Joyeux Noel

Well we headed home to Ireland for 10 glorious days.
Five with Hubby's folks in Dublin and Five in my home village.
It all started like a race. A whirlwind tour of family and buddies.
The always-there-for-us Kelly gang offered to host sonny boy's 5th birthday bash in their house...a ginormous thank you to all of them, I'm sure there wasn't much residual damage. We celebrated Brian AND Fiona's 40th birthday bashes on the same bloody night...typical (3 birthday parties in one day)! Didn't make it to Fifi's despite my bestist efforts. At least I got to meet her the day before for a meal and a chat.

High-tailed it down the country to be laid low by flu...Well it couldn't have been a common head cold to stop me in my tracks like that...My Dad commented on my hourly health reports, which were guilt fuelled, as I felt I wasn't pulling my weight food prep wise. Who wants a snivelling, snuffling, sneezer prepping their Christmas dinner anyway huh? Best to lie back with a hot whiskey. Well hubby, Princess and I were all knocked out by it, but our new 5 yo escaped, touch wood. Must've been his diet of selection boxes and quality street that kept the bugs at bay.

It was really really lovely being home with everyone we love so much.
I really miss them all. I love being in France and having the new experiences, but what makes it nicer is that it is a temporary thing and we will be back near everyone this time next year. .

Remind me to reread this post when I'm beeching about them will ya!.

French Christmas Drinkies Chez-nous

It all went very well...thank God.

Hubby and I had a few words in the planning phases...owing to different umm visions..of the strategy...;) His was nibbles and drinkies....mine was a 3 course meal...so we compromised and did the 3 course meal.

It took 2 days hard labour...we are blissfully olivious to how untidy and disorganised our house is until we move, throw a party or have visitors. So now it looks great on the surface...but please don't open any presses.

Our local Victor Meldrew showed up 20 minutes early laden down with 2 bottles of champagne, a big box of chocolates and a big bag of sweets for the kids.
Very generous and neighbourly considering his first words to us were grumbling about les anglais (us) and their dogs. Once he realised we weren't anglais he has looked more kindly on us and our dog. Anyway he didn't want anything to eat or drink, explained about his diabetes and just stood there in the kitchen chatting, with me straaaaining to understand. Sort of a taste of our worst case scenario.

All the other neighbours arrived around 5 ish, all except our immediate neighbours...weird...they never salute or speak to us anyway...who knows what's going on there. So we had 11 adults and 10 kids in total.

I bought bubbles, plasticine and ultra bouncy balls for the kids to play with and they were a great hit...kept then all amused for the duration....even the teenagers, whom I apologised profusely to, about the juvenile nature of the toys.

The neighbours all brought something, wine, a quiche and a tarte tatin. Delicious.
They gobbled down the hungarian goulash, and wondered if it was an irish dish! We offered rice or mash...they all wanted rice..so they got biafran portions...the spuds were lovely if I do say so myself.

My winter berry cheesecake was a big hit. Cheesecake is unusual in France apparently. I didn't tell them I sieved the raspberry coulis using a foot cut off a new (I swear) pair of tights.

We got the impression that they didn't know each other well either...so we are acting like a social lubricant. They were all lovely and seemed genuinely delighted to have been invited. We have the promise of two reciprocal invites. My french held up fine except, with Victor Meldrew who has a very strong accent. Hubby was happy with his level of comprehension and ability to communicate. Our Scottish, Swedish and one of our english guests also speak good french...so we were away in a hack.

The kids atarted getting grumbly around 8ish so everyone started to disperse and we were all cleaned up by 10pm. A great success considering the youngest guest were 5 and 7 weeks old and the oldest in their 70s.

Itsa Dog's Life

The Bitch In The Family

I want to introduce the bitch in our family. She was filling the gap created by the death (assisted) of our elderly Jack Russell Terrier. Houdini, would have been an appropriate name for her. She easily jumps 6 ft fences, can open doors inwards and has little trouble pulling a window open and hopping thru the 5 ft high gap.

At 18 months old she was not house trained and still very much into top-of-the-range shoe leather snacks, with the occasional TV cable chaser. While house training her, I put up a baby-gate to keep her in the kitchen...she lept it AND the baby without even running at it. Those were the challenges!.

