March 16th 2009
The last couple of weeks have passed by in a blur. Head down working, having meetings and meeting lots of new people. We found time to go for lunch on the beach at Juan les Pins a couple of weekends ago and it was fab, sitting on a deck with a cold pichet of rose and a plate of seafood watching the waves lap on the shore, warm sunshine on our faces. The weather has warmed up over the last week and is almost - but not quite - bikini warm. After the wettest, coldest winter
here for years it's so good to cast off the ski jackets and boots.
Had a little soiree here on Saturday evening, about 20 friends for sushi and drinks. It was a fab evening, lots of chat, laughter and wine. Much as I miss my friends in the UK, it was really good to have a mix of different people, many of whom are becoming good friends. I feel very lucky to have found that within a year of moving here. Highlights of the night: Iain headbutting the piano and remembering nothing about it. And Mat the lovely sailor throwing his keys drunkenly on the floor as he stood in the middle of me and one of the other lovely ladies and saying, Right who's the lucky girl then? All good clean fun.
Went running tonight with the club as it's five weeks til M day. As we ran through the next village Pont du Loup in the evening twilight with the lights twinkling and the mountains looming over us, I couldn't take my eyes off the view, it is stunning, no matter what time of day or night. I love beaches but my favourite view in the world is mountains.
Tonight was also the night Issy found out the truth about the tooth fairy. She lost a tooth today and was quizzing Iain about how much she would get from the tooth fairy (apparently the going rate is 10 euros. I don't believe it either.) Then: 'Are you SURE you're not the tooth fairy Daddy? Because she writes in messy capital letters, just like you!'
Iain was lamely denying that he is the tooth fairy but she wouldn't let it drop so I told her the truth - Daddy is the fairy in our house. I have always felt that when the girls are old enough to ask, and keep on asking, they are old enough to know the truth. The tooth fairy went mad at me and was quite upset that I had blown his cover, while Issy was shaking her head in disbelief that she had been taken in for so long. I felt a bit sad too, but we still have Santa.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Out of the mouths of babes....
March 3rd 2009
There I was, cooking supper when Issy came up to me and said: 'Mum, what would you live on if I confiscated your PC?'
'Fresh air and exercise I suppose', I said absently, stirring the pasta. Then the killer line: 'Would you play with me more?' What do you say to that? She didn't even mean it horribly, she was just interested in my answer. All she has asked me to do with her this half term is play a game of Monopoly and I haven't even had time for that. For the past week, the girls have been in their world doing their own thing, and I've been in mine, working, meeting people, working and then working some more. I'm not moaning, I love work, but there's no food in the fridge, the house looks like a land fill site and I don't hear the kids when they talk to me. Think I have crossed a line.
So, we put on The Feeling and danced around the kitchen singing along, something we haven't done for ages. It felt good. Three more days of half term left and I have promised to go to the Picasso museum in Antibes, as she is mad keen on art, and play that game of Monopoly, hardly a sacrifice as it's my favourite childhood game (right up there with Scrabble.)
She'll be a good source for comedy material in the future. Earlier, she was talking about how Tallulah had brought up loads of braille (she meant bile!) and tonight, when we were discussing my day, she asked how my meeting with a lovely Dutch woman called Sylvia had gone. Sylvia will be a valuable asset to our shopping page on FR2DAY, she knows every cool boutique on the Riviera and is funny to boot. 'Really well,' I said, 'she really knows her stuff on shopping.' 'So is she your guru Mummy ?'
Gotta go, she has just set up Connect 4 and I'd much rather be playing that than writing this.
There I was, cooking supper when Issy came up to me and said: 'Mum, what would you live on if I confiscated your PC?'
'Fresh air and exercise I suppose', I said absently, stirring the pasta. Then the killer line: 'Would you play with me more?' What do you say to that? She didn't even mean it horribly, she was just interested in my answer. All she has asked me to do with her this half term is play a game of Monopoly and I haven't even had time for that. For the past week, the girls have been in their world doing their own thing, and I've been in mine, working, meeting people, working and then working some more. I'm not moaning, I love work, but there's no food in the fridge, the house looks like a land fill site and I don't hear the kids when they talk to me. Think I have crossed a line.
