Trick-or-Treat

"Trick-or-Treating" at the CAB today. There were lots of goblins and witches in Lilly's school class. The class walked over a mile stopping at several homes of children who attend the CAB. As always they traveled in groups of two holding hands with a partner. It was fun to watch the looks of surprised people passing the parade.
At each house the children said in English "Trick-or-Treat give us something good to eat!" Then they sang a song in French:
J'ai pas voulu manger,
La soupe de la sorciere,
C'etait de la soupe de crapaud, berk, berk,
Avec de la bave d'escargot, berk, berk,
Et puis des crottes de chameau, berk, berk.

Madame la sorciere, j'ai pas faim, j'ai pas faim,
Je reviendrai demain!
Lilly's teacher Elisabeth is one of the most patient and kind pre-school teachers I have ever seen. She takes her time with each child, yet maintains an incredible sense of order in her classroom. Now that the fun is over we are packing the car and heading to Northern Italy for a 10 day school holiday!

Citrouilles (pumpkins)

Citrouilles are not common in France. While at home we have the pumpkin patch and bins full of pumpkins at the grocery store here citrouilles are few and far between. Today Lilly's school had an "autumn sale". There are many British, American and German families at the CAB. We are lucky that the school incorporates so many international holidays!
Tomorrow night we leave for Italy. Clara is planning on taking her citrouille with her so that she can carve it on Halloween night!
Pumkin head?
Gathering citrouilles with our friends Alyson, Kate and Maya Thomas.

Coureur (runner)

Spencer is a real "coureur". This week all grades from the International School are running timed races. The Collège raced today. The top 20 racers will go on to compete in a regional race among other schools. Spencer placed 12th. We all think he is a winner!

Harvest

Bounty from the harvest filled the Marché today. The contrasting colors on the vendors display tables draw my interest. It's almost as if they are creating a scene for a still life painting.Foilage or food? This landscape is tasty...Can you guess what we are having for dinner?

Bâtons et de pierres (sticks and stones)

As a child I repeated the phrase, "Bâtons et de pierres can break my bones, but words may never hurt me". I'm now trying to help my own children believe this. School teachers in France can be rather impatient. A couple of weeks ago Spencer's teacher called him an idiot. Olivia's teacher has been heard to say "shut up!" Today Clara came home and said her French language teacher told the entire class, "Vous êtes stupide!" (you are stupid). While I recognize and celebrate cultural differences this is one area we are trying to understand. A thick skin and a strong sense of self worth is priceless on days like today.

Ami (Friend)

If there is one thing we have been given a surplus since moving to France it's good "amis" (friends). You can never have too many friends, there is always room for more! Friday after school Olivia and Clara were invited for a play date at the Dowels. They are also a new family. Just arrived from Australia.










Here is a mixture of American, British and Australian beauties. All of them are currently learning French and they hope to aquire that coveted "French accent" before years end.






Taylor and I were invited to join the fun. Our friends live about 20 minutes away in "Samois-Sur-Seine". It is unbelievably beautiful. We walked along the Seine and felt like we were in the movies. It seemed as if I could take a photograph every time I looked in a different direction.








We ended the evening at the local pizzeria. Because we went to dinner at 7pm (too early for French standards) we had the restaurant to ourselves. It's a good thing because this is a spunky group of girls!

Rouge (red)

There is not a lot of "rouge" in the foliage. Today while driving to the grocery store Lilly said, "look at that fireball tree!" It's almost like a burning bush among the greens and yellows.

La Maison (the house)

We have settled in quite nicely to our "maison". Originally a medieval barn, this house seems centuries old, but the precise age remains a mystery. White walls connect two barn structures providing a sharp modern contrast to the original raw stone. At first glance, the house is really cool. After a few days of family habitation, you realize that form probably dominates function. Children's noises echo limitlessly throughout the house. I am new to blogging and cannot figure out how to organize my pictures for this posting. So let's begin in the main family room.
This is the famous bridge of Bourron Marlotte. Actually it is the bridge joining one side of the hayloft to the other. The kids think it is great fun to "walk the plank" in the middle of the night. Whenever we meet someone from Bourron Marlotte they ask where we live. When we tell them the address they say, "Oh that cool house with a bridge!"
If you put the next two pictures side by side you would have a full view of la maison. Thankfully we all feel at home here. We recently built a new home in Utah. We had not lived in that new house for even one year before heading off for this adventure. They say home is where the heart is and I must agree. While I love my home in Utah I haven't missed it. I'm living with all of the people who make my home alive, warm and wonderful right here in France!

