Heatwave

 I have now been back in Nancy for a week, and I can almost see the weeks that are left here mapping out in front of me. There are 12…maybe even 11 as we haven’t completely arranged when I will be leaving yet. In some ways, I just want to be back at home with my family. In others, I absolutely love all the experiences that I’m having here, all the people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, and just being able to do things I can’t at home, and being away from my old life. Also, this weekend it’s been 27oc: summer is definitely here in Nancy!

This week has been ok, pretty good really. I haven’t done much apart from look after the children during the week, but it’s gone well. Alice went off on Colonie on Monday at lunchtime, and after that, I got to rest a little after my journey back and hardly sleeping the night before. Then I went to get the boys – Stanley had been at the activity centre.

It was choir as usual in the evening, and as we were preparing for our concert this weekend, it went on for an hour longer than usual. Thus I was eve more tired the next day, and I had Stanley all day!

Looking after Stanley by himself turned out to be a really nice experience though. When he has my full attention, he is so sweet and so much better behaved. We took the tram to the swimming pool and we had so much fun together, although I discovered the French’s love of the swimming hat. Stanley had one, but I didn’t think that I would have to wear one. I was wrong: I was not allowed to swim without one. Luckily they have swimming hat vending machines, and five minutes later, I was bobbing around in the kiddie pool with Stanley, both of us wearing swimming hats! I felt very attractive. However, everyone has to wear one so it’s not so bad! Stanley absolutely loved swimming and he was so cute splashing around! Afterwards, we went to the play park, the headed home for lunch. Seriously underestimated how long it would take to walk a tired child home from the tram stop – man alive! After lunch, I made him have a little sleep, and I even got to close my eyes for a few minutes too! We spent the rest of the day playing in the back yard and watching a DVD until it was time to get the little one!

I spent the evening in relaxing with F+S. The fact that no-one’s been about much this week has meant that I have got to spend some good time with the parents which has made me feel happier about being here. I find it a bit strange when we hardly see each other, and I think that next week will be a bit like that! I have been having trouble sleeping though. I think I got so used to how quiet it was back home that all the noise of the cars outside and from other apartments has been bothering me a bit. Subsequently, on Wednesday, I was more tired than ever! Thankfully, Stanley was at activities again, so I had the day to myself. I can back from dropping the boys off and curled up on the sofa for a bit. Later on, I went and had lunch with Krista. It was great to catch up! She and Betsy had been in Nice, and she had just got back on the sleeper train. (Betsy had continued travelling and gets back tonight.) She was back for 2 days before heading off to Scandinavia for nearly three weeks with the family….lucky!!!

On Wednesday night, I went to bed really early, and felt a lot better for the next day – a full day with Stanley! We went to the market in the morning and bought too much fruit and veg…then Stanley dawdled all the way home and my arms nearly fell off!

We spent the rest of the day at home, and I helped Stanley with his writing and tried to start teaching him how to read. He liked it, but after a while he got a bit bored and confused, so I let him go off and play.

When little one came home, we had a really good dinnertime. I have implemented the super-nanny tactic of star charts for good eating, and it’s working a treat! Both boys sat up and ate all their dinner. They usually make a fuss, leave things and can never sit still. This tactic has been working really well and now they are eating well without the star charts too!

By Friday, it had started to get really hot. I took Stanley to the park, and we ran through the fountain and got soaked, but it didn’t matter at all because we dried off really quickly! As a treat for eating so well all week, we went to a burger restaurant. He loved it so much and I got my French fry fix! This week has been a lot better than I thought it would be and the children are back to school tomorrow. On Friday night, F, S and I had a really nice dinner and I caught up on sleep!

On Saturday morning, I went to do my tutoring at the house of 7 children!! The three kids I teach are so great, really sweet and so clever. They have all been put forward at school and their English is amazing. The oldest girl is already taking her ‘bac’ this year at 16 years old -most French kids take it at 18 or 19 – and she will start University in September!

After a nice family lunch, I went to meet Laura. We had a drink on the Place in the boiling heat and then went and sat in the park and chatted. It was so nice to be out in the sunshine!

