Friday February 4, 2011 Day 219
I continue to be amazed at the weather forecasts. The high for today was predicted to be 14 degrees, but when I went out for my afternoon walk, it was already 17 degrees. Go figure!
I planted the tulip bulbs today - five in each of two window boxes. This is a beautiful day to encourage them - bright and sunny. Unfortunately, neither of the windows on which the boxes sits gets any direct sunlight. I do not think this will prevent the tulips from blooming, however.
On my jaunt out, I purchased yet another teapot. We now have three “whole“ pots, which is not too many considering that we make hot tea three times a day most days. We shall see if the tea goddess’ hunger is slaked, or whether there will have to be another sacrifice soon.
Monday, February 21, 2011
The Tea Goddess strikes again!
Thursday February 3, 2011 Day 218
So . . . today I bought two new cheap teapots. I brought them home and rinsed them out. At dinnertime, I set about preparing tea, and I noticed that one of the pots has a broken spout! I do not know whether I bought it that way, whether I broke it on the way home, or perhaps when I washed it (although there was no glass in the sink, so I think that is the least likely of the three). Or perhaps the tea goddess got really jealous?!!
Roger has had two good days in a row at the chess boards. The afternoons are quite sunny and, while not warm, are not cold either. He comes home rather cool, with cold cheeks and ears.
I am finally getting out more - we went to the grocery store this morning, then I went adventuring by myself to find the teapots in the afternoon. We bought some tulip bulbs for our window boxes while we were out.
So . . . today I bought two new cheap teapots. I brought them home and rinsed them out. At dinnertime, I set about preparing tea, and I noticed that one of the pots has a broken spout! I do not know whether I bought it that way, whether I broke it on the way home, or perhaps when I washed it (although there was no glass in the sink, so I think that is the least likely of the three). Or perhaps the tea goddess got really jealous?!!
Roger has had two good days in a row at the chess boards. The afternoons are quite sunny and, while not warm, are not cold either. He comes home rather cool, with cold cheeks and ears.
I am finally getting out more - we went to the grocery store this morning, then I went adventuring by myself to find the teapots in the afternoon. We bought some tulip bulbs for our window boxes while we were out.
The Tea Goddess
Wednesday February 2, 2011 Day 217
Our apartment is haunted by a tea goddess. She has a jealous nature. As a result of her, I cannot keep more than one glass teapot in the kitchen at one time. When we moved in, there was one. I bought another, and the old one broke shortly thereafter. Several weeks ago, before Christmas, I bought one, and in less than a week, broke the old one. So we limped along with one, although we use a teapot three times a day and I would like a second one. So today I bought another one. Tonight I broke the old one! I may go back tomorrow and buy yet another one from the same store, so the two pots will already be acquainted. Maybe that will help.
Our apartment is haunted by a tea goddess. She has a jealous nature. As a result of her, I cannot keep more than one glass teapot in the kitchen at one time. When we moved in, there was one. I bought another, and the old one broke shortly thereafter. Several weeks ago, before Christmas, I bought one, and in less than a week, broke the old one. So we limped along with one, although we use a teapot three times a day and I would like a second one. So today I bought another one. Tonight I broke the old one! I may go back tomorrow and buy yet another one from the same store, so the two pots will already be acquainted. Maybe that will help.
No market today, thanks to Iso Gaz
Tuesday February 1, 2011 Day 216
At 11:40 today, the Iso Gaz guy called to say he would come between 12:15 and 12:30. I guess there will be no market visit today! The market closes at 1:00, and there is neither time to go before he gets here, nor time to go after he leaves. If we had known he would be this late, we could have been to the market twice! An interesting side note - he called on the apartment telephone, although I had not given the clerk that number yesterday - I gave her our cell phone number. I have never bothered to learn our apartment phone number, although it is in our cell phone. I am sure the Iso Gaz records reflect the apartment phone number for this address. He finally came, but not until almost 1:00. He took less than an hour, and gave us a contract for a year on the boiler. He made a note of our landlord’s name, but the contract is actually in my name. I do hope that will not give our landlord any problems if he should need service under the contract in the next year!
We Skyped with Shelli and Brennan this evening - the highlight of our day. Brennan is so cute and is beginning to track voices and to gurgle. It won’t be long before he is giggling and reaching out to actually touch things instead of just flailing as he does now. I complain about the cold here, but we are grateful we are not in Dallas now. The temperature there is not expected to rise above freezing for the next three days. Too cold for moi!
