hey guys!

 Do you know that my mum signs on every single day to check if I have blogged? i’d better get going! i'm still chugging along here in france. i can't believe that it has already been 5 months that i have lived here... and i am sorry that you have all missed out on a lot of it. i have been very lazy. I don’t know why but its a little intimidating writing for you, so i'm gonig to picture that im writing to myself, because in the end this is also for me to look back on in years to come and read from myself. so, i am, sitting on my matress in my bedroom of my second host family - the lovely De La Rochebrochard's. i have just finished a dinner of chicken curry and rice, simple and nice. i have been home all alone today and i have a skype with giselle first, and then my mum.

 i talked to giselle all about her trip to melbourne to check out the universities and the cource she is interested in, and also about all the idea's we have already squeezed into our theoretical flat. i have been dreaming of an extremely cute weather-board house surrounded by lush and shady tree's with a small back-yard somehow housing a hammock and a pool. oh, and it will be positioned right in the most popular location in Melbourne and hopefully the rent will be Under $100 a week. however, something tells me that with our budget, it's more likely that we'll be living in a classic brick appartment located on the outskirts of melbourne just in reach of the public transport system with a small kitchen, no view and positively no back yard - and this still THRILLS ME!! i am so excited for melbourne. however, uni has been on my mind a bit. i just don't know what to do? i love music, but the idea of studying music kills my enthusiasm a bit. i like to entertain and play for people, and i don't know if Ineed an education to do that (I think I will look into it anyway). i want to follow through with learning French too, but i will need to look into it all a bit deeper to make up my mind. but whatever, im young and i'm going to melbourne so we'll see what i can make of it!

 then i had a skype with mummy, and i was dwelling on how i have been feeling lonely at the moment. you see, im on vacance now until the 1st of september, and i haven’t been able to call call the kids in my class because they were all studying their buts off for their exams which are actually finally over now. and becasue i changed class recently, i have only just started getting to know the kids in my new class on a stronger level, and now i don't have an excuse to see them every day. i'll just have to step out of my comfort zone and bloody call. these days, my comfort zone is being home alone in my underpants. There are so many legitimate and also some stupid reasons why my self confidence has turned to jelly which maybe I will touch on later. Finally most of my family are on vacation now too so tha house isn’t as empty, but marie and thibault still go to work. Being along was good in some ways becasue I could mooch around the house, sing, eat and dance without the eyes of others upon me! also there is the pool and the blue skies.

there has been a few events during the holidays for me. one was the fete de sport held in my home village of Rognes, and i was eager to go and find out where and when i can get all sporty and also where i can meet some folks my age. sadly, it turned out mostly to be for kids. i played bad minton with 10 year olds, and walking into the judo hall only to find toddlers in smart little white robes jumping over things... so i just walked out of there again. I didn’t find a sport during the holidays sadly because they all start in September.

then there was the fete de music which is a HUGE event all across france where people fill the streets and listen to live music of all genres. i was going to go with malo, but my friend Samantha from America asked if i'd like to go with her and her friends, which i did! Charles, the host dad from my first family,had called the day before and asked if i wanted to come and play music for him and all his friends, so I took my guitar and played for an hour (earning 55 euro!!) and then met up with same for a night of dancing!

I’m very Sorry that I dropped off the face of the earth a bit. Mum’s been telling me how many people are looking for my new blog and its nowhere to be found!!

To be honest, it’s still been quite a roller coaster ride for me over the last few months with emotions and stuff.  I might be living in one of the most beautiful places in France, but it doesn't mean that life is easy and that I am having a crazy and thrilling learning adventure all the time. I am definitely learning all the time, but from both the good and the bad.

Everyday I struggle with my identity. In Australia I had so much confidence in who I was and in all the things that made me, me.  I never realised this confidence at the time because of course I still had insecurities (what girl doesn’t), but now I feel very unsure a lot. It’s so hard. I am trying to make the most of this experience, but I realise that exchange isn’t simply moving to another country and living a happy existence. It’s a struggle, and that’s what makes you develop as a person. Well, this is what I am discovering on my exchange because every exchange is so different, and you have to work with what you are given.

 Some exchangers are free to do whatever they please. They can travel to other countries alone for a week with only the swift signature of a Rotarian, or they might be in a district with 40 other exchangers who instantly become true friends and family that you can count on  and be with all hours of the day, but I didn’t get this. And this is probably a good thing in many ways. It means that I don’t speak English with my exchange buddies and thus speak more French which is an important aspect of exchange ( my only exchange buddy, Sam, went home),  and it means that I need to make friends from France. This I feel that I am struggling with. i have friends but i never know if i am imposing on their business. i call and it doesn't work out for whatever reason. sometimes it does which is good. its all very tender haha. You see, I was talking to my sister and my host father at lunch today and my insecure feelings which I thought were just in my head, are actually true. My host dad explained that different areas of France produce different types of people depending on their context. for example people up in the north of france deal with the rain everyday so i dont know why but apparently they are really nice people who are friends for ever once you meet them. that. but here, the south life is considered easy because we have the beautiful sun almost every day, and we have lots of rich people. However  people are so posh and well to do here (this is not my words haha) that in this society it is common to have your small handful of true friends and then there’s everyone else that you cannot trust becasue you talk about them andthey most likely talk about you. And its true – I witness it every day. Sitting at a cafe, or watching tv, or talking about someone you know, and the people you are with mock them for wearing this, or for being fator ugle (in other words imperfect haha) and this is all just normal. But I am struggling to deal with it.  THANKFULLY, i have those few people who come forward and are just so lovely all the time. always full of eneery when they see you, and those are the moments when i'm at my brightest! I am so different from everyone here that I stand out like a zebra, so for those who befriend the zebra's of the world... i love you x

Anyway. I guess today has been a hard one haha so it's reflecting in my blog. I love and miss you all dearly and I will get through the hard times because there is always good times waiting on the other side!

And I have written 5 new songs :D

Xxx

DANIKA <3

Hey! (15/05/2012) I wrote this a whole week ago and have been too side-tracked to post! I’ll all a bit out of date now but I think it will still be an interesting read. Love y’all lots xx

So, I’ve been back at school since Wednesday last week and I am really enjoying it! Day one was a bit sketchy but every day since it has gotten better and better! I’ve joined in with a circle of friends including Marie, who lives in the same village as me (Rognes), Gabby, whose house I went to on Friday for lunch, Camille who is HILARIOUS (well she sounds hilarious but I usually can’t understand what she’s saying), Laurena, who only today have i bonded with (she’s so nice!!), and there’s another girl whose name I still can’t remember which is a little embarrassing on my behalf.

Every Friday we have two hours of sport and finally on Friday I actually remember to take my tights and joggers so I could join in too. At the moment we are practicing pentabon which is a more retarded version of long-jump (run-hop-step-step-step-jump!) and guess what! I jumped the furthest! Bless my long legs! And it was nice doing a bit of sport aside from my unusually unsuccessful  jog I attempt now and then. I have tried briefly to look into basketball in Aix, because I guy in my class plays and he told me that there is competition for girls, too. However I have a feeling that its getting close to the end of the season. I could start tennis but that is something that you usually play alone and I like to play with a team! Plus its probably rather expensive. And horse riding is out of the question because a) it’s far too expensive and b) the horse does most of the exercise!  I think volley ball is played a fair bit here and I at least know the rules so maybe I’ll check that out too?

This weekend has been a pretty big one for me. On Saturday, we had lunch with some family firend and I also attempted to wash absolute! Although I think I made him look worse because I didn’;t wash the shampoo out properly so he’s a little bit ... crusty. I’ll have to wait for another hot day to finish the job because it turns out he LOVES the hose (the family thought he hated water – which is ironic because he’s a water dog breed).  Then Saturday night I had another one of those fancy shmancy parties to go to, but I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction and almost gave up the goat. I did end up going though and I wore a $6 dress I got from a second hand store last week. It was still wet from the wash when I threw it on, but my super hot and sexy body dried it up pretty quick.  I thought that every time that had one of these soiree’s it was held at the golf club, but this time one of the organisers had it at her house... or should I say mansion! It’s located just outside of aix in the absolutely exquisite countryside. If there is one stereotype that we got right about France, it is definitely the beautiful south countryside. Only now that winter has gone and spring has arrived, can I fully appreciate it in all its glory. The vineyards are flourishing with new growth (along with every other living thing) and everywhere you go is bursting with a rich green colour, decorated with the wild flowers (especially poppies). I get to see the countryside every morning on the drive to school, and home again, and it is truly magical. My family and I actually went on the hunt twice during the holidays for fresh asparagus growing in the bush all around Rognes. The small, green shoots are not the easiest things to find and apparently we were a little late in the season so they weren’t as abundant. After two hours or so we had a solid couple of handfuls and that night Marie made a delicious Creamy asparagus sauce with spaghetti! (I LOVE MARIE – sorry, little bit of randomness there but I am seriously in love with my family and I’m so happy here!)

Whoa, whoa, I’d better retrace my steps! I was initially telling you all about the party and in particular the divine house/mansion/villa/thing. (I’m actually writing this initially in my exercise book in chemistry class, so just excuse me for a second while I go and partake in a science experiment)... (I had to try three types of milk: fresh, pasteurised and UHT – but I’m a little lactose intolerant so I gave a tummy ache and a LOT of flem going on right now). SO, the exterior of the house was covered in a big lavish vine but the most beautiful thing about the place was not the perfect and fluffy green lawn, nor the water-fountain, but the fact that we arrived at sunset and got to watch the ‘sun go to sleep’ (sunset literally translates to ‘sleep of the sun’) over fields of green wheat and vineyards. I just can’t get over the face that these generous and really rish people throw a party with tons of delicious food, a DJ, lighting and now they even supply their own house just for the pure enjoyment if young kids like me. I don’t even know them! I seriously felt the need to buy them some flowers.

We ended up leaving at 2 in the morning and at 8 the morning after I had promised to Skype mumzy for Mothers day! I however accidently woke up at 9 but when I logged on mum wasn’t online! I got mon ami Giselle (who was online) to call mum and see what was the go, and turns out she was at my unties and I was to call uncle Micks Skype! I had the “morning after” hair and make-up look raging when I unfortunately saw myself in the Skype camera – very attractive – but it was a really beautiful skype with 7 family members on the other end. I sang them my new song (well, tried too) and then my darn internet cut out, when it came-to I had to bid my farewells anyway because the family and I were heading out to Malo’s confirmation ceremony with the catholic church in Aix. I was awfully tires and although the ceremony was very beautiful (with close to 1000 people in the church and 55-60 kids doing the same thing as Malo) it went for 2 hours instead of 1, and I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Malos god-mother is Nathalie (Marie’s sister) so she was included in the ceremony meaning that Pascal her husband was there too, and Maries Parents. Then we all came back to our house for a celebratory lunch (I am addicted to wasabi peas).

At about 5 that afternoon after snoozing on the day-bed all though pre-lunch nibbles and also after post-lunch drinks, I said my farewells and went to bed when I slept to 6:30 the next morning, only stirring once to use the toilet! My family are actually considering taking me to the doctors because I am tired ALL THE TIME. Even the Monday morning after that huge sleep, I still slept in class. I tried telling them that it’s normal but even I am starting to wonder... Marie bought me some stuff from the chemist so hopefully that will give me a boost.

