Chance would be a fine thing!

I don't like to whinge, but I'm finding it very difficult to do my talking practice with Lisbeth at the moment. This morning she was out taking Mme Sage shopping. This afternoon she's been working in the garden and now she's out again doing some singing or something for Christmas.......... And it's getting colder and we haven't been lighting the wood burner as she thinks it isn't worth it if she's out a lot because she likes to save on the wood........ Hm......

Women in bars

Did you know that women aren't really supposed to go into a bar on their own in France? I'm talking about this because Lisbeth went into the market today and I know she goes into one or other of the bars to have her breakfast: coffee and croissant. I must presume she goes in alone as I know she doesn't meet her friends until later. On your own, apparently, you could be taken for a 'loose' woman.

I had considered going in with her today. However, I'm not entirely confident that being accompanied by a sheep is any better.

Formal Talking Practice: Wanadoo - Wanatalk

For me to practice talking in this blog, I am dependent on Orange, which was Wanadoo, which is France Telecom and my relationship with them hasn't been an easy one. To begin with, we were given the impression that when France Telecom brought broadband to the village, we could only have Wanadoo which, as I've said, was France Telecom. This, of course, was not true and, had I realised, I probably would have stayed with AOL, my English provider. However, Wandoo it is.

There was a strange anomaly when it first arrived in that one person in the village found that their connection was good all day until the street lights came on.............

My main problem was getting the Wifi box to work again after a trip to Britain. In fact, it was broken so I was obliged to buy a Wanadoo modem. This was all very well, but as this house doesn't have central heating, if the fire isn't lit in the room with the connection, then it is too cold to sit and talk. So the modem was replaced with a super-duper Netgear router with a booster in my computer. I need the booster, as well, because the walls are really thick and the signal can't get through. Even so, I am limited as to where it will work.

Of course, it doesn't mean that all my troubles are over. All of us in the village have periods of poor service: sudden disconnections and fluctuations and we have to watch out for storms. With emails, there are those that don't arrive that we know have been sent to us, while others can sit in our Outbox for days. I've just had some mails come back several times, while my neighbour isn't getting any at all. We've been told that our village is at the end of the line and that the cabling isn't as good as it should be. Not that this helps any. We just have to carry on and hope for the best. So far - touch wool - my talking practice isn't being too disrupted.

Beams then history

A great day today.
Thanks to Monsieur Pasperdu and Mme Sage, Lisbeth managed to buy two beams for the little building in the garden, this morning. The task of restoration has been on stop since last spring as it has proved difficult to find beams the right size. They are now in Mr Pasperdu's garage waiting for work to recommence in the Spring. Lisbeth is very happy.

The afternoon was spent in the Archives Départementales going through documents tracing the history of this house. Unfortunately, their records begin in 1832, for this village, and the house was built some considerable time before that. However, we were able to find the owner's name at that time, which was very exciting.

Night out - Night in

NIGHT OUT

Last night Lisbeth was at a 'Soirée Cabaret' in the village hall (Salle des Fête). It was some sort of annual event for the local cultural association and involved a sit-down meal and entertainment. I know that it sounds very fancy, but as this is ‘France Profond’ I suspect that there was not a great deal of dressing up. That’s one of the nice things about life in the French countryside: it’s very relaxed and you can wear pretty much anything.

NIGHT IN
I stayed in to prepare something a bit different for my talking practice this weekend and chose the book Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Now, I know it's been a best seller and all that, but I must be honest and say that I was glad when I'd finished it. It did keep me reading so there is clearly some pace to it, however, I found the two stories a bit forced and the climax scenes not clearly written. The drama was over dramatized yet not all that dramatic. I think I just don't like her style very much. On the up side, the book is fat. I like that in a book. Also, the level of research was undeniable and I know that Lisbeth is now hooked on French history of the 11th and 12th Centuries (the period of one of the stories in Labyrinth.) To that end, we are about to look at Montailleou: Cathars and Catholics in a French Village 1294-1324. So it's not all bad news!

Formal Talking Practice: English Names - French Pronunciation

Tonight we are talking about names. How English names sound when pronounced by a French person. We have chosen the name Elizabeth (for obvious reasons.)