At 11:40 today, the Iso Gaz guy called to say he would come between 12:15 and 12:30. I guess there will be no market visit today! The market closes at 1:00, and there is neither time to go before he gets here, nor time to go after he leaves. If we had known he would be this late, we could have been to the market twice! An interesting side note - he called on the apartment telephone, although I had not given the clerk that number yesterday - I gave her our cell phone number. I have never bothered to learn our apartment phone number, although it is in our cell phone. I am sure the Iso Gaz records reflect the apartment phone number for this address. He finally came, but not until almost 1:00. He took less than an hour, and gave us a contract for a year on the boiler. He made a note of our landlord’s name, but the contract is actually in my name. I do hope that will not give our landlord any problems if he should need service under the contract in the next year!
We Skyped with Shelli and Brennan this evening - the highlight of our day. Brennan is so cute and is beginning to track voices and to gurgle. It won’t be long before he is giggling and reaching out to actually touch things instead of just flailing as he does now. I complain about the cold here, but we are grateful we are not in Dallas now. The temperature there is not expected to rise above freezing for the next three days. Too cold for moi!
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| Check out this guy in his kilt. Unfortunately, I could never get a frontal of him. |
Sunday, February 20, 2011
It is still colder than I like!
Monday January 31, 2011 Day 215
The long-term weather forecast keeps promising warmer weather down the road, but that road never seems to get here. For more than a week, now, the forecast has predicted that temperatures would be in the double digits (50s or so) in three or four days, but those three or four days continue to be pushed out and every day we have temperatures hovering around 8 or 9, which is about 46-49 degrees Fahrenheit.
I stumbled through a conversation in French with a clerk at Iso Gaz, the heater service company. I think she went at one point to see if she could find someone who speaks English, but with no luck, so we soldiered on and I managed to arrange for a service person to come here tomorrow morning at 10:30. At least, I hope that is what I arranged for! We shall see!!
Tonight we were going to Skype with Shelli, Ronnie and Brennan, but Shelli emailed earlier and said Brennan was not cooperating and that as soon as they got him settled, they all intended to try to grab a quick nap before Ronnie had to leave for work. We rescheduled for tomorrow at noon.
The long-term weather forecast keeps promising warmer weather down the road, but that road never seems to get here. For more than a week, now, the forecast has predicted that temperatures would be in the double digits (50s or so) in three or four days, but those three or four days continue to be pushed out and every day we have temperatures hovering around 8 or 9, which is about 46-49 degrees Fahrenheit.
I stumbled through a conversation in French with a clerk at Iso Gaz, the heater service company. I think she went at one point to see if she could find someone who speaks English, but with no luck, so we soldiered on and I managed to arrange for a service person to come here tomorrow morning at 10:30. At least, I hope that is what I arranged for! We shall see!!
Tonight we were going to Skype with Shelli, Ronnie and Brennan, but Shelli emailed earlier and said Brennan was not cooperating and that as soon as they got him settled, they all intended to try to grab a quick nap before Ronnie had to leave for work. We rescheduled for tomorrow at noon.
Sunday January 30, 2011 Day 214
In our quest to follow a low-carb diet, we have been reading labels to the extent possible, which is pretty much most of the time. However, I find them very frustrating. There is no standardization as there is in the States. (Thank you, Mr. Hoover!) Today we opened a box of cream which contains, according to the label, 20 cl of cream. Fine. But the nutrition statement on the side of the box states that there are 3.3 carbs per 100 grams, or .8 carbs in a portion, defined as 25 grams. Where do grams and centiliters intersect? How many portions per box? It doesn’t say. AAAGGGGGGHHHHHH! I miss the uniformity of labeling in the States. Not only that, a label will often tell me how many calories/carbs in 100 grams and in the entire jar/can. No statement at all with regard to how big a portion is, or how much nutrition is in this non-existent portion. Sigh
From our perch high above the Boulevard du Jeu de Paume, we have been watching a public works project kick into gear - the city is apparently replacing sewer pipes. While we were out this afternoon, we went to check out the pipes, which had been stacked alongside the sidewalk. Check these out:
In our quest to follow a low-carb diet, we have been reading labels to the extent possible, which is pretty much most of the time. However, I find them very frustrating. There is no standardization as there is in the States. (Thank you, Mr. Hoover!) Today we opened a box of cream which contains, according to the label, 20 cl of cream. Fine. But the nutrition statement on the side of the box states that there are 3.3 carbs per 100 grams, or .8 carbs in a portion, defined as 25 grams. Where do grams and centiliters intersect? How many portions per box? It doesn’t say. AAAGGGGGGHHHHHH! I miss the uniformity of labeling in the States. Not only that, a label will often tell me how many calories/carbs in 100 grams and in the entire jar/can. No statement at all with regard to how big a portion is, or how much nutrition is in this non-existent portion. Sigh
From our perch high above the Boulevard du Jeu de Paume, we have been watching a public works project kick into gear - the city is apparently replacing sewer pipes. While we were out this afternoon, we went to check out the pipes, which had been stacked alongside the sidewalk. Check these out:
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| The engineer checks out the sewerage. |
Le chauffeurage
Saturday January 29, 2011 Day 213
It was cold and rainy today. We kept waiting for the rain to let up a bit so we could go to the market, but in rained all morning so we finally skipped the market, which is only open until 1:00 pm. The rain let up in the middle of the afternoon, so we went to the grocery store to stock up on eats for the weekend. We bought salmon and pork roast.
