Project 366 : Photo diary week 52

 We finally made it to the end of 2020 and thank goodness for that ! It wasn't that bad for us as a family to be honest - none of us fell ill and I was working (and therefore getting paid) all the way through, which was better than many people out there. But it was all just a bit depressing, living with constant worry, for example on the buses when people get on with their mask around their chin or in the street when they walk really close to you, and living with lockdown and home-schooling (and home-teaching !). I took some time offline over Christmas, just chilling out, spending time with the kids and slobbing out - much needed and I now feel ready to go back to work. Here was our final week of the year 2020. I'm taking a break from #Project365 for a while - there seems to be nothing going on, apart from non-stop work at the moment. Maybe I'll come back to it when coronavirus is a distant memory and we have time to actually get out and live a little again ! Here are our final photos of the year.

Our town (St Pol sur Mer) decided to put on some Christmas activities for the kids - not on the same scale as usual but there were some people dressed up as cartoon characters alongside a big Christmas tree and a postbox to Santa. In Dunkerque (the main town), there was no big wheel, free skating rink or Christmas market this year, but they did decorate the town hall with a special Santa world that you could visit, as long as you signed up in advance (80 people at a time).

After a couple more visits to the town centre shops and some last minute deliveries from the postman, our stash of presents under the Christmas tree was complete - phew !

Despite living in a country that opens its presents on the 24th in the evening, I was a rotten mum who made the kids wait until the 25th in the morning ! They didn't mind though and, to make things last a bit longer, I did let them open their stockings before bed. After giving out all the presents, we had one happy face ...

Two happy faces ...

Three happy faces ! Phew !

Turkey isn't a traditional Christmas meal in France. It is one option but not a very common one, with most people opting for a seafood starter (maybe smoked salmon or scallops) or a foie gras rich duck liver pâté, then a gamey type of meat for main course (maybe wild boar or deer, with ostrich and kangaroo more recent options), followed by cheese, then an ice cream or cake (or both!) yule log. I did find some turkeys in our big local supermarket but they had a use-by date of the 23rd. Finally, a few days before Christmas, I found a turkey in Lidl - yippee ! They only had about four so it was sheer luck that I managed to nab one ! I couldn't find anything for making pigs in blankets though - no mini sausages and no bacon ! - but never mind. Christmas dinner was a success.

This was our Christmas dessert ... but we didn't eat it until the evening as we were all stuffed ! Vanilla and raspberry ice cream yule log. A lighter option than the usual Christmas pudding !

Our Christmas leftovers didn't seem to last long at all. I put most of the leftover roast potatoes, veg and turkey in a pie with some gravy for Boxing Day.

I managed to throw together a turkey stir-fry too, but the rest disappeared in turkey sandwiches, which the kids couldn't get enough of ! Two days later, it was all gone !

For New Year's Eve, we opted for an apéritif - this is usually eaten along with drinks, before sitting down for another huge meal. We decided to have an apéritif as our meal though, which was perfect after all the heavy eating. Plus there was ice cream yule log left over for dessert.

We'd stocked up on Malibu, cherry beer and alcohol-free kids' champagne, so there was plenty to drink too !

Apart from that, we've been chilling out and going to the beach for some fresh air.

We've been taking the bus down to the far end of the beach which, as you can see, has plenty of space for everyone. There are lots of other people about but they're those dots in the distance so there's no worrying about being too close to others.

There were even some people riding their horses along the beach.

We went for a look at the mirror-covered bunker. It was made into a graffiti-style piece of artwork - the anonymous artist (who eventually made himself known) never asked for permission before covering one of the bunkers in shards of broken mirror. It was a big hit with the locals so, when he announced that he was giving up on reinstalling the pieces of glass (and the costs of glue), the council said they'd take over. At this point, he said he wanted payment for his "work". I'm not sure what they decided in the end, or maybe it's still going through the courts.

I even managed to find the time to write a review this week and this is the review that best sums up 2020 in my opinion. Kawaii style face masks ! 

