More notes to add to yesterday’s post.

I forgot to mention that when we walk around the village after dark, we hear at least 3 nightingales singing. They really do sing beautifully. Only the lonely male sings at night.

Do you remember these? They were nightingales and unfortunately they never came back again. Being so close to the house was obviously too stressful for them

Nature notes and stuff

Summer seems to have arrived within a week of winter. I’m sure that we’re going to pay for it. Strange things have happened in the garden, I had tulips and daffodils where I didn’t plant any. I think the birds must have uprooted and dropped bulbs at some point. There were lots of violets on the lawn too. One morning a couple of weeks ago, I opened the shutters just as it was getting light and I saw an owl on his way home. Rob and I stood in the park one afternoon when the leaves weren’t quite out and watched a squirrel make its way along the tops of 5trees before losing track of it. I’ve had my phone ready every time I walk through the park hoping to get a picture of the jays. no sign of them this year, nor across the road.

Dom came for the weekend. We went window shopping together and I showed her my short cut to change buses which takes me past a row of birch trees. She explained to me that they were the only trees that would grow in region of Russia where she stayed a few years ago. She and J-M will be back in a couple of weeks. I know they are making a special effort as they both have a lot of studying and preparation to do. Dom is preparing what is called her ‘mémoire‘ in French. I don’t know what the word is in English, I know it’s not a theses. I just discovered the difference: At her level of studies Dom hasn’t created a concept or new theory yet. This only exists in France it seems. J-M has finished his written exams and is preparing for his oral exams. They have a good system. They leave home every day and work in the library, very businesslike.

Olivier is home for two weeks before his exams. Not much sign of him revising… When he arrived home he’d got a copy of the Financial Times in his hand, so I suppose that counts

Next week I’ve got exam supervision, that seems to have come round again very quickly

How things break and that link

Aha! I’m putting the link at the bottom so that you’ll read my post first…

This morning I broke my beloved Pyrex ® bowl. it’s the largest of a set of three and was so useful for salads, mixing things and making porridge in the microwave. This morning I made porridge in the microwave and the bowl slipped out of my hands as I was washing it. It shattered, which was quite a shock; Fortunately I had my glasses on, as it was a bit of an explosion.

Yesterday we received two large albums of postcards through the post. They were sent by an auction house a long way away and were well packed inside a box, each one in a large, extra strong, bubble pack bag. Wrapped one inside the other, the bags were perfect for containing the pieces broken bowl. Strange how things tie up.

* The link, it came from a Linky and Dinky newsletter. Hope that your name is on the right list!

 
(* For once this was something I could see better on AOL)

April 1st

Twenty five years ago today, we moved into this house.

Four years ago I officially started up my own business.


This morning I discovered that my name is the second sexually active female name in the US - How’s that for a claim to fame? Though I think I’m getting a little old now….

ExposeYourBlog! is 10 months old today and still growing.

Spring has sprung

This photo was taken just over a week ago; the blossom has fallen now . For a few days I had a layer of pink petals in the bottom of the bath every evening. Now the tree is covered in leaves.

I took this all by myself with my phone. When I get the hang of putting what I take onto the computer, you’ll get to see more.

The Queen saw me in my knickers!

I recently left a comment on a post by Connie. It was about school uniforms. Just before I started secondary school at the age of twelve my mum received a list of what I’d need and what I should wear for school. Right down to underwear! I really don’t know how my poor mum afforded all of these new clothes for me – which she had to repeat for my two sisters and brother in later years.

She had to buy the uniform from specially named shops and they were very expensive, but hard wearing. She bought me a ‘lovely’ skirt which was much too long – she said I’d grow into it – I never did grow that tall. Miniskirts were in and we all used to roll up our skirts and hold down the lumpy waistband with a tightly done up belt (non uniform, but well hidden).

In the summer months we were expected to wear straw boaters. They made excellent Frisbees. Can you imagine the glee on the very last day of school as these horrible clothes were consigned to the bin? I clearly remember cutting my school tie up.

For sport in our first year we wore a pair of navy blue knickers (over the regulation navy blue knickers we were already wearing) and a white t shirt. I can assure you that it was very cold in the snow and ice the wrong end of a hockey pitch.

One day the Queen was visiting somewhere locally and we were told that she would pass by the school at a certain time and we would all be out on the pavement to wave to her. This coincided with sport for my class and being the youngest (and shortest)we would be standing at the front. So that is how the Queen saw me in my knickers.

A little update

The 22nd February was Olivier’s 20th birthday; he wasn’t going to come home despite it being the holidays and then I got a message to say that he would be home. I saw him long enough to wish him a Happy birthday and then he was out with friends. He did manage to eat one meal with us during the 5 days he was at home.

The blossom is starting to open this week. Unfortunately it has gone very cold again, hopefully not cold enough for a frost.

We used up our 3Gs in just over half of a month. The idea is that we now have a slower internet connection until the 12th when our 3Gs will be renewed. We haven’t noticed a slowing down – not that any slower than slowest could be possible. Our phone line has been now been cut off. I phoned the answer service without thinking. It’s very strange to be told that your phone number does not exist anymore.

Changes

Our AOL box died on us in the early hours of last Friday morning. It was so frustrating, so many things to do with no internet. I worked offline as much as I could, but I do a lot of research too, so I was pulling my hair out by the end of the day.

Dom and J-M arrived that eveing and he was on his phone straight away trying to sort it out. Would you believe his call was answered immediately. It seems the box was at fault. On Saturday, Rob went out and bought us a 3G key (I’m not sure what you call it in English). This gets the internet out of fresh air as far as I’m concerned. The only problem at the moment is that the key is only on one computer at a time. It is also very slow. Rob is going to buy a box so that 5 computers can benefit from the key at the same time.

I wouldn’t have thought it but I was suffering from severe internet withdrawal symptoms most of last Friday and Saturday.

Bring on the sunshine

I met my friend Robert this morning and we stopped for a brief chat in the park. We were both wishing for some sunshine. He asked me if I could find some on the internet; I didn’t find any, but I found out how to make a sunshine:

☼ ☼ ☼

The sun didn't shine today, but I did try.

Saint Angela de Merici (1474 – 1540)

Today is my ‘fête’! Celebrated in France, fêtes are a nice way of celebrating our names . Today we remember Saint Angela de Merici who founded the order of Ursulines. The order was founded primarily for the education of girls and care of the sick and needy. January 27th is the anniversary of her death . She is patron Saint of sickness, handicapped people and the loss of parents.