When we checked the mail, we had a letter from a heater service company to our landlord stating that he had not renewed the contract last fall for the chauffeurage, or heater system, despite a letter having been sent in November, and that they considered all their obligations under the contract to be fulfilled, they were sorry to lose him as a customer and they would be happy to serve him again if the need arose. Sigh. We entirely forgot that we were supposed to renew the contract last fall. We remembered it a couple of times, usually on the weekend (which this is as well), so now this is our prompt to get a new contract in place.
It was cold and rainy today. We kept waiting for the rain to let up a bit so we could go to the market, but in rained all morning so we finally skipped the market, which is only open until 1:00 pm. The rain let up in the middle of the afternoon, so we went to the grocery store to stock up on eats for the weekend. We bought salmon and pork roast.
When we checked the mail, we had a letter from a heater service company to our landlord stating that he had not renewed the contract last fall for the chauffeurage, or heater system, despite a letter having been sent in November, and that they considered all their obligations under the contract to be fulfilled, they were sorry to lose him as a customer and they would be happy to serve him again if the need arose. Sigh. We entirely forgot that we were supposed to renew the contract last fall. We remembered it a couple of times, usually on the weekend (which this is as well), so now this is our prompt to get a new contract in place.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Would you like that in black, or black?
Friday January 28, 2011 Day 212
The geranium looked very happy this morning. It does not get direct sunlight, but it had perked up quite a bit nevertheless.
We went for a walk around noon today. I have observed before, and I noted again today, that at least half of the French population wears black in the winter, and most of the rest wear quite drab colors. There are occasional flashes of bright scarves, hats or accessories, but even the bulk of those are drab. We took several photos, but we forgot to bring our pocket camera so we were stuck with the camera on the phone. I continue to be disappointed in its performance - of course, we did not buy the phone for the camera. Indeed, I am not sure what we bought the phone for!
Even the shops seem to offer nothing but drab clothing:
The geranium looked very happy this morning. It does not get direct sunlight, but it had perked up quite a bit nevertheless.
We went for a walk around noon today. I have observed before, and I noted again today, that at least half of the French population wears black in the winter, and most of the rest wear quite drab colors. There are occasional flashes of bright scarves, hats or accessories, but even the bulk of those are drab. We took several photos, but we forgot to bring our pocket camera so we were stuck with the camera on the phone. I continue to be disappointed in its performance - of course, we did not buy the phone for the camera. Indeed, I am not sure what we bought the phone for!
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| Looking up into the historic city center, almost everyone is wearing a black or brown coat. |
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| The view across the Comédie reveals black, brown and drab |
This view, up the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, is also full of nothing but drab
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| Another shot of the Comédie from a restaurant - at least the seated guy wears royal blue. |
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| This view toward the Polygon shopping center reveals more of the same - drab, drab, drab |
Even the shops seem to offer nothing but drab clothing:
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| Come in and try on one of our lovely shirts. They are available in white or drab - which would you prefer? |
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| Party time! Get your dull, drab dress here. Large selection to choose from! |
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| Even the Gap has mostly drab clothing, although they do have some lovely royal blue jackets |
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| Here, both inside and out, the ladies are in drab |
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| Come check out our shoes. Available in black or brown. Period. |
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| Did you want that in white? or white? or white? |
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| Sorry, only drab available here. Even the photographer in the reflection fits the profile! ;-) |
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| On sale - all our stock - all available in the latest drab colors |
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| Yes, we have that in black and black. Vous choises! |
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| On sale - the latest selection of the drabbest clothing. If you look closely, you can see reflections of both Roger (on the right in the hat) and myself just at the door. |
Warming up a bit?
