I find it hard to write an update when little has happened. My walks about Mortimer have slowed because of the muddy tracks. I can walk up town because of the sealed footpath, and now it looks really cute as all the daffodils are flowering on the edges of the road and the park, it would look spectacular except for a lot of litter amongst it all. I get so annoyed with people littering. And have taken it upon myself to pick up rubbish on my walks only one step away from purchasing a rubbish stabber and a fluro vest (lol), after the bag is full I would go to the park and put the rubbish into a bin. You should have seen the looks people (mostly women) would give me. They probably thought it was my rubbish from home, or worse still….. saw me picking up stuff from the road and think I am a bum on community service for committing some crime. Maybe that explains why people in Mortimer are not that friendly. They made me feel guilty putting stuff in the bin, I felt the need to explain that this is your rubbish not mine………that would go down well. So now the road has accumulated litter once again, that I will not touch. It is sad that I no longer feel encouraged to help the community.
The little Mercedes John bought me, I nick named the ugly duckling. The ugly duckling needed to be serviced, and the nearest Mercedes service centre is in Newbury, now I thought it would be easy to drive there but I got lost. It seems I have no sense of direction at all, John thought my sense of direction may get better being on the other side of the world, but it has not. Kurt finds it hard to believe that I can get lost so easily especially when I had very few turns. The wonderful thing about getting lost is that I do discover many lovely areas and some not so lovely. Who would believe that I would be driving in another county, John thinks I would be OK driving in France, he wants me to get lost so I can discover new areas, but I do not want to attempt it, public transport will be the go over there.
Friday, 29 February 2008
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Christmas 08
Our Christmas was wonderful. Sarah and Jake joined us, John particularly was looking forward to his beautiful daughter staying with us for just over a week. Unfortunately it was not cold and no snow, we have been told it has not snowed for over twenty years in Mortimer. After the exchanging of gifts we had a lovely lunch at the Horse and Groom a local pub just up the road. And being Christmas it is mandatory to overeat and drink, so we all went for a walk in the muddy lanes to try and work it off.
Boxing day, we were up early to catch the euro star to France, it takes you underground for part of the way. When we were above ground it was foggy, so we relaxed and enjoyed the ride in first class, drinking champagne and eating food similar to plane food. All was well until we arrived in France. The train station was littered with years of trash, and graffiti was everywhere. I felt disappointed with my first impression. Well I know train stations everywhere are dirty, so I tried not to judge yet.
Sarah and Jake were keen to see all the tourist attractions, so we walked the streets of Paris frequently getting lost. You must watch where you step as doggy poo is every where as are cigarette butts. And it is not uncommon for men to spit in front of you, so here we are all tiptoeing through it. So far I was not impressed, every café had smokers, it is still legal to smoke indoors. And the other thing that offended me was the smell of urine every where, wee wee Pari. Jake and I saw a man in against a church wall relieving himself. I guess the toilets are so filthy they would rather pee any where else.
To our surprise the accommodation was clean and smoke free, we slept well after a great meal at a restaurant up the road, we had no idea what we were ordering as no one could speak English but we did all right, maybe it was best that we did not know what we were eating. The red wine was exceptional. Next morning after a coffee and a croissant in a smoke filled café we headed off on a tour bus. Yes we saw the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Musee du Louvre, Grand Palais all the usual sites, it was fantastic. The day was bitterly cold more than I had experienced in England as yet. We all enjoyed the fabulous buildings and we also would have liked a riverboat tour on the Seine but time did not permit. So back to the train and the queues were horrendous after the Christmas break. Sarah and I ferociously guarded our position in the queue as many tried to push in, we were not having that. Finally on the train we relaxed and enjoyed more champers. It took another hour by car from the train station in England to get home, and we were all very happy to get there.
Boxing day, we were up early to catch the euro star to France, it takes you underground for part of the way. When we were above ground it was foggy, so we relaxed and enjoyed the ride in first class, drinking champagne and eating food similar to plane food. All was well until we arrived in France. The train station was littered with years of trash, and graffiti was everywhere. I felt disappointed with my first impression. Well I know train stations everywhere are dirty, so I tried not to judge yet.
Sarah and Jake were keen to see all the tourist attractions, so we walked the streets of Paris frequently getting lost. You must watch where you step as doggy poo is every where as are cigarette butts. And it is not uncommon for men to spit in front of you, so here we are all tiptoeing through it. So far I was not impressed, every café had smokers, it is still legal to smoke indoors. And the other thing that offended me was the smell of urine every where, wee wee Pari. Jake and I saw a man in against a church wall relieving himself. I guess the toilets are so filthy they would rather pee any where else.
