Video

Well, it really hadn't occurred to me to put videos on here until I read Tiffany's blog today. This is the only video I have taken, and it might be a bit long. If it messes up your computer please let me know! If it works then I guess I could take a few more. Quite exciting! This is Guy (aka TM) singing when I was having lunch with him and his wife at their place. He is accompanied by his little grand daughter! It starts a bit abruptly because I was a bit slow at getting into gear. Let me know how it goes.

Les parcours du coeur.

This morning Marie-Helene and I got dropped off in Centre Ville by Christian, and we did a fundraising walk for what I guess is the equivalent of the Heart Foundation. We arrived a bit after the start so basically were walking on our own, but unless everyone arrived back at the starting point and then quickly left before we saw them, then the turnout was actually quite disappointing anyway. It was really well organised with all the streets closed off and men with luminous vests on at intersections. Actually, you see men with luminous vests a lot - there is usually a bike race or some such thing on most weekends. Well, since the weather has picked up anyway. It only cost 1 euro to take part, and you got a T-shirt with that! I gave 3 euros which still didn't seem like a great deal.
It wasn't a very long circuit, (not like the City to Surf Les - well done!) but some of it was down a street I hadn't walked down before, and Marie-Helene was able to show me the house where Christian grew up, (which you can see here),
the apartment where she and Christian lived when they were first married, and her old office in the Education Department. When Christian grew up there, many families lived in the lovely old houses, but of course the houses have nearly all been converted into studios for students now, so everything is different. But it's understandable - it's very close to Centre Ville. Well, in fact it IS Centre Ville. So it was all very interesting.
We got back to the square in front of the Hotel de Ville just in time for the speeches and prizes. Here I am having a jus d'orange after my efforts.
There were a few prizes and one was an award for the person who had come from the farthest away, and M-H was gutted that I hadn't put NZ as my address when I registered. In fact a friend of hers rushed up to tell them that there was someone there from New Zealand. But in fact I live in Poitiers at the moment and I would have felt like a real fraud winning the prize. And anyway, I have no need for a cup! (Now had it been chocolates I might have gone out to bat for myself, but.....)
I also got to meet the Mayor, as M-H knows him. AND I had my photo taken with him!
He is the Mayor and from what I can gather is also the local member of parliament. Not in Sarkozy's team. (And speaking of Sarkozy, he is flying into Poitiers tomorrow apparently, but then going straight on to Chatelleraut, another city nearby.)
Working backwards, yesterday I went for a good walk in the morning with Annick, and then later on I went to the cinema with M-H and Christian. We went to see a film called Welcome. It was just wonderful - quite sad, but superbly done. It's a French film, but a lot of the dialogue was in English which was good for moi! Anyway, if you get the chance to see it I highly recommend it.
And now it's Sunday afternoon. I have a test tomorrow at uni and also some homework to do, so I have plenty to keep me out of trouble. The photo at the start is me with Notre Dame in the background, taken while we were waiting for Christian to come and pick us up. Bonne semaine, tout le monde.