Thursday January 27, 2011 Day 211
Roger came home elated from a really good day at chess. He won almost all his games, and the two that he lost were lost on time, and he had winning positions in them. He was thrilled!
Tonight is the first night since our return to Montpellier that the weather was forecast to be above freezing, so I put our ivy-leaf geranium out on the window sill. It has not been happy inside. I do hope it survives the night.
Roger came home elated from a really good day at chess. He won almost all his games, and the two that he lost were lost on time, and he had winning positions in them. He was thrilled!
Tonight is the first night since our return to Montpellier that the weather was forecast to be above freezing, so I put our ivy-leaf geranium out on the window sill. It has not been happy inside. I do hope it survives the night.
Low carbs
Wednesday January 26, 2011 Day 210
We did more experimenting on low-carb diet. I am having to grope my way through it, as it is quite foreign to me.
We walked to the grocery store, taking our rolling shopping cart. There is lots we need to stock up on for our new diet - meat, butter, cream, eggs . . . . But no fruit, very little vegetables, no bread, potatoes, pasta, rice or other of the things that have made up our diet for all our lives. I truly do not know how long we will last on this diet, but I do want to give it a fair shot. This is the first weight-losing expedition that Roger has joined me on, and I want to make the most of it.
While we were out, we stopped by the tourist office to check on concerts, etc. We did not find anything of interest. From there we bought two of what I though were ceramic knives. I was fooled by their colorful blades. But they are not ceramic, only painted or coated stainless steel. Still, they are pretty nice. And I didn’t pay a ceramic price for them!
We did more experimenting on low-carb diet. I am having to grope my way through it, as it is quite foreign to me.
We walked to the grocery store, taking our rolling shopping cart. There is lots we need to stock up on for our new diet - meat, butter, cream, eggs . . . . But no fruit, very little vegetables, no bread, potatoes, pasta, rice or other of the things that have made up our diet for all our lives. I truly do not know how long we will last on this diet, but I do want to give it a fair shot. This is the first weight-losing expedition that Roger has joined me on, and I want to make the most of it.
While we were out, we stopped by the tourist office to check on concerts, etc. We did not find anything of interest. From there we bought two of what I though were ceramic knives. I was fooled by their colorful blades. But they are not ceramic, only painted or coated stainless steel. Still, they are pretty nice. And I didn’t pay a ceramic price for them!
Depression. Sigh
Tuesday January 25, 2011 Day 209
My blogs have become ordinary - that is, if they were extraordinary at any time! In fact, they are probably pretty boring now. This is due to two things which are intertwined. The first is the cold - because we do not like the cold, we do not go out in it a lot. This leaves me with very little to blog about. We have quit exploring France and Europe for a time. The other reason for my boring blogs is that I am depressed. I suffer from occasional bouts of depression, and can usually get medication which is helpful in pulling me through a psychological bad spot. Unfortunately, I have no access to any depression medication here - I have no doctor, and I don’t intend to see one for this; nor do we have any insurance. A couple of things will help me in the coming weeks: there will be more sunshine and the days will get warmer. These two factors will help pull me out of my depression. Additionally, Roger is very tolerant, and great at helping pull/push me along. SIGH!
We finally tackled the job of cleaning the apartment. We gave ourselves a couple of days to recover after our transatlantic trip, then yesterday I was consumed with Cook and Eat, and when I got back around 3:00, Roger was at chess. For us, apartment cleaning is best done in the morning, so we put it off from yesterday to today.
We decided to start on a low-carb diet, as our trek here in France has expanded our waistlines as well as our horizons. We got started off on it, but we still had two slices of the pie left from Sunday, so that short of shot the diet for the day!
We went to the market to shop for low-carb foods. We have a major problem in that we have lots of apples on hand since I only made one apple pie instead of two. Apples have about 15 carbs apiece, and when your carb ration is 30, that means you can eat two apples, and nothing else but meat or eggs for the rest of the day!!
