THE BUVET

Finally I have arrived at a stage in my life in France that has time for work. I've spent the last two years trailing up and down a mountain pass four times a week taking my eldest son - Samuel - to various appointments and extra lessons. Finally he was diagnosed with Dysphasia in April, which is a problem with the central language center in the brain; we are now on the right track. He repeated this year of school which seems to have helped tremendously and also went to a French class twice a week for three hours a lesson. All that stops in July. The only thing I continue with is the speech therapist. So no more flying to Sallanches and time for me. SO.........I have gone in with a friend and put a tender in to run a little restaurant in the park called a BUVET. Scary thought after running a restaurant for 10 years I never thought I'd do it all again, but this is on a very low scale and for the summer months only. Not to mention it's next door, in the park.  We take over in November. 

So this is it. A tiny little building we will rent from the Mayor. We are going to concentrate on Children’s parties and BBQ's in the evening once a week. Daily I'll be doing gouter at 4pm, which is very big here basically it's juice and cake for the kids. I don't want to be in competition with the bakeries, can't imagine I would with my terrible pastry skills, but my homemade cake, muffin, cookie skills are much better so will do that. Also Gallettes which are savory pancakes made from buckwheat flour and made with different fillings - cheese, ham, sausages and of course the French favourite -Crepes. And that's it. We are responsible for the mini-golf which is brand new and the tennis. Should keep us busy. We were asked by the mayor to take our kids last Friday for pictures so we banged around the mini-golf course. He asked various zany artists in the area to contribute to the course with statues. It's great.

One of the artists finishing his piece.  It moves.

To celebrate our friend Seb came round with pizza -

 

NON-STOP NON-STOP

Seems like year end (school year end that is )is a whirl wind no matter which country you are in.  Football BBQ, Jujitsu BBQ, Retirement drinks for teachers, Fete d l'ecole.  It never stops.  As a result poor Benjamin has tonsillitis, too many late nights and too many picnics at the river.  Can you actually every have too many picnics.  Me thinks not.
On Saturday I took the kids with my neighbour to the little fairground here just for the weekend.

The bouncy thingy

The Avalanche

It went so fast I thought they were going to fall out

Candy Floss - Barbapapa here, and a toffee apple is La Pomme de l'amour, too cool the French language.

So that little Soiree finished at 10 pm and on to the next day which was a BBQ for the end of year football.  Not so impressive, mostly people gathering in their little groups I spent the day alone eating with the boys and watching a little match of Football which Benjamin won a medal for.  So he was well chuffed.

Football and medals

I ducked out of the football early and took the kids to the river with friends.  By 4pm I was in desperate need of a drink, found the whole socializing on your own thing quiet stressfull.

Refreshments kept cool the Alp way

Sailing down a river

Pierrick taking aim

Mud tatoos.

Fun fun fun.

NEARLY THE END

Well the days are rolling on, Manu still overseas, it's been four weeks now and feels like a lifetime, I'm so busy but get not much done if you know what I mean, still up ironing at 10 pm shouting at the kids to go to sleep who are now two in a bed.... and the little one said ........................ A LOT.  They are driving me nuts.  Still two weeks to go till the end.  My folks arrive in July for two months and my Aunt and Uncle from the UK for two weeks just to keep me busy.  I think it will be fun and take my mind of being a single mom for another three months - the second time this year.

We've been busy with picnics and baking, swimming lessons and end of year functions.

I bought a mincer, I love it and I mince everything, these are pork burgers made from pork chops, just cut off the bone before.

Ben putting the effort into burger making

Picnic with neighbours - Sylvie and Misha in our woods, Benjamin managed to rip his shorts, didn't seem to phase him.

I went with Sylvie and Misha to Flumet in the evening for a show put on by the association that does all the activities.  Funny to see line dancing in France but it was great.  The kids ran around eating hotdogs and chips.

And another picnic on another day



And then it was Father's Day.  A little difficult to celebrate considering the DAD is not here.  We made him an e-card with old photos on though -

Can't turn the photo so frustrating Blogger you should be ashamed - Daddy and Benjamin 10 August 2003

Daddy and Samuel 2003

Daddy and Samuel 2007

Daddy and Benjamin 2011

2010

THEN AND NOW

GYPSIES LEAVING

A very dark photo of gypsies leaving Praz

 This is a scene that makes many residents very nervous.  They seem to camp for months on end in a village and are very difficult to move on.  It seems in Praz though they never stay.  You see them arrive and a couple of hours later leave.  We have a huge car park at the base of the piste (ski slopes)  but with no electrical points so I presume that is the reason.  Sarkozy would be pleased he sent thousands back to Romania in 2010.  Look at the size of the vans, they are huge.

JUNE 7th

JUNE 7th ...................

 ..........was my birthday.  A regular day but full of telephone calls, messages, cards and.............

...................this beautiful flower basket from Manu delivered first thing Thursday morning.  I nearly fell over it as we flew out the door to school, late as usual.

The rest of my garden.  Not a lot of sun as we face the wrong way but they are thriving never-the-less.

The rest of the weekend we spent in Chagny, a three hour drive from here with my sister-in-law and Sam and Ben's cousin - Romain.

Tilak and Anne-Sophies house in Bourgogne

Wine Country

A good walk along the canal

Now that's what I call a lazy afternoon

Train Spotting 

and he tooted too

Ben always fascinated with the police



Then it was off to Romain's new school for the fete de l'ecole

Romain

The cousins had fun this weekend.