SCHOOLING DUTIES

Well I was roped into selling cake and Vin Chaud (hot wine) on the slopes on Tuesday afternoon to raise money for Benjamin's school.  I've done other things for the school but never this.  I manned the store with a dad - Stephane, and two moms - Claire and Solonge.  Solonge is married to an english chap from London so our kids play together in English.  Claire started talking and said it was amazing how it's always the same mom's.  Isn't it funny it seems to be world wide this phenomen of always the same three of four who get roped in.  It was fun if not cold.  Things a little different here to selling in the winter, first you dress up extra warm and don't actually care what you look like, second you make sure someone brings a mat or your feet freeze, and third you organize an umbrella to keep the falling snow off the cakes.  Then you all drink cup after cup of Vin Chaud to keep warm and have none left to sell.  HIC hic. O and fourth you meet the lady who made the natural apple juice (pictured in front) and you all buy dozens of bottles from her 'cause she is old, lovely and French, and you actually spend more money than you made on the day for the school in the first place. 

BUT the apple juice is just the best and Samuel thinks so too.

The vin chaud is boiling in the background, and yes it is actually as cold as it looks.  If you look in the background there is no snow on the slopes that get the morning sun.  This slope gets no sun at all and so there is still about 30cm of the stuff.

FRESH AIR AND FONDUE

We had a lovely weekend, Saturday we took the kids up the piste but walked from the car park no luxury ski lift this time.  It was such a sunny day and not cold.  We intended to have lunch at the top but the restaurants don't accept bookings and of course were full.  Naturally.  So we hiked back down and treated ourselves to a fondue in Praz sur Arly.

Lending a helping hand

Samuel the budding photographer

mmmm heaven

Kids loved it too.

You can see in the picture the Christmas tree is still up.  This drives me nuts.  All the decor and christmas trees are still up in our village.  I went to the doctor the other day and frosty the snowman was still on the windows.  It's nearly MARCH people.  

It's been snowing all day today and we spent the day sitting around the fire and keeping warm.  We live in a double story but unfortunately the heat just doesn't go up stairs so the warmest place is the lounge.  You feel even cosier whilst watching the snow flakes come down.

Samuel and Benjamin had a play date this afternoon so we were invited for a drink when we picked them up.  The husband is English so it was nice to converse in English for a change.  The village is packed with holiday makers as Britain and France are all on school holidays, except Savoie - ie us.  We break up next week and I am leaving on a jet plane.  Yip.  I leave on Thursday with the kids.  Manu is staying here as his boss is meant to be here for holiday but there is not a lot of snow on the piste so he isn't here.  Sods law coming into the equation as usual.  Anyway I am excited to see the African sun and of course my favourite African people.  YIPEEEEE.

FINALLY

When I left South Africa I had sold our little house two weeks before, so in a mad rush agreed to the sale conditions which included the buyer only taking transfer at the end of January.  Naturally things got delayed due to the revenue service going electronic - who figured that would actually slow things down, and the date got moved to mid February.  Well it's finally come up with transfer going through next week.  I am so relieved.

OUR OLD HOUSE

One thing I won't miss about the house - BABOONS

Our beautiful kitty - Milla - who went to loving home

Good friends sitting in the lounge

One of our many fab parties on our patio 

Pain is an amazing thing.  I went to the doctor yesterday after a bad week with my stomach and readjusting my very limited diet I was actually feeling good.  I didn't go for my stomach but rather my shoulder which I broke last July.  I had X rays and an IRM which translates to MRI in English.  I have no nerve damage which was established at the time but the X ray team had no doctor to read the X rays so I had to make another appointment with my GP to read the X rays.  This is all a money making joke as far as I'm concerned.  Well the bones are finally healed but I have tendonitis and considering I am traveling alone with two kids and luggage I opted for a cortisone injection in the joint.  Well this morning I can't move.  And these things are supposed to make you feel better.  I little prodding and poking by a doctor and I was whacked.  I went to bed at 8 last night.