My blogs have become ordinary - that is, if they were extraordinary at any time! In fact, they are probably pretty boring now. This is due to two things which are intertwined. The first is the cold - because we do not like the cold, we do not go out in it a lot. This leaves me with very little to blog about. We have quit exploring France and Europe for a time. The other reason for my boring blogs is that I am depressed. I suffer from occasional bouts of depression, and can usually get medication which is helpful in pulling me through a psychological bad spot. Unfortunately, I have no access to any depression medication here - I have no doctor, and I don’t intend to see one for this; nor do we have any insurance. A couple of things will help me in the coming weeks: there will be more sunshine and the days will get warmer. These two factors will help pull me out of my depression. Additionally, Roger is very tolerant, and great at helping pull/push me along. SIGH!
We finally tackled the job of cleaning the apartment. We gave ourselves a couple of days to recover after our transatlantic trip, then yesterday I was consumed with Cook and Eat, and when I got back around 3:00, Roger was at chess. For us, apartment cleaning is best done in the morning, so we put it off from yesterday to today.
We decided to start on a low-carb diet, as our trek here in France has expanded our waistlines as well as our horizons. We got started off on it, but we still had two slices of the pie left from Sunday, so that short of shot the diet for the day!
We went to the market to shop for low-carb foods. We have a major problem in that we have lots of apples on hand since I only made one apple pie instead of two. Apples have about 15 carbs apiece, and when your carb ration is 30, that means you can eat two apples, and nothing else but meat or eggs for the rest of the day!!
Cook & Eat.
Monday January 24, 2011 Day 208
It was right at zero degrees Fahrenheit when I set out for Caroline’s house this morning for Cook and Eat. This was appropriate, because the theme for today was comfort food, and with the ambient temperature as low as it is, comfort food is quite appealing. I had been assigned an apple pie. I had brought back some 9-inch foil pie tins from the States and planned to use two of those for the expected dozen ladies who participate in Cook and Eat. Today, however, there were only nine. Caroline offered up her 10-inch ceramic flan/tart dish and we settled for making only one pie. I set a couple of women to peeling apples, while Peggy directed some of the group in fixing a lentil soup. In addition to the soup and pie, we had a delightful (and colorful) roasted red pepper, roasted tomato and avocado salad with anchovies, courtesy of Jane. She used a melon baller for the avocado and it produced nice little avocado rounds. Delicious! My pie turned out quite well - lovely to look at and delicious as well. Unfortunately Peggy, who took pictures, did not share her photos in a usable format for here, so I have no photo.
While I was at Cook & Eat, Roger watched the rest of the Packers/Bears game and all of the Jets/Steelers game. Nice! Now if he only had a screen bigger than the one that a netbook offers! We could plug the computer into the television if we had the right cable, but I don’t know if Roger will indulge. The Superbowl is probably the only thing left that he will want to watch through Shelli’s and Ronnie’s Slingbox, and he will probably not consider it worthwhile to buy the cable just for that. The Superbowl doesn’t start until 6:30, which is 1:30 a.m. our time. He will probably just get up and watch it Monday morning after it is played on Sunday night.
It was right at zero degrees Fahrenheit when I set out for Caroline’s house this morning for Cook and Eat. This was appropriate, because the theme for today was comfort food, and with the ambient temperature as low as it is, comfort food is quite appealing. I had been assigned an apple pie. I had brought back some 9-inch foil pie tins from the States and planned to use two of those for the expected dozen ladies who participate in Cook and Eat. Today, however, there were only nine. Caroline offered up her 10-inch ceramic flan/tart dish and we settled for making only one pie. I set a couple of women to peeling apples, while Peggy directed some of the group in fixing a lentil soup. In addition to the soup and pie, we had a delightful (and colorful) roasted red pepper, roasted tomato and avocado salad with anchovies, courtesy of Jane. She used a melon baller for the avocado and it produced nice little avocado rounds. Delicious! My pie turned out quite well - lovely to look at and delicious as well. Unfortunately Peggy, who took pictures, did not share her photos in a usable format for here, so I have no photo.