So, we put on The Feeling and danced around the kitchen singing along, something we haven't done for ages. It felt good. Three more days of half term left and I have promised to go to the Picasso museum in Antibes, as she is mad keen on art, and play that game of Monopoly, hardly a sacrifice as it's my favourite childhood game (right up there with Scrabble.)
She'll be a good source for comedy material in the future. Earlier, she was talking about how Tallulah had brought up loads of braille (she meant bile!) and tonight, when we were discussing my day, she asked how my meeting with a lovely Dutch woman called Sylvia had gone. Sylvia will be a valuable asset to our shopping page on FR2DAY, she knows every cool boutique on the Riviera and is funny to boot. 'Really well,' I said, 'she really knows her stuff on shopping.' 'So is she your guru Mummy ?'
Gotta go, she has just set up Connect 4 and I'd much rather be playing that than writing this.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Loadsamoney...spent
February 27th 2009
Well, have spent way too many thousands to mention this week going legit with FR2DAY.com...hold your breath Monte-Carlo to Marseille, here we come and let the fun commence. We now have the rights to the LA2DAY site, plus their backing, now all that remains is to find contributors, write 200 features and get it all looking super duper, which of course it will. Have probably met more people in the last four weeks than the previous eight months (including two hot Brazilian sushi chefs who gave Liv and I some free spicy tuna when we went for lunch the other day. It was probably her they were after ...but has there ever been a better combination of words than Brazilian+sushi+chef?)
Had a minor heart attack earlier when the pugster, otherwise known as Oscar, went missing. He is usually glued to my ankle, never further than three paces from me (and my food.) After an hour of not seeing him pressed pitifully up against the glass doors asking to come in, I started to panic. Even Iain left his desk so we could all go and search. We were running up and down the road, me convinced that he was pancaked, when Issy shouted that she could hear whimpering in the bushes. He'd managed to get trapped in a huge bramble bush two gardens (and about five terraces away). He was so pleased to be rescued, I can't even think what might have happened if we didn't find him then as it was almost dark. Suffice it to say I won't be kicking him off the bed tonight.
Went running with the club this week for the first time in ages, it was horrific. I always bring up the rear by at least a minute, however much I try and put in a sprint finish. It could be quite depressing if I didn't have so many other things to think about. I was idly thinking about dropping out of the London Marathon as I tried to keep up when Antoine, our leader (50 years old and runs like a gazelle on speed) told me he was getting me a specially printed T shirt to wear on the day and could I please arrange a good time to be photographed by Nice-Matin for a celebratory article. Could hardly tell him I'm too shattered to train and will be swapping early runs for lie ins.
Note to Badger: so loved your lezza faux pas, sublime.
Well, have spent way too many thousands to mention this week going legit with FR2DAY.com...hold your breath Monte-Carlo to Marseille, here we come and let the fun commence. We now have the rights to the LA2DAY site, plus their backing, now all that remains is to find contributors, write 200 features and get it all looking super duper, which of course it will. Have probably met more people in the last four weeks than the previous eight months (including two hot Brazilian sushi chefs who gave Liv and I some free spicy tuna when we went for lunch the other day. It was probably her they were after ...but has there ever been a better combination of words than Brazilian+sushi+chef?)
Had a minor heart attack earlier when the pugster, otherwise known as Oscar, went missing. He is usually glued to my ankle, never further than three paces from me (and my food.) After an hour of not seeing him pressed pitifully up against the glass doors asking to come in, I started to panic. Even Iain left his desk so we could all go and search. We were running up and down the road, me convinced that he was pancaked, when Issy shouted that she could hear whimpering in the bushes. He'd managed to get trapped in a huge bramble bush two gardens (and about five terraces away). He was so pleased to be rescued, I can't even think what might have happened if we didn't find him then as it was almost dark. Suffice it to say I won't be kicking him off the bed tonight.
Went running with the club this week for the first time in ages, it was horrific. I always bring up the rear by at least a minute, however much I try and put in a sprint finish. It could be quite depressing if I didn't have so many other things to think about. I was idly thinking about dropping out of the London Marathon as I tried to keep up when Antoine, our leader (50 years old and runs like a gazelle on speed) told me he was getting me a specially printed T shirt to wear on the day and could I please arrange a good time to be photographed by Nice-Matin for a celebratory article. Could hardly tell him I'm too shattered to train and will be swapping early runs for lie ins.
