20 not out

20 years of this- I mean bliss. 

I said to Tim the other day: 'You know I’m not good in the mornings, so just hand me a cup of tea, back away slowly and don’t make eye contact'

To which he replied:' You’re not that good in the afternoons either really. In fact, there’s about a one hour slot in the evenings if you had a glass of wine that you are reasonable'- funny !! 

Anyway, we have made it to 20 years of marriage. 20 years of me being crabby in the mornings and him having a weird obsession with oil paintings (we currently have a whole wall covered in them that would put the Louvre to shame). So we are heading off soon for warmer climates and going back to where we went for our honeymoon (or la Lune de Miel as it's called here). Can't wait to feel a bit of warmth.

Major train delays 

Interesting event recently when I took the last train from Paris to Argentan.  The train broke down just outside of Dreux and after a 3hour wait they transferred us to a coach. After 40 minutes they asked us to get off the coach to get on to another coach and then put us back onto the original coach (with another 40 minutes wait). All of this involved a lot of hanging around in the cold .

Anyway, the coach eventually left and we got back to Argentan at 3.30 in the morning!. The reason I am telling you this is because I was amazed at how good natured the French were about it. No one was complaining, they were laughing and joking and some were even singing. 

Imagine that happening in the UK, there would have been lots of complaining and probably a punch up. We think that the French are very outspoken and quick to complain, you only have to put the TV on to see another demonstration in Paris. In reality, they are very polite and quite happy with their lot and if the train breaks down, well they know that someone will get them home eventually. At one point I was expecting someone to pass around a bottle of wine with some bread and cheese. 

The French can apply the 'joie de vivre' to any situation- they have a hour and a half for lunch everyday, as lunch is something that should be enjoyed and not rushed even if it is a miserable grey day in February (we've had lots of them!).

“I like the cold weather. It means you get work done.” — Noam Chomsky

Speak for yourself Noam

Things are very quiet here in the Winter and I’m convinced that french people hibernate. Tim and I went out on a Sunday afternoon recently and as we drove along there wasn’t a single person or car to be seen. We both said that it felt as though we were in a movie where everyone has disappeared-what's that one called with Will Smith in it? 

I'm not a winter person though I do love putting the wood burner one and snuggling in front of it. It's been a wet and windy winter (nice bit of alliteration there did you notice?) Spring is on the way but it’s really dragging its heels. I walked out of the house this morning and shouted 'finally, you've taken your time! (though to be fair it's only early March). 

I'm off to buy a bikini - not easy at this time of year in rural Normandy.