change

...is in the air.

New look blog for new style content.

The worm is turning.

Lollipop, mika

even better

Mika - Relax, Take It Easy (Official Music Video)

Who doesn't like Mika?

Mat Kearney - Undeniable

for Nell

bigging up my cousins current musical coup de coeur

Face Book

I have discovered face book. I can't take any credit, that goes to my cousin Nel. But it is curiously addictive, perhaps a sign that I have too much spare time on my hands, sur tout because I now have the internet at home - and am on holiday.

So what have I been up to in the very long time since I wrote. Well, apart from re-discovering radio 2 thanks to the web, I've been to Paris. It was a bit catastrophic due to one thing and another but I still got to stroll in my fav places, sit and watch the world go by and of course do a little retail therapy. I also saw all the velibe they've installed in the paris streets. Was quite tempted but decided to wait for reinforcements in case I am run over by a parisian taxi driver.

Then I came home, and read Harry Potter. I am already feeling the loss. I shan't spoil it for those who aren't yet finished but I really don't see how anyone can take their time reading it, it's just too gripping!

And so now I wait, for the 27 August when I will have to go back to school. It's not that I'm wishing away my hols but simply that I have nothing but housework to keep my occupied. Don't think that means I have a tidy house, it's just that's all I could do, if I wanted to do it!

it's been a while

Yeah, I know. I got side- tracked by the end of term, holidays, my nice new live box, face book. Then a thought occured to me, oooh, my blog. No, truth is that Google did something with the system, changed everything and I couldn't get in anymore. so now I promise to be a good girl and re-commit myself. Tomorrow, or perhaps Sunday. Promise.

More pics

The voyagers

We had a rocking good four days, mainly occupied with alcohol and food but then why come to the home of champagne and be tea-total? The first night we ate an excellent meal at the Penley's hotel,cooked, I later found out, by my own students. Where everyone discovered the delights of a good Tokay - sorry, I meant Pinot Gris. Charlie was extremely couragous and tried frogs legs and snails in the same meal but found he had eyes bigger than his tummy when he got to the cheese! And of course the beer - what can I say? It's a little stronger over here. Which lead to long discussions about the wall paper...















Our visit to Pommery was a great success. Nothing in that cellar was left un-tasted.

Then we went off for a little patisserie to soak up the bubbles and did a little sight-seeing as well. The weather was glorious and nothing was lacking. Saturday was of course the party - already done.

Then Sunday, as if we hadn't already consumed enough we pootled off to Belgium to sample a moules frites and some extremely good hot chocolates. Plans to visit Maginot lines were sadly abandoned but you know, you're allowed to visit again you guys!

30

The sausages have been eaten, the brownies too and quite a lot of gout consumed as well. The party was a great success and I would like to thank all who made it so. I shan't whitter on any more but simply post the pics.

Clockwise from the top:
Prue and Gaby's father
Murielle my personal hairdresser
Gaby and his nephew
John and Sylvette
In the arboretum
à table

She's a bit Belge!

Well the rest and recurperation period lasted all of one day. The day of the accident itself, for our Crevette was up and at 'em on Saturday and you really wouldn't say she had been the victim of an accident or whimpering on the vet's table the day before. Sadly she has not AT ALL learnt from her mistakes, whole thing is already a distant memory and she runs out into the road as before.

Ah well...

Friday the thirteenth

Have you ever seen the little body of your four-legged friend lying in the road? It is the saddest stomach-freezing heart-stopping sight. Well that's what happened to us yesterday. The 'crevette', whom we have told a hundred time not to run into the road, didn't see the enormous white 4x4 and so now has two fractures in her pelvis and blood in her pee. Not to mention a nose bleed. She never saw what happened to her so she now looks permanently confused . But she is alive and well and back on her feet.

Est-ce que t'as déjà vu le petit corps de ton ami de quatre pattes coucher sur la route? C'est le chose le plus choquant, ton cour cesse a se battre et le ventre se frigorifié. Bien ça c'est ce que nous a arrivé hier. La crevette, a qui on dit des centaines des fois de ne pas courir dans la rue n'as pas vu arrivé le gros 4x4 blanc et a maintenant deux fractures de bassin et du sang dans le pis. Elle n'a jamais vu ce qu'il et l'arrivée alors elle a maintenant l'air très perplexe. Mais elle est belle est bien vivante.

