Lily has had her ups and downs at school in France. At home she was more often than not top of the class in most subjects. Here, she receives 80% of her classes in French so has more often than not been bottom of the class.
This didn't suit her to start with at all. The reality of actually having to work hard to get good marks was alien to her. But I am proud to report that she has knuckled down and got on with it, and as I have mentioned previously her French is at a level I never could have imagined after a rocky first couple of weeks!
She's taking a pride in her work that I've never seen before and it is definitely paying off as she recently scored highest in her class on a written French comprehension test about the story of David and Goliath. And by highest I mean higher than even the French kids! Needless to say we're all impressed, including her.
I just hope that she doesn't slip back into her old complacent ways when we're back home. Lily if you're reading, please take note of that. And try not to succumb to all the social distractions too. Or boys!!
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Trente et un
Most definitely the best thing about birthdays in France is the cake.
Stu and Lil returned from the boulangerie on Sunday morning with this little creation:
And ate a large part of a lemon drizzle cake I'd made the day before:
There were also a few other highlights to my birthday weekend that weren't cake-centred. A nice dinner with friends, a bike ride to the lake, a picnic in the park, an hour long bath in peace and an iPad version of the Sunday Times with a cup of tea in bed. Rock and roll!
Thank you to everyone who sent cards and pressies xxxx
Stu and Lil returned from the boulangerie on Sunday morning with this little creation:
My idea of heaven! A giant macaron with rasberry and mango cream filling. Lush.
I also got a giant pain au raisin for brekkie:
And ate a large part of a lemon drizzle cake I'd made the day before:
There were also a few other highlights to my birthday weekend that weren't cake-centred. A nice dinner with friends, a bike ride to the lake, a picnic in the park, an hour long bath in peace and an iPad version of the Sunday Times with a cup of tea in bed. Rock and roll!
Thank you to everyone who sent cards and pressies xxxx
Saturday, 25 February 2012
La carnaval
Tuesday was Mardi Gras, which is kind of a big deal in France so we thought we would muster up some community spirit and go along to see what the town's annual carnival was all about.
We arrived in the town square just after 6 to see the marching band, clowns, jugglers and the carnival float (a tractor pulling a papier mâché walrus and a cage with people dressed up as lions, tigers and bears).
All of the children were in their disguises and were going crazy throwing confetti at each other.
The adults were handed long torches that were lit and we marched through the town to the local sports ground.
We were then treated to a spectacle of fire jugglers and fire breathers in the run up to the grand finale where the poor papier mâché walrus was burnt at the stake.
A little biz bizarre but there was free mulled wine so I won't complain. And of course the French like to have a special sweet treat to mark the occasion, this time it's the turn of la bugne, which is a bit like a doughnut but not as fluffy.
I couldn't help thinking about how such an event would go down in Whitley Bay. I'm just not sure free wine and flaming torches would mix well there for some reason!
We arrived in the town square just after 6 to see the marching band, clowns, jugglers and the carnival float (a tractor pulling a papier mâché walrus and a cage with people dressed up as lions, tigers and bears).
All of the children were in their disguises and were going crazy throwing confetti at each other.
I bet you can't guess who this is?!
The adults were handed long torches that were lit and we marched through the town to the local sports ground.
Stu just LOVES this kind of thing
We were then treated to a spectacle of fire jugglers and fire breathers in the run up to the grand finale where the poor papier mâché walrus was burnt at the stake.
RIP walrus
A little biz bizarre but there was free mulled wine so I won't complain. And of course the French like to have a special sweet treat to mark the occasion, this time it's the turn of la bugne, which is a bit like a doughnut but not as fluffy.
I couldn't help thinking about how such an event would go down in Whitley Bay. I'm just not sure free wine and flaming torches would mix well there for some reason!
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
J'aime faire du vélo
Since we have been in France, Stu has become a little bit obsessed with mountain biking. I think it's helping to replace the void in his life from leaving the RX7 back in England.
A couple of times a week he takes off on his bike taking advantage of the tricky downhill tracks and varying terrain.
And to get us all involved he's recently invested in an extra bike and a trailer for the boys!
As the weather has started to warm up here (thank God) we went for out for our first family bike ride à cinq at the weekend. We followed an 11km route to Le lac du Bourget and back and it was surprisingly good fun (apart from everyone forgot their gloves so had freezing hands, I wore the wrong type of trousers so ended up with holes shredded in my joggers, Lily got saddle sore, Max fell into a muddy puddle when we were stopped for a break, then once dry did it again, Stu got angry with mine and Lil's whinging, I couldn't work the gears for the first half hour and me and Lil couldn't make it up the big hill back to our house so ended up pushing).
A couple of times a week he takes off on his bike taking advantage of the tricky downhill tracks and varying terrain.