Oh I forgot to mention that during my lunch at my firnd Gabby;s house, we discovered that she had a piano, and Marie (my other friend) plays piano beautifully so we have been trying to collaborate (so finally it happened)! An artist called ‘birdy’ did a cover of ‘Skinny love’ by Bon Iver on the piano and Marie could play is so well so we did that one and Camille recorded in on her phone (that’ll be interesting to see). Marie also offered to bring some cherries to school for me because she has a few cherry trees at her how which are sagging under the weight of all the cherries. Maybe tomorrow I could go help her pick them! That could be fun.

I have also got a fair few fun things to look forward to during my year in France. Tomorrow night I am going to Cleas house for a dinner party with some of her other friends and my instructions are to bring a plate of food and my swimmers because apparently the pool is very hot! I have decided to make two plates : one savoury and one sweet. The first is Vietnamese spring rolls (YUM) with prawns, vermicelli, julienned carrots and cucumber, lettuce, mint, basil and coriander. As for the dipping sauce I had to venture into an Asian supermarket which is conveniently located at my bus stop on Aix, to buy some hoisin sauce and peanuts. And what a gem it was to find! It has all the things needed for making anything Asian like sushi etc and it is really cheap! let me put it in perspective for you: yesterday I bought a huge bottle of hoisin sauce, a big bad of peanuts for only 5 euro. Today I went to some posh coffee joint on the Cours Mirabeau and payed 3.40 euro for a freaking hot chocolate. Its a bit of a joke really, so I’ll never do that again. That hot chocolate is almost double the sodt of a bit slicve of ‘pizza capri’ , its more than a toasted Panini (a foot long sandwich toasted with cheese and herbs or whatever), and its 4 baguettes! AND IT WASN’T EVEN THAT GOOD.

Haha I get side-tracked so easily! so, Vietnamese rolls for the savoury and for desert I am going to make chocolate covered strawberries. Yesterday I also experimented with dark-chocolate covered orange pieces and it was awesome! I carefully peeled each individual segment of orange and took all the white stuff off, then dried all the excess juice with paper towel. Then I dipped/rolled it in some dark chocolate and into the fridge to go hard! So there you have it – I’m practically masterchef.

...what was I originally telling you? Ahh yes, I was going to list all the exciting things that I have coming up! So to recap, dinner at clea’s on Wednesday night, and then on Thursday if the weather is nice, my family and I are going to have a picnic at cassis. Cassis is on the ocean so I’m going to throw my swimmers in again i think. We have Thursday and Friday off school so that is a 4 day weekend!

Then on the first of June I have been invited to lunch by a lovely girl called Solene who was in my class before I changed. Her family are really nice so that will be fun. Then on the second I have a rotary meeting with all other exchangers in my district who are both in-bounders like me and out-bounders like Malo who is going to Korea in August.  And after that I am going to my friend Sllys house for her 18^th birthday. She is an  exchange student from America.

Then around the 10^th of june I am going to spend a week with my uncle bob and auntie heather on their Canal boat. How great will that be?! They have been coming to France every two years for 3 months or so to travel around slowly on their canal boat. Im also going to stay a week with my Auntie Peita, Uncle Ivor  and cousin Hannah who are staying in a house just north of Limoges on the 27^th of July. I am so excited for this!

In September mamma bear is coming over and we’re going to spend a glorious 3 weeks together around Aix and then down to Barcelona!

And finally the last trip I know of at the moment is with rotary and it’s a euro bus tour with all the other Aussie’s in France and I think the Argentineans too (PARTY BUS!). and that goes for 12 Days.

Somewhere in my trip I want to squeeze in a trip to London to stay with my cousin who has been living and working there for a year with her boyfriend.

You know what? I think I have just about covered everything. I usually write a little list of thinks to remind me of what I am saying when I weave my way off track and now that list is completely crossed off!

Until next time,

Lots of love – Dan xxxxxxx

here you are, have some photos with your blog! they go splendedly together :)
 here are some photos from easter a month ago!

~EASTER~



I tried to make pavlova.... it failed.

the most delicious lunch ever!

hmm why are they all laughing? and WHERE IS ALL THE WINE? ha sneeky sneeky, but Tibault forgot to take his glass off the table so that plan failed.

the easter sunday service. went for two hours.

but i loved the organ! the organ player needs a medal; he/she was amazing. because she managed to improvise when the pastor/priest randomly changed pitch when he was singing.  

i think Louise found an egg during our pre-lunch easter egg hunt!

success!



more family -  the lady in the apricot blouse is natathalie, the sister of Marie. and the older couple are the mother and father of Marie.



i converted him, like lie the emporer did with darth vader. yeh.. i watched all 6 episodes over 3 days last week.

thats a happy louise right there!

~BUIDING THE TERRACE~

(and other things too!)

the first plank up.

Absolute is taking it all in.

progress is fast here in FRANCE!

I'm so artistic.

its almost finished! and one day that vine will cover it. it just needs the straw mats ontop to block out the sun.

so this is just the start. for some raason my computer won't upload anymore, so i'll hav e to post another blog with more photos tonight or something.

love you all lots xxxx

Danika

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

hey! My new family have some family friends who also live in Rognes only a km down the road. The man of the house, Jean-Mark, is an actor in a French TV series called plue belle de la vie ( more beautiful of  life). I can’t really remember too many details but I think at the moment his character is in prison?! His wife, Katie, is a really lovely blonde petite lady who reminds me of Cameron Diaz (we’ve agreed to go jogging together!). They have two kids around 9 (girl whose name I forgot) and 11 (Lucio, the boy), and Jean-Mark has an older daughter  of 22 called Meilva who lives with her mum. On the weekend, Clem, Malo, Antoine (one of the twins and Clem’s best friend) and I went over to spend the evening with Meilva and her friend Camille(who are studying message therapy at university together and where visiting for the weekend), because Jean-Mark and Katie were out to dinner.  It was a night filled with music, dancing, pasta (with bolognaise made my Jean- Mark, a full blooded Italian) and lots more! I initially didn’t even think to take my guitar, but after some lovely persuasion my Clem and Malo, I drove back with Meilva to our house to get it. Probably the most hilarious thing of the night was when Clem was dancing with Malo and she lost balance and half sat/fell on a small decorative trunk/stylish storage box-thing on which the big old cat was peacefully sleeping.