Note to Badger: so loved your lezza faux pas, sublime.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The dangers of email
24th February 2009
I am so embarrassed. I am recruiting for FR2DAY, our new online magazine for the French Riviera, so sending out loads of emails to possible contributors that I'm finding through Facebook etc. Every so often, my partner Wayne and I will email each other and forward on someone we find. Tonight I found a girl who is running a networking group down in Cannes, and banged out an email asking a bit about her. She came back to me, saying she works in advertising and marketing and has established a global gay networking website amongst other things. We are having a gay page on FR2DAY too, as there is nothing much going on down her for gay people (or anyone else come to that.) so imagine my excitement at finding someone like this on the doorstep.
I forwarded her email to Wayne, with a note at the top saying, 'heard back from that Cannes girl, she sounds worth meeting as she has a gay website, think she is probably gay (altho people will be saying that about us too) blah blah blah'...except I DIDN'T send it to Wayne, I sent it to her!
Two minutes later I receive an email saying, 'Hey Karen, this is sooo funny, I have never laughed so much, but don't think you meant to send this to me!' I have however established she has a wicked sense of humour.
I am so embarrassed. I am recruiting for FR2DAY, our new online magazine for the French Riviera, so sending out loads of emails to possible contributors that I'm finding through Facebook etc. Every so often, my partner Wayne and I will email each other and forward on someone we find. Tonight I found a girl who is running a networking group down in Cannes, and banged out an email asking a bit about her. She came back to me, saying she works in advertising and marketing and has established a global gay networking website amongst other things. We are having a gay page on FR2DAY too, as there is nothing much going on down her for gay people (or anyone else come to that.) so imagine my excitement at finding someone like this on the doorstep.
I forwarded her email to Wayne, with a note at the top saying, 'heard back from that Cannes girl, she sounds worth meeting as she has a gay website, think she is probably gay (altho people will be saying that about us too) blah blah blah'...except I DIDN'T send it to Wayne, I sent it to her!
Two minutes later I receive an email saying, 'Hey Karen, this is sooo funny, I have never laughed so much, but don't think you meant to send this to me!' I have however established she has a wicked sense of humour.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Holidays schmolidays
February 18th 2009
Issy just made me laugh. We were listening to Adele and she said, ‘I always thought this song was called Chasing Payments!’ She needs to keep making me laugh as I’ve just discovered their half term stretches for two long weeks, not ten days as I thought. With weekends, that’s 16 days off. The girls are celebrating while I am mildly panicked. One of the best things about state schools in the UK is the fact that the kids get bog standard week-long half terms and fairly manageable Christmas, Easter and summer holidays (although that might be selective memory playing tricks on me as six weeks summer hols is enough to try the patience of a saint.) I used to be the smug one when all my private school fee paying friends moaned about the eight week summer break and three and half week Christmas hols. It’s particularly handy when you’re self employed and work from home to have a school term that outweighs the length of the holidays. This year, they have an Easter break a month after going back to school followed by nine weeks summer holidays! All this in addition to every Wednesday off and more bank holidays in May than the UK gets all year. Vive la France!
I’ve been really sad reading about Jade Goody’s cancer battle. To be staring death in the face when you have two young children and are not yet 30 is a hideous situation. I must admit, I hate Big Brother and all it stands for (although I’m a closet fan of Celebrity BB) and when I interviewed Jade three years ago, before she had the infamous racist run in with Shilpa Shetty on CBB, I wasn’t impressed. She was promoting her new perfume for a reality show on Living and I was interviewing her on her mobile while she was driving her car! We got cut off three times which was frustrating enough but when she mentioned going to Mumbai to source spices and ingredients for her perfume, my interest was ignited as I love India. ‘What did you think?’ I asked, to be met with ‘Well, it wasn’t very nice, it wasn’t clean and it was smelly’. I dismissed her as an ignorant airhead but watching her prepare to marry and get her house in order for her two sons as she faces up to a premature and painful death has been an education in courage. I’ve just re-read the last few lines of the interview where she told me: ‘I’m good at seeing things through. I’ve never had money before so I’m very grateful for it. I’ve had some great opportunities and I can look after my family.’
Signing off with a poem Issy wrote this morning, it's called Your Angel in Heaven. It says it all.
Your angel in heaven
Is the guardian of your heart
Give her your worries
And your fears
So hope and peace can start
Keep the angel near you
And know how much she cares
For when you need love and joy
Your angel will be there.