The rewards were: she liked us and returned after her escapades and once she had a fix on things, gave up escaping altogether. She loves loves loves playing with kids, our kids, the neighbour kids, passing kids. She loves other dogs too. A little over enthusiastically sometimes! She will give cats a run, but hasn't harmed one to our knowledge, although my Dad's tom has put manners on her. Once she has a daily run (has to be a run) she is content to laze about in her bed. If she doesn't get that run...she nags (whines)more than the highest paid personal trainer..

She has fitted in extremely well. When we decided to move to France, everyone asked about the dog and seemed surprised that of course she would come too. She was passported and vaccinated up the ying-yang (I'm guessing about €300 all in...haven't burdened hubby with that bit) and made the 20 hr ferry journey and 14 hr drive with hubby. She was less than impressed with the summer heat, but loves the winter snow...I think, she thinks she's a husky. She gets much more admiring oohhs and aaahs from the french than she did at home, the french don't seem to be familiar with lurchers or "Levrier croise" as I translate it..

I've commited to hosting Multicultural Multilingual Party

Heeelp!

Savoyard people are a bit crusty on the outside. Not overtly friendly until you have reason to talk to them individually. I have found them very helpful and nice when you get past the initial barrier though.

So we have been a little sluggish getting to know our immediate french neighbours.
I didn't invite them over in the beginning...being an attrative young woman living manless and all! I felt I didn't want to advertise my vunerability. I KNOW small villages....they always have the local weirdo. When hubby came on his trips he wasn't up for entertaining.

So here we are, all settled in, en famille, Christmas is approaching....ideal oppourtunity.
So as per usual I decide to go in baldy headed....hubby as per usual trying to apply the brakes, being shyer and not very confident of his french. So I have more or less bullied him into agreeing to hosting a party next Sunday. 5 o clock kick off to facilitate the kids. Hopefully early enough to bed. I just wrote up the invites and posted them in the letter boxes...so the dye is cast...aaargh.

Parteeeeee Time

3 Storey Savoyard Farmhouse in Original Condition with Hayloft.

Our new friends have a 300 yr old house nestled on the steep side of a mountain in a tiny village near-by...staggering distance if there wasn't a foot of snow on the track tween here and there.

These old farmhouses used to keep animals in the basement, people lived in the middle levels and then they have these huge open-at-each-end attics where they stored hay. So heat from the bottom and insulation at the top. Very green , back in the day. Pictured above is a similar house in its original condition.

Anyhow they have spent all this summer converting the hay-loft to a kitchen/dining area. It is really breath-taking. A beautiful wood burning stove....great open space for a party. The open end of the loft has been glazed and and there is a big balcony with an aerial view of the Tarentaise valley as it snakes towards Albertville. Stunning.

I've been gasping for a night out. The half hearted search for a baby-sitter proving fruitless.
So we've been staying in....for 3 months!!!!!Imagine my delight when our new friend invites us to her 40th birthday party...kids and all. 6 o clock kick-off.

What an oppourtunity to have a long bath and get dressed up. My stylist was somewhat stumped by the footwear limitations...no matter what, cos of the weather, deep slushy snow....I had to wear my furry wellies. Building an outfit from wellies up, was a challenge. By the time I was dressed and polished and donned my wellies and waterproof trousers (risk of car not making it all the way up steep hill to the house, so possibility of walking 1/2mile or so in slushy rain)....I did actually feel quite nice.

The hostess's hubby is swedish and some of his family were over, there were french friends, scottish, english and australians. Lots of little kids our kids age.
So three languages being blathered about. Princess's little friend, daughter of our hosts can speak all three at 3 years old!

The crowd were lovely and it was great to chat to people and the kids had a ball too. Most of the crowd had to leave around 8 pm as the kids were starting to get snarly.

The car made it up the hill to the house but we parked on thick ice and snow...only have 2 wheel drive. But as princess pointed out..."mommy we have snow tires now!" The host said we might have to push...thank god...I brought waterproof trousers. Anyway car managed to reverse out of the snow/ice and gravity took care of the rest. Home by 8.45pm....GREAT PARTY.

Toboganning Today in Val D'isere

Well the kids have no school on wednesdays, and Val is the only local resort open at the mo.

They have 3 free ski-lifts. How long that lasts we don't know, but we certainly can't afford to buy ski passes for Val or "Bal" as sonny boy calls it.

Its the poshest of the many ski stations in our area....but we brought it back to earth...Huh?