WEDNESDAY OFF

The kids here don't go to school on a Wednesday, it makes for a short school week, I don't know if that's good or bad.  It's been overcast but not cold so I took them luging with Manu.  The pistes are packed with holiday makers and so they have built a seperate snow mountain to keep the lugers or sledgers away from the ever so important skiers.  We've had no snow since January 11th and people are very much skiing on the grass but they are determined.

Samuel swopped luges with another boy

Busy slopes

And after a walk through the woods

Boys will be boys

THE WEEKEND - CHECK

Well the weekend's done.  I dread the weekends on my own.  I spent 8 months on my own when Manu was here and I had the kids, and I now dread the weekends alone.  You would think I would be used to it.  But I think having the kids on your own is absolutely madness, I don't know how the single moms and dads do it.  There is no respite. 

If ever a brilliant toy was invented it's the plastic army man.  They play with these for hours.

Anyway I have a friend - Stephanie, who has two boys - Dylan and Axel, only Axel gets on with Benjamin and Dylan gets on with Samuel but all 4 together and you have a war.  WE meet every Friday - Gouter - for tea and take it in turns at each others houses, it always ends up in tears.  This Friday we split them, Ben and Axel here, and Sam and Dylan at Stephanies.  RESULT.

 Axel and Ben watching a 3 D movie

Saturday, Manu still working, I spent the morning catching up homework.  I think the world should adopt a no homework policy.  It's not like the kids do it anyway.  The afternoon I spent on the piste with Stephanie and the kids.  It's Paris school holidays.  France is split in to three zones for holidays and we are last so at the moment it's Paris, and they are all here.  We took the kids luging.  It was fun and they slept well.

Sunday a lazy day and Manu still working so it was long.  I borrowed some DVD's from the library and have worked my way through the first season on 'Six feet under' and the Sapranos, so that's a good excuse to put the kids to bed early.

Today (Monday) is Manu's last night, breakfast tomorrow and then they go home.  Back for the weekend though.  But HAPPY VALENTINES everyone and to celebrate I'm drinking Rose - well it's pink.

THAT BLASTED SHOULDER

So I broke my shoulder in three places in July 2010 with the aid of a South Easter and the car door in the Fish Hoek Pre Primary car park.  7 Months later and it's still broken, so yesterday I went for a scan to check all the tendons, which I am pleased to say are all in tact and undamaged, so that leaves the question as to why the bones are not healing.  I am still waiting for that to be answered.

Kids are doing well and Samuel's teacher has finally realized, after telling her about 10 times, that he needs to start from the beginning and learn his ABC's and 1,2,3's.  Here they start learning to read and write at 4.  In South Africa it's 7.  So needless to say we are WAY behind, but poor little blighter he is battling on and it's starting to pay off because he's getting it.  I just the wish the teacher would.

Teaching Samuel

Manu's working the entire weekend which leaves me without a car, but up until Monday there is no snow forecast so we can walk about.  The best thing for the kids to do at the moment is throw stones in the river to break all the ice.  Of course I freeze my backside off whilst sitting in a freezing wood waiting for them to finish, but it's nice to be outdoors.  I miss that - living in an apartment without the luxury of a garden gets to you sometimes.

 Our lovely car which I won't have the use of this weekend

A frozen river...........cccccold

MT BLANC RETRO CARDS

I love these old cards they are on all the biscuite boxes, chocolate boxes etc.

LE PLANAY

Yesterday was a down day for me.  My friend, Heather, who has just moved to NY State from SA via six years in the UK has had a down week and I think I caught her bug.  It's so great to have someone to skype who is going through the exact same thing as you.  Moving is a hell of a thing.  One minute you're admiring the beauty of your surroundings and wondering why you didn't make the move years ago and the next you are grief stricken at leaving everyone behind and missing your nearest and dearest so much you can barely breathe.  I was having one of those days so Manu piled us in the car and we went for a drive.  Just a simple drive to explore a new area and it really does lift your spirits.  I think we are our own worst enemy sometimes when we wallow in our own self pity instead of stepping forward.  It's all a learning curve though isn't it.

