Hot bottoms and bubbles

The weekend away was great! We ended up in a 5 star hotel in Austria! The first night we had an 8 course meal - I have never had an eight course meal before. By course six I was stuffed and could barely manage more than a bite of the two desserts! I learnt from that and on the second night paced myself for the seven course meal!!! Couldn't miss dessert two nights running could I???

We went skiing in a resort that crosses the German/Austrian border. I knew whenever we were close to the border as my mobile phone provider would send me a SMS telling me I had changed providers!! The first day the snow was fabulous but we couldn't see much. Sunday the weather was sunny but the snow was a little crispy! What was fun about the resort though were the chair lifts. One of our friends with us (who was French and a very good skier) was amazed! First there were the little travellators - as you went through the gate you went on one which took you to the right place at supposedly the right time for the chair lift to pick you up. It has to be said though that one such travellator brought you very close to falling off the edge if you were a little too enthusiastic going through the gate! Next were the bubbles - many of the lifts had lids that kept the wind off - bliss! But best of all were the heated seats - nice warm bottom by the time you got to the top! Must try to encourage the local ski stations to invest in them!!

So that was our weekend in a nutshell! he children had a ball at granny's! Now all I need to do is work on granny for those 10 days in Boston we want to plan.......

Gadgets I didn't know I couldn't live without!!

There aren't that many gadgets that I really really need but I got one recently (not by design but it just came with the car!!) that I can really see the benefit of! What is it - the bluetooth. When J said it was in the new car I was not really impressed - being that I don't really use my mobile phone that much (another gadget I could almost live without - except that it is a means of the children's school getting in touch with me in an emergency!!)! However, it is really useful. Before I leave work I can call and chat to J or friends, and I can actually take any calls (before I would obviously leave them!!) Probably not essential but I am getting very used to it - and not in a good way!!

What gadgets would you not like to give up!!?

Weekend away!

O is 7 1/2 years old. In all that time J and I have never been away for the weekend alone! Heck - since F was born there has only been 2 nights when both have been away at the same time - and both times it was not so we could go away but for other far more practical reasons!!

But next month all that is to change! We have had the opportunity to go to Munich for the weekend. Well actually, a long weekend! MIL is having the children - though O is going to sleep at a friend's one night (for practical reasons known as swimmming and handball!!!) I am so looking forward to it. Friday will be a day in Munich before we head to the mountains for a weekend of skiing!

And lets not talk about a possible week in Boston in June!!!!!

Whoops!

So the children are on school holidays this week (and next - don't get me started on French school holidays!!!) And O is on a day theatre camp in the next town up! It finishes at 4.30pm. The town is a minimum of 30 minutes from work - if all the lights are green and I don't get behind a lorry.

It is 4.15pm. I am still at work. The penny drops - the children are not at school. O's camp finishes in 15 minutes. I rush out. Thankfully the traffic fairies are on my side! I am "only" 15 minutes late!

The worse thing - it was not just O but his friend I was picking up. Thankfully the camp director was very undestanding - she knows me well!

So for tomorrow - note to self - the children are NOT at school!!!!

Holiday plans

Or lack of that should be!

We can't make our mind up in the first place if we should actually go on holiday this summer. Last summer we went to Munich and then on to the German Alps and had a good time. It was tiring though - he children were boisterous to say the least and bickered every night as hey were sharing a room. For the New Year we went skiing in the French Alps. We stayed this time in a hotel which we liked a lot. However I don't think our budget will stretch to a hotel this time, especially for two weeks. Added to that J is hopeless at sitting down to discuss it!!

I think if we do go it will be in France - and probably the beach because we haven't had a beach holiday in a long time! If it is the beach - then I much prefer the Atlantic coast. I don't know why but the Med coast has never really done it for me! I know the children would love a beach holiday.

Off on a tangent but I managed to see how many airmiles J has on his AF card today - he never gets statements so we had no idea really! Anyway, here is enough for a return flight with Europe - now where could I go!!!!!

Flying high!

I was working out of a different office this morning which necessitated me taking a completely different route than normal!

This being Toulouse and the very fact I was skirting the airport I shouldn't have been surprised by what I saw but somehow I was. It was the A380 - something I see daily as it lands at the airport (my office is at one end of the runway!!) but this one was parked and at such an angle that at first I could just see the nose and wings - and that made me really appreciate its size and marvel at the fact that this beast flies!

Two minutes later I passed another icon of the aviation world - Concorde. I have seen this one many times - but even so I am always amazed at how small it is and how it has never been rivalled as far as speed goes! It is just a shame that I will never fly on it!

What a week!

As I can hear the wind blowing outside again, it reminded me to wite about the last week!

Last weekend, the south west had a big storm - power was lost to many many households, ours included. It eventually came back on 60h later. In the meantime, school was cancelled (they didn't have power either!!) thankfully a dear friend took the children as my ILs didn't have any power either. We ended up sleeping at our friends (though the power did come back late Monday evening)

Tuesday was thankfully normal until I picked the children up from school to find out that the schol was closed on Thursday due to the strike - this was the first time it has happened as generally private schools don't strike. My MIL agreed to have the children so I took them up on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday I got call from my MIL - F was throwing up! Poor love had a gastro. By Friday she was still throwing up - and was very lethargic so my MIL called me at work and we agreed to get her to the doctors! So I left work early and we saw the doctor - thankfully since then she has got better and is much better today!

So last week O had two days and F only one day at school! Hopefully next week they will be there for all 4 days as the week after that it is yet again the school holidays - again!!

Whoops!

I am really not very good at this blog lark am I? It is now nearly a year since I last posted! And when looking at my blog I was amazed to see that in fact I started the blog in 2005. Where does the time go!

So what has happened here in the last 12months?

I have started working 4/5th at the company I was at - I don't work Wednesdays! I don't do so much teaching, mainly admin. My boss is very flexible which helps me a lot!

J has a new job too - that means we basically don't see him during he week. Hard on him and us.

The children are doing very well. O is doing very well at school (he saves his bad behavoir for home). He loves reading - the french version of the Famous Five being his current favourite. F is just getting over a gastro (poor love). She isn't convinced about school but seems to be doing well - is starting to have good letter recognition and can write her letters!

OK - that will do for a start!!