Mon quartier, St Eloi

My suburb. Just a few pictures. As you know, there are some utterly beautiful places in France. And the centre of Poitiers is packed with history and is lovely to explore. But it's not all quaint with climbing roses. I live on the edge of St Eloi, in part of a house which looks to be quite old. Certainly our street is very established. However, most of St Eloi has been built over the last few years to cater for the burgeoning immigrant population, in the main. There are efforts to make it into a good community, with parks being developed, a new Lycee just about ready to open and a good bus service. I'm not all that fussed about all the apartment blocks, and it much more densely "apartmented" than these photos really show, but it always seems quiet and perfectly OK to me. In fact, I hadn't even noticed any graffiti until I looked at these photos! I have been told that the Police are always here at night, but I think it might be "Give a dog a bad name" sort of story. Not that I am wandering around the streets at night so I really don't know! So, no cute cottages, no roses sprawling up the walls, no little courtyards...... but real people live here just like they do everywhere else.
What else? Not much news really. I was supposed to be going to the village of Ruffec this weekend, but the people have cancelled due to sickness. Fair enough, but I was really looking forward to it! The weather has packed up a bit too, so I'm not sure what I'll do. If I go into town for a wander round I just end up buying chocolate! You would wonder how so many specialist chocolate shops could make a living, but I guess if there are enough people like me around it's not too hard!
So a few more random things. If I have done anything useful while I have been here I hope I have educated at least a handful of people about New Zealand. Like the Russian guy in our uni class who wondered how I would travel to New Zealand after flying into Australia on my way home. I told him I wasn't flying into Australia. But you wouldn't be able to fly direct, he said. Well, the plane has to stop to fill up with petrol or whatever they use, but yes, after Singapore it was straight on to New Zealand. And we do have airports. We even have our own airline! (Pixie Town Air, possibly.) Perhaps people have a vision of something akin to the Chathams. I don't know. The Mexican girl in our class thought that we were up near Greenland, but I suppose that's a not uncommon view. The theme in class at the moment is Women's Rights and the text book makes the assumption that we all come from countries where women have held no leadership positions. I seem to be always doing the "But in New Zealand...." thing. I think even the Prof was doubtful when I told her that we had had two women PMs and that Helen Clark had been the leader for 9 years. They also now know which country was the first to grant women the right to vote!I would have liked to have had enough grasp of the language to have mentioned Dame Sylvia, Sian Ellis and all the other recent women leaders. Mind you, I would have also liked to have had enough grasp of the language to explain how I always seemed to be ahead of my time and never quite came to terms with waiting in the car outside the Woolston Working Men's Club while John had drinks after cricket, because women weren't allowed in!! And there are other similar tales, but perhaps that might be straying a little away from the scope of the Blog title. :-) But feel free to ask me! Anyway, it was quite funny listening to the Korean girls, well, mainly my friend Gi, going on very passionately about the subservient role women have in Korea. Interesting!
Oh yes, here's another thing that has popped into my mind. You know how people always answer cellphones and say in a loud voice, "Yes, yes I'm on the train!" Well, I had my big moment the other day when someone rang me and I was obliged to say (in French), "Yes, yes I'm on the bus!" Quite funny really! And speaking of buses, when I got on one day this week I met a chap I know, who did the kissing on both cheeks thing. So I texted Louise and said, "I got kissed on the bus this morning." She thought that not being satisfied with just having a Toilet Man I now had a Bus Man too! In fact, I also have Restaurant Man, but there isn't much of a story to tell there.
Oh yes.... have I told you about all the Skype calls I get from men in Africa? I don't know how they are able to track down names and find women in France, but I'm sure it is relatively straightforward. Anyway, these blokes obviously REALLY want to come and live here, so chatting up a bird is an option I guess. They often ring, and I just ignore the call. Or they chat. Usually it is an Arab-ish sort of name - from Tunisia, or Algeria, or wherever. But last night I had a chat message from Fred! Very African! Who actually said "I would like to make friends with you. I would like to have a friend in France. I can be a good friend for you." I have tried replying in the past, but think it's best to pretend I don't exist. I suspect that in their determination for a move to France they wouldn't even be put off my my advancing years! As Hilary suggested about someone else, they are probably just after my valid Carte de Sejour. :-)
We move our clocks forward for Daylight Saving this weekend. And on that note..... Feel free to leave a comment. :-)

Comments from George W, and Margaret Mead.

I am delighted you gave up any aspirations to become one of the wives of a wealthy Lebanese citizen. I did not lavish my teaching skills on Room 9 to have one of my favourite 42 pupils become one of the wives of a Lebanon husband; even the favourite wife. Remember, "The Wedding March," is alleged to be the greatest battle song ever written. From George. :-)

And I like this a lot too - Hilary sent me a Daily Reflections On Love calendar which is a fundraiser for Help Free the Children. www.freethechildren.org.nz I was most taken with this quote yesterday from Margaret Mead. Never believe that a few caring peple can't change the world. For indeed, that's all who ever have.

A lovely day and why you should always check that your camera battery is fully charged.