Well, that was 2020. We made it ! Fingers crossed that 2021 will turn out to be happier and safer for us all.

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Project 366 : Photo diary week 51

 That's it, we made it to the holidays - woohoo ! I need to chill out, sort the house out (lots of cleaning, dejunking and tidying planned) and manage to put on a UK-style Christmas in a country that doesn't do turkey, pigs in blankets and Christmas pudding. This could be interesting ! I think I've got all the presents covered (a few are still awaiting delivery) and the tree is up, so I think I'm doing pretty well so far ! 

Sunday 13th December - As Christmas is nearly here and I'm still not entirely sure what will happen shops-wise (I have fears the new Covid virus will head over to us ... people were saying at our school this week that they wouldn't be at all surprised if the schools shut down again in January or February), I decided to head into town with the kids to grab the final few Christmas presents. Whatever hasn't been bought can be picked up after Christmas now, as the kids are too old to believe in Santa anyway !

Monday - Pierre had to do an art project for school using nothing but different kinds of paper. Juliette helped him out and he created a Christmas scene using tissue paper, card, foil wrapping paper and a couple of little pictures (of a lion and a star). I emailed it to his teacher (who is working from home) and he got 15/20 so he was well chuffed !

Tuesday - It is dark when I go to school in the morning (I'm at the bus stop by 7am) and it is already getting dark by the time I come home at the end of the day, but Juliette took this picture of the cool sunset (or it could be sunrise? I can't remember !)

Wednesday - After a morning at school, I headed back into town, this time to drop off some paperwork at the insurance company's office and to put in a cheque at the bank. There were big queues outside all the shops so I guess I'm not the only one to have left my Christmas shopping until the last minute this year !

Thursday - The French government announced last night that schools will remain open for the last two days of term, but any pupils who want to stay at home in confinement for a week before Christmas were entitled to do so. Pierre informed me that all of his class except for 4 pupils were staying at home. It didn't really seem worth going in in that case so he stayed at home. Juliette did go in, but only because she wanted to go and have fun in PE - strange child !! This is a picture of the sunset, which means that the other one was sunrise. It doesn't really look like winter, does it ?!

Friday - The final day at school - phew, I definitely need two weeks off to unwind ! An arty photo taken through the trees at the bus stop for today. That was as good as it got. I got home from work at 5pm and fell straight asleep on the settee !

Saturday - We wrapped up all the presents that had arrived by post during the week and the tree is totally surrounded by gifts now. Next job - working out what we're eating and grabbing all the festive food. I don't know if you remember that our freezer defrosted when we were on holiday the summer before last and totally stank afterwards. I haven't plugged it in since, using just the freezer box of the fridge and buying fresh meat on a weekly basis. Well, we went to investigate and it didn't smell anywhere near as bad so we plugged it in to see how it went. It actually seems useable so we bought a few bits to try it out. That would definitely make things easier, especially over Christmas.

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Project 366 : Photo diary week 50

 It was Sophie's first week back so, on top of a busy week at work, we were mooching about in my free time, checking out the shops in town and picking up Christmas presents. I really can't wait for the holidays - I am in desperate need of a break !

Sunday 6th December - I gave myself a peaceful morning in bed, waking up late then chilling out in my pyjamas, checking emails and just generally having a bit of much needed me-time. The afternoon was spent catching up on marking though - boo !

Monday - I had a morning at work, then it was my afternoon off, but I had to go back into work for a class meeting at 4.45pm. After sorting out lunch, this basically meant that I had time to clear my mountain of washing that needed folding before heading back into work. It's no fun being an adult sometimes !

Tuesday - After a long day at work, I'd planned on sorting out the Christmas decorations and getting the tree up but we were all too tired out, so the tree ended up stuck in the corner with just one set of fairy lights on it. The other one had stopped working and ended up in the bin. It looks very sad ! Didou is being fought over by the girls, who both want to cuddle him and take him to their room to sleep. He's quite happy making the most of all the extra attention !

