur has to remember.

But we do not want to wait for all the new cheque books and paying in books to arrive! I complained.

These would not need to be altered.

But why go to all the hassle of moving our standing orders! I queried.

That will not be necessary either.

So why change?! I questioned.

Because the bank will be paying 4% interest on anything you have in your current account.

But we never have any money worth mentioning in our French bank account! I reminded him.

But you will get 4% on the little you have.

But we do not want all the hassle of declaring minuscule amounts of interest to the Taxman! I exclaimed.

This interest is exempt from taxes.

What?! Good grief - I wish we had a million euros to put in!

So do I. He replied.

He explained further that up until now, only the Post Office could offer interest on current accounts, exempt from taxes.
And that this was a major change in the rules governing French banks.
And that he was required to have a meeting with all his clients to ensure they were fully aware of this new option.
And that we would have had to sign a paper confirming that he had done this, even if we did not infact change to the new account.

Seeing no reason not to change, we agreed and signed all the forms that put us on the waiting list for New Years Day. From that date, we will be the proud holders of a Livret A rather than a Livret B.

Mr Palumbo smiled at Richard - and said he knew Madame would ask all the questions!

They still look at me slightly bemused, because I know all about mortgages, loans, pensions, etc....and indeed used to work for their 'partner' HSBC.

***

Richard went to pay in a cheque, and as he was entering the bank, the usual man behind the counter shook his hand and recommended that Richard came back later. He then went across the road to the café to have his morning noisette.

Slightly unsure, Richard ignored his advice and went inside the bank....to find Mr Palumbo (the bank manager) the only one working behind the counter!

Ah. That explained why the queue was so long.

New Plantings & Old

2008-10-15T21:55:00.002+02:00

Driving back to the village along the back tracks, we saw this well established vine field in all its glory.As we drove on, in the middle of nowhere in particular, we came across this vaste field that had obviously recenty been planted with new vines.>
I do not think my photo is clear enough for you to see, but they are all meticulously tied to fine upright white sticks which are in turn tied to each other by another one lying horizentally!

It must have taken days to do!

Magical Colours Of Autumn

2008-10-14T21:15:00.009+02:00

The girls both decided to take pack lunches to college today, and so Richard and I enjoyed a day together!

After lunch we jumped in the car and set off for the chestnut woods. To walk the dog.

Of course we remembered to chuck the dog in the car before we set off!!!!

The colours of the leaves were gorgeous. And Xena was in her element, looking like she was in her natural environment. The track through the woods was littered with chestnuts which have recently started dropping. You start by picking up every glossy, plump chestnut you see - until you realise that you already have 1 kilo before you have walked 10 yards from the car!
Of course our sack had the added taste of spaniel slobber...... Today reminded us why we came here - thousands (if not millions) of acres of woodland as far as the eye could see. Absolutely magical. Our knowledgeable friends and neighbours also come here to pick mushrooms. The best are found in chestnut mulch we are told! Especially up these almost-vertical slopes.Somehow, I do not think we shall be able to stop Richard from lighting the fire for much longer!And how old was this chestnut tree?!You imagine that it would be a haven of quiet tranquility. How wrong you would be.

There were rustles in the undergrowth all the time and constant 'bombs' dropping all around us as the chestnut trees jettisoned their spikey parcels.

Xena even got hit on the head by one! And I came close a few times.

***

As we drove out of the village, I was fascinated by the vines - turning from green, to yellow, orange, red and finally a deep purple colour. All in the same field.

Weevils

2008-10-13T20:55:00.001+02:00

I found out today that I would never have been suited to the Navy in the 18-19th century.

Dinner was to be a beef casserole that had been slow-cooking since yesterday. OK, yes I did forget to switch it off before I went to bed last night!

And when I saw a recipe for Irish Mixed Grain Bread, I decided to make some (since I had everything in the cupboard).

I got down the unopened bag of multi-cereal flour and opened it. And admired all the little multi-cereal grains in it.......

.....until I realised that the multi-cereal grains were all moving around in the flour on little legs!

You have never seen a cupboard emptied of all its contents so quick in your life before! Hope the dustmen come tomorrow.

Wifi or Iffy ?

2008-10-12T21:49:00.003+02:00

Whilst at the house of a friend of LeeLee's for dinner, they set up their new Wifi.

Goodness - the girls made tennis, bowling and golf look difficult!

***

When we moved here, we got the girls a cat each. And they were trained to sleep in their respective bedrooms. The cats as well as the girls of course.

(Yes! You can train cats. At least, I have no problem doing so, but then the girls do say I terrify everyone!)

Well Smoky has never been a particularly 'loving' cat and I have never seen her sit on anyone's lap - including mine. Which has always surprised me since cats are supposed to do this....

Nic got a bit tired this evening and lay down on the sofa - and was asleep within seconds.

A split second later, Smoky arrived and immediately snuggled up on Nic's lap. And scowled at us all as we went in turn to look at this strange phenomena.

***

Where did it go?!

Tom Toms

2008-10-11T21:18:00.005+02:00

Winter is on its way and soon our tomato plants will have to be dug up.

But not before I have thought of things to do with all those tomatoes!

Sun-dried cherry toms. I mixed garlic, herbs and a little olive oil with the halved tomatoes. Dried them slowly and then packed them into a jar (with fresh sliced garlic and herbs) and covered with olive oil.

Also clear Herb & Tomato Jelly. Shame I do not like tomatoes!!!!

***

On the way back from Beziers, we saw the autumnal colours breaking out across the vine fields and the garrigue. And came across this incredible meadow by the road side, just bursting with wild flowers! Absolutely magical!!

Happy Birthday Big Nicole !

2008-10-10T16:30:00.003+02:00

In our village lives a charming lady called Nicole.

To friends in the village, she is usually referred to as 'big' Nicole in order to distinguish her from another Nicole in the village who is younger - and therefore called 'little' Nicole.Tonight was 'big' Nicole's party to celebrate her 80th birthday. It was great fun, and we all enjoyed ourselves! I hope I look as good at such an impressive age.

And I want a birthday cake like this!!!!