Now I really should go to bed because I'm quite tired. I also should do my homework, because for the first time I haven't done it! (I'm talking about the first time recently. I don't want you consulting my teachers at Otago Girls. Yes yes it's true, I admit it! I didn't do my homework!) But anyway, as I was saying.... I just want to write this because I'm buzzing really. I have had such an enjoyable day. It's funny how things turn out...... This morning I was lounging about in my dressing gown and wondering what was happening with the tennis, when I got a text from Annick, asking if I would like to walk. I thought - right, if I'm not going to the tennis then indeed I will walk. I checked with Guy and as I suspected I was going to have to get there myself on the bus. I could perfectly understand that, but decided that although I would have liked to have watched the finals I didn't want to get the Sunday bus and sit there by myself. So I decided that I would walk with Annick. I texted her and she said she would come and pick me up in 40 minutes! I hadn't realised we were going this morning! So I rushed around and got ready. And waited at the gate for 35 minutes and she got lost but never mind. Off we went to a man-made lake about 25 minutes away called Lac St Cyr.
It's a really big recreational area and it took us about an hour to walk round it. Very nice indeed. At one stage it seemed quite reminiscent of walking round the Nelson Airport, especially when we walked past a golf course. We also went to the golf clubrooms there and got a great view of the surrounding area.
And I saw three old chaps there, and Bass, I could have sworn that it was you, Hazza and Wowsie! And then one of him spoke, and he was a Pom. It WAS you! :-)
We then went back to Annick's place in Poitiers and she cooked lunch. Nice again. Then she asked what I would like to do in the afternoon! I said I would be happy to watch rugby on TV! Lol. No, she said, she hates rugby. She got out a whole pile of pamphlets and newspaper cuttings about things to do in the region. Then she exclaimed that she had a good idea, and off we went to La Roche Posay! I have been wanting to go there as I have been reading about it. It is a place where people have been going for many many years to "take the waters". A sort of thermal resort.
We went into one of the centres there and got quite a bit of info on massages etc, but it really is very expensive. I had thought that a weekend retreat some time might be nice, but in my dreams I think. We walked around the town, and watched some chaps playing Boules.
I don't know if I have mentioned Boules before, but you really do see lots and lots of games being played all the time and all over the place. La Roche Posay had quite a few people milling round, but in good French style they had nothing to do, as it was Sunday and everything was closed! This photo is of people filling up containers with The Water. I suppose they drink it, but it's supposed to have restorative properties for the skin, so they might wash with it. It looks a bit like they are standing at a Pissoir, doesn't it? :-)
We also visited the Casino there, which is very popular, but we couldn't get in because we had no ID. In fact we should have had, because I think it is illegal to be out and about without any. And actually the guy at the door was Samoan, although he didn't speak English. But even though that made us almost cousins, he still wouldn't let us in!
We then headed off again. Well, we ended up in a little village which has been voted the loveliest village in France - Angles sur L'Anglin. And yes, it quite probably is the loveliest village in France. At last - the typical French village that fulfills the picture postcard expectations! A ruined castle on a hill,
narrow cobbled streets, hills so that there were many viewing vantage points, a river,
quaint houses with climbing roses on the walls..... It was perfect. Annick's son and his wife chose there to have their wedding photos taken. I think I would go there for that too.
Perhaps I was in the right frame of mind - I don't know - but I just loved Angles sur L'Anglin. I might add that this is where my camera battery died. I realised then that I had NOT needed to take 3 photos of people playing golf, or of swans on the lake - one must always be ready for the unexpected! Lol. However, Annick has assured me we can go back. Probably in June when the roses are blooming. Aaaah! Anyway, we walked around the wee streets and then had a cup of tea at a gorgeous little restaurant right opposite the castle ruins. I will not mention the crepe for Annick and the Glace Gartempe (ice cream sundae) pour moi.
And so we drove back home, listening to, and unfortunately for Annick, me singing along to, an Elvis CD. It was just SUCH a lovely day. Annick was great and enjoys doing the same sorts of things. Nice. So that was my day. I didn't get home till about 7.30pm. Tired but happy.

Some photos

I'll just post a few photos of this and that. The cafeteria at uni. No, not THE cafeteria, A cafeteria, as there are several. In fact far and away the smallest one. And sign at the bus stop announcing that there would be very few buses the next day due to the big strike. And Marie-Helene and me on a walk, which included a visit to the little villlage of Montamise. The Boulangerie was lovely, but of course I have yet to meet one that isn't! Now, I realise that those of you with Facebook accounts will have seen these. Sorry about that. There are four groups, Dear Reader. Blog readers. (Thank you thank you.) Facebook fiddlers. A combination of the two. And, group 4 - those who don't do either and send the occasional email saying, "Now, tell me what you have been up to!" :-)
It's still the 21st here. 34 years ago today Toby was born. Would it be terribly corny to say, "My, where has the time gone?"

Wedding.