Wednesday - It was my half day at school but I had a quick (and fairly pointless !) Zoom meeting with the Norway team in the afternoon. Afterwards, we finally made time to sort out the tree and put all our presents underneath it. It's finally starting to look a bit like Christmas !

Thursday - I met up with the girls after work for some more Christmas shopping. Sophie had decided that she wanted her dad's old camera - it's a good idea as it's been in the cupboard ever since he died - but the charger had disappeared for the battery. She had been to the camera shop in town and they'd managed to recharge the battery with a new universal charger, so we bought one of those. I also bought a new camera bag for her as the old one was bulky and outdated - she got a smaller, funkier one. 

Friday - I had another after school class meeting - the final one (except for another meeting on a different topic on Monday *sigh*) then got home and discovered the extra decorations that the kids had put up in my absence. We're getting there !

Saturday - I had to head to the big local supermarket as my Sodastream gas cannister needed replacing, so Sophie came along with me and we looked for more Christmas gifts and inspiration for Christmas food. She saw loads of things she fancied in the frozen section, so we're thinking of trying out the freezer as a temporary affair over Christmas. You may remember that when we came back from our holiday to Alaska the summer before last, there had been a power cut and it absolutely stank. I emptied it and put bicarb in it but I still found that it smelt horrible and we haven't used it since. I might give it another go and see if it can be used over Christmas. It would definitely make my life easier. Sophie has been pining for a good French pain au chocolat since she got back to France but they'd sold out in the baker's, so she had to do make do with a croissant and a chocolat chip bun. Not bad but she's still longing for a pain au chocolat !

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Project 366 : Photo diary week 49

I know I said this last week but THIS week, fingers crossed, life should definitely start calming down. The translation is finished (again ! They added a couple more documents after I sent them all over last time *sigh*), the school reports are filled in, there are only two more class meetings then we're into the final week before the holidays. Thank goodness for that ! Sophie has made it back home for Christmas too so she'll be with us for the next month. In short, all is well here at The Madhouse !

Sunday 29th November - The confinement was lifted this weekend and the shops opened up again, so we decided to head into town for a look around. We managed to get a few more Christmas presents sorted out. Is it just me being all bah humbug or are these baubles just too big for the size of the Christmas trees ?! Some of the trees have literally one bauble on. Maybe it's artistic and I'm missing the point ?!

Monday - A morning at work, then I came home for lunch, had a few hours at home (just enough time to fold the laundry) then had to dash back to work for my class meeting. It started at 4.45pm but I had another one back-to-back so I didn't get home until about 8pm. This was the moon peeking out of the clouds on the way home. Too late for walking the dog tonight. I cooked up some dinner then we all settled down for a quick bit of TV then bed.

Tuesday - A normal day at work - nothing special to report ! Back at home, checking my blog comments, there is something very weird going on. I keep getting spam comments for a dating/sex website. Nothing unusual about that but they are all coming through on this old post for a New Zealand recipe for bacon and egg pie. Why would that attract spammers?! I'm totally confused ! I must have deleted about 30 comments on this post over the last few weeks ! I must be missing something !

Wednesday - After a morning at work, I decided to make the most of the afternoon to clear the last of the translation. First, I had to chase it up with the person who wrote the document as they guy who wants it translating has still failed to send it. I know he's busy but so am I ! Grrrr ! I also started wrapping up Christmas gifts in case anyone starts peeking ! 

Thursday - They've started adding more decorations to the town centre. They add a splash of colour but it's nothing like the usual Christmas market, big wheel and free skating rink that are usually here. It's going to be a strange old Christmas this year !

Friday - A long day of lessons, topped off with an after-school meeting, so I was totally knackered when I got home from school. It was about 7.15 so not that bad. This was a quick shot on the way to work in the morning. Reflection of the sky from the bus stop.