To our surprise the accommodation was clean and smoke free, we slept well after a great meal at a restaurant up the road, we had no idea what we were ordering as no one could speak English but we did all right, maybe it was best that we did not know what we were eating. The red wine was exceptional. Next morning after a coffee and a croissant in a smoke filled café we headed off on a tour bus. Yes we saw the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Musee du Louvre, Grand Palais all the usual sites, it was fantastic. The day was bitterly cold more than I had experienced in England as yet. We all enjoyed the fabulous buildings and we also would have liked a riverboat tour on the Seine but time did not permit. So back to the train and the queues were horrendous after the Christmas break. Sarah and I ferociously guarded our position in the queue as many tried to push in, we were not having that. Finally on the train we relaxed and enjoyed more champers. It took another hour by car from the train station in England to get home, and we were all very happy to get there.
On the 27th we headed into Reading for the Christmas sales and I bought a pair of boots, John got two pair of shoes and the kiddies got clothing, the rest of the day was spent at home organising the trip to stone henge the following day.
Stone Henge was very impressive, but I had not dressed appropriately it was a beautiful morning leaving Mortimer. Arriving at stone Henge a bitter cold wind had developed. It cut straight through my clothes, I ached with cold and just wanted to get back to the car out of the wind, so I did not appreciate the site as much as I should have. But we did get lots of photos.
Kurt ( my son) had spent his Christmas in Prague, he then went to Berlin and he loved Berlin. Kurt’s opinion of Prague is similar to mine on Paris. Kurt returned with his girlfriend Brooke and we had a houseful of young ones. Sarah Jake Brooke and Kurt all got on exceptionally well. They travelled together and played games it was a lovely atmosphere and they all thought it was fair game to pick on me, we had a wonderful time.
John Sarah and Jake went off to Canada to ski, and you know what I think of skiing. So I stayed home with Kurt and Brooke and cramped there style by tagging along with them on many of there outings. We found that Reading has a fantastic bowling alley, and that is where I discovered my bowling is crap. A four year old could have done better. Brooke left us to return to her work in Barcelona, so Kurt got serious and looked for a job.
After a week in the snow with Jake and Sarah, John went to America for his work. John rang me, saying we will be moving again, this time to France. Cardinal says it will have to be in May that does not excite me at all. He tells me the French countryside is beautiful and I will like it. I hope I do, there will be so many challenges to overcome. They say learning is good for the brain well looks as if I will find out first hand.
Kurt has found a job at Thatcham it is 20 minutes away, he is finding it very frustrating having been a manager, that he is now back to square one. This job is only temporary until he finds a job where he manages and gets a much better pay. At least something is better than nothing.
Stone Henge was very impressive, but I had not dressed appropriately it was a beautiful morning leaving Mortimer. Arriving at stone Henge a bitter cold wind had developed. It cut straight through my clothes, I ached with cold and just wanted to get back to the car out of the wind, so I did not appreciate the site as much as I should have. But we did get lots of photos.
Kurt ( my son) had spent his Christmas in Prague, he then went to Berlin and he loved Berlin. Kurt’s opinion of Prague is similar to mine on Paris. Kurt returned with his girlfriend Brooke and we had a houseful of young ones. Sarah Jake Brooke and Kurt all got on exceptionally well. They travelled together and played games it was a lovely atmosphere and they all thought it was fair game to pick on me, we had a wonderful time.
John Sarah and Jake went off to Canada to ski, and you know what I think of skiing. So I stayed home with Kurt and Brooke and cramped there style by tagging along with them on many of there outings. We found that Reading has a fantastic bowling alley, and that is where I discovered my bowling is crap. A four year old could have done better. Brooke left us to return to her work in Barcelona, so Kurt got serious and looked for a job.
After a week in the snow with Jake and Sarah, John went to America for his work. John rang me, saying we will be moving again, this time to France. Cardinal says it will have to be in May that does not excite me at all. He tells me the French countryside is beautiful and I will like it. I hope I do, there will be so many challenges to overcome. They say learning is good for the brain well looks as if I will find out first hand.
Kurt has found a job at Thatcham it is 20 minutes away, he is finding it very frustrating having been a manager, that he is now back to square one. This job is only temporary until he finds a job where he manages and gets a much better pay. At least something is better than nothing.
