THE GRAND SLALOM

Samuel took part in his first slalom last week for his school.  It was great to watch not your eveyday team sport where everyone starts at the same time, he was number 126 so we waited for 126 kids to ski downhill.  Long but worth it.

Well done Samuel.

  For some reason he wasn't inscribed in the race although I filled our all the necessary paperwork three weeks before, on realizing this the man in charge turned so nasty. We actually put in a formal complaint and another lady came over to tell him off, but really I have devised since then that in general and sorry to generalize for those French people who do not fall under this category but French people are RUDE.  I am coming across more and more rude French people.  My friend was over the other day for tea and was complaining about the bus company who drove past her son on the way to college and just left him standing there.  When she called the office the response was RUDE.  It's never their fault.  Hey we don't want to blame just to sort it out people.  Makes living here sometimes difficult.  But then you do have fabulous cheese, amazing scenery and a great health system so better not complain too loudly.

CANTEEN ON STRIKE

Last week the canteen was on strike in Samuel's school.  Usually it's the teachers, this time it's the school restaurant, so everyone had to remove their kids from the school property for two hours due to insurance.  Here's the thing about France and Insurance. You have to have insurance for every thing, the kids have school insurance paid by the parents in case they break anything or burn the school down, then another one to insure them in case they have an accident at school, my husband has to have work insurance in case he has an accident and breaks a limb or cuts of a hand, and another one in case he burns down the premises.  And then in this case the kids can't stay at school due to insurance purposes.  Gosh.  So I fetched Samuel and we went for a quick walk around the lake, lunch in hand. 

 All iced up on the edges

 Mont Blanc with it's hat on

 Scattering of snow compared to us in the ski village and it's only 25 minutes away but up, up and up

 Little boys and ice

No ducks to feed

SNOWY MORNING & HORRIBLE CHILDREN

I managed a walk through the woods (still have the trapped nerve in my back) today after dropping of my youngest at school.  It was so beautiful I couldn't help taking pictures.  Osteopath tomorrow.  Shew.

HORRIBLE CHILDREN..................

My eldest son has a friend who he calls his best friend whom I don't think is quiet the most fabulous best friend. I fetch this child every Tuesday for tea and a lift to Jujitsu and endure much abuse whilst he's in may care. In January I found a letter on my son's bed from this so called friend addressing his birthday wishes for his up coming birthday.  Would love to post the letter but don't think that's quiet right to do so, so in short will just say there were a lot of four letter words, describing what he thought of me as the mother if I don't buy exactly what he wanted for his birthday.  I showed my husband, not being fluent in the written French word I didn't want to over-react (apparently I do according to my family and over exaggerate) but that's there opinion not mine. My husband however was horrified.  So he marched over to the house and handed the letter to the parents.  They responded correctly, so sorry, I am ashamed etc etc PLUS we will punish him accordingly, so no Jujitsu for a month, no party, no toys etc etc.  Needles to say the punishment never happened the only punishment that did happen was that the child was placed under the responsibility of another dad on Tuesdays when he needed a lift to Jujitsu.  IN THE MEANTIME, I had also been entertaining another little girl on Tuesdays' together with this so called best friend which entails fetching them from school, feeding them gouter (teatime snack) and taking them to Jujitsu in return for a lift back for my children from one of the dad's who take it in turns.  The little girl however (or rather her mother) has decided she can go home with another friend who is now back at Jujitsu after a 7 month absence (the mothers are close apparently), leaving me high and dry with no lift back for my kids.  I have had this arrangement for a year and not one phone call to explane the circumstances not from the little girls mother, not from the best friends father.  No body could say, Ok my kid will be doing this on a Tuesday find your own way home.  NOPE.  RUDE or  perhaps just very SPECIAL PEOPLE.  Not quiet sure.  At least I found solace in the woods. 

THE REST OF JANUARY AND LIVING IN A SMALL VILLAGE

Well the mild weather seems to be over, we have had heaps of snow and cold, wet weather, so much so that I seem to be spending most of the winter inside.  On the odd sunny days we've managed to get out for a walk or two.

 

Samuel going up on the pulley

 Kids going over us

 

I went Nordic skiing with Sam - 4km we managed.

So it's been nice to get out every now and then but I made the mistake of going to see an Osteopath for my IBS.  Incase your wondering I B S is Irritable Bowel Syndrome which I was diagnosed with in December, I think the doctors get to a point they don't know what to do with you anymore so they diagnose you with IBS and say it's life long, good luck and off you go.  So I decided to seek alternative medicine, as I was sick of spending at least two days a week next to the loo at home.  And it worked, well it eased the problems but it's giving me such a painfull back I've been walking around for 10 days in a hunchback position.  I think now I prefer the IBS at least I know what I'm dealing with.  A sore back is a mission.

IBS's main culprit is stress.  Since pulling out of my little business in August I seem to have had crushing self confidence problems and stifling anxiety attacks to the point I just don't want to leave the house.  I thought I was getting over it having signed the business over to a new partner, but NO.  I saw my old partner in the bakery and all the questions came rushing back, IS IT ME.  Well we'll see. The new partner is at the business all the time ALONE with no site of her so it seems history is repeating itself.  Still need to convince myself though.

France is a lonely place in winter if you don't work.  I have been perusing the job market but if you don't have perfect French writing skills finding something is really difficult. I also need a babysitter on the weekends and Wednesdays which would take over half of my salary so in the long run probably not worth it. I don't have many friends here having burnt one of my last bridges with the neighbour due to her hellish child I just can't handle anymore, it now leaves me one less friend.  I have a friend in Le Bettex which is a 20 min drive from here but it's great to chat in English and feel not French for an afternoon.  Little escapism never hurt anybody.  Summer is easier with the river close by, lots of walks to do, cycle paths open and of course there is the BBQ.  In the beginning snow is fun but it's starting to get old after four years.  Anyway on the bright side in Winter there is still shopping, cinemas and the indoor pool.

 

 I still find myself addicted to food shops, I love the variety, people take it for granted here, but you get 100 different types of cheese, dozen's of yoghurts, cold meat cuts from all corners of Europe, fruits from exotic countries and I could go on.   This is a Chinese Pomelo, huge thing, a cross between a grapefruit and an orange.  It's delicious, not juicy but dry, a mission to peel.

Snow can be absolutely mesmerizing though.  I took these pictures on one of my walks through the woods on the way to fetch my youngest from school.

Then I fetched Ben ...................and it really began to come down.............