There was no Groupe de Jeunes last night, so I stayed in and filled out job applications, spoke to my lovely Mum on the phone and ate with F+S. After, I watched a film and went to bed.

Today was really great. I went to church in the morning, and it was great to be there again after quite a long while!

Afterwards, I went back to Isabelle – a lady from choir’s - house for lunch. Another girl from church, Elsa, also came and we had a BBQ in Isabelle’s garden with her husband and Son. They live a little way out from Nancy in a beautiful house with fields and woods around. It was so nice, and they are such a lovely family!

Afterwards, we got ready to go to the choir concert. It was in this tiny little village church – I have no idea why – but it was so beautiful! We practiced for an hour before, and then gave the concert to a church full of villagers at 4pm. It went so well! It was amazing acoustics and it was great to finally perform all the songs we’ve been practising! We have quite a few more gigs coming up now too!

Afterwards, we had drinks and aperitif before heading back to Nancy.

I’m now off to Betsy’s for a late bit of dinner and a much-needed catch up!!

I hope you’ve all had a good weekend!

Much love,

Lucy xxx

Home: Part 3. (including a Royal Wedding!)

Friday:
The day Britain had been waiting for arrived! I woke up and lazily headed downstairs about 9am to find mum already glued to the television, a pain-au-raison in hand. I also noted the union jack bunting that she had her school children make then bring home for herself! Ha! After ribbing her for being so lame, I decided to grab myself some lovely coffee (another good thing about home - the coffee machine) and join her since I too wanted to see a bit of build-up!

We thought it would be fun to wear red, white and blue, seeing as by this point, we might as well go the whole hog with the festivities. Alice joined us, and soon after Grandma was here, also wearing our national colours and waving union jack flags! Hilarious. Mum made Pimms and some yummy snacks then Erin and Eddie turned up... not so lamely dressed us us, but bearing strawberries!!

We all sat down to watch. It was just completely amazing. I am sure you all watched it and know what I'm talking about, but it was just so moving, so genuine and down-to-earth amid all the pomp.
There were some really special moments:

Princes William and Harry turn up...

Kate and her Dad

It was great to see all the royal family, always love a glimpse of Prince Phillip - what a legend.

And the little bridesmaids and pageboys were so cute!

The service, although old-fashioned was meaningful. I think one of the things that stood out for me was when the bishop of London preached. His opening lines were:

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves." (http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/blog/2011/April/29/The-Bishop-of-London-s-Sermon)

Amazing words. I was kind of proud to be British at this point. Watching two royal celebrities (let's be honest, they are), committing their lives to one another before God.

We cracked open some bubbly once the ceremony was over, and it was all very celebratory. We waited until the couple appeared on the balcony for the flypast. I thought how crazy it must have been for Kate's family. I am sure that never in a million years would they have believed that they would be in that situation!

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/04/the_royal_wedding.html

Well after it was all over (for TV viewers anyway) it all felt a bit flat. There were no street parties in our street... But it was a great occasion!

Later on, I went to meet a friend for a drink before coming back home for a family meal. Arthur and Rosanna were back and it was so nice to see them; it felt like old times again!

Later on we watched a bit of TV. I never much liked Friday night TV before, but it's amazing to watch a bit of British comedy chat after 3 months of French TV which is really shocking!

On Saturday, Arthur, Mum and I went to clanger wood with Brammy. It was so beautiful, and we saw a deer really close up and it stood there and watched us for ages! 

Later on, Dad, Mum and I went into Bath for a bit of shopping etc. We had a really nice lunch in the sun watching the amazing opera singer in Abbey square and just enjoyed the atmosphere. It really was packed with tourists there and it reminded me of when I used to live in Bath and popping into town for something was like doing battle with the tourists! Anyway, it was a really nice day, and later on, we had sausage and mash with onion gravy as I'd been craving it while I was in France...they just don't do sausages like in England! Lizzie came over and she stayed and I woke up in the morning and knew I had to go back to France and it was pretty horrible. But Lizzie, Alice and I went to Maranatha, and afterwards I said goodbye to Lizzie and then we went home and had some lunch and then Mum and Dad took me to the station and I had to leave them. It was so horrible leaving my family, but I know now that three months goes fast and Mum and Dad are coming out to visit in 4 weeks :)
The journey back went fine, except for a slightly scary trek through Gare du Nord area with my huge case. I arrived back at the apartment feeling totally surreal but not too awful and this week has gone well, although it's been full on. More of that in the next instalment.