At about 2 a.m. we made the hysterically terrifying walk home with only a flashlight to guide our way. Clem was leaving bruises on my arm, and when Malo flashed the torch into a large garden only to have a ghostly while woman staring back , I let rip the most high-pitched and piercing scream I could muster and Clem and Malo followed suit (until we realised it was a statue).

The next morning (well, almost afternoon by the time I rose from the dead), I had only 40 minutes to get ready for a neighbours lunch next door... literally next door - About a 25 metre walk from garden to garden. We were half an hour late and the last ones to arrive even though we lived the closest (he he he), and when we got there the door open to about 15 new people to greet. 30 kisses (“bonjour” *kiss, kiss) and 15 already-forgotten names later, we headed to the lounge room (or ‘salon’ in French) to feast on Champaign and pre-lunch snacks such as those weird puffed peanut chips, pate on toast with pickles, carrot sticks, wasabi peas, pistachio’s and potato chips. While the conversation casually drifted in one of my ears and out the other, I quietly dozen on Clem’s shoulder. In total there were three couples at the lunch - Marie and Thibault (my folks), Katie and Terri and the couple who owned the house, Emmanuel and Emmanuel. Because Emmanuel and Emmanuel had the same name, their nick names were Mano and Manie (I think). And then there was the tribe of kids...

Because I can’t really use my ears for information as much anymore, I have recognised that I watch what people do, and their characteristics. Terri had an absolutely hilarious some-what and ‘even’ laugh which allowed him to laugh for extended periods. Two ‘ha ha’ sounds would be while exhaling and the next two would be inhaling, so it was very rhythmical : ha ha, ha ha, ha ha, ha ha, ha ha. Somewhere over the top of boisterous conversation and laughing you’d hear someone yell “OK, a la table!!” (to the table!). for entree there was about 6 different kinds of salad circulating the table. There was a bowl of roast capsicum with herbs totally submerged in olive oil. There was a Greek salad with cucumber, fetta, tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, another with cabbage, cheese, pecan nuts, little cubes of ham and a scrumptious dressing, ...etc ...etc. we ate accompanied by a glass of rose... or two, and then out came the main meal, white rice and a big pot of some sort of chicken dish. After that, that BIGGEST bowl of fruit salad came out that I had ever seen. I have not eaten a decent fruit salad since I was in Aus with my mum (we used to do it for breakfast with yoghurt and muesli on top). Accompanying the fruit was another tray covered in a variety of biscuits and golden foil wrapped caramel wafers that I crumbled over both the bowls of fruit saladJ. After Marie was done filling everyone’s head with my music shenanigans, I was once again persuaded to go get my guitar (I’m not going to lie, I loved playing for people – so I was keen to get it, too). I had left my guitar at Jean-mark and Katie’s house the previous night because I couldn’t be bothered carrying it home, so Marie and I zoomed over there, retrieved it and returned to what became a little family concert! I played two songs, and then the daughter of the 2 Emmanuel’s who was 11, played a couple songs on her flute. Then the 16 year old brother cranked out his base guitar! It was some good times had.

Unfortunately my morning routine has been considerably altered. Previously, when I first came to my second family, we would get up at around 6:30 and then at precisely 7 Thibault would drive us to school. However, there was a healthy Family discussion the other night (ok, every family fights – its normal), so what I’m trying to say id that my family had an argument after dinner on Sunday night. I had no idea what they were talking about and realised I should probably say good night and leave them to it when I kept randomly laughing out loud. I headed up stairs, put on some beats and did some ridiculous yet intense bedroom dancing that if anyone had been watching.... haha I’d love to think of their reaction/expression.  About 25 minutes later all the kiddies cam upstairs, and that’s when I found out that that I would now be getting up at 6, leaving the house at 6:30 to walk to the bus stop and catch the bus at 7... FUN! I have decided that it’s beneficial though, because I get to do some exercise everyday!!! (Cup half full, Danika; cup half full). It’s just so cold: the other morning my left hand randomly got pins and needles and I figured that it was so cold that my blood had frozen and I was having some sort of mini-stroke.

What’s new for Danika? Well, about a month ago I got an email from a long time acquaintance back in Australia. We went the same primary school (although I think he was about 4 years above me), but we’d never really hung out or known each other very well. Anyway! Turns out Miles and his awesome dad, Brian (who I have regular conversations with in Coles), were going to be travelling through France for 4 weeks around April, and they were even going to pass through Aix if I would like to go out to dinner? Hmmm, go out to dinner with a fellow Australian? Bloody oath I would! So after some pre-hand planning, Miles and Brian came over to Rognes for a pre-dinner drink with my family at 7:30 on Tuesday night. The minute Miles made eye-contact with my huge black dog; it was instantly love at first sight. He knew the breed (I forgot it) the country of origin (Canada) that they are popular dogs for saving little children in the water (or something?), that they’re quite rare, and very expensive etc. It took a good ten minutes to separate them so that we could go inside out of the cold! Over a glass or rose (from our local vineyards) or a red (that Brian kindly provided!!) we discussed all the ways possible, of being killed by Australian wildlife. Miles and Brian did a glorious demonstration of their encounters with sharks, whales, spiders, snakes, koalas (highly dangerous...) kangaroos, scorpions, and also how long you have to live after you get bitten etc.  Did you know? Of the 10 most poisonous snakes in the world, Australia has 9 of them? They should be advocates for tourism Australia! Poor Malo was sitting pale as paper with his hands over his mouth and eyes wide.