Saturday - I will be honest, I wasn't sure she'd make it and I had visions of her being turned back at Dover, but Sophie made it home. Yay! This was a picture she sent from the train next to The Shard at dawn. She was knackered (as was I, from my week at work) so we both ended up having an afternoon nap - oops !

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Project 366 : Photo diary week 48

This time last week, I was happily telling you that I'd finished off the big translation job and sent it all off for the Norway project. Then on Monday, I got an email. "Sorry, I've just found two more documents that need translating." *Sigh* Well, I've made a start on those but this week's job was filling in the end-of-term reports. The "conseils de classe" kick off this week - each class (I have seven classes - five main classes and two groups) has a meeting that lasts about an hour to an hour and a half, all after school. At least it's almost the holidays once they're over !

Sunday 22nd November - Just a lazy day, taking some time to chill out. Caught up with my family on the phone and Sophie on Facebook, then headed out for a walk with the dog and Juliette. This is what we have to fill out every time we go outside during the confinement. You have to put in all your ID details (name, address, date of birth, place of birth), the date and time and the reason for going out. Then you sign it and this pops up, giving you an hour's time outside. If you're stopped by the police without one, you get a fine (€125, I believe). It's fairly quick to fill out but it's a pain if you just need to pop to the corner shop !

Monday - It's my afternoon off so I had an appointment with someone about changing the boiler and all the government help that is available. They were cold callers who had phoned me and it actually fitted in with my current plans so I said OK. They said they'd come at 2pm, then phoned back and asked if they could come at 1pm. I said that would be a bit tight for getting home from work but 1.30 would be OK. Well guess what? They never showed up ! Blooming gits ! I waited in for about an hour then gave up. I went shopping in Lidl and ... ta-da ... they finally had some tinned tomatoes in. Yay ! They haven't had any for the last three weeks so I stocked up. I've been craving spaghetti bolognese and lasagne and chilli con carne and all those things that need tomatoes !

Tuesday - It's been feeling a bit nippy this week, so when I saw all these birds lined up on the roof opposite our house, I wondered if they were getting ready to emigrate. Either that or their loft insulation is rubbish and they were warming up their feet !

Wednesday - It's my afternoon off and I cleared lots of school work then chilled out online for a while. This website popped up in my facebook page and gave me a giggle. It's people who asked a photo editor to tweak their photos (in this one for example, the boys all want to be the same size) and he does all the changes quite literally. Some of them made me laugh ! It's here if you fancy a look.

Thursday - Usually I come home and catch up with the kids at lunchtime on Thursdays, as I finish at 11am and start again at 2.30pm. This week, though, I decided to stay in school and carry on filling in my school reports. I managed to get most of them done. Just one class left - phew !

Friday -  Finally the end of the week. And I even grabbed the time in my lunch break to finish off my reports. Yippee ! As you know by now, Friday afternoon finishes off with my naughty class (their last hour and mine). This week, one pupil was excluded, awaiting his "conseil de discipline", in which it will be decided if he gets kicked out of school or given a final chance. Then - completely unexpected good news ! - another of the troublemakers was called to give his books back because he's changing schools. This is great news as it will totally change the dynamics of the class. Phew ! I got home just in time to see the sunset with lots of birds flapping around in the sky.

Saturday - This was Pierre's breakfast that he made and proudly came to show me. Three slices of bread in a double-decker Nutella sandwich ! And he ate every mouthful then even finished his lunch not that long afterwards ! This actually gave me the idea of making double decker cheese on toast - hmmm, I might have to give that a go !

 

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Project 366 : Photo diary week 47

This week could be summed up in one word : busy ! On top of sorting out the car and finishing off the translation (phew !), we finally started tackling Christmas shopping. We got a lot done, but I definitely don't feel like I've had a weekend so I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow ! I haven't even had the time to do any blogging all week. Hopefully I can catch up this week ! :)

Sunday - A nice quiet day. Well, in theory ! I cleared another one of the translation documents so, once I'd got through the laundry (washing one load and folding another) and had a shower, I didn't even have the time or energy to phone home this weekend. Not good ! A strange sunset today, with pink-tinged clouds hanging in the sky above a strip of pale blue. It probably means something but I am not Wincey Willis, alas !

