Il fait chaud, chaud, chaud

Summer has definitely arrived in Savoie! It's so hot here I don't actually remember the last time the boys actually wore clothes. They are spending most days naked in a paddling pool in the shade on the balcony. I always thought that I would love living in a climate like this, but it is actually to hot to do anything. It's thd ideal temperature if you're on holiday sat by a pool but it's no good for cooking, cleaning and entertaining the boys. Luke is also sleeping worse than he ever has as he is just constantly hot and sweaty. The Whitley Bay weather is really appealing right now (although I know I will be complaining about that soon enough!). We're spending most days preparing and packing for the journey home. Stu has already left to start his new job. Can't quite believe how quickly the sat ten months have gone, and I just know the next three weeks are going to fly by. I have stopped thinking about the things we didn't achieve, and have started reflecting on all the great things we did achieve. We've seen so many things, been so many place, met so any people...realistically there is nothing to feel disappointed about. (Although Stu and I were just chatting the other day about how much more we would have achieved if we didn't have two babies with us...even just two days without the two babies would have been lovely!). In the time it has taken me to write this entry, would you believe the rain has started?!

Les grandes réalisations

We are steadily making our way through the list of things to do before we leave France. Last week we revisited the Ardeche, this time with Lily's friend Maya who was over from Whitley Bay for the week. Luke came extremely close to ruining the whole trip by crying for the first twenty hours (recovering from another unidentified virus), but was soon forgiven as he started flashing his gummy smiles again. As always.

On Sunday I headed off with the neighbours to conquer the Croix du Nivolet - the big cross on the mountain that we have spent so many hours looking at from our balcony.

It was a tiring four hour trek, which included scaling a crevasse on some dodgy looking ladders but we were rewarded with some spectacular views and a Savoyard picnic at the top.

We have also ticked off the Funiculaire de Saint Hilare du Touvet, the little train that goes up the side of the mountain that we tried to go up for Max's birthday back in November (but it was shut).

Quite steep really

The boys absolutely LOVED this. But perhaps not as much as they loved the tractor collection of one of the neighbours' friends that we were invited to visit:

So quite a busy past week and a half here in France!  

La dernière ligne droite

Now that we're officially on the home straight (literally) I'm starting to panic about all the things I haven't achieved since we arrived. 

My biggest regret is that I haven't learnt nearly as much French as I could have.  I had such good intentions of watching French TV, reading newspapers and books, speaking as much as I possibly could...and in truth I didn't. At the end of a long day, the temptation of watching English TV online was too much. The iPad proved a good distraction from reading, and I've surprised myself with how much I could achieve without uttering a word. Baby brain and lack of sleep haven't helped either. 

And I really have no motivation to step it up now!

We've compiled a to-do list for our last few weeks of places to go and things that we want to see and do, so hopefully we can get through as much of that as possible.

Lily's French life continues to improve which is making me a bit sad about leaving.  She's really settled in with the French girls at school and is getting to experience so much good stuff here. It's just such a great place for teenage girls to live! They all take part in at least one sport and innumerable outdoor activities. No distractions of hanging around shopping malls and parks.  This weekend she went kayaking and sailing on the lake with her class mates. I also need to try and find a way of her keeping up her French level, as it would be such a shame for her to forget. She has definitely achieved the most out of all of us.

Anyway, all of these negative feelings are overshadowed by the excitement of coming home. Six weeks today folks!

Token picture of the chuckle brothers

Les actualités

The big news here in France is............we're leaving next month!

Stu has handed his notice in as he has a new job back in the UK so will be heading back first. Me and the kids are staying a little while longer so Lily can finish up at school.

I'm totally in two minds about coming back which I didn't expect.  I thought I'd be desperate to go home, but I'm actually a bit despondent. We've had a great time and really feel that we've finally settled into a routine here. 

This is especially true for Lily who has turned a corner at school the past couple of months.  She has ditched the obnoxious Canadian who was holding her back from making friends with the French girls and now spends all of her time with them instead, hardly speaking English at all.  I'm proud beyond belief. 

There are so many things I'm going to miss...the mountains, the lakes, the sunshine, the scenery, the cakes, the neighbours, the new friends I've made, the wine, the bread, the convenience of living in mainland Europe...

But then there are so many things I'm not going to miss...the rubbish drivers, the effort I have to put in to make even the smallest of conversations, the shops never being open when I need them...