While I was at Cook & Eat, Roger watched the rest of the Packers/Bears game and all of the Jets/Steelers game. Nice! Now if he only had a screen bigger than the one that a netbook offers! We could plug the computer into the television if we had the right cable, but I don’t know if Roger will indulge. The Superbowl is probably the only thing left that he will want to watch through Shelli’s and Ronnie’s Slingbox, and he will probably not consider it worthwhile to buy the cable just for that. The Superbowl doesn’t start until 6:30, which is 1:30 a.m. our time. He will probably just get up and watch it Monday morning after it is played on Sunday night.
Slingbox
Sunday January 23, 2011 Day 207
We slept late again today. Our apartment is finally warm, but we were still loathe to get out of bed.
I fixed an apple pie in the afternoon - a practice run for tomorrow’s Cook & Eat. I was not especially happy with the results - it leaked between the crusts. Because our oven does not heat to the correct temperature, I put the oven fifty degrees higher than what was called for in the recipe, but apparently that is too high. I thought the pie was somewhat overdone. Also, the recipe called for five pounds of apples, but that turned out to be too much for the 9-inch crust. I put the rest into a small casserole and topped it with the crust scraps, making sort of a cobbler out of it.
Ronnie got a new toy, and instructed Roger in its use before we left the States. The toy is called a Slingbox. It is attached to the television and the DVR and it allows for remote (VERY remote!) control of the television and DVR from anywhere in the world that one has an internet connection (or perhaps a 3G connection - not sure). In any event, Shelli and Ronnie recorded the game, and the Slingbox allowed Roger to watch the first of the playoff games tonight, or half of it, anyway. It didn’t start until 9:00 our time, and he quit at half and went to bed.
We slept late again today. Our apartment is finally warm, but we were still loathe to get out of bed.
I fixed an apple pie in the afternoon - a practice run for tomorrow’s Cook & Eat. I was not especially happy with the results - it leaked between the crusts. Because our oven does not heat to the correct temperature, I put the oven fifty degrees higher than what was called for in the recipe, but apparently that is too high. I thought the pie was somewhat overdone. Also, the recipe called for five pounds of apples, but that turned out to be too much for the 9-inch crust. I put the rest into a small casserole and topped it with the crust scraps, making sort of a cobbler out of it.
Ronnie got a new toy, and instructed Roger in its use before we left the States. The toy is called a Slingbox. It is attached to the television and the DVR and it allows for remote (VERY remote!) control of the television and DVR from anywhere in the world that one has an internet connection (or perhaps a 3G connection - not sure). In any event, Shelli and Ronnie recorded the game, and the Slingbox allowed Roger to watch the first of the playoff games tonight, or half of it, anyway. It didn’t start until 9:00 our time, and he quit at half and went to bed.
Brrrr - too cold for me
Saturday January 22, 2011 Day 206
It is cold here - in the 40s during the day, freezing at night. Our heater did not go off last night nor all day today. Indeed, it struggled but did not bring the apartment temperature up to a comfortable level. As a result, we spent most of the day sitting near the radiators reading/writing/playing on our computers. We did go out to the grocery store, as things will be closed tomorrow and we need food in the apartment as well as Cook & Eat supplies.
I awoke about 3:15 a.m. and was unable to get back to sleep, so I arose and stayed up until 7:30 a.m., then fell asleep again and awoke at 10:30. We hurried out to the market before it closed at 1:00, then napped again this afternoon for an hour. Later we went out to the English Corner Shop, where we found Crisco. This after I bought three pounds of butter for pie crust. Not a problem - we will use up the butter.
I intended to unpack, but was too lazy. Our apartment is still quite cool, so we spent most of the time beside the radiator under blankets trying to stay warm.
It is cold here - in the 40s during the day, freezing at night. Our heater did not go off last night nor all day today. Indeed, it struggled but did not bring the apartment temperature up to a comfortable level. As a result, we spent most of the day sitting near the radiators reading/writing/playing on our computers. We did go out to the grocery store, as things will be closed tomorrow and we need food in the apartment as well as Cook & Eat supplies.
I awoke about 3:15 a.m. and was unable to get back to sleep, so I arose and stayed up until 7:30 a.m., then fell asleep again and awoke at 10:30. We hurried out to the market before it closed at 1:00, then napped again this afternoon for an hour. Later we went out to the English Corner Shop, where we found Crisco. This after I bought three pounds of butter for pie crust. Not a problem - we will use up the butter.
