Sardines story

AVF end of term bash (where I teach English) - well what a surprise - I said I would take scones, cream and strawberries as typical English afternoon tea (which I did) and the students all turned up with tarts, cakes and yummy stuff - we had a ball! 

My  lovely tin of sardines

Then the other teacher and I were presented with beautifully wrapped....tins of sardines!

It made me smile (and laugh all the way home) - thank you lovely french folk.

Isabel McMillan

I have delayed for a while writing about Isabel McMillan.    She died in the spring this year and she was my sister's mother-in-law.    She was a lovely kind woman who saw the good in everyone.  She radiated kindness and loved a good gossip.    She knitted 0000's of hats for premature babies and during all her various cancerous illnesses, never really complained.     She also managed to defeat life threatening illness until long after it was thought (by the boffins) that she could.    She was amazing.    Her huge family were so fortunate to have such a lovely mother and mother-in-law and granny and auntie and sister and friend.    She will be remembered for ever by those who knew her, that's for sure, and I am one of them.

I remember her husband Jimmy - he passed away a few years ago - a quiet and talented man who worked all his years in a foundry and never seemed to ask for much.    They were a grand couple who quietly and proudly brought up a grand family.

Isabel - much loved

Epic trip - the route

this was our route on the epic trip - we thought a 'round' trip but maybe not, more like a blob - it was great though....

Bow legged, pot bellied and flat capped men....

We spent the morning doing our favourite Sunday morning pursuit - browsing round a huge Vide Grenier (attic sale) in lovely warm breezy weather.   Buy of the day - three really good quality sun beds for less than £20 - a bargain!    Will need them as we have just had confirmation (at last) that Tracey and Joel with their five kids and Dave and Natasha with their two, will all be here at the same time in August - ahhhhhhhh.      So we will be 6 adults and 7 kids - yes will need the sunbeds! and the sleeping bags, and the camps beds and the food (mountains of), the drinks (gallons of) the biscuits (boxes of) the fruit (tons of).... just going to start a list now!!

After the Vide Grenier I dropped Jeff off to play in a Boules match with dozens of flat capped, pot bellied, bow legged French men - he fits right in!! (only kidding - but really he loves it and keeps them all entertained being a 'bavard' with his 'blagues')

....and I have also had news this week that my wee brother Rob and my big sister  are both coming in September and my big Brother and his wife too (not at same time - but maybe) - now where is that list?

...plus we have my friend Carol before that and then Carolyn and Laurence and their kids too, then French student for a week - plus fit in trip to Scotland and Yorkshire - who said it? keep calm?

here are some pics from this week....

from lounge - evening sky in June - about 9.45 pm

Barney the 'errant chat' - recuperating after trip to vet (ouch)

Mrs Mac and Ginger returned from holidays
and very pleased with new chicken house and run

Barney grabs attention by lying on my foot....

on recent walk - typical scene

Fat farm

I am thinking of putting myself into self managed fat farm.
Don't ask.  
I am going public with this to name and shame myself!!      
Ok from tomorrow - 4th June (last day of hols today so would be rude to waste it on hunger!!) I will restart my regime which I love once I get going - that is up the exercise, down the bad carbs!!    
I can do it!
Its only two stone - that's 28 lbs - that's 14 bags of sugar - I think how good I will feel.
I will check in re my progress after week 1.  

..............................
........... 15th June - week one and a half - all well.   Not a bad carb has crossed my lips and I am working like a demon in the garden - patience I tell myself and breath in!!  

Vélorail or handcar?

We planned to go on the Vélorail at the Gorges du Doux which 'borrows' twelve kilometers of historical line. The line was originally built in 1891 and is carved on a mountainside with many structures (bridges, viaducts, tunnels).   

Velorail

The leaflet said you only needed to book in advance in high season so we set off confident we would be able to get on the Velorail which is situated west of Valence just north of the Ardèche.

