lundi 23 janvier 2012

23.01.12

We have been quite busy with the start of the new year once we got over the awful 'flu that we brought back to France from the UK!!!

A few of the little repair jobs have been done but we still have many more jobs to do before we set off again in April, not least the cleaning up of the barge!!!

At epiphany the french have a tradition with a special pie that they cook. The youngest person in the family sits under the table where he cant see and then dictates who gets each slice. There is a small pottery model in one of the pieces and the person who gets this is 'king' for the day and gets a golden crown to wear...It is generally the youngest person..... Of course Patrice won it with us.....

                                                                               
We have been capturing the odd tree that has floated down the river and John has been cutting them into the right size logs for our fire and storing them on the roof, it is now looking quite healthy again and we are hopeful that we wont have to buy any more wood this winter.....

Patrice has found a new place to sit outside, but I'm not sure that it is a very safe one, he seems to be rather close to the swans.....there is still a standoff there!!!



                                                                            

We have been watching 'Earthflight' on BBC1, and Patrice as usual has been watching it with us.... I do wonder whether he needs specs as he sits so close to the TV.... Hahaha!!!!
                                                                            

Sorry but I cant get the computer to put this picture the right way up!!!!

Last weekend we had a manic weekend entertaining a french couple who are friends of ours on Saturday night when a huge chilli was sunk between us!! Then on Sunday night another of our french friends came to dinner with their 3 children (stuffed peppers for the adults and cottage pie for the children). It is the first time I have cooked for french children, (aged 6, 3 and 1) and a great deal of angst went into the choice of food for them but I need'nt have worried as two of them cleared their plates with great satisfaction, and the 3rd one didnt do too badly.  Amusing 3 children on the boat was quite difficult but we had a music session and they all shook their 'shaker' eggs with great gusto! Thank goodness we had 3 of those but we only had one sound box ( a xmas present of John's which makes scary sounds:- creaking door, witch howling , psycho music.....) and this was squabbled over however child No 2 managed to win the battle and he loved it!!)

                                                                         
I cant get him the right way up either, the computer is being really difficult at the moment!!

Tonight I have an evening off but tomorrow we are entertaining 3 more people who live on their boats in Auxerre at the moment and by then I think that I will be totally 'cooked out'!!!!

Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire