My French Fancy

      Just don't overtake me! I have realised that there is a universal language that everyone understands- it’s called the Beatles. We attended an event recently which had guys singing and very good they were too. However. I did think it was a bit strange as they were French but were singing English songs to a French audience (except us). The French did look a bit bored as they did not know many of the songs but when they played ‘Hey Jude’ they all came alive and started singing along. The same thing happened in Indonesia last year, everywhere we went we saw groups performing Beatles songs and everyone was singing along. So, if you are ever in an awkward situation and you are struggling to be understood just start singing “She loves you yeah, yeah yeah.” 20 top tips for living or visiting Normandy 1.        A French driver is obliged to overtake you, no matter where you are, how fast you are driving and what the weather condi...

Don’t mind if I do!     What’s bugging me this month   J'en ai mar! Great french expression which means that you've had enough/fed up! And the reason I feel like this is because we are still without internet- 2 months now!   In desperation (and the fact that I am trying to work and I can’t keep going to McDonalds) we have invested in Starlink which was very simple to install and is very quick. It is ideal if you are like us and live in a rural area, plus I cannot get Orange to put in fibre optic even though I have begged them -I literally got down on my knees in the local store.   Talking of Mc Donalds, I have be visiting our local one to access their free Wi-Fi and of course I buy a coffee (can’t really sit there all day if I don’t). They open at 10.00 and silly me thinking I could get a coffee then, they told me that they would not be ready to serve till 10.30! but at least they bring it to your table on a nice tray - in the UK it’s just chucked ...

    What’s it been like in Normandy?                                                                    Greetings from a mild Normandy, well it is mild now but a month ago it was very cold and the whole of Normandy was knee- deep in snow. We had to dig ourselves out of the drive and then clear branches along the lane that had come down due to the sheer weight of all the snow on them. Whole areas of Normandy were in darkness for many days and people were even stranded overnight on local trains. Our power went out and so did our phone line, which snapped when a branch fell on it and remains unfixed to this day. I had to fly back to the UK from Rennes (good service by the way and easy to park there). We drove through Normandy which was swathed in snow although the main roads were clear but as we hit Brittan...

  What has been going on in Normandy? Our friends were married recently at a local Mairie. The service was lovely and the Maire was delighted as not only was it the first wedding he had performed that year but the first one ever for a British couple -don't worry Monsieur le maire there will be more coming!! We then had three days at a stunning local chateau, where we were provided with copious amounts of food and drink, a falconry demonstration and a helicopter flight (just the bride and best man- it couldn't take all of us) a good time was had by all.  It seems that I go to more funerals than weddings these days, so I was delighted to be invited to be one of my friend’s bridesmaids and to wear a very posh dress.  Scallops anyone? Last weekend we visited Port en Bessin- Huppain for the scallop (Coquille St-Jacques) festival. The scallop season runs from October to May and we took a boat trip where a retired fisherman told us all about it. They  are subjected to ...

                                                              If found please return to..... Autumn has landed here in Normandy. The mornings are darker and we have succumbed and lit the fire. The leaves are coming down in droves so I have added David Hockey's interpretation of Autumn in Normandy to my home page- hope you like it.  At the end of last month I went to Turkey, weather was very hot but it was cooling nicely by the end of the holiday. On our flight to Turkey they made an announcement that the cabin crew were ALL taking a 30 minute break and they asked us not use the call button during that time unless it was an emergency- well as far as I am concerned, me running out of red wine and nibbles is an emergency!.  Anyway, it did not go down well with the passengers (rowdy lot from Bristol) . The crew then proceeded to...

                          Who puts a middle-aged woman in acrylic when it’s 36 degrees!   I spent 7 days working as a volunteer in Paris for the Olympics. I was a driver for the fleet of cars that were taking officials and guests around Paris. I visited Versailles, The Olympic Village, Roland Garros, the Aquatic Centre, plus lots of hotels and train stations but I didn’t get to see inside of any of them as I was just dropping and picking people up. We were based at one of the Hippodromes to the West of Paris and in the middle was a rugby pitch and a football pitch which were full of cars.  Paris had a target to cut emission by 50% on the London 2012 Olympics, so all the cars were either electric hybrids or hydrogen. I was reluctant to use the aircon in case I had to recharge the car (should have payed more attention in the training). My only gripe was the complete lack of toilets for the volunteer...

D Day-Jour J  We could not get near the British cemetery at Ver-Sur Mer for the D Day celebrations, it was under tight security as the King and President Macron were going to be visiting on the 6th. We visited St Mere Eglise on June 5 and saw the American Veterans parade. It was a humbling experience to be able to shake their hands and say thank you to them, even lovelier was all the reaction from the French, especially the children. We visited the British cemetery a few days later to see the sculptures which are there until August. Let's hope that after showing the service on the TV, more people will visit, as it is an amazing place. Sleep is like the unicorn - it is rumored to exist, but I doubt I will see any - Dr. Seuss After 20 years of marriage, I have finally come to the conclusion that my husband is rubbish in the bed department- I think I should clarify that by saying that I mean the making of the bed.  His idea of making a bed is to just move the duvet around a b...