'Elizabeth' takes on an altogether more romantic feel when said with a french accent, especially if it is a man speaking. This comes about because all the syllables are stressed and the word appears to get longer: E-liz-a-bet. Note the 'th' disappears as the French don't have a 'th' sound in their language, so the word ends with a 'te' sound.

'Liz', on the other hand seems to lose something in transition and sounds like Lz. This isn't nice at all: a bit like a fly caught in something. Claude says it doesn't sound good because the word is trop court (too short).

Another French take on Elizabeth is to say 'Lisbeth'. This is spelt with an 's' and an 'h' but pronounced Lizbet ending with a 'te' sound, again.

I think this latter version has a particularly friendly feel to it and, as you will have noticed, I have chosen to use 'Lisbeth' (French spelling, pronounced Lizbet) when talking with, and writing about, my talking practice partner.

Learn how to Disco

This has just come through. It's great for me as the hoof work is so simple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJj6d5QSYaE

Lisbeth was less enamoured and said if I was going to talk about it, I should warn against getting over excited. I really don't understand what she's on about.

Bread and Broadband

It's market day on a Wednesday in our nearest town and Lisbeth likes to go in if she can. She likes to buy local produce, especially bread made in one of those old bread ovens. You know the sort of thing: you light a wood fire inside, then when it's reached the appropriate temperature, you scrape out the fire, clean it and pop the bread in to cook. I'll bet you can't get that every week in England!

For the socialising bit, she usually meets up with Mme Houx for coffee and croissant before 10am, then later, returns to the same bar to meet the Gangof4 (all French), plus other friends. Today they drank warm wine to which you can add sugar and Cinnamon, if desired. (Lisbeth prefers just the cinnamon.)
After lunch it was back to work on the computer.

Potman Pat saves the day

Lisbeth's lovely van has been a bit of a star today. It has made two trips to the tip filled with laurel branches. I don't know why Lisbeth didn't have a bonfire. I like having bonfires. She says it was too wet today and that she's got loads to burn as it is. Anyway, it's good exercise for her: all that dragging of branches across the droite de passage. Not that she's fat or anything. If she got wet yesterday, you should have seen her today: the words 'drowned' and 'rat' come to mind.

Monsieur Pasperdu dans le jardin

This morning Lisbeth was joined by Monsieur Pasperdu with his chainsaw for a bit of remodelling in the garden. (Note my action shot.) They have cut down the laurel hedge between her garden and the not so good neighbour. It seems that the trunks of the hedge were too large and had started to rot. I don't like that side of the garden, now, as I can see into nsg-neighbour's garden and that means that they can see into ours. However, Lisbeth seems pretty confident that when spring comes, the roots will literally spring into life. There is now a great mound of branches for her to clear, together with even more branches from another tree that has been reduced in size. The garden looks awful. Nearly as bad as Lisbeth did when she came in from having worked in the rain.

Relocation, relocation.

We had a lovely evening with some of Lisbeth's friends who have been over to help her decide where she might like to create a new kitchen. She does have one already but it isn't in a very convenient place, so she says. Nor is it very ergonomic or aesthetically pleasing - apparently! She has been thinking about moving it since she arrived. (We're talking 4 years, here......) Anyway, there are many things to take into consideration: the distance from the water tank; relocating the water tank; the thickness of the walls; sacrificing the downstairs bathroom - or not; where the sun comes in; its position in relation to the garden, and so on. There are plenty of places to choose from but which is the best for her? Her friends did come up with some suggestions involving changes to both the upstairs and the downstairs,that she hadn't thought of, so she has much to chew over in the next few days. Watch this space.

Monsieur Mouton has left the garden!

As the weather is getting colder, I have decided to move indoors. It's very nice inside. There is a woodburner in one room and an open fire in another. This means that Lisbeth can alternate between the two rooms, as fancy takes her. And fancy is as fancy does when it comes to fires. The smell is fantastic. You have no idea what you're missing if you don't have an open fire somewhere in your life.

An Artist of Note

My very special friend Kerry Morrison. Have a look at her Vimto sculpture in my 'Things I like'.