Missing you,
Lucy xxx

Home, Part 2

This is a continuation of what I got up to when I left home. Mainly because, even though I've only been back in Nancy 2 days, memories of my amazing time back home are fading fast and I want to record them in some way, and say thank you to the people who made it a fantastic time! I cannot stress how nice it was to be staying at home with my family during the week and I miss you even more now then ever.

On Monday, some of the old crew was re-united and we took the opportunity for a nice walk along the canal and a picnic at Bradford on Avon. It was a really warm and lovely day and it was amazing to see everyone again! Much food was consumed, new girlfriends were met, and we caught up on everyone's 'nouvelles'!

We couldn't end the day without a trip to our favourite pub, The Castle.

Kirsty, Tajb, Lizzie, Erin, Me, John, Jenny

Unfortunately, as some people had places to be, our reunion was short. Lizzie and I had also been invited to a BBQ at Lizzie's friend, Dave's farm. We had heard that it was a pretty amazing place and we were not disappointed! It is absolutely beautiful! We asked Dave to take us for a tour and the place is so big we only got about halfway round and that was a pretty long walk. We had a really lovely evening, sitting in the sunshine eating great food and chatting to Dave's parents. We had a tour of the house, which included climbing out of the attic window and onto the roof of the house, and we also had the privilege to help feed some orphan lambs which we did while the sun was going down, it was so beautiful. A spell in the city really makes you appreciate the countryside! Later on we played some games (I actually won both of them, much to my - and everyone else's surprise)

and we left feeling well fed and having had an amazing day!

Tuesday

Dad and I took a day trip to 'The North' (somewhere near Nottingham) to visit my Nanny and Grandpa. It's a kind of crazy thing we do so we don't stay over there and stress them out. But the journey was pretty long. However, this time it was great as it gave us a chance to have a really good chat! It was lovely to see the grandparents too, we had a really nice pub lunch and I told them all about life in France. They always have really cool stories to tell about the past and family and stuff which is really interesting! After being plied with yet more chocolate, we said our goodbyes and drove back home.

Wednesday

I didn't do much this day, but I had a friend over for coffee in the morning which was nice, and basically spent the afternoon trying to think about what the next steps for my life are going to be after leaving France. It's kind of scary but also exciting... I am looking forward to joining the real world soon!

I spent the evening curled up on the sofa with mum, a bottle of wine and a documentary on William and Kate!! By this point, we were getting pretty into the Royal Wedding hype!

Thursday

Thursday was a nice day, catching up with William and his family and spending a lovely afternoon in Bath with Tom :)  We saw the film 'Submarine' - go see it! It's brilliant, and so Welsh!

Part three coming soon (for those who are remotely interested in my holiday activities...)

In which I try to demonstrate the awesomeness of my time back home! Part 1: Easter weekend

…Yesterday I woke up to the sound of birds and the countryside, with my best friend lying next to me. Today I woke up to the sounds of cars and children. Two different worlds… 

I arrived back in Nancy at around 11 last night shattered and feeling slightly surreal. Home was so familiar and I slotted back into life there with surprising ease. I thought it would have been a bit strange, but it just felt like I had never left. Coming back to Nancy felt like coming back to a dream...a very familiar dream. The next three months are not going to be like the first three. I came back to my room and my things; to children who greeted me with so much love and affection, and to a job I am now at ease with. I dreaded coming back, but now I think it's going to be just fine.

So, the aim of this post is to sum up some of the stuff that happened while I was back home as I got a bit too busy to write... [WARNING: this will be long!]

I left on Friday 22nd April (not Saturday, as I'd told people) in order to surprise my family. The trip went so well...

Here is something I wrote while I was waiting for the Eurostar in Paris...

Vendredi, 22 Avril.

