Je suis tres ettonne que

Yes, I was amazed to see on Roy Evans Burstiner's blog the photo of Jacques Brel.  I've been trying to remember his name for months as I'd like to download some of his music from iTunes. 

I don't know what he sings about-probably politics and love- but he sings with passion and conviction and has a voice so powerful it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  I know he isn't a native of France, but the sound of the French language he uses is very attractive. It sounds raw and unrefined unlike those who covered his songs. My impression of the short introduction to him is that he was the Dylan of France. He also reminds me of Piaf the way he seems to wear life on his sleeve(is that the right expression?) and just sings his heart out and lets his emotions flow.   I saw a documentary about the 60's and 70's and there he was.  I can't say I approve of his lifestyle but as a singer he immediately caught my attention.  He's definitely up there in my top 20.

This post has published prematurely again.  It published as I was fiddling around trying to get French accents.  Can anyone let me know how to use French accents on my keyboard?

I'd like to finish the post if I get back in time from my meetings tonight...hopefully about 10:00pm.

It was pouring with real English grotty rain all the way to Bridgford but I had a fantastic time trying to learn the song Arabian Nights. The car rocked and I got a few strange looks as people overtook me.

On the way back home the rain had passed so it was easier to drive and sing.  More strange looks but I was determined to learn the song during the forty minute drive.

Bev had waited up for me and became the the one-woman audience and usherette for the special performance-without looking at the words. Yes!  That means I've learned all my words now with just over a week to go.  I didn't think I'd be able to pull the song in as well.  A week is just enough time to polish everything up.

Very happy...I just hope I don't have strange dreams as my brain tries to make sense of what I'm cramming in there.

Thanks for the advice Randi.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'll check it out tomorrow.

Bon nuit mes amis.

MIL...strong, stubborn, proud and British.

Last night MIL innexplicably conquered her twin fears of water and flying and agreed to come to France with us.

Now I don't often have such pleasant dreams, but this was one.

I've decided to feature her today as my thoughts drifted from Mussolini to her during our two minutes silence at 11:00am. ..she was born around the time he was coming to power and I was comparing characteristics (just kidding!)

She has some amazingly detailed stories of wartime which make nonsense of her claim to be losing her memory.
 
If there is ever to be another war, you'd want her on your side.

So, she's 78 year old and has been living with us ever since we built the extension to house her and my father in law who has since passed on.

She is as immovable as Monarchy and even looks like QE2 (the woman not the ship).

She is diabetic with high blood pressure and has other conditions I've never heard of or can spell.  Her prescribed pills and potions will keep a chemist open and fully staffed all year round I should think.

Under her own steam she has weekly forages into town and is regularly offered a seat in some shop in order to  recover from the implications of forgetting to inject her insulin twice daily.

She always returns with more than what's on her shopping list and the trolley she drags around with her is falling apart under the strain.

She regularly runs over my feet with said trolley...even when it's easier to miss me. I fancy there is method there!

She is famed for her forever-full bag of chocolate bars and  is now into 3rd generation supply on demand on Sundays at church.

Her generosity and thoughtfulness are only surpassed by her outspoken and stubborn tendancies.

Her tongue can be as bitter as it can be sweet and should you get on the wrong side of her, beware!

She has needles and wool permanently attached to her hands and must have knitted for every baby in the world.

Bev has to regularly check her cupboards and fridge to ensure she's eating enough as well as throwing away what might harm her...like out of date meats.

She regularly leaves taps running...just when I want a bath!

She's well loved by everyone but me apparently.  But even I love her in reality...once I've had my bath.

We watch football together in her living room while Bev watches rubbish in ours and we travel to church every Sunday with her on the back seat trying to put the world right.

Pet hates...she regularly switches the radio on on Sunday when she knows we do everything to avoid it.  I know she's in her own 'wing' of the house, but we still faintly hear it.

Repetition...drives me nuts!

Perhaps sometimes too fiercely patriotic and politically incorrect.

When she leaves her door open and the TV is loud, we get the sound a split second before ours which is why I tend to watch football in her place...I was fed up with hearing her celebrating a goal before it actually happened in our room.

She has a good appreciation and knowledge of the game though and I like her company.

Loves...we love to hear her laughter faintly drift through.

We love to have her eat at our table on Sunday.  Sometimes we engage antlers but mostly we engage in good conversations.

I'm as stubborn as she is which isn't always good, but it's never dull.

Long may she live because I've been misunderstood lately regarding comments I've made and will feel really guilty if she pegs-it tomorrow.

Seriously though, she's great to have around and is as honest as the day is long in her opinions and lifestyle.

You'd go a long way to find a woman like my MIL.

Duck AND lamb tonight!

I am so looking forward to our evening meal.  We have  lamb chops from Mr Bacon the butcher.  I've had my orders to prepare the veg as soon as I get in from work.  I'm already drooling as it's one of my favourite meals. I apologise to all the vegetarians out there but hey, it's a special occasion and I'll be hungry!

So, whats the special occasion?  We'll be eating lamb tonight! Yippee!  It doesn't happen very often.

Last night I watched Flash Forward and wished they would Fast Forward!  I tell you what...the punch line had better be good because I think they were losing the plot a little.  How can someone previously blown to bits suddenly appear as fresh as a daisy?  Mind you, I didn't check to see if she had everything intact but she looked the picture of health from where I was sitting...which wasn't on the edge of my seat. And those commercial breaks every ten minutes are driving me crackers!  No, I can't say I enjoyed the experience.  They need to feed me with more clues and surprises way before the last minute.