After only 10 or so hours hard labour, I've managed to put this slide show together !

Since I arrived in France I've been doing "nordic walking" once a week. http://walking.about.com/od/nordicwalking/ss/nordicwalking.htm

There are usually 10 or so of us...all french cept hubby and I, lead by an extremely enthusiastic french intructrice clad in very tight lycra, which on her looks quite flattering, in fact the male member ship is on the up and up!

She leads us on 1 1/2 hr walks around the countryside , bracketed by total body stretching regime in the teeny departure villages, hail, rain or in this case snow.

It's a serious work out, great fun and the scenery is glorious.

Weakly Walking

Photobucket Album

First Day on the Pistes

First Snow-Angel

First Winter Sports Injury...nearly took his momma + sister out with him!

Who's the Kid?

I'm Gonna Get You!

Princess Briefly Endured the "Fun"

Well we loaded up our toboggans (€2 each in the vide grenier (car boot sale)) and headed for the hills this afternoon. Headed up to one of the near-by ski stations and were not surprised to find snow, but shocked to see a slope open...although we couldn't figure out how all those skiiers were getting up there, as none of the lifts appeared to be open.

Hubby guffawed at my suggestion that they might have walked!!!

Princess was feeling a little princessy, so only wanted the minimum of contact with the cold white stuff. But hubby, the dog and sonny boy had a ball.

Here's the evidence...jees I really have to figure out this formatting thing...this is NOT how I wanted the photos to post...grrr. Where is that brother-in-law of mine when I need him.

Bloody sister still hasn't read the damn thing obviously!!!!!!!!Double grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Photos

Sitting having coffee in town when a gendarme (police) comes in enquiring about an illegally parked motor-bike...shortly after these guys show up...a little overreaction to some illegal parking I thought!

Apparently, the french army send their lads here to do their winter/mountain training.

Nice plus-fours huh?

Cycling in the woods collecting cones.

I volunteered to help sonny boy's class (28 five yr olds) walk to town through the woods (about 2 km) . En route teacher explained about the different berries we passed and encouraged the kids to try them! (including these ones and rosehips.)

We had a picnic,

Played in the playground for an hour,

Went to the library for a tour for an hour,

Walked to the pool for a swimming lesson for an hour

Walked the 2 km back to school.

No wonder french kids aren't fat!!

My kids cycling the actual Tour-De-France route for 2009.

Yes that's a ski helmet on princess's head and yes, I am too tight to buy her a bicycle helmet as well!

The kids cycled all the way into town (2km) and most of the way back before little princess ran out of steam. Luckily our neighbour passed at that point and mercifully threw us in the back of her van!

Fog is quite a common feature round these parts, very beautiful in the right light.

Sonny boy enjoying the first snow!

Bloggers Block

Dear Blog

Sorry I haven't been paying ya no heed recently, its not that life ain't been exciting, no siree, crazy here on Walton's Mountain.

Nope, had a bad dose of blogger's block..quite painful but with the right rub one can sit at the keyboard with minimal discomfort.

One symptom of my blogger's block has been technological.

I want to post a video of the demontagnee des vache (descent of the cows) Beats me! Thing keeps loading and never actually loads. Its small enough size wise.

I also have a great recording of cowbells...that I took on my mobile, as a herd of cows passed the car. Its a really magical sound in real life, a bit tinny on the recording, but if I get my IT support on-side you can judge for yourselves.

Sis, if you're reading, can you ask that husband of yours to help me!? 'Course your the IT expert so maybe you can help??

What with the "crise" (big financial slurry heap) going on and hubby being unemployed (well I guess we're both half unemployed since we're now sharing my former unpaid-but-pretigious Stay-At-Home-Parent position) I got to making curtains for the kids room...had to sew by hand!

Clearly forgot the maxim:

Measure twice-Cut once!

Mamma Walton was cussing some when she hung this baby:(

Honeymoon is over.........

Like all new experiences and new lovers the initial elation fades after a while.
That "while" seems to be 2 months for me.
I guess its partially because the last of our visitors left yesterday...miss you already.
The weather has taken a nosedive,
the kids are off school,
hubby is heading home tomorrow.
My french language exchanger friend has ditched me.
My volunteering stint with the school is finished up.

So what to do....eat, seems to be my current response.
But no I WILL pick myself up out of this fuge state.