Nah, not mine! (I'll keep you posted on that one! Lol.) I have actually been invited to a wedding in Lebanon by my university friend Abir, who is the bride. I really like Abir and as you know love doing different thngs, but there are just too many fish hooks. She is at pains to assure me that I don't have to be a Muslim; Christians are allowed to be there. I don't think I even qualify in that category to be honest, but that might be a bit hard for her to comprehend! I think it would be a wonderful opportunity, but a)I would be a wee bit nervous about flying into Beirut really, and b)I have just checked flights and it is damned expensive. Even flying with such well-regarded airlines as Bulgarian Air! (Don't they sound pretty confidence-boosting?) It's in August, and a week or two before I am due to head back to NZ, so the timing is quite good, but sadly I don't think it's an option. I haven't entirely dismissed the idea, but....
What do you think?
Of course, I could end up as the star in one of those "Not Without My Daughter" stories, as I might be in the market for Abir's father. I think she is a bit worried about me being on my own, and said that I could perhaps become another wife for her father! I said that I didn't think I was a sharing kind of gal, but she assured me that he would like me best! Today she even told me that she had told her father about me and he wants to see a photo!! DO NOT WORRY! I AM SURE IT IS ALL A JOKE AND I DO NOT PLAN TO MARRY AN ALREADY MARRIED MAN WHO LIVES IN LEBANON! (However, were he a nice French man....)

Should I tell you?

I may have to stop writing my blog now you realise - I will have run out of a great deal of raw material. Yes!!! Today I collected my Carte de Sejour! Amazing but true. After lunch Marie-Helene drove me to the Buxerolles Town Hall and we went in. I showed my letter. A Nice Young Woman went to the shelf where there were folders, and pulled one out. From that she slipped out a little plastic coated card and gave it me. It was my carte de sejour! "Is that it?" I asked. "Oui," said the NYW. That was it. I have to say, that, being used to Dramas, it was something of an anti-climax! Anyway, I shouted Marie-Helene a coffee afterwards, which was pretty big of me really. I should probably have bought some champagne, but ah, well..... I'm just glad to have the jolly thing.
Going back a bit, some of my sharp-eyed readers may have spotted an earlier entry, saying that I had received a letter, delivered by Jean Ragonneau, asking me to go and collect the C de S. Then I decided that I would whip that off so that you got a nice surprise when I got the Real Thing. So there you have it. The photos depict Jean with The Letter, and the actual C de S, with the Photo From Hell on it. I think I have talked before about those photo-booth-in-a-mall-or-supermarket photos, but I just have to live with it, and hope that no-one is mean to me because my photo is ugly!
So what will I do now that I am fully legal? Hmmm.... I will have to give that some thought. I am actually allowed to stay here till le 26 octobre so I will have a bit of unused legality when I leave! Incidentally, the only thing that could possibly go wrong now is if a Police Officer goes to Jean and Therese's to check that I actually live there. Louise got a Police visit in Brussels to check that she was living where she said she did. If that happens I will just have to hope that the Policeman is Guy's son! Yes, I know a policeman in Poitiers as well as Bundaberg!
Other things.
*There is a big strike again on Thursday. The uni strike has been continuing all along, but apparently Thursday is a general-ish one again. I thought that perhaps I could go to Bordeaux or somewhere on the train for the day, but M-H says the trains will be on strike as well! I may have to do my washing instead.
*I read a book review recently and thought that it beautifully damned with faint praise when it spoke of the writer telling her life story in "conversational style". I had a bit of a chuckle, because I guess that's my style too. So I won't win any prizes, but as long as you are finding out a bit of what's going on and having the odd laugh, then I'm happy!
*The book that LiPeng gave me, called Paper Cut in China, tells about the 12 Chinese birth signs. I am a Rat, as I guess are any of my friends born in the same year. We are very cool, we Rats. Clever, bright, ambitious, having broad interests and strong ability in adapting to the environment. Quick-witted, full of ideas, and adept in understanding others. Gifted in many ways. Acute in perception. Hey! But here comes the best part - The females are particularly clean in habit and good at housekeeping!!!! Lol! Actually, this is what it says about romance: 'In love, although they are fit to the opposite sex, but are easily involved in romantic affairs.' Aaah... so that would mean...? This is another competition. The best interpretation of that sentence could win, well, a prize!

Mon anniversaire!