So we landed up at Le Planay a little village stuck on the end of Megeve.  It was beautiful, fresh, undisturbed snow, crisp air and plently of space for the kids to play.

Wood for the winter

One of about 4 houses in Le Planay

Kick dad

Roll dad

Refreshments

Where did the paper plane go?

Mad Dad

O LOVELY SAUMUR

                                                                                      Saumur

Manu's been working all day and so I got on with things with the kids and that meant tackling homework.  A first for me but I was surprised at how I managed it with a bit of guidance from Samuel of course, can't help but think it should be the other way around.

It was a glorious day +13C.   Really makes a difference from -9C last week and you don't even need a scarf or hat.  Everyone was out walking.  I fell yesterday on the ice and skinned my knee so I was extra careful, it's not easy when everything starts to melt.  Not something you think of when you see the lovely snowy pictures.

Running through the woods

Going down....

I have discovered Saumur, a sparkling wine - because it doesn't come from Champagne you can't call it that, but very similar, delicious at a cool 4.52euros (R 44) it's cheaper than a decent bottle of wine.  Mmmmm it's just lovely and just what the doctor ordered. 

Dinner

Thank heavens for sprinkles which is great for bribing children to eat all their lunch or no ice cream and SPRINKLES.  We don't get them here so Mom brought a large supply which is starting to dwindle a little.  Benjamin has so many you can hardly see the ice cream.  Since he started school again after the holidays he has been easier to handle but today was a repeat of Christmas.  He is so determined and so stubborn it takes every inch of me not to lash out and just finish him off so to speak.  Nothing seems to work.  So tonight he's off to bed early - easy when he can't tell the time.  O the joys. 

Would you like some ice cream with your sprinkles

Mmmmmm Ice cream

Samuel has his last appointment with the educational physcologist tomorrow, at great expense to ourselves, just to proove to his teacher he is quiet normal, which we are assured he is.  It's the same ol same ol, you get good teachers and you get **** teachers.  When they're bad they're really bad but you can't spend your life changing schools really now can you.  Now I realise what my folks must have gone through with us when we were at school, it's heart renching and you just can't be there all the time.

Well I went to the library, got myself a card and borrowed 6 DVD's.  They have a whole lot of American series with all the seasons, so I really can catch up.  Hence the need to put the kids to bed early.  Mmmm pity I don't have two bottles of Saumur, or maybe just aswell.

ALL THINGS FRENCH

So I thought I'd write about the good french things as my blog has been somewhat negative over the past week. 

CAMEMBERT has a smell to make you turn your entire fridge out and check what the problem is but boy is it good.  My latest find is Les Rustique which I love, a lot stronger than most. I think I bought it because it was wrapped in gingham red and looked more French bistro type.   Morbier another of my favourites is even smellier, made with raw milk and has a thin layer of blue running through the middle.  Then there is Tomme, not my favourite although Benjamin and Manu love it.  This is typically made here in the alps and is a hard cheese with a mild flavour.

Morbier as made by a friend of the Guillet's - they have a dairy farm - it was a good lunch as you can see.

LADYBUGS LADYBUGS.....I got these for the boys for Christmas and they actually come from Switzerland not France but the packaging is just the best.  Filled with little ladybirds that are delicious to boot.

FRUIT Compotes are another of my favourite, they are packaged like yoghurts so it doesn't look like babyfood which is literally is.  Just a bunch of fruit pureed, very yummy though.

LONG LIFE milk and cream here just doesn't taste long life, even my folks were fooled.  The other thing is the sugar which comes in these cool containers easy to use and even have a cool measure on the side.

CHOCOLATE BREAD AND BUTTER PUD, yum, Benjamin and I made this today with a whole bunch of Chocolate Croissants I had stashed in the freezer.  Posted recipe on the pages side.

Before cooking it - it was delicious

MUSTARD ........ here in France is delicious and the one I buy comes in these cute glasses which get washed afterwards and used for the kids, they always have smurfs, toy story or various other pics for kids on and of course it all depends on which child comes shopping with me.