I WILL invite some of the girls for dinner.
I WILL join the doggy obedience group on saturdays (what to do with kids...basement? ;)
I WILL renew my friday morning walking group.
I WILL I WILL..........

Well I've always wanted to keep a diary but never had the self discipline.
Friends tell me I write a good letter when I get around to it.
I can tell a good yarn.

I've lead a pretty interesting life to date and have plenty for the memoirs...but I have to wait til the rest of the family pops off.
But as I am the eldest, unless they all die in a prozac toxicity scandal....its unlikely I ll be the last one standing.

So I tentatively decided I'd start a blog about my family's year in France.I've written about 5 or 6 posts and put in a few photos. Personally I think it's ok.

So I ask my sister to have a read...no feedback...she says she's too busy with 2 small kids....I have 2 kids the same age and a single mother half the time.

So my OH comes across it (Le blog) tonight and says..
"I just don't understand why people want to do that?"
I tentatively ask " well what do you think?"
He repeats "I just don't understand why people want to do that"
Me " What do you think?"Him .............

I'm kinda mortified.I have an audience of 2 and they think its crap/not worth reading.

I wonder if Mrs Pepys thought Samuels meanderings were crap too...not comparing like...but ya know ;)

In a million years time the musings of a bored housewife might just be important...non???

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(other than my hubby, you can eff off)

Sexist Bankers

Our banks and other institutions in the auld sod have never had an issue with putting our joint property in our joint names. Here in France I have struggled, it seems unsucessfully to have my name put on even our joint bank account.

Well it puts M et Mme John SMITH. I have explained to them numerous times, that I still have the name I was born with,
that I grew up with,
that I earned my degree and master's degree with,
that I climbed my career ladder with,
that I earned my professional reputation with
and I intend to keep it despite the best efforts of the french banking system.

There is also the fact that Mme John SMITH does not exist and never existed...she has no passport, no driving licence...rien. Despite these rantings today I go to collect my new cheque book and find it remains in the M ou Mme John SMITH. I mention again...that I have no ID and never sign myself by this name...and they explain that joint accounts are always in the husbands name I rather jovially (I think) said "liberté, EGALITÉ, fraternité are french fundamentals non? But not for wives it seems ....Grrrrrrrrrrr

16.11.08
Just wanted to update this post with my car insurance experience.
My car is registered in my name. And whilst completing the direct debit for the insurance payments, I mentioned jovially my problems with the bank...so he goes back into the file and chances my name to Mrs John SMITH.
I have to go back and deal with the bank before I have to change my name for real!!!!!!!!

Cows in World Downhill Ski Championship

Viewing Stand for Men's World Down-Hill Skiing Championship

The Summer Crowd

The actual men's piste being modified by earth-movers

Well above you can see the men's world championship downhill ski slope for Feb 09. In the top photo you can see them building the viewing stand. The current crowd will have moved to lower pastures for the world championships in Feb 2009....and I'm sure the place will look significantly trendier.

But here you have it and the native crowd in Oct 08.

Up to the left of the picture is the actually slope which is very steep and currently has 3 large bulldozers, hymacs on it reshaping the mountain.

I hope those guys are getting danger money cos it looked pretty bloody scary to me...they must have been operating at 50 degrees or more from the vertical...yikes. No wonder my homies were hanging out well away from them.

These homies are native mountain breeds of cattle called Tarine or abondance and they are really suited to mountain conditions. They spend the summer in the high pastures (alpages ) between 1500 and 2500 m and have mobile milking parlors attending to their needs.

They come down from the alpages around the 15th september called the demontagnée and hang out in the lower slopes until the weather forces them indoors for the winter.

One of their features is their eye-shadow (the cow in the picture is actually an abondance not a tarine famed for their eyeshadow...or more accurately the morning-after eyeshadow look)...dark and mysterious.

Lugging the lil'uns

"You're going where with the kids?"

So many people struggle with the idea of travelling with kids. I took my first flight when sonny boy was 9 days old and we have been on the road since.

Even son boy tries occasionally to remind me that I'm a stay-at-home mom. Its not really for me this staying-at-home lark and I think sticking rigidly to the job description is why so many mums go off the deep end...either post natal depression or getting bored and lonely.

