Hey guys. I am sitting here all snuggled-up in my bed at
midnight writing to you to tell you what a great 2 weeks I’ve had. Nothing
monumental has happened but it was just good. It’s school holidays here and
we’re in the second week now. Clem is off at a camp preparing her for
university next year (she’s gone for 9 days!), so it’s just 5 of us at the
house now (plus all the animals). Speaking of the animals, my new addiction is
brushing ‘absolute’ (the absolutely mammoth black Canadian dog at our house). You
can’t get his to move and usually you have to slide him along the tiles out of
a doorway or from behind a chair, but when you show his the brush, he comes
running quicker than if you put a bowl of food in front of him!! Unfortunately for
a ‘water-dog’, he hates water – and he really needs a wash, so when the time
comes is gonna scrub him up nice and shiny! (Wasn’t that a thrilling opening
paragraph!!).
The weekend before last, Malo and I went to Cannes for three
days and stayed with his auntie Natalie (Marie’s sister) and her husband
Pascal. It was a really nice trip because it was the first time I got to spend
some decent time near the beach (although they are nowhere near as great as Australia
and unfortunately it was too cold to go swimming). The scenery was also really
beautiful, but to be honest, I don’t think I’m classy enough (in my northern
rivers influenced outfits) to live/be in cannes – so to recap it was very beautiful but I am glad I
don’t live there. We also went to Monaco
and did heaps of walking and site seeing from old churches on top of hills
right on the ocean. It was stunning, and the sky was completely blue!
I was so tired, that coming home to the comfort of my lovely
house and family was pretty appetising. My sleep is not as solid as it usually
is, and I think it is because the mattress is too soft. There’s nothing I can
do about it and I’m not complaining, but it is to this conclusion that my investigating
has lead me. Clem threw a party as you
know (for her best friends who are twins) and at the party I met lots of nice
people. One of them was a girl called Cleà who is just so nice! My family went
over to her house for dinner the other night and her mum is a really great cook
and we had home-made hummus, tapenade, and crab dip with baguette and home
cured olives for appro. Then for the entree we ate frois gras (duck liver) with
fig jam stuff and some lettuce. After that was the main meal being two roast chickens
on a bed of roast potato. After came... you guessed it... FROMAGE! And it was a
big wheel of brie. We ate that with oil or bread. Then I had earlier prepared a
strawberry tart which we took along, and Marie (not my mum but the mum of Cleà)
had made ‘floating islands’ which is a very soft Pavlova concoction floating in
a vanilla custard. Wholly crap I ate too much – as usual. Don’t even get me
started on my weight.
So the day after the dinner part I went to my friend Samantha’s
house for a sleep over and that was really nice too. We watched the movie “the
boat that rocked” or in French it is called “good morning England”. I guess they
changed it because the French wouldn’t have understood the pun in the other
title. That was a late night with her, and the next morning I had to get up and
go with Sam’s host mum to Aix at 8, where I caught a bus back to Rognes by 9. Then
walked the 2km home from the bus stop to get ready by 10:30 because Cleà and
her family had invited Louise and myself to the Zoo! Whoa, what a morning!
The zoo was awesome! I’m not a fan of animals in cages, but
the sizes of the enclosures were pretty decent and there was every African animal
under the sun! Lions, tigers, bears (the
classics), rhino’s (they were my favourite because I am a part of a page on
facebook that is protecting rhino’s and poacher vut the horn off one of 2 of
them, and one dies, and the other one is healing slowly but has a huge hole in
its face and its really graphic and terribly – so what I’m trying to say, is
that it was nice to see three perfectly healthy rhino’s with beautiful horns on
their faces!), zebra’s, giraffes, buffalo, camels with one hump and camels with
2. There were Leopards, meerkats, snakes (so big!) and even a few kangaroos with
babies. There were so many more animals then that but you get the picture.
After the zoo, we went back to the house of Cleà and went
swimming in their pool for the fist time this spring. I had to borrow a
swimsuit of their grandma (haha yeh....) and it was the same colour as Pamela Anderson
in Baywatch! YEH BEBEH!
After the pool and an unfortunate dose of sunburn (although
not as powerful as in Australia), I went to watch the girls (Cleà and her
sister Emma) do silks (like in the circus - Those long strands of fabric
hanging from the room that you climb up and wrap them around your body to do
different things). It was really great!
That night we had a huge
girls night because the smallest sister Agatha had 2 friends over (louise being
one of them), Emma had two friends over, and Cleà had me! We had home-made
pizza for dinner and then watched the avatar. This family is really special because
they have a disabled man called Robert working for them. He has the mental capacity
of a 7 year old, and they let him live on their property in a mobile home for
free. He does gardening and stuff and they feed him and take care of him. He’s
part of the family! He came from a pretty difficulty family and I just think it
is so lovely that people open their arms to someone in need and make a better
life for him.
Tomorrow hopefully I’m going out to lunch with the mother of
a fellow exchange student from Australia who is living in Germany for a year! I’ll
let you know how it goes.
Lots of love,
Danika xx
I check this blog page most days Dan and it is always such a treat to find a new entry - I sit here with a big smile on my face giggling at you - you are very gorgeous. Thank you again for keeping in great contact with those of us who love you all the world and are keen to somehow experience your rotary exchange with you - this blog is a perfect medium for that. I have just come from Mercedes' graduation - and who's name was called out when they got to the G;s but Miles Gillespie - so that was a treat to be able to congratulate him and Brian on such a celebratory day. I also got to thank them for their efforts to look you up on their travels - they only got back a couple of days ago. They really enjoyed their visit with you and loved your family - had you not been going back to school the next day they would have loved to settle in with Marie and Thebault and all - they mentioned a number of times what great people your family are - and of course Miles mentioned Absolute. Anyway - thanks again for keeping us in your loop this way - it's a treat. Love Mum xxxx
ReplyDeleteHello Blossom
ReplyDeleteLovely to read all latest activities of your l'annee en France. Absolute sounds gorgeous and immovable and your latest famille delightful.
wonderful that you are meeting up with Rotary kids very reassuring to share highs and lows of your experiences so far.
I am doing this from my iPhone and blogging in this box and editing it is proving frustrating!!!
Saw a wonderful play on Sunday at Belvoir theatre called Food with Ivor and Hannie - really "nourishing"
Just as the title suggests. They were able to convey so much in the little theatre downstairs on a tiny stage, they even (3 in the cast) served wine, water and bread as part of the story to the audience.
I've decided to give your gift for 18th when we see you in July rather than battle the French postal
Service again...like Darth Vader I would be conquered!!!
Will try to Skype you again last time we got cut off
Lots of kisses and hugs from us in Bateau Bay (we even have a French suburb!!!)