Well, who would have thought I would have had such a great birthday, away over here in foreign parts, as it were. I had such a great day today. It started by Toby ringing early this morning, and I got to talk with Sienna who really can talk now! I was just blown away by this wee poppet saying,"Happy birthday Grandma!" And, in response to Toby's, "Tell Grandma where you live"...."New Plymouth"! And then "Trampoline now Daddy?" I hope you are all going... "Aaaaaw!" It was so cool. Then at uni I got a few wee gifts from the people in my class, which was a real surprise. One young man from China gave me a necklace and a book! The necklace was black and silver, and I exclaimed that it was perfect for me. He said he thought it would be, because he asked advice of the girl in the shop, and told her what I looked like, what I wore, etc!! Good heavens!! I must be a motherly figure to all these young men who are pretty nice to me!
After lunch the class surprised me with a cake and some juice. I had Happy Birthday sung to me in Japanese, Korean, Russian, Chinese, French, Arabic and Spanish. Amazing stuff! They are such nice young people.
And after school I rushed off to the Lycee. I was going to be a bit pushed for time, so asked the teacher I work with on Mondays if I could leave 15 minutes early as I had to get the bus into town for the Drinkies. She got a bit hiffy and said if I couldn't have my half of the class for the whole time she would have the whole class and I didn't need to stay! So instead of saying, 'Oh don't worry, I'll stay till 5.00,' I took her up on that offer and went home and got ready in a relaxed manner! Off I went into town and the uni group gathered again at Gil Bar for a few drinks. Most of the class and a few offspring. Also Sophie, last year's prof came, and Guy came for a little while too. It was a great night. Just a pity about the photo of me looming into the camera. I do so worry that I am turning into my grandmother! But anyway, all in all a great day. I have had a lot of emails and Facebook messages, and also some cards have arrived in the mail. It has all been wonderful. At the risk of sounding like a born again someone, I feel blessed! Thank you. As the Australian boxer, whose name I can't recall, said, "I love youse all!"

Friday night, yesterday and aujourd'hui

'Twas a good day today, to be sure, to be sure. Just a wee tipping of the hat to St Patrick there. Yes, sorry Louise, I know it's St Louise's Day today! (But is it St Alison's day tomorrow I wonder?)
On Friday night I caught the bus into Centre Ville and had a meal and drinks with Sarah, a young friend from university. She is quite young too - she turns 22 on Wednesday! I thought she was about 28. But it doesn't matter! It was lovely on the bus going into town - it was such a super warm evening and people had just emerged from everywhere. There were kids playing in parks and people just milling about. In town there were heaps of people sitting outside bars and cafes. There was a real buzz. It was as if they were all corks who had been bobbing in a barrel with a lid on it, and the lid had been taken off and they and they had all just bobbed up! It was quite amazing really. Sarah was good company and we had a good time. She is English, by the way. So it was a good night. Apart from the not especially nice people on the late bus going home! The photo is of the Hotel de Ville just as the sun had gone down.
Yesterday was actually incredibly boring, but you get that. Mainly through a series of misunderstandings, and I ended up doing nothing. After thinking I was going to be doing a couple of things. But there you go. Life is like that! Also, it was cool again yesterday and then it rained in the afternoon.
However! Today dawned with a strong determination to be spring-like, and it was great! A really lovely day all day. This morning I got picked up by Hugues and his wife, whose name escapes me, and Jean and Therese were with them as well. I was going walking with the walking group. Have I mentioned them before? It's a group of friends who walk together once a month. I have been with them 2 or 3 times before. There is a plan for the year and they meet at different spots round the district and walk a planned route. When I first went with them I was a bit taken aback at their get-up - hiking boots and the works! They seemed terribly serious! But in fact I am possibly one of the fastest walkers, despite my short Snook legs. Either that or they walk slowly in order to chat with each other. It's probably that.
Anyway, today we met in a little village called Avanton which has a rather nice chateau - now privately owned and in apartments. But it must have retained some of its original character inside as there are certain times when you can visit. But not today. Anyway, we walked for about two hours and it was good to get out in the fresh air and have some exercise. No-one really talked to me, but that's OK. I guess they only catch up with each other on these occasions. Hugues speaks English and chatted with me a bit towards the end of the walk - in French I might add! There were a lot of people out walking today, but I have noticed that they are almost always in groups like ours, rather than people walking in ones and twos. I also have noticed in our group that when people want to go to the loo - they just do! The women usually do squat behind a tree, but hardly out of sight, but the men just go where we all are! I have been quite surprised! I'm afraid I hang on! Lol. I also noticed today zillions of cyclists. Obviously cycling is a really popular sport and general pastime in France, and today we would have seen about 10 different groups cycling past, on the roads and on the rough tracks through the fields.
This afternoon Guy came and picked me up in an official car and I went and watched some tennis. It is a tournament for players who have a world ranking, but not the top players. However, the winner of the tournament in 2007 was Tsonga who is now number 11 in the world rankings. (I know his placing, because I checked on Google!)It seems to be a tournament that discovers players. Anyway, today was just for qualifiers, but even then I was surprised at the quality of the tennis. I really enjoyed it, although it was indoors, and I got a bit cold after a while. It was so good to see some live sport. There was rugby on the tele too, but as I don't have a tele, tennis was the winner on the day! No quarter asked and none given.