And to get us all involved he's recently invested in an extra bike and a trailer for the boys!
As the weather has started to warm up here (thank God) we went for out for our first family bike ride à cinq at the weekend. We followed an 11km route to Le lac du Bourget and back and it was surprisingly good fun (apart from everyone forgot their gloves so had freezing hands, I wore the wrong type of trousers so ended up with holes shredded in my joggers, Lily got saddle sore, Max fell into a muddy puddle when we were stopped for a break, then once dry did it again, Stu got angry with mine and Lil's whinging, I couldn't work the gears for the first half hour and me and Lil couldn't make it up the big hill back to our house so ended up pushing).
Stu admiring the scenery
Action shot
Lily arriving back aux pieds. At least I had the sense to get back on the bike for the last corner and pretend to Stu I'd ridden up the hill.
Here's a few pics that Stu has taken on some of his recent frosty rides:
Frozen Lac du Chevelu
Icicles
So all in all, good family fun! Hopefully we'll be able to go for some nice rides over the spring and summer.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Les invités
What a week! The Ashtons arrived in France last Monday, bringing some relatively warm weather with them for their half term visit. And I'm confident in saying that we all had a fantastic time!
Mick and Stu made the most of the snowboarding opportunities, me and Helen drank copious amounts of tea and gossiped until the cows came home, Lily and Olivia seemed to entertain themselves, Charlotte and Max ran wild for the whole four days and Luke just charmed everyone in his usual style.
We ate, drank and laughed so much. It really was a welcome break from the boring past few weeks we have had.
Highlights included:
Kamikaze sledging from Charlotte.
A fabulous dinner for two (me and Helen) in Chambery.
The world's coldest picnic up a mountain.
Helen's poker face when playing cards.
The world's tastiest chocolate cake.
Waking up every morning with an extra child in the bed. One morning there were five of them in there!
It was a great week and I was truly sad to see them leave, although possibly not as sad as Max who is already missing his favourite person in the world!
Mick and Stu made the most of the snowboarding opportunities, me and Helen drank copious amounts of tea and gossiped until the cows came home, Lily and Olivia seemed to entertain themselves, Charlotte and Max ran wild for the whole four days and Luke just charmed everyone in his usual style.
We ate, drank and laughed so much. It really was a welcome break from the boring past few weeks we have had.
Highlights included:
Kamikaze sledging from Charlotte.
A fabulous dinner for two (me and Helen) in Chambery.
The world's coldest picnic up a mountain.
Helen's poker face when playing cards.
The world's tastiest chocolate cake.
Waking up every morning with an extra child in the bed. One morning there were five of them in there!
It was a great week and I was truly sad to see them leave, although possibly not as sad as Max who is already missing his favourite person in the world!
Thursday, 9 February 2012
La pain quotidien
The stereotypical image of the French man; tall, moustachioed, riding a bike, wearing a beret and a stripy jumper, string of onions round the neck and a baguette under his arm.
It's actually spot on! Well one bit of it is at least and that's the baguette. Everywhere you look you see people carrying their pain quotidien (daily bread), sometimes with five or six of them piled up in their arms. There is always a queue of hungry French men and women at the local boulangerie who never can wait to get home before breaking off the end of the bread and eating it. In fact there is a word - un quignon - that refers specifically to the crusty end of the loaf that seemingly nobody can resist.
And who can blame them? The French definitely do bread well. My particular favourite being la flute which is a bit wider than the common baguette and therefore has more breadiness and less crust.
Serve it with cheese, ham, jam, Nutella or just smothered in President butter. It forms the base of nearly every single lunch we eat here and is great for mopping your dinner plate clean (to saucer in French).
The French boulangers consider themselves artisans and their offerings works of art, which is understandable. I have to show serious restraint when faced with the rows of beautiful pasties...tartes au citron, milleufeuilles, eclairs, and my current favourite the macaron.
These are the tastiest things in France in my opinion. Gem coloured, bite sized, chewy meringues made from ground almonds and sugar and filled with various flavoured creams, jams and ganaches. They're heavenly. Unfortunately they're quite pricey too, so Lil and I thought we'd try making them earlier this week. And ta-da:
Well it appears there definitely is a skill to making macarons. These burnt mini hamburger esque splatters didn't even taste good. I am now on a mission though to make the perfect macaron...it may take some time to master this one!
Sooooooooooooo a whole entry about the bakers shop...guess who hasn't left the house this week?!
It's actually spot on! Well one bit of it is at least and that's the baguette. Everywhere you look you see people carrying their pain quotidien (daily bread), sometimes with five or six of them piled up in their arms. There is always a queue of hungry French men and women at the local boulangerie who never can wait to get home before breaking off the end of the bread and eating it. In fact there is a word - un quignon - that refers specifically to the crusty end of the loaf that seemingly nobody can resist.