All of the homes in our village have a gate in front. This is probably a product of protection hundreds of years ago...we have a hard time keeping our gate closed. The door is always open for visitors!!!!
Just wanted to showcase the great windows. There is another on the other side of the house. These were where the old barn doors originally stood.
This is my domain. Need I say more?
The three girls share the loft. While they each have their own bed they opted to stick them all together. It's one big slumber party every night.
Spencer enjoys his own French space and is slowly decorating with pictures of Brazilian soccer players.
One last view of the bridge.

Sorciere (witch)

Halloween is just around the corner. Clara is disappointed with our lack of decorations and enthusiasm for the holiday. Yesterday she started some crafts which have added a Halloween atmosphere to the house. Tonight at dinner Olivia announced that she had a "sorciere" for a teacher today. She said, "Our substitute teacher was late today and I'm pretty sure that's because her broom got caught going the wrong direction in the wind!"

Les Feuilles (foilage)

Les feuilles des arbres (the leaves of the trees) are changing. I wish I would have had enough foresight to take a photo at the end of summer, beginning of fall, etc of the same place. Changes in nature are subtle. The ferns that cover the forest ground are so amazing. Green then purple and now tan. It's a magical process to watch.
The deeper you walk into the forest the more interesting it becomes. Kind of like people. First encounters are nice, but once you get to know a person and learn about their life they become so much more intriguing. I'm afraid I'm not very intriguing to my Nordic walking group. Today I didn't have a friend to walk with. Several women lagged behind to ask me a question or two, but once I had used up my French vocabulary we basically walked in silence. It wasn't so bad. The forest is peaceful and "les feuilles" are breathtaking.
Lilly has had her own fun in the forest with her school class. A famous artist came and walked through the woods with them. They gathered sticks, nuts, leaves and moss and then created "forest sculptures". Here are the masterpieces.

Notre-Dame

Paris has been touted as the "cultural capital of Europe". Saturday we started our family quest to see as many of these cultural sights as we can during our year in France. We were astounded to find out that the construction of Notre-Dame began in 1163 and finished in 1345. Just to be able to walk into a building that is 864 years old is amazing!
Did you know that gargoyles represent people stuck between heaven and earth. I can see why heaven won't let them in!
Since Victor Hugo's character Quasimodo was fictional, we wondered who really had the job of ringing the bells every hour. It took us 400 steps up to reach the bell.
Here is a quiz: These are the hours of business for?
A) A pastisserie
B) A coin-op laundry
C) The restroom outside the cathedral of Notre-Dame
D) None of the above
The correct answer to the quiz is: C) The restroom outside Notre-Dame.

Only in France with this crowd of people would you close the bathroom for lunch!

Trocsavoirs (Knowledge Exchange)

Somehow I got roped into going to a Trocsavoirs (knowledge exchange) group dinner tonight. My good friend Tifiny has been on the hunt for language classes. Last week she found herself at a community center being interviewed by several retired people. They are part of a community exchange group that shares skills and knowledge. Tifiny was invited to come to their dinner social and see if there was an option for language classes.

As per our invitation we were to bring a drink and dish to share with the group, our own plate, knife & fork. Taylor was willing to baby-sit all of the kids since Tifiny's husband is not in town right now. We drove to the town of Avon in the dark and remarkably found the place without any difficulty. I must admit I was a bit disappointed feeling nervous and secretly hoping we wouldn't find our way so we could go home. We were laughing as we sat in the car watching people at least 20 years older than us march into the house. We were definately not at the typical ex-pat party. That first step in the door was nerve wracking. It seemed that everyone stopped and stared. They were friendly and let us know we were welcome. One little man (reminded me of a leprachan) asked Tifiny if she had found a French teacher. When she said, "not yet" he responded, "you have now!" I don't think he's what she had in mind. Another man kept asking me about Ireland and my interest in Irish music. I couldn't figure this out as I don't look Irish or speak with a particularly Irish accent. I just nodded and said I thought Irish music was great.

We started eating and of course there was lots of bread, quiche & cheese on the table. A woman named Irene came and asked me if I had tried the spinach quiche. I said, "yes it was delicious." Thankfully that was the right answer. She had made the quiche and just minutes earlier another woman ate a piece and said it was not good and it gave her a headache. Irene was a bit distraught. She started telling me how she really labored over this recipie and even ground fresh nutmeg. Remember I don't really speak that much French so this is all very amusing to me. Irene got very friendly and started teaching me new words and phrases. She said, "I can be your French teacher if you like!" At one point she said, "Oh excuse me while I run over and get some cheese before it is gone!" She cut a huge piece of camembert cheese and put it on my plate with some bread. Then she said, "Il ne faut pas manger du fromage le soir!" (one should never eat cheese in the night!) Why is this she asked? I'm glad I knew the answer, "because you will get fat!" She told me, "I never eat cheese at night, but this night I will make an exception." I'm wondering if this is a cardinal rule that French women follow? Is that how they manage to stay thin?