Brian, Miles and I ended up going to a cosy little restaurant in Rognes called “Ma cuisine”. Poor Brian was having an interesting experience driving on the wrong side of the road, so we did most of the talking when we were safely out of the car. Marie and Thibault had also filled us in on what was a good choice off the menu. We had decided to have the froi gras as an entree (duck pate that the restaurant had mixed to make a savoury crème Broulee), and for mains, miles and I shared a cote de boeuf (pretty much just a huge hunk of good quality beef that has been roasted in the oven but only enough so that is it still practically raw in the middle) and some fry’s on the side. We couldn’t finish it... it was huge. And Brian had a Moroccan dish cooked in a targene (that weird porcelain thing that I can’t spell) with couscous on the side. We shared a bottle of lovely soft red, and talked about all the gossip of Alstonville, all their experiences in France, and also how bloody great Australia is. They dropped me home at about 11:30 and miles kissed his doggy friend, absolute, goodbye. And then texted me how great the dog was... Oh, And the family!

Now to talk about school!  As you know I changed class, and this means that I have gone from being with 15 year olds, to being with 16/17 year old which is a lot better for me.  Also I am in a premiere L and the L stands for literature. I do French, French literature, English, English literature, Italian, art and also once a week I have one lesson of science (it alternates from biology to chemistry each week).

I  am really loving all my teachers, but truthfully I don’t know any of their names:

-            The English teacher is a jolly, over-weight, hilariously comedic man of maybe 30 years. I enjoy his teaching abilities because he is so laid back, and I don’t feel that extreme gap between teacher and student.

-          Then there’s the French teacher (who also teaches us French literature) and he is an interesting character, bus also really enthusiastic and funny. He’s fit, maybe 60, bald, and very nice because on Thursday we have four hours of French in the morning and he lets us have breaks to go use the coffee machine and he’s just really kind. We also watch lots of old-school movies in his class.

-          The englsih literature teacher is brittish so she is really easy to get along with too. I think her classes are pretty challenging fir people who don’t have language as a first language, so if no one knows the answer and she is desperatwly saying “can ANYONE see examples of wit or cynicism in this excerpt  of the play ‘The importance of being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde (talk about challenging), I’d eventually put  up my had and answer which is followed by a “thankkyyooouuuuu” (as she releases all her tension in one word). She’s got a lovely sweet and light personality and the other day after listening to her speak French with a powerful British accent, I asked my friend Gabby if my Australian accent is as prominent when I speak French. yes, yes it was. Even I know o sound retarded, so I find is kind of funny when my lovely family comments on my accent over skype and how French I sound while in reality I sound completely ridiculous.  

-          The Italian teacher doesn’t really acknowledge my existence.

-          Initially I thought the geography/history teacher was a scary demon, because she yells just in general when she is teaching and also everyone pre-warned me so I went into the class with some hefty expectation. But after a lesson the other day we got talking and she’s really nice!

-          Haven’t really gotten to know the art teacher very well. So I’ll have to update you laterz.

Anyway, i hope that fills you in a bit. lots of love, dan x

This is not like my other blogs; it’s messy and not very well written. I just need to get it out of my way so I can start a new one.... (I know this isn’t making sense, but when I write a blog, I like it to be completed with picture and stuff and because I haven’t done that, I’ve been waiting and waiting). I’ve been very lazy - sorry my lovely family and friends.

Since the 26^th of March, a lot has happened and changed for me! I have changed classes at school, I have changed families and I have found two vintage clothing stores (but they are still nothing compared to Australia –I’d do anything for a decent cheep op-shop like the ones in Lismore)! Also we just had Easter (which they call ‘Paques’ here) and yes, I just had chocolate for breakfast for the last couple of days because there was a lot left over.

(Wednesday 12^th): I am home from school today because I have a cold, and although it is far from life threatening, I’d rather be snuggled up in bed then outside in the wet and cold weather. Well, that was the weather yesterday, but today I have actually woken up to sun streaming through my window. The weather down here is very unpredictable. so, going to school today could have been a reality, but I’m happy. I have the house to myself (along with the 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 fish, 1 rabbit and a fair few chickens) and I can make good use of my time by cleaning my room, blogging to you lot, and raiding the fridge - as well as working on a couple of new songs! It’s always easier when you're in an empty house to work on a song. Because when it comes to playing with melodies, they don't sound great all the time, and with no one around I don’t have to be self conscious that someone’s listening to me freestyle.

I am going to post this blog now even though it is not even close to being finished and it is terribly un-informative. I don’t know what my problem is, but every day that I have put off writing my blog since last time, it gets harder to do because it gets bigger in my mind and there is more and more to tell. So instead of leaving a blank 2 weeks where you have no idea what I’ve been up to, I’m going to summarise the crap out of it, so then I can get on with my life and give you a decent blog next time. And also I am not going to leave such a big gap in between each blog. I keep putting my blog from the fear of not being able to remember what I did since my last blog. Re-reading facebook messages and comments combined with flicking through one’s photos on the camera is a good way to trigger the memory, but I’m lazy.

So re-cap since the 27^th of March:

Caught a train to Annecy with a different district (1730) because my district went in a mini-bus and there wasn’t a seat for me Lbut the train was heaps fun and we had a big jam sesh because a couple of the other exchangers were musicians to and had their guitars/ like me! (had to take my guitar because there was a group talent quest between each district). We went to Annecy because the French rotary organised a huge weekend with every youth exchange student in France and all the districts YEC (youth exchange co-ordinators), so all up there was 500 people! So much fun. Saw lots of students I haven’t seen since the plane trip here (where I made good friends, Joseph and Sienna). also on facebook we have a page for all the exchange students to talk to each other and post stuff about how they’re going, or what they’ve done/are doing/will do and we all talk about it and stuff! It’s so helpful to get through problems, and also to know that other people are going through the exact same thing as you (the good and the bad) – it’s very comforting. And this weekend made everything so real! All those people you have been talking to for 2 months are right in front of you for the first time and it’s like you’re old friends.