Issy just made me laugh. We were listening to Adele and she said, ‘I always thought this song was called Chasing Payments!’ She needs to keep making me laugh as I’ve just discovered their half term stretches for two long weeks, not ten days as I thought. With weekends, that’s 16 days off. The girls are celebrating while I am mildly panicked. One of the best things about state schools in the UK is the fact that the kids get bog standard week-long half terms and fairly manageable Christmas, Easter and summer holidays (although that might be selective memory playing tricks on me as six weeks summer hols is enough to try the patience of a saint.) I used to be the smug one when all my private school fee paying friends moaned about the eight week summer break and three and half week Christmas hols. It’s particularly handy when you’re self employed and work from home to have a school term that outweighs the length of the holidays. This year, they have an Easter break a month after going back to school followed by nine weeks summer holidays! All this in addition to every Wednesday off and more bank holidays in May than the UK gets all year. Vive la France!
I’ve been really sad reading about Jade Goody’s cancer battle. To be staring death in the face when you have two young children and are not yet 30 is a hideous situation. I must admit, I hate Big Brother and all it stands for (although I’m a closet fan of Celebrity BB) and when I interviewed Jade three years ago, before she had the infamous racist run in with Shilpa Shetty on CBB, I wasn’t impressed. She was promoting her new perfume for a reality show on Living and I was interviewing her on her mobile while she was driving her car! We got cut off three times which was frustrating enough but when she mentioned going to Mumbai to source spices and ingredients for her perfume, my interest was ignited as I love India. ‘What did you think?’ I asked, to be met with ‘Well, it wasn’t very nice, it wasn’t clean and it was smelly’. I dismissed her as an ignorant airhead but watching her prepare to marry and get her house in order for her two sons as she faces up to a premature and painful death has been an education in courage. I’ve just re-read the last few lines of the interview where she told me: ‘I’m good at seeing things through. I’ve never had money before so I’m very grateful for it. I’ve had some great opportunities and I can look after my family.’
Signing off with a poem Issy wrote this morning, it's called Your Angel in Heaven. It says it all.
Your angel in heaven
Is the guardian of your heart
Give her your worries
And your fears
So hope and peace can start
Keep the angel near you
And know how much she cares
For when you need love and joy
Your angel will be there.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Running and partying
February 16th 2009
Feels like we are really becoming part of the community here. Last weekend we went to dinner at Fiona's with a few other people from the village, lovely food and lots of wine consumed by all. Then we were invited for tea on Saturday by Shan and Tony. Iain had the car so I suggested walking to the girls, who are allergic to any form of outdoor exercise. They live above the village and forgetting I was running a half marathon on Sunday, we set off. After 20 minutes of constant uphill trudging, the moans were getting louder from behind, along the lines of 'That's it, mum, this is not funny. You like walking everywhere but not everyone in this family is addicted to exercise.' Then Livvy refused to walk any further.
As we rounded the final bend, they livened up when they saw an imposing chateau on the edge of the hillside with a winding drive, like something out of a fairy tale and realised this was where we were heading. Suffice it to say I have never seen such a beautiful house here, so tastefully renovated and with grounds and views that I can't do justice to in words. Then we had to return to our half finished shack!
Sunday morning was the semi in Cannes, 13 miles along the seafront, and brilliant training for the London Marathon. I set off with my very fast friend Lucy, but we parted at 6k so we could run at our own pace. With blue skies, winter sunshine and the sea just yards away, running doesn't actually get much better than this. My official gun time was 1 hr 57 but my unofficial time was 1hr 55. Really pleased, particularly as my preparation consisted of a 3am bedtime Friday night after copious glasses to celebrate my friend Karen's birthday. Am sure I could be even faster if I led a quieter life but what fun would that be?
We celebrated with some rose at a bar in Cannes followed by a late lunch of roast chicken at Wayne and Lucy's, more wine and a lazy afternoon in front of a roaring log fire, followed by the hilarious sight of their very jolly friend Rupert arriving in a lime green mankini.