After the eating and exchange of emails and phone numbers (I'm taking Irene up on those French lessons!) we left. Maybe not the best protocol, but the next part of the evening was devoted to water conservation and since it was raining we figured why conserve?!

Surprise /syrpriz/

I'm not much for surprises. At least not the kind where everyone is watching. I've always been a bit uncomfortable at surprise parties. Knowing how I feel about this Taylor opted for an amazing birthday surprise without an audience. A big taxi picked us up at 9:30 am and drove us one hour into Paris. We dropped our baggage off at the hotel and then drove to the Pompidou Center. It houses the world's largest collection of modern art and the building exterior is innovating to say the least. We ate at the restaurant at the top of the museum. Our view was spectacular as was the food.

Walking the streets of Paris we window shopped and talked away the afternoon. Making a stop at Galleries Layfayette was overwhelming. It's the most enormous shopping center I've ever seen. If it weren't for the mounds of inventory you would think you were in a cathedrial or something. The building architecture was breathtaking.
Shopping isn't really something I love, but I may be addicted to window shopping in Paris. There are hundreds of little shops and things to explore. It was a blast! Taylor arranged for me to go to the spa after shopping. I started wondering at this point if I was in a dream. This just wasn't even a day I could comprehend let alone live in real life! Anyway the spa was as you can imagine relaxing and wonderful.
Dinner was an 8 course meal at a very refined restaurant. They put us in a room with four French men. They seemed to be well known and who knows maybe some French philosophers? We had no idea what was coming as our menu was the "Gregorian Surprise" (basically the chef's choice). It was superb. Everything was delicious and practically melted in your mouth. Actually I didn't like the seafood aspic, it kind of reminded me of fish jell-o! It was almost 11pm by the time we finished dinner, but we were just a few blocks away from the Seine so we went for a walk and enjoyed the view of the lighted boats.

Somehow my birthday celebrating didn't end in Paris. Friday night we had several families over for pizza and cake. The kids ran wild and the adults tried to talk above the noise. It was truly the most fun memorable birthday ever. Thanks to all my family and friends who sent birthday greetings and left phone messages. I feel really lucky to have you all in my life!

Janet est quarante!

Today I am officially "quarante" (40)! I've never felt better. Woke up this morning to smiling children and a hot waffle breakfast fixed by my great friend Tifiny Reed. She and Taylor have been in cahoots planning all kinds of fun for today. Taylor informed me that I needed to be ready to head off in a taxi at 9:30am. We are going to Paris for the day and night. He is not telling me what we are doing, it should be fun. When I went to put the kids in the car it was filled with black balloons and a sign that read "Janet est 40!" More to come.

Persistant Beaute (Persistant Beauty)

"Persistant beaute" I love walking through our village. The streets are narrow and most of the houses have large stone walls blocking their view, but even then beauty emerges from the cobblestone. I'm often mesmorised by volunteer flowers and vines.

Fete (Celebration)

Today marks Taylor's 41st birthday. We figured that was a good reason to have a "fete" (celebration) in his honor. The day started out good enough, but when I took Lilly to school our new mini-van stopped dead in its tracks. The clutch went out just as I was pulling into a parking spot. I couldn't believe my luck as I was blocking a very busy corner! A few kind people helped me push the car out of the road and then the fun began. I had to call Taylor and say, "Happy Birthday! The car is broken!" He was a great sport about it and we managed to get a tow truck to haul it to the garage. Our used car salesman "Cedric" said, "It's funny that it's broken. You know what they say, he was alive five minutes before he died." Well, that about sums up our car. It was alive five minutes before it died.

Amidst car trouble and work Lilly and I took Taylor to a little creperie for lunch. The owner is the nicest guy. He wears a tall white chef's hat and always comes out to talk to the patrons. Everything including the flour he uses is organic and it's delicious! Tonight we had a family dinner and spent a good portion of the evening laughing. Taylor makes us all laugh with his wit and humor. He tells some of the best stories and the kids love it! Happy Birthday Taylor.

Decompresser (Relax)

The typical school day in France is long. Start time is 8:30am, ending at 4pm for the girls and 5pm for Spencer. By the time we wind our way through the traffic and make it home there are only a few hours to decompresse (relax), do homework, eat and get to bed. Today the heavens opened just at the end of school and the sun came out warming our faces. We jumped for the opportunity to be outside. Taylor and Olivia went for a run through the village, Clara & Lilly jump roped and of course Spencer worked on his soccer skills.