At Annecy, we did some stuff: lots of dancing, eating, talking, late nights, early mornings, went to the park (big green field with lots of people –kids, balls, dogs, bicycles, a man selling ice-cream). It was the most perfect setting and also ridiculously sunny, the grass was really green and soft and it was right on a big lake (between snow-capped mountains). The water was crystal clear and relatively calm and people were slowly crusing around on those little two-person peddle boats... heaven.

I’m going to dinner on Tuesday with a friend and his dad from Australia so that is really exciting! We’re going to a little restaurant called ma cuisine in my new home village called "Rognes". It’s about a 15km trip from Aix but because the roads are rather bendy it take 20-25 minutes in the car/bus. i have to get up at 6:30 to be ready at 7, and then Thibault drives us to school. We leave that early to beat the morning traffic.

Just before I forget, I should mention to all my family THANKYOU FOR ALL YOUR LOVE ON MY BIRTHDAY! I know a few of you sent parcels to me, but I i have discovered that a few haven’t arrived. i only received parcels from Giselle, G-ma & Pa, mumsy, Hannah bakerrrr, Kat and Danielle! I know there are a few somewhere between here and Australia from other lovely people but I’m not sure if they’re till on course or lost in the abyss of the postal service. It’s rather heartbreaking, but hey, it’s the thought that counts!

That’s all I have time for tonight folks. And now that the pressures off, I’d take the time to present you will a fully polished, photo-filled, fun-packed, flavoursome and descriptive record of all the jolly things I have done since now and the 27th of March. This blog is merely the tip of the iceberg so, don't feel unfulfilled. Actually, do feel unfulfilled - i want to leave you wanting more. I’m going to make a good musician one day.

 

Night xxx

Another week has been and gone since you last heard from me, and I must say that it was glorious.

After a successful introduction with my 2^nd family on the Friday night previous (16th march), my host-sister  (Clementine) had not only invited me out to a party on the following weekend (25th march), but also to lunch on Monday (19th march) with her bro, Malo, and her best friends Antoine and Arthur, who are twins that look nothing alike.  One really tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, and the other is not as tall (but still tall) with brown hair and brown eyes. They go to a school near ours in Aix and also live in the same village that my second family live in, called ‘Rognes’. This means that we will catch the same bus in the afternoon, and Clementine has informed me I will be seeing a lot of them!  in the mornings  however, Clem, Malo and I will go to Aix in the car with Thibault (pronounces Ti-Bo) who is “le papa de Clementine et Malo” as he once described himself in a SMS to me.

Malo, Marie and Clementine! they're so lovely.

  Another of their friends also came to lunch (but I forgot his name...). we went to a really great cafe right on the Cours Mirabeau (that big ,lovely, central street with the trees in rows on either side) and I always had wondered why every time I passed this cafe, no matter what hour of the day, it would  be so full of people. Upon going there, I realised that in comparison to the cafes of equal beauty on either side, the prices of this cafe were not as daunting on one’s wallet. Par exemple, when venturing alone to a cafe on the Cours Mirabeau (La Garcons cafe) a few weeks ago, I purchased a rather scrumptious Crock Madame for 7 Euros. At this cafe (le Grillson) I got the same but meal but even bigger for 4,50 Euro! It’s crazy! It was such a nice lunch and Clementine is rather gifted at making me feel in the conversation even though I was not sure of what was happening. Every now and then she’s quickly fill me in on what the topic of discussion  was before carrying on launching French sentences across the table with all the others and then bursting out laughing. I also love this cafe because on the toilet. For starters, there is toilet paper and a toilet seat, but then it goes the extra mile by flushing the toilet for you when you are finish and seat does a 360 and gets blasted with water to clean it... I was in sanitation heaven. I usually wouldn’t blink an eyelid at this sort of detail if I were in Australia, but the public toilets here are so ridiculously bad, that I think it’s worth a mention. I might have told you this already but at school, the toilets have no seats and you must provide your own toilet paper – thus, I don’t use the toilets at school.  Back to speaking of the lunch! so yes, I ordered a Crock Madame again because they’re just so good (and also because they were one of the only things I recognised on the menu. For those who don’t know, it’s basically a ham and cheese toastie that has been severely ‘french-ified’ to become incredibly more delicious. The difference between a Crock Madame and a Crock Monsieur is that the Crock Madame has a sunny-side-up egg on top with a gooey yolk to compliment the salty cheese and ham.

Monday evening I headed off to another rotary evening with Anne, and I always look forward to these nights because I get to have a good feed with good people at a stunning venue (again I forgot my camera – but a Rotarian was there taking happy-snaps which I will track down sooner or later). It was a good night that was made even better because I FINALLY met my councillor (someone who I am meant to meet up with twice a month to talk about how I am going etc). Emmanuel Gili is his name and he’s a 30-ish year old lawyer based in Marseille) with his girlfriend who is also a Rotarian at our club and who is also studying to become a lawyer (he told me he lives 5 minutes walk from the beach!). Emmanuel has promised to take me out in Marseille soon to try some REAL pizza which can’t be found in Aix – and he would know because he’s Italian and he lived in Aix for 10 years or so. At our table during dinner we also had two older Rotarians who kept tapping their cutlery against each other or the base of their wine classes. I thought this was their way of applauding the speeches that were happening at the time until the ‘tink, tink, tink... tink, tink, tink” was competing with the poor presenter and distracting the other-wise silent crowd. Dinner wasn’t as fascinating as advanced as others they’d had according to Anne – however, it was still delicious. If I can bring myself to eat week-old rice with a can of salmon on top and some soy sauce (it was so bad...I made it for lunch sometime last week and I can’t believe ate it), then I can definitely eat the meal they brought out on Monday evening. The entree was 2 discs of goats cheese slightly warmed and sprinkles with some herbs and oil sitting on-top of two petit toasts, a role of cured ham in the centre and a small salade verte (green salad) on the side. Delicious. Then the main meal was black olive infused polenta with a grilled skewer of salmon and some sort of white fleshed fish. Then finally a coffee, a speech and off to home by 11:30. Although I was almost falling asleep at the dinner table, when we got some I stayed up on the computer until 2 in the morning which was rather idiotic of me. This led to a very sleepy Tuesday...

the theatre!