Today was overcast with foggy patches.  It was far from beach weather even though some of my thoughts were drifting in that direction.

The last time I was on a beach was in France and, as I walked towards the breakers in the hot sand, I was willing myself to try and remember how happy I was at that particular moment for a future day when winter sets in.  That day was today. The moment was captured and I was walking on that hot sand again. I'm glad I remembered because It somehow put me in a fairly pleasant and positive frame of mind which has lasted right up to this very second.

We have Ken Goddard visiting us tonight and still I'm feeling positive (only kidding, Ken!).  Incidentally can anyone reading this tell me if exclamation marks should be inside or outside brackets?

I blame my English teacher for not inspiring me...or possibly Linda A**** for looking so pretty when the teacher was talking about brackets.  I mean how is a lad to seriously consider brackets with Linda weaving her magic?

Yes, Linda is the one that caused me to want to crawl away and die after finally realising it wasn't her shoulder I was squeezing as we lay in our den down by the lake. I swear my intentions were honourable...dens were far more interesting to me at the time which is why I managed to persuade her to come in...I was never that charismatic or good looking.  That said, it took me all my efforts to persuade her not to come in after that.  Yes, I know... but I was a quivering thirteen year old at the time who blushed at the very sight of girls and she was way too much of a female for comfort. Now if she could play marbles and climb trees it would have been different.

Tonight we're off to Bridgford after Ken leaves and this time I'm taking bread for the ducks.  I know it'll be dark but I think they have lighting down by the bridge.  It could be our winter romantic memory  as opposed to hot sand in summer.

We aren't going just for the ducks as we'd prefer to feed them under Trent Bridge Newark than Trent Bridge Bridgford...it's much prettier with the castle as a backdrop.

If we get back in good time, I'll post a photo and you can decide.

We were going to see Paul Smith in Nottingham...the joiner not the fashion designer, but he was unable to make it so we went to our very own Trent Bridge to feed the ducks.  They were all tucked away in bed and missed out on a free meal.

The castle was awake however...and Bev.

and to finish on a French theme...

We saved up to eat at Cafe Bleu once as it was voted the best in the region...and it was very good with it's artistically presented yummies, large paintings, open fires and live music.  In Newark there are literally hundreds of restaurants / cafes and eat-out places. It's quite a romantic place really.  The fact that a river runs through it and is historically important just adds to it.

Wish I had a good camera...or knew how to take pictures.

I've enjoyed today.

Brittany

This is our first really frosty iced up car day of the year and my thoughts are drifting towards those warm sunny days in France. 

I know this is a daily journal but it seems obvious-even to me-that there is little evidence of preparations for living in France. So, here we go! Our plans are to go around April / May to take artwork, books, ornaments, settees, mirrors etc!

The work we hope to do will depend on the result of our owners meeting.  You may or may not know that three couples bought the property. Fortunately we are all very good friends. We each have separate entrances to our own living room, bedrooms and bathroom, so we have real independence in terms of our own private space.  It's like a row of terraces in simple terms. The kitchen, which runs along the back of the property is shared. The grounds- which house a derelict bread-oven, are also shared .

Because of this shared responsibility relating to the kitchen, dining area and grounds, we have need to gather from time to time and discuss priorities, progress, time scale, cost and who needs to do what in terms of actual work. The outcome has a bearing on what time is left to work on individual projects.

The house...our bit is from the right up to the second down-pipe.

 Here are a few before and after shots...our living room.

As it is now...with bikes and wind-surfing board etc!

The kitchen..

And again...

And now...still not finished but getting there.

Ah! Memories!

The missing pictures

Today went well...talk, lesson and everything.

A couple of photos from last Sunday's family gathering...

So frustrating!  I can't get the photos to upload.  GRRRR!
Oh well!  I must be doing something wrong.
I'll check with Martin tomorrow.


Bon nuit mes amis!

Time to relax

I've been so busy that I almost forgot to post.

As A&A took our car to take Amber's parents to the airport, I wasn't able to get to rehearsals (yippee!)

I still had to practice my lines though.

I've been working on the wall today as it was bright, beautiful, blue and dry.  The two main pillars have now been crowned with blue bricks and the place is looking a lot tidier.

The balance of the time has been with my talk and lesson for tomorrow.

It has been a very hard day but not without pleasure and I suspect tomorrow will follow along the same lines.

All the same I'm really looking forward to tomorrow afternoon for nothing other than to relax, relax and relax.

Feeling better...

This morning I walked across the dew-laden grass shouting what lines I could remember from the Aladdin sketch in the hope that it sticks in my brain.  It's a good job I was alone.

It's beginning to sink in (performance on the 21st of this month), but it's s-l-o-w going.

Tonight I intend to make good progress on all fronts.

For once I'm dreading the week-end and can't wait until it's all over.  This is usually how I feel when I've over-stretched myself. Thankfully it doesn't happen often.

That's it! My working day is over and Bev has picked me up and saved me from shouting my lines to all and sundry as I walk across the field in the dark.

Guess what the first thing I did when I opened the door?  I shelled some more walnuts, picked up the guitar and played while tea was heating up.  We can't manage a large meal so we had a broth and rolls.

Afterwards, we laughed till the tears came as I tortured the script with my outrageous renditions.

We are quiet now so it's a perfect time to prepare my talk for Sunday, leaving Bev to have a good read.

I feel a lot better.  A good laugh always makes me feel good and more able to cope with whatever is thrown at me.

If I make good progress by 10pm, we'll watch the episode of Flash Forward that we missed on Monday.