Feels like we are really becoming part of the community here. Last weekend we went to dinner at Fiona's with a few other people from the village, lovely food and lots of wine consumed by all. Then we were invited for tea on Saturday by Shan and Tony. Iain had the car so I suggested walking to the girls, who are allergic to any form of outdoor exercise. They live above the village and forgetting I was running a half marathon on Sunday, we set off. After 20 minutes of constant uphill trudging, the moans were getting louder from behind, along the lines of 'That's it, mum, this is not funny. You like walking everywhere but not everyone in this family is addicted to exercise.' Then Livvy refused to walk any further.
As we rounded the final bend, they livened up when they saw an imposing chateau on the edge of the hillside with a winding drive, like something out of a fairy tale and realised this was where we were heading. Suffice it to say I have never seen such a beautiful house here, so tastefully renovated and with grounds and views that I can't do justice to in words. Then we had to return to our half finished shack!
Sunday morning was the semi in Cannes, 13 miles along the seafront, and brilliant training for the London Marathon. I set off with my very fast friend Lucy, but we parted at 6k so we could run at our own pace. With blue skies, winter sunshine and the sea just yards away, running doesn't actually get much better than this. My official gun time was 1 hr 57 but my unofficial time was 1hr 55. Really pleased, particularly as my preparation consisted of a 3am bedtime Friday night after copious glasses to celebrate my friend Karen's birthday. Am sure I could be even faster if I led a quieter life but what fun would that be?
We celebrated with some rose at a bar in Cannes followed by a late lunch of roast chicken at Wayne and Lucy's, more wine and a lazy afternoon in front of a roaring log fire, followed by the hilarious sight of their very jolly friend Rupert arriving in a lime green mankini.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Rain rain go away
February 5th 2009
On our 6th day of rain, stuck in a cloud with no end in sight. No I'm not writing this from Potters Bar, but supposedly sunny Cote d'Azur. Everyone is saying it's the worst winter here they can ever remember, typical that it had to be our first. The flip side is that it is also the best early snow the alps have seen in many, many years so we are taking advantage of the fabulous ski conditions. There is two metres of snow at the top of Greolieres, 40 minutes drive away, and the snow ploughs are out in force every day clearing the roads. It's quite amusing watching the UK news and seeing the entire country in complete shutdown mode due to a few feet of snow when it's business as usual here.
When we arrived last summer, my cynical London sensibility quickly mellowed into a naive 'I live in a pretty village, what could possibly go wrong' mentality. This is a small, friendly close knit community in the hills, and feeling very safe here, I was soon leaving the front or back door unlocked or the main gate open to do the half hour school run. That is, until a few weeks ago, when one of the school mums came panting up the hill at home time to announce she had just seen a gang of thieves battering down the door of a nearby house. Worse, they spotted her but instead of running off, they carried on breaking in, safe in the knowledge that by the time she raised the alarm they would be long gone.
Keren ran to tell the local gendarme who mans the school crossing and he radioed for help but it was over half an hour before the police arrived, by which time the gang had made a clean getaway with their spoils. This is the second burglary in the village in the space of a few weeks, so it's back to being vigilant, locking doors and not taking any chances.
On our 6th day of rain, stuck in a cloud with no end in sight. No I'm not writing this from Potters Bar, but supposedly sunny Cote d'Azur. Everyone is saying it's the worst winter here they can ever remember, typical that it had to be our first. The flip side is that it is also the best early snow the alps have seen in many, many years so we are taking advantage of the fabulous ski conditions. There is two metres of snow at the top of Greolieres, 40 minutes drive away, and the snow ploughs are out in force every day clearing the roads. It's quite amusing watching the UK news and seeing the entire country in complete shutdown mode due to a few feet of snow when it's business as usual here.
When we arrived last summer, my cynical London sensibility quickly mellowed into a naive 'I live in a pretty village, what could possibly go wrong' mentality. This is a small, friendly close knit community in the hills, and feeling very safe here, I was soon leaving the front or back door unlocked or the main gate open to do the half hour school run. That is, until a few weeks ago, when one of the school mums came panting up the hill at home time to announce she had just seen a gang of thieves battering down the door of a nearby house. Worse, they spotted her but instead of running off, they carried on breaking in, safe in the knowledge that by the time she raised the alarm they would be long gone.
Keren ran to tell the local gendarme who mans the school crossing and he radioed for help but it was over half an hour before the police arrived, by which time the gang had made a clean getaway with their spoils. This is the second burglary in the village in the space of a few weeks, so it's back to being vigilant, locking doors and not taking any chances.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