In fact I was so tired that Tuesday hasn’t really registered in my brain. I think I just went through the day with my nose in a book in a semi-conscious state... (Some time later)... so after removing all the photos from my camera, I saw that yes, I went to the theatre in Salon on Tuesday night to see a French production of "of mice and men". We were right at the top of the theatre and it was kind of ridiculously uncomfortable trying to view the stage. Not the best design!

As I mentioned previously, Wednesday has become a bit of a tradition in that Sam would come on the school bus to Aix where I would meet her at 1, and we’d go get lunch and chill out. This we did, and Sam also brought a friend too whose name was Marie. She sent me a text saying “what are you in the mood to eat? MEXICAN? Burger? Pizza? Kebab?” we’re a healthy bunch right? Without hesitating I answered “mmm Mexican”, and so we did. We came back to the flat and chilled in my bedroom with the French doors wide open onto the balcony and a cool breeze blowing through before I walked them back to the bus stop.  

Thursday, I finally made it out to lunch with Chloe who is a girl in my class. We only had an hour for lunch as we do every Thursday, and I find this a slight shame because this is the day that there is a great produce market held just down the road from the school in the city centre. I’m sure an hour would probably be long enough for me to get my ‘Julia child’ persona on and buy some French produce to make a boeuf bourguignon or whatever, so next Thursday I might go explore and see what I can find.  But on this particular lunch time break I went to a little sandwich bistro called ‘Jacobs’ and got some sort of toasted cheese baguette with Chloe and her firend. I hope that whenever I mention cheese you’re not picturing the kind that comes in the form of a large processed yellow rectangle like in Australia... gahh, those wretched days are behind me.  So, on my toasted baguette I had yummy melted French cheese. Chloe also invited me to go for a coffee after school, and although I wanted to, I was really tired from all the late nights I had been having. Our plan wasn’t set in stone, so after school I started walking the ridiculously short way home where I ran into Chloe sitting on the steps of a building waiting for her friend anyway. Fate decided I would go to the cafe after all. About 2 hours later as the sun was finally setting, we had managed to stand around in the cold without ever touching our lips to a hot espresso or sitting under a heat lamp in any cafe. I am not sure what was happing as people I had never met were coming and going from our huddle on the street, but finally I said Au revoir and headed to the warmth of the apartment. I was exhausted, so I crawled into bed and watched Sherlock Holmes 1 (a movie I had never seen) and it was bliss.

Friday and fatigued as all hell..... The weather was overcast in the morning, but by lunch blue was appearing and the sun was making me happy. Sally Bruner, an American exchanger living about 2 hours drive away, was in Aix on Friday with her previous host sister and the sister’s friend, and we decided to hang out after school. When school finished I called sally’s sisters phone because sally doesn’t have phone at the moment. I introduced myself and asked could I speak to sally, but I could not understand what she was saying. After we hung up I sent a message apologising and asking where we should meet up and I started heading into Aix. After twenty minutes of walking aimlessly, I gave up and went home. Low-and-behold (I have no idea how to spell that phrase, or even how it came to be a phrase. Low and behold... weird), just as I got home a message came through saying they were at H&M, a popular clothing store, about 1 km walk away and basically where I had just walked from. I was a little fed up so I told them to meet me at a particular fountain which was conveniently only 100m from my house! The last time sally had visited she had left her house keys on my bed, so this was a good opportunity to return them. When we finally met up, the host-sister and her friend were pretty unfriendly, and sally was keen to split up for a few hours. Sally and I went to a cafe and had a huge D ‘n’ M about everything in her world and mine which is always soothing for an exchangers soul, bought a coffee, an ice-cream (I had a scoop of rum and raisin) and then she taught me how to ask for something if I were in a restaurant because she could see that I was struggling a bit when ordering my ice-cream. I learnt (for example):

Can I have a nutella crepe?

Est-ce que puis-je avoir une crêpe au nutella ?

It’s pretty obvious how confusing it must be when 6 English words turn into 10 French words! But hey, its progress and I understand so I am happy. After a spot of shopping, I walked Sally back to meet up with her friends and with a huge American/Australian hug, I trotted off homeward.

Saturday morning I had my usual glorious sleep in, but only until 10 because I had something on today – something very fun indeed.   As I mentioned earlier, Clementine my second host sister had invited me to a party on Saturday night, and it was a fancy dress masquerade. Heels and dresses were to be worn, and definitely no jeans. I threw together a bag for over-night and took my rather ridiculous dress off its hanger from the first time. It’s a short, black dress with chiffon sleeves and a little row if diamonds down the front. I bought it in a vintage store in Alstonville called ‘Ginger lily’ because I thought it looked French! I would also wear black stockings and my red heels, which were also getting their first use since being in France. However, I was dressed in my beloved jeans and  a t-shirt for before the party. Thibault came and picked me up at 12 p.m. with the youngest of my second family, Louise, who is 9 years old and very cute. We also picked up Antoine and Arthur who had a morning class at school and set off on a really beautiful drive through the country side to their village about 15-20 minutes away. The scenery is truly exquisite on this drive, so one day soon I will make sure to photograph it for you. It turns out that I was going while the whole of my second family (Thibault, Marie, Clementine, Malo and Louise) to their friend’s house for lunch along with 21 other people. The lunch was so amazing! I think I ate for about 5 hours solid. When were first got to Katie and .... (I forgot the husbands’ name), there was beautiful rosé and vin rouge flowing from every direction along with a selection delicious spreads on petit pieces of bread. Such as, roast red capsicum and soft white cheese sprinkles with chives, a creamy parsley and tuna spread with slices of radish, and some others that I don’t know what was in them. Then when we all sat down to eat, a huge platter of smokes salmon covered in dill was passed around the table which we ate on pieces of buttered baguette and drizzled with lime juice. After that came the main meal which was bbq’d pieced of duck back (huge pieces with a layer of fat over one side that had turned golden). The outside was nice and brown while the inside was red and juicy! OH MY! We ate this with some grilled vegetables (red and green capsicum, onion etc.) and some potato bake. And when I though I withstand no more, out came the darn cheese platter with more varieties then I could count on my fingers. We ate this with bread and butter also. Ok, I was about to burst... I was genuinely frightened that my dress wouldn’t do up that evening (and trust me, it almost didn’t) but then out came and FREAKING BAKED CHEESE CAKE (made my Marie with a chocolate crust) and home-made raspberry and lemon sorbet made by a guy called Terri. How could I not.....