Medecins sans Frontieres

Today I responded to my first phone canvas for a donation! In fact, it may not have been the first time someone has rung, but the very few phone calls from unknown French speakers have sort of fizzled, owing to my inability to carry on a non-visual conversation. (My landline phone to all intents and purposes never really rings.) However, today the chap who phoned me was able to speak a little English, then passed me over to a colleague who spoke excellent English. (With an Asian accent I think.) So he had me over a barrel really! In fact, he was calling on behalf of Medecins Sans Frontieres, (Doctors without Borders) which is a humanitarian organisation providing emergency medical assistance in the case of war or some other catastrophe. http://www.msf.org.au/?gclid=CMOwg4qhoJkCFYsTzAodyhdApw We actually learnt about it in a unit we did at university so I knew what he was talking about, and it seemed like a worthwhile cause to support. And they didn't ring while I was eating tea, and I wasn't feeling grumpy. So I said yes, I would give some money. I am becoming SUCH a local! Is that the height of being a local - being on French data bases?
Apart from that, there isn't a lot of news. I had a good day at the Lycee today, and the weather was great. Warm, warm, warm. Tonight I am meeting Sarah in Centre Ville for a drink. Also, I have booked to fly to Edinburgh for a few days in the summer holidays, staying with my friends Joan and Bill, who actually live in Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders. In another case of interesting family things, when my friend Pat and I did our big trip 12 years ago now - heck! - we stayed with Joan and Bill. Not long after that I got to have a good look at the Rae family tree (my maternal grandmother was a Rae) and they practically all hurtled out here from Scotland in the olden days, as they did, from, of all little places - Innerleithen! (They probably didn't really hurtle.) So this time I am keen to check out the cemetery and any other family connections there might be. Incidentally, Joan thinks I'm the only person outside of Scotland who says 'wee', but there are plenty of us I'm sure! So that's me. Things are pretty good.

Baby girl due!

Very exciting news - Hayden and Vanessa have found out that the baby they are having in August is a girl. Girls are cool! I think that the scans are about 97% accurate, although I believe that Victoria and Marty (Marty went right through school and soccer teams with Toby) can vouch for the fact that there is a 3% window of error! But would they change Jake? I don't think so! But back to the Kroon baby.... It is all so exciting, and the wee girl will be quite close in age to Sienna and Isla - well, close enough that the cousins should all get along well together. I regularly see photos of Ian's girls, Sandie and Mel, and their 5 children between them. They seem to get along famously, which is lovely to see. You will be pleased to know too, no doubt, that Cyclone Hamish (Hamish?? What sort of name is that for a cyclone?) sputtered out off the Queensland coast somewhere. There was a bit of damage, but nothing at the Kroons' house. :-)

Great Uncle George

This is digressing quite a bit, (and isn't it great when that happens?) Actually, I don't think there are any rules that say blogs must stick to one thing! Lol. My second cousin Jan - I think she is my second cousin; I find those relationships hard to figure out - her mother and my mother were cousins anyway. And I always just thought of Jan and her sister as my cousins when we were growing up. Jan posted a comment back on the blog entry about Ypres and Passchendaele. Her maternal grandfather, George Scott, fought at Passchendaele and lost his sight. George was the older brother of my maternal grandfather Robert (Bob) Scott. I have very slight memories of George being talked about, but they are quite hazy memories at best. Partly because the war was rarely talked about - that goes for WWII as well of course - and also because George died in the 30s, a good many years before I was born. I know that Grandad Scott was quite a good rugby player, and it would seem that George was too, as you can see that he was invited to a rugby dinner in Paris during the war. That would have been quite exciting for the chaps! In fact, it is very probable that he actually played for the New Zealand Army team against the French Army team. That would have been amazing. A family sporting honour that I had no idea about. It's interesting to read the handwritten name too - they must have all had nicknames, because as far as I can work out, Le Poilu G. Scott means the Hairy G. Scott! For me, this is a wonderful little piece of family history that has popped up because of my visit to Paschendaele. Perhaps my strong emotional connection to such places is starting to make sense now. Not that it necessarily had to; it just felt like being a New Zealander. (Grandad Snook fought at Gallipoli - had I mentioned that?) Coming to France has been amazing in many different ways.

Le printemps and other weather.

