A quoi je pense??

It’s been ages since I last sat down long enough in front of this dear mac to do more than check a few mails and occasionally reply.

Throughout April I worked over 150 hours, mostly for the agency, which amounts to a full time job. In March already I’d done about 100h. This month should be over 130h. I’m getting into the swing of daytime hours with a month-long contract working roughly a 9-5.

Time really does fly. I’ve seen my sister and her little ones a few times, including them all visiting to drop Maman off before she returned south from spending a good holiday with them. Fabrice and I saw Maman twice while she was here. Both occasions were lovely calm times at my sister’s but while they’d gone away for the weekend.

In between, various friends have invited us for a meal or two and a birthday party and we’ve visited Fabrice’s parents pretty regularly. I have to say we do ok for food over here both with nice fresh stuff to buy and loads of good restaurants all over the place which are quite affordable. My cooking skills are improving no end as Fabrice finds me new recipies to try out too

I’ve got visitors coming soon from Wales and this summer from Wales and the UK. I’m very eager to see everyone

RIght, it’s just about time to eat so I’ll shut up and post this.

xxx

Hahah!! I have a French mobile and, most importantly, SIM at last.

It plays music…

It receives French calls!

My British mobile can still receive text messages (but I can’t reply or take calls) and takes lovely photos.

With the 2 handsets, I can do alsorts
The agency still hasn’t rung me on it though.

Patience, Little Min! Patience!

You’d think that seeing as I’m looking for work I’d take time to stop and write a few blog entries once in a while You should be so lucky… And that’s in spite of Fabrice’s efforts to encourage me to get round to it. He’s been reminding me and making jokes about me not writing since before we went away.

Fabrice took us both on holiday to Strasbourg first week of February and I still haven’t got round to saying anything about the lovely week we had in one of the most picturesque areas of France.

I’m still looking for a job and it’s looking like a long haul because everywhere either says ‘No, you haven’t got the qualification’ or ‘ No, but we’ll keep your CV in case something comes up’. I do prefer the second answer by far but it has no consequence short term.

I’m low on agency work this week so far and I’ve caught a cold/sore throat so I’m hapilly staying in to carry on decorating the entrance hall and catching up a little on the job-searching I didn’t get time to do last week. It’s been long enough I haven’t done many hours per week that last week’s 32h killed me dead! I was so tired by Friday, it became a joke and i forgot loads of things I was meant to do. This week’s main missions are as follows: this afternoon I get ID photos taken and put in the application for my French Carte d’Identité, tomorrow evening we go and get a French mobile and SIM (has to be on a prepaid contract cos you don’t have cheap pay&go options here!) and finally I have to take the odd form I got from the UK expats social services/national insurance dept and give it to the French equivalent office, hoping that what the form contains is what the CAF need to know, fact of which I am really very unsure.

Oh, a little news on Guy, who is still back in the hospital and seems to be doing nearly ok. He’s been given some info by a protected housing co in the midlands and has to think about it. The social worker and hospital still seem to find it impossible to keep Maman informed and I’m not sure Dad knows much more either. Maman got this news from Guy when she last rang him. I think she’s been trying to get in touch with sw or hospital to complete the picture but it’s not an easy task.

Well well, I’ve got a cup of coffee going cold and it needs some attention

OK,time for some gymnastics to break up your day.

If you’re sat down, please try this:

Hold your right foot out and circle it clockwise.

Still going?

Lovely!

Now draw a six in mid air with your right hand.

Hahah!

Marvellous stuff!!

I’ve tried my left foot too, and doing it anticlockwise and then drawing a 9. Bother! It’s confuzzling that my body isn’t really under my control after nearly 33 years of being inside my head!

Hope you enjoyed the break.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all those nice wishes I didn’t get round to sending.

Well, it’s been freezing here and I’m finally thawing a bit

December got nice and hectic and then I caught a flu kind of bug/cough/cold and whatnot all that while we went visiting family over Christmas. Fabrice’s cold became bronchitus which was poo and he missed 4 days last week cos of that.

I got a bit of work last week with a temping agency and I’ve got another few hours this week. It’s only little but will help to get me back into the swing of things.  I’ve applied for one job but they want a qualification i don’t have, not even in British-unrecognised form. But we’ll see if experience can play its part… So far, most of the jobs I’d have wanted to go for so far have been for people on a special scheme for getting long term unemployed back to work after months or years. I shouldn’t be picky but I don’t quite fancy pre-school or nursery jobs which are frequent and I may go for something in adult services since that’s next most frequent.
The agency hours have been with adults, so I’m gaining clues as we speak

Fabrice and I seem to be getting on better and better and finding our ways of doing things, our rhythms and preferences, our habits. We’ve got work to get on with in the flat imminently and it’s teaching us communication and job sharing according to what we do best. It’s also teaching me to watch out for him because I’ve got so many ideas and find 3D and use of space quite easy things whereas they’re simply not naturally Fabrice-friendly concepts. It does get to draw sketches and plans, write lists of materials and do things like drill holes in the wall, which is all good fun.
I’ve done lots of baking and cooking which Fabrice enjoys so I’m a proud chef if ever you knew one. Though I messed up yesterday’s cookies (hmmmm!) even though for once I followed the recipe (I thought). Maybe the butter was too hot. It said ’soft’ and mine was melted. I forgot it a bit

Oh and I went to a football match with a cousin and survived a few hours in silly temperatures after dark… I’m not sure I’d like to regularly go and shout in such cold.

Well, I’m packing the last loose bits and waiting for someone from freecycle to pick up the last item of furniture that I’ve rehomed.
The adventure is well underway and yet just about to begin.
Tadaaaa!!!
France, here I come!

So here it is, the days can now be counted down officially.

France in 14 days!

It’s actually 13 if I go by the ferry landing but there’ll be much of the country to drive through before Lyon and arriving, so 14 is more true.

With a bit of awesome timing I could even leave the UK with a copy of the For His Kingdom CD in my pocket. Hopefully, by then, my glasses will also be sorted and good.

Still sorting out last bits like left over furniture etc. Know anyone who needs a new TV? But everything’s coming together nicely.

I’m getting very excited and feeling all kid-before-Christmas-ey!

wow wow wow!

Youpie! I should say.

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=wam-oMub8EU
cos it’s a favourite (rocked up).

And this is a must because it’s homegrown talent and I love it!!
http://www.forhiskingdom.co.uk/Home.html