Monday - After a morning at work, I dashed home and sorted out lunch, then the neighbour came and picked up the car to take it in for its MOT. Pierre was feeling ill - he'd spent all morning thinking he was going to be sick and wondering if he'd be allowed to take his mask off if he did (he even asked his teacher !) so I told him he could stay at home for the afternoon. After a bit of a sleep, he felt better - phew ! The neighbour brought the car back. There'd been a problem - he couldn't accelerate. It turns out, the filter that he'd swapped over beforehand had a problem (they'd all been called back) so he put in a new one and will take back the car on Thursday. I'll have to sort out the insurance again. (It's only insured in the garage, as it's never usually out on the road.) Dashed off to the shop, passing by the town hall. In theory, this will be transformed with Christmas decorations next week.

Tuesday - A busy day at work so no news to share today. I headed in to the kitchen at bedtime, as Juliette was sorting out her hot water bottle. She'd plonked the dog on the counter while she waited for the kettle to boil and the silly thing was just sitting there waiting. I shook my head at her and at him for putting up with her ! (Can you see all the dust in my oven door? I have no idea how to get it out as it's in between two glass panels with a narrow gap between them and there's no way in there. Even the vacuum cleaner nozzle won't fit - I've tried ! Any suggestions ?!)

Wednesday - Morning at work, afternoon chilling out at home. In my dreams ! Dashed off to the supermarket for some school bits (pens, paper, glue, ...) for Pierre and Juliette that needed replacing. It's a pain now that most of the shops are shut with coronavirus restrictions, as I have to go further afield. They've got their Christmas decorations up at the supermarket now though, which is nice - the illuminated reindeer looks lovely and festive. It's actually made me realise just how close Christmas is !

Thursday - Another busy day at work. Came home for lunch and let the neighbour in so that he could take the car out of the garage and drop it off (again !) for the MOT. This time it came back with a clean bill of health - phew ! Absolutely knackered so I didn't bother doing the translation this evening and chilled out in front of Netflix instead. I've started watching The Crown, which is quite interesting, but I have no idea how truthful it all is. I didn't realise that the Queen and Prince Philip were looking at divorce in the early days. They always seem quite cosy with each other these days ! Juliette played around with her phone camera and took this fish-eye picture of her and the dog !

Friday - My late start to the day - I don't have to leave home until just after 10am. After getting the kids off to school at 7am/7.30am, I headed back to bed with my laptop and chilled out - bliss ! It was nice to get up after the sun for once - I'm normally heading off to the bus-stop at 7am when it's still dark. Another big run in with the "naughty" class. I picked them up after the afternoon break and one of the troublemakers was totally stressed out (he'd had a run-in with another one of the troublemakers and "couldn't take it any more" ...) and the liaison officer (almost like a social worker - she deals with all the problems outside of school, linked to the pupils' families, that have a link to how they are at school) told me things couldn't go on like this, she'd spent the whole break reassuring the girls who were in tears because there had been a fight in an earlier class. Took them up to the classroom, had a good shout at them (because they were all hyperactive and not at all concentrating on the lesson) and actually had a pretty good class with them. Just at the end of the lesson, the headmaster and deputy headmistress came to the classroom - things will not be left to go on like this, changes will be made as from next week, all the troublemakers had better change their ways extremely quickly or measures will be put in place to solve the problem radically. Oo-er, I don't even know what they'd done ! Another evening off, chilling in front of Netflix - my brain is frazzled !

Saturday - I know, you can't even see what this picture is, but it's my translation folder with all of the files completed - at last ! Yippee ! Sent it off to the team in Norway. Now I can just forget about it - phew ! Had a lazy day to celebrate - chatted to Sophie online, went food shopping, walked the dog and watched Ghost Adventures on TV. Bliss :)

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