I just walked down to the Boulangerie to get a baguette for lunch. (And could I help it if a tartelette au chocolat cried out "Pick me! Pick me!"?) Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I could have almost gone without a coat! The wind is a bit cool out there but there are certain signs of spring in the air. Including these lovely self-seeded violets which are everywhere. This photo was taken at my gate. You'll get a better idea of the violets if you click on the photo to enlarge it. Anyway, it's actually quite overcast but I am remaining positive! However, I am a bit concerned at the moment about the cyclone bearing down on Australia. I am worried about Hayden and Vanessa who live in Bargaga right on the coast. I didn't know about the cyclone until I read on Facebook that Vanessa had gone to the supermarket to get some supplies and it was like a madhouse! And no masking tape left, no candles, hardly any tinned food.... Crikey! However, I did have a laugh when one of their friends wrote that she had expressed concern about H & V but her partner said it would be all right because Hayden was a policeman! Lol! Anyway, I rang before and talked to Vanessa and they have taken in all the outdoor things and now can only wait and hope that it fizzles out before getting to their Wide Bay area. Fingers crossed!

Awards ceremony

Well, isn't this excitng! Louise felt that we should have an Awards Ceremony with a red carpet, and Toni agreed. How about you Tiffany - you're up for it? As you can see I have shopped for my outfit and I'm ready. I'm just waiting for the limo. Have you booked it, Louise? Incidentally, my dress is just the same colour as the dress I had made for the very first Kings High ball I went to. (With John!) Except that the dress back then had a very smart Dior bow at the waist. And a scooped neck, and not a scrap of cleavage to be seen. It was very nice!

Award!

Well, I have received a Blog Award! Goodness me. I received it from my new friend Antonia whose blog I happened to discover... She is really creative and if you want to have a read, look at this: http://seaweedandgardenias.blogspot.com
Thanks for the award Toni!

The rules for this "Fabulous Blog" award are:
You must pass it on to 5 other Fabulous Bloggers in a post receiving the award.
You must include the person that gave you the award, and link it back to them.
You must list 5 of your Fabulous addictions in the post.
You must copy and paste these rules in the post.

My 5 Fabulous Addictions are:
1.My grand daughters - just the most gorgeous wee buttons in the whole world! And the rest of my family of course!
2.Chocolate - what else?
3.The internet - it has saved my sanity at times over here on my own. (I'm sure it's not very cool to admit to spending much time on the net, but there we are!)
4.Musical Island Boys. - Listen to them on You Tube. I LOVE them!
5.My fabulous friends, especially the ones who add comments on my blog! Lol.

So what a nice start to the weekend! :-) I am going to present the award to Louise and Tiffany - both 'over here' doing the same thing as me. I enjoy reading both their blogs. I don't really have anyone else to present the award to. I read a few others from time to time, but mainly just Tiff and Louise, and now Toni. So that will do for now!

It was a bit of a long day today, but I had a nice little interlude chatting to the newsagent/tabac. He's such a nice man and never winces with pain when I speak in French. Quite a few people do! He likes to talk to me about New Zealand and he wanted to know about the weather, about kiwis, and what the population is. (People are always quite startled when I tell them that Auckland has a million people. It's quite a good one to drop into the conversation as I suspect they think we all live in tiny villages with a 1950s feel to them. Um, no - that could be France you're thinking of!) Monsieur Tabac is a keen sports fan, so we have plenty to talk about. Today he updated me on Daniel Carter's injury, and talked about Byron Kelleher. He also knew, amazingly, that The All Whites went to a World Cup. He didn't know which one, and I was able to tell him all about the road to Spain. That was a wonderful time for us, the soccer people of New Zealand. I remember it well! But fancy him knowing that!! Anyway, we would probably still be talking now, but someone came in wanting to be served. And I had to go to the supermarket. As I avoid that job like the plague I have been surviving on bits and pieces all week, but I could see that if I didn't get to Super U fairly quickly I was going to have to start wringing out the toilet paper and reusing it.
So there we are! Have a great weekend. xxx

A few more things.....

I received a lovely email from George, whom you may recall was my teacher in Form II. (I always feel as if that has to be written in roman numerals. Just like in my planning I feel that I need to write the terms of the year Term I, Term II, Term III and so on. We must have started off like that in the olden days. Easier to write straight lines on slates, perhaps!) Anyway, as I was saying! George always writes good stuff, and he has said it's OK for me to publish on my blog the piece he wrote about his father, in response to my piece on Ypres and Passchendaele. I think it's quite moving.