It was a spectacular drive through the gorge to arrive at Gare de Boucieu-le-Roi and find two bus loads of school kids had it booked for the weekend!!    Boo hoo.     Perhaps another day?   It looked great fun too.     It made me think of a very funny film clip of I think maybe Bob Hope on the old fashioned hand cars....

could just imagine me and Jeff on one of these

Plethora of Carols!

We notice recently we keep having conversations with reference to 'Carol' and then saying 'which one?'
It seems we are friends with several at the moment so we identify them as:

Carol from payroll (although she retired from this ages ago)
Carol at Hill Top
Carol Franglais
Carol (Alison's Carol)
Carol (Olive Farm)

I see on my mobile phone contacts list - two other Carols and cannot think who they are.... so if you are a Carol, reading this and don't recognise yourself from above, forgive me and let me know who you are... (for future reference)

The longest french word

.... when we took part in a French pub quiz a couple of weeks ago (I know it does not sound right - but there is such a thing) one of the questions was 'what is the longest word in the French language?
The answer: (in case you are ever asked) anticonstitutionnellement.   How typically French!!  (and its a mouthful after two glasses of wine I can tell you!).

Cinq à sept - oh la, la

We were talking to a French friend and commented on the madness of drivers on the road especially around what we call 'tea' time (chucking out time from work for most people).    She said (with arched eyebrows) "ah oui, c'est  cinq à sept (5 till 7)"   
"What's that" we asked.    
"Its when all the French men rush to see their mistresses before going home for dinner with their wives at 7 pm".   
Well!

11,680 ish days

Today (2nd June) it is 32 years (about 11,680 days but who's counting....) since the day Jeff and I met.     We are celebrating with him going fishing for the day and me blogging at the campsite (our day in Grenoble yesterday was very special though).  
Its good to have a bit of 'me' time and good that we agree amicably on this.   He has driven us round some hairpin bends (and not just on the roads!) and I have navigated us up and down a few rocky paths.   We may not always go where we intend to go, but I think we will end up where we need to be.    
That's life.


We heard an old song by the Beatles the other day and liked it very much - here are the words:

or have a listen: Across the Universe

Lennon and McCartney

Across the Universe     
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter, shades of life are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on, across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva [fade out]

Valence and Grenoble

scrumptious Saturday morning market
Valence

reassured that the marché bistro was licensed

Still in Valence and went to a very good Saturday morning market yesterday, and a huge Brocante this beautiful sunny Sunday morning.   Jeff got a telescope for a tenner so we should be star gazing soon (not the kind we saw in Cannes) and we picked up some more 'band players' for the rock garden. Then we decided to go for a run and see the Parc Naturel Régional du Vercors (we are in the rhone alps region after all) which is a massif of mountains between the valleys of the rivers Drôme and Isère.

poppies at Valence

Stunning rhone-alpes

This route west took us to Grenoble, a most lovely city.    It is famous for its Bastille an ancient series of fortifications on the mountainside overlooking the city.   A bit like Edinburgh Castle except higher!     It was begun in the middle ages with many additions over the years including a semi-underground defence network.   It is an important strategic point in the French frontier steeped in 2000 years of history.   We went up to the Bastille for a fiver each! in the famous Bulles (bubbles) cables cars.

Les Bulles

The first cable transport system, installed on the Bastille in 1875, was built by the Porte de France Cement Company.    This connected a quarry on Mount Jalla, just over the Bastille, and Grenoble.    It was abandoned in the early 20th century.   In 1934, it became the tourist attraction it is today.   

Here is the link to our descent - scary....bubbles in the air  (best fast forward first minute)

Five up and five down

Grenoble - fabulous architecture

The Bastille has an amazing acrobatics and zip line infrastructure for people wishing to climb, slide and so on - this was one reluctant lady who managed not to scream...
lady on zip line

Just off the cable car

Jeff absorbing history and wondering
whether to have a go on the zip line...