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
France
Hello all,
Let me tell you about our trip to France, we were booked to leave England Tuesday afternoon. Everything was packed and we were on our way to Heathrow. John returned the Hertz rental car then we took the Hertz bus to the airport. On arriving we were told our flight had been cancelled due to a strike in France. The next available flight was the following morning so back we went and re hired the car and drove all the way home just to get up the next morning at four am and try again.
Our flight had been delayed due to fog at Charles de Gaull airport two hours later we are on the plane, arriving at Paris we learned our connecting flight to Rennes was delayed as well, so we may still make it. We raced to the next terminal which involved a very long run, finally we arrived all hot a bothered but we missed it. It was at this point I wished I had put on a light shirt under my heavy jumper, I got very sweaty and could not take off the jumper. So now John and I trotted off rather miserably to customer service for a flight transfer. We waited in line with many others, we were the next when a lovely lady from air France suggested we go to the next counter it will be quicker. Yes you guessed it there were problems with the people ahead and we watched the queue we came from get served and others that were behind us gone before we were served. Well we did get a complementary sandwich that had half the tub of butter on it. We had a few hours until the next flight, so we sat and waited. I noticed the smell of strong aftershave seemed to be following me everywhere, and getting worse. Yes John’s after shave was leaking in the luggage. John and I were getting a little whiffy ourselves from personal body odour. Things were not looking good. The next flight was delayed as well by half an hour. Finally we are allowed to board and it was a small plane and looked old. I think to myself, “I hope the maintenance is not as shabby as the plane looks”.
I was allocated my seat and there in the middle of the old leather seat is a puddle of fluid. Was the previous passenger so scared they had wet themselves? John kindly wiped it off with some tissues he had, and said it was probably just water, I hope so. Another wait in the plane, because there were queues of planes, a back log from the strike and fog. Finally we are off with a rattle and vibrations, which does not instil confidence in a nervous flyer such as myself. Well John just read his newspaper cool as a cucumber nothing seemed to bother him, and those big papers do take up a lot of room. We arrived safe and sound at Rennes where cool John announced it was a lovely little plane he was rather impressed by his flight, what would he know, his head was buried behind the newspaper the whole flight. Another Hertz car was hired, and while John was organising our luggage in the boot I got into the passenger side of the car. Only to discover it was the driver’s side, because they have it all back to front over in France. It felt so odd travelling to our accommodation on what I consider the wrong side. Mr cucumber had no problems with driving.
Driving in the French country side was lovely, much cleaner than Paris and indeed the English countryside. Hotel Le Chateaubriant was a welcome sight we were tired. John went to work for two hours and I walked the surrounds, it is a cute town After John spent a few hours at work we found a place to eat just around the corner, it was valentines day. The menu was a challenge however we did well, I had a beef casserole of sorts and John had a veal dish. The lovely young lady waitress managed to explain that the red wines in a certain section of the menu were local, we tried her suggestion…… awful….. she had finally found two people to flog a bottle to. Time for dessert, John and I usually do not partake in desert but the day being valentine’s we did. Above my head was a suggestion board, I chose from that a dish called Chouczoute Alsacienne. John chose from the menu crème caramel, now I thought I was getting some sort of chocolate dish. No it turned out to be a mixed grill after a lot of explaining from the waitress who was greatly concerned that I was going to eat another main meal, so she chose a chocolate mousse for me. The following day we spent driving around looking for town that we may like to live in.
A town that is close to the airport and Johns place of work we found a few lovely little places one in particular called Janze, but forty odd minutes for John to drive to work may be a little too long. We looked at shopping, one of the larger super markets is called a Super U. Shopping should not be too difficult but we did learn that you have to weigh your own fruit and vegetables and put on your own sticker. There are no scales at the checkouts. So I wondered what would stop the cheats from smuggling an extra product in the bag after they have stuck on the price and weight. Sunday we continued to drive about and see much more of the country, the fantastic buildings and churches in every small town was impressive, the church was the central focus and always huge no matter the size of the town. Frances beaches are cute as well, but if you want waves forget it. No surfers on their beaches. One thing I do not like is dogs they are treated as one of the family they are even allowed in the hotel rooms. Every one has a dog, in cars, cafes, pubs and hotel motels, none of them seem to lead. The dog takes the owners for a walk maybe I could teach some owners of dogs how to lead.
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