And then there's the things I can't wait to get back to...my friends, my house (the big kitchen in particular), work (never thought I would ever think that, but looking after those boys all day every day is a killer!), the convenience of having everything I could possibly need on my doorstep...

So we fully intend of making the most of our final couple of months here! More trips out, more camping, more cakes and of course more blog updates!

Martigues

Camping trip #2 took place last weekend with happy camper Lily on board as well.  The weather in Savioe had taken a turn for the worse with constant rain so we decided to do as birds to and head south to find the sun.
Five hours from starting out, we arrived at Camping Marius at La Couronne, Martigues, where there was plenty of much-needed sun.

Expert tent erection

Anyone need a tent peg?

We spent two nights here exploring the area, sunbathing and playing on the beach. Again, the boys LOVED it. I think there's going to be lots of camping trips for us in the years to come.

Fortunately the facilities at this campsite were excellent as the boys spent an awful lot of time covered in sand and general dirt. I don't know what it is about them but they seem to attract grub as soon as they've been washed. We really really appreciated the bath when we got back!

The second night we ate out at the most random restaurant/disco/karaoke bar ever, but totally what we needed. Max was able to run round like a loon and pester little girls without us having to worry about disturbing other diners.

Just like his dad...

Lily had her first ever Moules Frites with a glass of wine like the Froggies do, which she loved. 

And me and Stu drank enough wine, beer and liquers to ensure a good night's sleep.





Vallon pont d'Arc

Oh dear, my promised update is now over a week late. I have definitely lost all momentum with this blog.

Anyway, after the visitors left and Lily headed off for a holiday with her dad, me and the boys took a trip to the Ardeche Valley to try and get some use out our tent.

Our three hour journey turned into a four hour journey due to a shut bridge and the longest diversion in the world, but we all managed to stay in good spirits until we arrived at Vallon Pont d'Arc.

The Ardeche gorges are beautiful. We stayed right on the water's edge surrounded by limestone cliffs and lush greenery.

The arch is a 60m high natural bridge caused by the water eroding the limestone (I think...) and is pretty impressive.  Also pretty impressive was the dinner we had at the Auberge du Pont d'Arc, where I ate the freshest trout caught in the gorge that day. Mmmmm.

Max and Luke absolutely LOVE sleeping in the tent.  Luke actually sleeps better in the tent than he does in his cot, so our night was fairly painless (I'd ensure to drink plenty of wine, Pastis and lager to help me sleep). I did feel a bit sorry for our fellow campers though as the boys were up shouting at the crack of dawn.

We had such a good time that we thought we would do it all again the following week.....

Le Paques

Sorry that this blog has lost its momentum lately. I have just been too busy to update!  So over the next few days I endeavour to catch up, although it will be coming in chunks.

So, Easter.  Sandra arrived on Easter Saturday with Esme and Ruby in tow.  Lily had been stupidly excited for the week before their arrival and was possibly about to explode on the way to the airport.  Unfortunately the weather turned a bit rubbish for them being here, but they managed to camp out in the garden three nights, spend a day at a theme park, a day in town and lots of exploring.

The classic Savoyard chocolate fondue

We had an Easter egg hunt in the garden, which kept them entertained for about 20 minutes and the boys really enjoyed having a chocolate-centred diet for a couple of days:

Stu had to work away for a couple of days so me, Sandra and the littlies went out for some nice long lunches and trips to the park and soft-play. And I really appreciated the break I got having an extra pair of hands at bath and bed time!

Me and Stu were able to venture out for drinks in Chambery one night and located the Irish bar that seems obligatory in all European cities. O'Cardinals is possibly the most un-Irish Irish bar ever, with most of the Frenchies shunning the Guinness in favour of a café and a saucisson.  The thing I find the most puzzling about pubs and bars in France is that they don't take your money off you straight away like they do in England. They happily leave a tab open for you at the bar, trusting that you'll pay when you're done. I just really can't imagine that strategy going down too well in the Bigg Market.

There's just no rowdiness in the pubs either, it's a totally different culture to back home. People literally go for a couple of drinks and stop there, although with the prices of drinks it's pretty understandable.

So on the whole it was a nice Easter week, which me Stu and the boys finished off with a night in the Ardeche valley camping. Will update about this tomorrow!