Ma fête

I so cooool that so many of you are making all that effort to come and eat sausages in the Ardennes in two weeks time. It's really very exciting. Don't forget, black is forbidden at this party. The theme- spring. So I hope you are putting the finishing touches to your ladybird and daffodil disguises!

Happy Paques

It rained on Sunday

... so we had a cupcake competition. As one does. Please submit your votes as to the most apealing cupcake, judging the following:

cuisson / cooking

decoration / decoration

quantité / quantity (I put that in because someone 'tested' their mixture so much that they had three cakes less at the end)

We take your votes very seriously and every vote counts. Otherwise the Angel's sister will just keep voting for him and I'll lose! To diferentiate, just put with or without hearts on top.

Move over Lawrence!

I am feeling particularly smug at the moment as I have a wonderful new office, 'what I did!' I shan't waste space telling you about the three lawyers of wallpaper I had to scrape off to get through to the mouldy old walls of my bureau. Nor shall I wax lyrical about the 'lovely' handpainted frieze I found on the bottom lawyer. I shall let you see for yourselves. There's before after and of course the 'helpful' Holly lending a hand.

I found some cartoons

Kersplat/boom

Yes, with my usual amount of finesse and feminine delicacy I have managed to do myself harm. During my holidays (of course, because these things never happen when you time is not your own), the door- bell rang. I jumped to my feet and ran to the door - not noticing the little puddle left by our adorable four-legged friend. To say that I slipped would be an understatement, I flew to the floor. Crushing, on the nice hard tiling, my right knee, right hip, right elbow, right shoulder and right cheek. J'ai tombée dans les pommes - literal translation, I fell in the apples, expression meaning- I fainted. Luckily for me, the person ringing at the door was in fact the Angel, who had just rung the bell to get the dog excited - what a lark. So, after opening the door and seeing my spectacular flight and the ensuing kersplat/boom, he picked me up and put me on the sofa. He then got me some ice for my cheak, as, in his words - he wasn't going to have people thinking he was a wife-beater.

So there you go. The moral of the story could be don't have a dog, or tiling or boyfriend who plays with the door-bell. The choice is yours.

New installment coming soon as I have done a changing rooms on my office and I am so proud of it that I shall be posting heaps of pics.

Rain rain rain

It's a load of b%§?µ* that the weather is better in france. I need a boat to get to work at the moment. I am going on strike. And I have a cough, my special Ardennaise cough which rattles the lungs. My little ray of sunshine - I'm on holiday. It's only little the ray because I have to do my other job which means I still have to get dressed each day.

Valentines

For once I must have done something right: the sun shone, the traffic was moving and all was as we wanted it to be. It probably isn't the same when you live there but 'going' to Paris for le St Valentine is pretty cool. Despite the days of endless rain before-hand the day was surprisingly warm and sunny. So we wandered around St Michel and dosed up on Starbucks. We visited the ducks in the Luxembourg gardens and checked-out the animaleries along the Sienne, where we found a little sister for Holly. We didn't actually take her home owing to the fact that she cost €1,200. A mere snip! The Orsay museum was conveniently holding a reduced price night so we both got in as youngsters - oh ok, so I was the only one who needed a reduction. It was almost a shame to have to get back in the car and go home again - except of course for the sausage waiting for us who hadn't see a human bean all day.

I managed to take a whopping 100 photos, all in the space of a day. However I didn't have my camera whilst we were eating which was a shame. We went to Paris's oldest Japanese restaurant where they prepare the sushi and sushami in front of you. Pretty cool, huh? So we ate a mamoth plate of raw fish but were both decided afterwards that we felt like we hadn't eaten a thing. Perhaps good for the diet by doesn't work on the brain! Which is why we were 'obliged' to go to Starbucks and pick up some carrot cake and giants coffees for our duck visiting.

So there we go, another Valentines has past and not been forgotten. Perhaps one shouldn't make a fuss but then at the same time I feel I should make the most of it whilst it's just us. Hope yours was a good too.