Just imagine Jon, old Estragon could never have said that in Norfolk ?
Interesting factoid about the Observatory up there, it was re-founded in 1947 by the disciples of Louis Leprince-Ringuet, who brought their physics material there from my town here, L'Argentière-La Bessée. Here's an attached file with the whole story.
Yes, good idea ! Who's got the next playlist?
Cold bum & tongue pie, mate :)
No not really, I'm being treated to an "omelette grande chef" tossed up by herself tonight, except I'm not allowed greasy dripping-fried chips with it :(
To quote Estragon from Waiting for Godot, "I have always wanted to wander in the Pyrenees" and now, living at the foot of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre we can and do.
I might say 'grow up Ian', but I wouldn't mean, simply wish to be there too. Anyway, who is playing the next set?...
I wouldn't mind some of what you're on !
Far out man...
Being ale to spend time with my hubby and not so much time commuting, enjoying the countryside, being able to relax, our youngest son who came with us being bi-lingual and how accepting everyone was of us all…
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité!
indeed Ian
Oh, to be once more an "unworldly youth"....switching at dandelions in the hedgerows, as the cumuli scud over the azure....
:)
Although I don't yet live in France, I have visited many times over the past 40 years. It started when I was a young man of 20 years, arriving in Paris in June 1976.
I was an unworldly youth from regional Queensland. I'd spent a little time in Sydney and Melbourne but had no experience of overseas.
I remember walking the streets of Paris, gobsmacked at the sights and sounds. It was, to use a previous contributor's word, an epiphany. I was captivated. From thence forth, I was a Francophile.
I have enjoyed so many visits to France in the intervening years. My love of this country and its art, culture, wine and food, knows no bounds. It is a special place; more a state of mind, a philosophy than a geographical location.
My positive experiences are in the past, but my future is in France. I am excited, but nervous. It is a big leap.
I know it will be OK.
I have lived a life with something else and always in transit. Even with a house where I 'lived' I was on the move four around 40 years, living and working in many countries. Here I feel settled and secure with no need to move on as I have felt in other places since childhood. I no longer miss the travel. If I do any then it will be with the feeling of being glad to be home at the end of a trip. This time round I can have a proper life with my children, unlike the past that went terribly wrong because I was too absent. I have somebody I share life with rather than share the same house and room with some of the time. That's me, but my family feel that way too. Here we feel more at home, can be who we are and not who we pretend to be, one daughter has said that anyway. Community and good set of 'friends' who accept us a people and not different or foreign. It's quite a package and we will not give it away without a fight.
We've had a house here for more than thirty years but only in the last five have we lived here permanently. The most positive experiences; being invited and welcomed by the people of our tiny village. Always invited to "official" functions; invited to the salle des fêtes for theatre shows, to vernissages for local art shows invited to help planting out the village flower displays and recently to help out "interpreting" (I use the term loosely) between the maire and monoglot Anglos.
I love this reply Debra - it makes me more optimistic about the effect living here will have on my son and hope his outlook will be the same when he's ready to pack his bag (mother sniffles at thought).
As it goes back over 30-odd years, to 1977, this can only be a selection of epiphanies, as Joyce called them.
- finding out about that most marvellous of institutions, the apéritif
- participating in regular (in-law) family repas which go on for several hours and are totally unregulated in conversation (a bit like here, really)
- being able to take a train somewhere for a moderate price and not have to deal with rip-off TOCS
- being in the middle of Western Europe and having easy access to all neighbouring countries, including my favourite, Italy
- living in a smallish (2500 inhabitants) place where everyone knows everyone and looks out for common interests, and where all the necessary services are in walking distance
- learning how to beat the bureaucracy by joining it :)
- not being surrounded by whiny grumbly anti-French "expats", only a few anglophone winter/summer sport professionals who just get on with it, either on or off duty :)
- being able to support local PACA teams like Olympique de Marseille or RC Toulon, who usually manage to win things !
Many more, but this'll do :)
I see a lot more blue sky (maybe not this past month though!) I can buy wine for 1 euro a litre within a 2 minute walk! I only have a little money yet life is about so much more here, and in many ways more enriching. I have some good friends. I laugh all the time and smile all the time - yeah I know it's not the French way, but I enjoy being different or should I say unique and I am accepted by most for it! The beach is 15 minutes away, the mountains are 20 minutes away, the city is 20 minutes away, my kids can play outside as everyone looks out for each other. I have learnt to relax! French bureaucracy has taught me to be more patient! People go out of their way to help when it is needed. I have discovered amazing local produce that tastes wonderful. I could go on ......
An affirmation yesterday in fact. I said to Twerp that he may have a weird mother but she'd managed to produce a perfect child and he said, "Yes and you've given me the best life". There was always the niggling worry that I'd made a bad choice uprooting him and moving him here away from everything he knew so 'positive'? Heck, yes.