And who can blame them? The French definitely do bread well. My particular favourite being la flute which is a bit wider than the common baguette and therefore has more breadiness and less crust.
Serve it with cheese, ham, jam, Nutella or just smothered in President butter. It forms the base of nearly every single lunch we eat here and is great for mopping your dinner plate clean (to saucer in French).
These are the tastiest things in France in my opinion. Gem coloured, bite sized, chewy meringues made from ground almonds and sugar and filled with various flavoured creams, jams and ganaches. They're heavenly. Unfortunately they're quite pricey too, so Lil and I thought we'd try making them earlier this week. And ta-da:
Well it appears there definitely is a skill to making macarons. These burnt mini hamburger esque splatters didn't even taste good. I am now on a mission though to make the perfect macaron...it may take some time to master this one!
Sooooooooooooo a whole entry about the bakers shop...guess who hasn't left the house this week?!
Sunday, 5 February 2012
La semaine perdue
This has possibly been the worst week so far in France. Sub zero temperatures and lingering illness have just ruined everything.
Luke went downhill again on Thursday and spent the last two days not wanting to be put down ever, meaning even less sleep for me than normal. Max is mainly better apart from his nose which is producing incredible quantities of snot that he likes to rub everywhere (usually on me). Lil managed to escape the virus but is now complaining of a sore throat...
Stu seems to be fully recovered apart from a lingering cough and I am fine apart from being a pale sleep-deprived mess with dry skin from the lack of sunlight/fresh air, snot covered clothes and a lingering smell of baby sick. Nice.
Anyway, I have hoovered and scrubbed the house in an attempt to get rid of all traces of germs, although Stu had to draw the line at me airing the place by opening all the windows when it was -8 outside.
So fingers crossed for a healthy week ahead! Onwards and upwards!
Luke went downhill again on Thursday and spent the last two days not wanting to be put down ever, meaning even less sleep for me than normal. Max is mainly better apart from his nose which is producing incredible quantities of snot that he likes to rub everywhere (usually on me). Lil managed to escape the virus but is now complaining of a sore throat...
Stu seems to be fully recovered apart from a lingering cough and I am fine apart from being a pale sleep-deprived mess with dry skin from the lack of sunlight/fresh air, snot covered clothes and a lingering smell of baby sick. Nice.
Anyway, I have hoovered and scrubbed the house in an attempt to get rid of all traces of germs, although Stu had to draw the line at me airing the place by opening all the windows when it was -8 outside.
So fingers crossed for a healthy week ahead! Onwards and upwards!
Thursday, 2 February 2012
La Chandeleur
This post is brought to you via my death bed, after I succumbed to the fluey type virus that was doing the rounds chez moi...
Today in France we are celebrating la Chandeleur, also known as Candlemas, which is a religious feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. And what better way to do so by eating crepes!
Following on from last month's epiphany and the eating of the extremely tasty Gallettes du Rois, I've come to the conclusion that the French like to celebrate religious occasions by eating lots of sweet treats. Not a bad idea, in my opinion. Makes it all a bit more interesting.
So although my taste buds aren't really working I have still managed to join in and enjoy a yummy crepe with Nutella, ice cream and sprinkles. All for baby Jesus' sake of course.
Speaking of babies, Luke is now on the move. He has adopted the same style of command crawling that his big brother did and can mainly be found under beds, tables, settees etc.
The big freeze continues here, with temperatures getting down to as low as -18 at night. I'm hoping it picks up a bit for the Ashtons coming to visit in a week and a half, although I just stumbled across a little superstition whilst researching into Candlemas:
Today in France we are celebrating la Chandeleur, also known as Candlemas, which is a religious feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. And what better way to do so by eating crepes!
Following on from last month's epiphany and the eating of the extremely tasty Gallettes du Rois, I've come to the conclusion that the French like to celebrate religious occasions by eating lots of sweet treats. Not a bad idea, in my opinion. Makes it all a bit more interesting.
So although my taste buds aren't really working I have still managed to join in and enjoy a yummy crepe with Nutella, ice cream and sprinkles. All for baby Jesus' sake of course.
Speaking of babies, Luke is now on the move. He has adopted the same style of command crawling that his big brother did and can mainly be found under beds, tables, settees etc.
Destination Max's toys
Destination kitchen bin
The big freeze continues here, with temperatures getting down to as low as -18 at night. I'm hoping it picks up a bit for the Ashtons coming to visit in a week and a half, although I just stumbled across a little superstition whilst researching into Candlemas:
Chandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perte
Candlemas covered (in snow), forty days lost
Not very promising given that there's still a good few inches of snow outside...Candlemas covered (in snow), forty days lost
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