The french moms seem to express this frustration by running off with the man next door. Anyhow I digress. This post is intended to be an ode my my mclaren featured above....it is this battered tool that has enable my adventures, it bears the scars of its journies from South Africa to Scandinavia. Its performs above its design load by carrying a tired 4 yo and 2 yo simultaneously across cobbled french streets. It dutifully folds up like an over the shoulder umbrella when said we need to climb 400 odd steps back up to where I parked the car in Old Lyon.

Without this battered buggy I might have to... uggh... "stay-at-home"

Crotchless Jean crisis

Ok...I've spent the whole summer packing up our house, renting it out and moving kith and kin to another country. I've settled the kids in school and the dog in the house and after nearly 11 months without visiting a shop, store or magasin....I am down to 1...yes ...ONE...threadbare pair of jeans.

So I had to pick up hubby at Lyon airport on Sunday...although crotchless might be “all that” in some bedrooms, it certainly not the thing in the arrivals hall.
So I thought I would take myself to the big smoke (pop circa 2 mill) a day early to shop....an activity which I loathe...hate...intensely. Particularly in France where they don't even do rubber gloves in my size, not to mind shoes. I went into a jeans store today and whispered a request for my size....rien! I not fat (although the candid shot above taken by my 2yo ex-daughter seems to suggest otherwise ;()... Ok so I have one roll when I'm relaxed and I'm big and tall. I beat all those skinny mares to the top of a mountain any day...I can run 10k no prob...justification over. I need something casual to cover my big butt...urgently. I will have a 2 yo and 4 yo and dog in tow....so where in the name of God should I go in Lyon? I'm all for personal shoppers...that's what I did the last time I went shopping and it was fantastic.

Later the following day……….

I have to say though that the shopping experience lived up to my worst nightmare. IT WAS HELL...ALL 2 hours of it.
I felt like Grandma down from Walton’s mountain...both in appearance and reaction to the big smoke. Cept grandma Walton wouldn't have a 2 yo clinging onto her leg for dear life and a 4 yo whinging and running off.
I’ve lived in a city for the last 20 plus years and only returned to rural life a month ago. Already I get what my family say about coming to the city. The noise, the rush, those young hooligans hanging around….all pretty intimidating when you get used to Waltons mountain.
With the benefit of my compass and shouting at the kids to shut up…I found the mega-mall in Lyon. I wrote my phone number on both kids arms as the risk of loss was high given that the mall was like an ant-hill of people and the kids were not supportive of my quest.
On arrival in Gap and I immediately located 2 promising jeans and approached the changing area to find a long queue...I was raging and just threw the jeans there and limped off (2yo yo attached to leg) I went to C+A and again no problem got 2 pairs of jeans...tried them on successfully and literally queued for 45 mins to pay....there must have been 150 people in the queue...I kid you not.
Both kids proceeded to have a mega-melt down bringing the experience to a close.I have a suspicion there was a special sale or even on on yesterday ...called Nuit Blanche? Anyhow my new jeans are not as comfy as ye olde Marks & Spencer ones...one pair slides down requiring attractive thumbs-in -loops hiking up on a regular basis and the others are a smidgen short....just enough to look nice and nerdy
But hey...better than crotchless right ?

I'm here so now what?

Yikes, where the uck am I ???
So this is the freaking blogosphere....wow...its ...its ....yeah.

Well I don't speak blog and don't know anyone else here....just I'll just do what I do in these circumstances and keep tawking...til someone notices.

Well I've already figured out they've no spell check in these here parts...good and bad depending whose reading. I am clinical diagnosed dyslexic for any of you bloggospherics who wanna take a shot at my spelling grammer or any or written stuff. I praise the lord I can write at ALL.

So what brought me to blogland?
Ego mainly, after that its cos I have stuff I want to talk about and no one to talk to alot of the time cept a 2 yo and a 4 yo and a dog who listens intently but the feedback is poor.

I do have a husband who would listen and feedback if he were in the same country...we're working on that.

As for friends and neighbours....its not that I' a loner...not at all...nope not me....very popular me..honest! Its just that they all speak french, and hard and all as I'm trying, we all know what its like to try to speak to someone who is not fluent....yes admit with we try to run away as discreetly as possible. There are a few linguistic angels who will persist in a conversation with us grammatical butchers....listening intently with knotted brows...but after an hour or so they all have to go and have a lie down.

Before I conclude I would like to thank my hubby's boss for coming up with the name of the blog....apparently that's why hubby is packing in his job and moving to France....
So roll up roll up and hear all about it!