Dear Alison,
The description of your adventures is always fascinating but the story of your visit to Ypres and Passchendaele was particularly moving. My father fought in Gallipoli where he was decorated, and then in France. He was badly wounded at Passchendaele early in the battle. This was fortunate; had he kept fighting he would almost certainly have been killed. The Otago regiment suffered heavy casualties. He returned to France after six months in an English hospital and finished the war leading his old Company. He felt they were wonderful men. He talked to me about the war when I was about 50. He could not describe his contempt for the British commanders adequately and his praise for the NZers, Aussies, Sikhs and Gurkhas was unstinting. Previously, I had believed that the Gallipoli campaign was the worst one of the war, but Dad said nothing could have prepared men for the horrors of the war in France and Belgium.
I guess you will have plenty of adventures to recall whenever you are bored. It will also give you a glow when, back in NZ, you see some of the places you visited shown on tv. I know I get a real feeling of satisfaction when I see a place I have visited.
Interesting stuff. You should read Birdsong by Sebastien Faulkes if you haven't already. (I'm sure I've already promoted that book. I wonder if I will get agent's fees?)I also think that the Blackadder WWI series gives a damn good idea of how the people in command operated. So thanks George.
Other things. I went into Centre Ville after uni this afternoon and had a cuppa with my friend Abir. And while I was there a manifestation went past. Which is a demonstration. A big march along the street. Yep - university students. Abir says there is one most days. When I walked back to the bus stop they were having a rally in front of the Hotel de Ville. Apparently all the students have received a letter from the head of the university saying that it is time they came back. But no, they are still on strike. I believe that last year the strike lasted for 3 months. Or it might have been the year before. I guess it's something for them to focus on during the dreary winter months. I am more bemused about it than anything else - I don't know what to think.
I also forgot to mention another memorial we saw in Berlin. Bebelplatz is where the Nazis had a book-burning in 1933 of all works by subversive writers. You can't see anything in the platz at first, then you notice a square of sort of smoky glass. You look down into a stark white room lined with empty bookshelves. The significance of that is obvious, but as Cal pointed out, there are many layers of meaning. He had an old Jewish lady on one of his tours, and she said it looked like the beds in a concentration camp. And then if you look down through the glass you see your own reflections, and you can make what you want of that. I am too full of symbolism I guess.
I mentioned the beautiful sculpture of the mother cradling her dead or dying soldier son. It's in what was once a royal guardhouse and is an anti-war
memorial. The sculptor is Käthe Kollwitz. Thanks Louise for reminding me of that. The last time Louise was there it held an eternal flame and the remains of an unknown soldier and was guarded by goose-stepping East German soldiers, so it was a different experience this time.

And a straight 'lift' from Louise's blog. She has said it so well!

Certainly it's a city with a lot of scars.
On the train to the airport on Saturday morning I realised that it is
still a divided city in a way - the eastern suburbs are really run
down. Rehabilitation is slow and costly - the city is massively in
debt. It carries a huge historical burden. In some ways it's still
struggling for identity. Yet it seems to have an energy and a hope
for a great future. Perhaps that's what touched me the most. I'd been
in a very small way a witness to the new beginning for Berlin and
Germany back in 1990. Only months before reunification it had seemed
like an impossible dream. In 2009 I got to see just how far hope had
taken the city.

I think that's all. I need to move on now! :-)
It's been a funny old week. A bit of the post-holiday blues and Sophie's birthday. I have tomorrow off as I am usually at the Lycee all day Friday and they are still on holiday. I will do some study and also plan some lessons for the classes for the new term. Claudine wants me to do a unit on the Maori and gave me an article she had copied from a text book about how upset Pita Sharples and the Maori people are about Robbie Williams getting a Maori tattoo. She wants me to lead a discussion on it! I just don't feel like I have nearly enough depth of knowledge to do that. (And nor do I think the kids speak English well enough.) And I hadn't known about that controversy. I wouldn't especially want one myself, but I quite like Robbie Williams' tattoo! Oh dear. Speaking of the Lycee, you might remember that I had lunch last year with Any, one of the teachers, who had the very cute little grand daughters. And I chatted about rugby with her husband. Well, he died suddenly last week during, or just after, an operation. So that was quite a shock. He was probably about my age. The nice thing was that one of the teachers was thoughtful enough to email me to let me know.
And on that note.... No, surely I can think of something cheerful to say to round off today's epistle. Yes, I have been here for 6 months now - isn't that amazing? I wasn't sure that I was going to last very long at all at the start, but now as I become more and more tuned into things, I am getting quite attached to funny old Poitiers, and certainly to some of the people. As I am a slow learner, I probably need to stay for 2 years so that I really will be able to speak French properly!