I’m sat in Gare du Nord right now, exactly 3 months since I was sat waiting for my train at Charles de Gaulle on the edge of my big adventure. And now I’ve been here for 3 months, I’m going for a little holiday back home. I feel unbelievably different, and yet still wholly, completely the person I was then too. Just more…confident.  I have learned so much since I have been here. I have learned how to put myself second and look after children, not worrying about how I feel. Although this is still very hard… I have learned to be completely independent and yet rely on God for everything. Life is so completely blessed when you allow God to take over your life. You just stop worrying. Life is wonderful when you know Jesus.I have met so many wonderful people. I have so many new friends, friends I could never imagine my life without now, and three adorable children to look after. Yet I’ve met them all since the last time I saw my family. And I am so excited to see them. It almost feels unreal, like a dream…a dream that is soon to come true!

The journey so far has been incredibly blessed. The random ticket allocation seated me next to a lovely French girl from my church on the TGV to Paris, and we talked the whole way :D Then Mandy met me at Gare de L’Est and we had lunch together. She is the best! I am feeling that the worst bit will be London. But I’m trusting in God that he will look after me with all my luggage! I can’t wait to see Lizzie at Bath!

Actually, my journey continued so well. I met some lovely people on the Eurostar, and then hiked across London with another girl who was headed for Paddington. When I arrived at Bath in the early evening sunshine, I met Lizzie and it was just amazing to see her. However, she confessed that she had parked her car right up Widcome Hill...she wasn't joking either. We had a hilarious struggle up the hill with my heavy cases and drove the familiar route home. It felt so amazing to be back in the west-country after 3 months of urban living! When we got back to mine, Lizzie parked round the corner and I crept up the drive. Seeing the front door was open and hearing Mum in the kitchen, I ran in and surprised her! It was so amazing, the look on her face was priceless! And it was fantastic to see her! Alice was also there, and we went and had drinks in the summer house while we waited for Dad to get home. He was suitably surprised as he parked the car and I ran up to meet him. Although we all remarked on how normal it all felt! We spent such a lovely evening together with a nice meal and catching up on all that's been happening. It was also amazing to sleep in my bed again with the windows open and wake up to the sun streaming in. 

Unfortunately, lie-ins were not on the agenda for my week back home. My body clock has most definitely re-tuned itself to my new way of life, but this meant more time to enjoy what I've come to appreciate as one of the best parts of the day!

Saturday:

Saturday was such a nice day. It started with bacon and eggs (something very scarce in France) before going out for coffee with Mum and Dad. We later went for lunch at The Mill in the sunshine which was lovely, and great to see my lovely old colleagues etc! Afterwards, I headed over to Erin's to pick her up as she had just got back from Guildford for the week and we went over to Lizzie's. A very happy re-union! Lizzie decided it would be a great idea to cycle to Steeple Ashton (a village not too far away with a nice pub) so we headed off on a selection of Francis household bikes! It was all going great until we hit the hill going in to the village and we arrived at the pub red-faced and out-of-breath!! So ladylike! We had a great catch-up in the pub garden and, as it always does with these girls, it felt like old times! The sign of a good friendship, we can just pick up where we left off. After cycling back to her house, we had a glass of wine in the garden and chatted to Lizzie's mum and 'grand-mere' before leaving for evenings with our families. 

I had a great dinner with Mum, Dad and Alice, and then afterwards, they took me to Clanger Wood which was completely covered in bluebells. It was so beautiful!!

 Sunday - Easter Day!

Another really warm and sunny day! Alice and I went to church at Maranatha in the morning and it was so great to be back, celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection! Afterwards, we went for the traditional Easter Day lunch with the grandparents in Shaftsbury which was lovely as always! It felt extra special to be catching up with the family after I'd been away - it really makes you appreciate them so much more!

We had a great lunch, an Easter Egg treasure hunt, and fun in the park: most people enjoyed the children's play equipment! All in all, just a really nice day!

Easter bunny

To be continued...

Home

I'm going back to Nancy today after an amazing 9 days at home. It has been a really awesome time and I'm feeling pretty sad to be leaving, but excited for the next chapter of Nancy times!
I'll update when I'm back :)

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter and that you are enjoying the long weekend!

xxx