After we were all uncomfortably full, the dancing began. All the men (who had been childhood friends) jumped up, merry on wine, and started dancing to “it’s raining men” aided by the kitchen mop which served as a dancing partner and an electric guitar. This fiesta carried on long after Clem, Malo and I had to go and get ready for the part at 7p.m. at 8, Marie chauffeured us down to pick up Antoine and his little sister, Anouk 15, who looked very dashing in their suit and dress.

When we arrived at the prestige golf and tennis club, tea-light candles guided the footpath to the main entrance where were greeted and had our names marked off the list. Before we got to the entrance however, we put on our masks (I had a fox... because I’m a foxy woman) as that was the theme for the night. We got a group photo with our masks and then headed into the function room which was really nicely decorated!  it was modern and not trashy and had mirrors and a bar and cushioned places to sit. We went to the coat (which was another room with a bar that wasn’t being used that night) room to take off our jackets and masks which we had on for a total of 30 seconds and went to join the party! The fete is put together by a group of doubtlessly wealthy group of older individuals once a month to allow us youngin’s from 14-18 to come along, have fun, eat, drink and DANCE. Not dirty dancing like you find in nightclubs, but the old-school partnered dancing where you swish each other around the room a-twistin’ and a-turnin’ to modern music that you probably would find in a night club. Of course not everyone was dancing with a partner thank god, so we all got up and were dancing in big groups and it was just heaps of fun. There were trays off food everywhere with all kids of stuff, but I was so full after lunch that I didn’t pay much attention. There was punch and coke and water and other stuff to drink, and the atmosphere was really great! Everyone was done up, and I was happy to see that there was as many guys as girls up there on the dance floor. There were about 80 of us all together from all different schools around Aix.  Both Chloe and another girl, Solene, who is also in my class, were also there so that was really nice to see familiar faced amongst the crowd. I talked to Solene here heaps over the night (or should I say yelled! Not only was it difficult to understand each other because of the language, but we were SCREAMING OVER THE DJ) and met her two older sisters who were 17 and 18. They said I was welcome at their house anytime for dinner. Ain’t that lovely. I also met a girl who is going to be in the class I am moving to this week (premiere L) and she has been to Australia and said I can sit next to her! She speaks really good English so that’s going to be good and bad. Ahh well. It finished at 1 And I fell asleep the instant we got home, with a good couple of millimetres taken off my pinkie-toes thanks to my shoes.

Sunday morning I woke up from my dream about the rainforest  to the booming sound of birds tweeting, wind blowing and leaves rustling it was to loud and close to be real, and I realised that it was some sort of alarm booming out of malo’s speakers on the bed side table (Malo had lent me his room as was in with Clem). In fact it was so loud that I had no doubts it would wake them up to, and it a matter of seconds Malo came stumbling it, turned it off and slunk back to bed, looking the same way I felt.  I was woken up at 12 by Marie (who was not feeling to sharp herself after yesterdays fiesta... hehehe) and Malo was woken up too so I wasn’t the only one to sleep in!

le pâté

it might not look at that appealing...
BUT IT TASTES SO GOOD.

hahaha. it looks live someone has aready eaten it... <3

the trusty baguette. and in the back ground is a bpttle of badoit (sparkling water)

i think this was an accidental photo,
but you can see Malo, louise and Thibault!

I watched as lunch was prepared and I helped set the table outside in the delicious sun. It was a beautiful day.... and another feast was on its way... oh lordy. Phase one of the meal to come was an appetiser: spicy and really moist red sausage, some green olives and a glass of rosé. Then we had 2 types of pâté. On was made from the liver of a goose, and the other was made from pig liver and figorella (I think that’s how you spell it) which is a type of pork sausage made on the French island in the Mediterranean. They were so great, and you eat them with buttered bread. After that came two whole roast chickens, with basmati rice and a stir-fried zucchini and onion dish which was really delish. After that... more cheese. I declined desert without asking what it was because I knew that would be a dangerous and fatal move. I literally finished lunch, helped clean up, and crawled back up the stairs to the nice warm DOUBLE bed, with the shutters and door closed - my little nocturnal cave – where I slept until 5 in the afternoon. What a great day. After checking for eggs in the chicken pen with Louise, and eating a slice of nutella toast with Malo, it was time to go home to jean and Julie. Anne and Charles were at Pourcieux, so it would just be us three tonight.

how cute are they

In fact here I am, sitting in my bed at 1:25 am writing this dedicated blog for you all. I love to blog. I just relived those meals and that party, and I thank you for reading it, because to see that 100 people are interested enough in what I have to say, to read my blog, makes me really happy. Thank you and good night, or as Julia child would say, “Bon appétit!”. 

I would have posted last night, but I didn’t get to add all the photos! So I have dragged this blog on one more night to make it just right xx

Lots of love xxx

dont forget the cheese x