I intended to unpack, but was too lazy. Our apartment is still quite cool, so we spent most of the time beside the radiator under blankets trying to stay warm.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Back in Montpellier
Friday January 21, 2011 Day 205
We landed early in Paris, and our trek from one terminal to another at Aeroport Charles de Gaulle was much more uneventful than at our last visit here. We had a couple of hours to kill in the airport, so I bought a chocolate croissant for me and a raisin roll for Roger and we settled in for the wait.
We were boarding our airplane and were at our seats, but we had the middle and aisle seats, and didn’t want to sit down just to have to get up again. But before we could even stow our luggage, however, a voice in English with a very U.S. accent behind us said “Go ahead and take the window seat if you like, and I will take the aisle.” We did not expect to be sitting beside a fellow U.S. citizen. Upon inquiry, he explained that he is a wine importer from upstate New York and he is coming to Montpellier for a couple of wine events and to purchase wine. We chatted for a bit, then he and Roger dozed off. I think I napped briefly but the flight is just over an hour and there is not much time for that.
We arrived home via taxi from the airport around 1:00 and were perplexed and startled to discover that there is no gas in the apartment. And our heat is gas-powered. And it was about fifty degrees in the apartment. AGH!! We were cold and exhausted and all we really wanted to do was drop into bed and sleep, but we had to deal with the gas problem first. We were unsure where to start, so we fixed a pot of tea (electric kettle, thank you very much!) and I warmed a bit of soup for myself (Roger declined), then he sent a note off to the landlord asking him for ideas about where to start. I went downstairs to Mara McGregor’s apartment to knock on the door (I had her phone number once, but I lost it), and on the way back up, the young man who lives above us passed me on the stairs, headed up. Finding that Mara was not in, I stopped back into our place to let Roger know my lack of progress, then went upstairs to see if the young man there had gas in his apartment, as we were unsure whether this was a building-wide problem or just our apartment. He said there are no pipes for gas in his apartment, so he could not help us. Roger suddenly recalled that our apartment management group is just down the street, so we decided to finish our soup and tea and go down to chat with them. Suddenly the door buzzed, and when I answered it, a gentleman indicated he was from the gas company! Fast work! We hadn’t even issued a complaint yet! I met them on the stairs after explaining to them that Mara was not home. The twisted a handle on the second floor, then came on up and entered our apartment. I am not sure exactly what they did, but within minutes we had gas in the apartment and our heater was on. We thanked them exuberantly and they left. We turned up the heat and fell into bed, where we napped for a couple of hours, grateful once again for the duvet.
I spent part of the afternoon researching apple pie recipes for Monday’s Cook & Eat. I am in charge of making an apple pie for the group.
Roger left for the grocery store for some milk and meat, then dropped into the boulangerie for a baguette. We had a light supper, played a bit on our computers, then crashed again before 10:00. Llllloooonnnnnngggggg day! But it is good to be home, such as it is.
We landed early in Paris, and our trek from one terminal to another at Aeroport Charles de Gaulle was much more uneventful than at our last visit here. We had a couple of hours to kill in the airport, so I bought a chocolate croissant for me and a raisin roll for Roger and we settled in for the wait.
We were boarding our airplane and were at our seats, but we had the middle and aisle seats, and didn’t want to sit down just to have to get up again. But before we could even stow our luggage, however, a voice in English with a very U.S. accent behind us said “Go ahead and take the window seat if you like, and I will take the aisle.” We did not expect to be sitting beside a fellow U.S. citizen. Upon inquiry, he explained that he is a wine importer from upstate New York and he is coming to Montpellier for a couple of wine events and to purchase wine. We chatted for a bit, then he and Roger dozed off. I think I napped briefly but the flight is just over an hour and there is not much time for that.
We arrived home via taxi from the airport around 1:00 and were perplexed and startled to discover that there is no gas in the apartment. And our heat is gas-powered. And it was about fifty degrees in the apartment. AGH!! We were cold and exhausted and all we really wanted to do was drop into bed and sleep, but we had to deal with the gas problem first. We were unsure where to start, so we fixed a pot of tea (electric kettle, thank you very much!) and I warmed a bit of soup for myself (Roger declined), then he sent a note off to the landlord asking him for ideas about where to start. I went downstairs to Mara McGregor’s apartment to knock on the door (I had her phone number once, but I lost it), and on the way back up, the young man who lives above us passed me on the stairs, headed up. Finding that Mara was not in, I stopped back into our place to let Roger know my lack of progress, then went upstairs to see if the young man there had gas in his apartment, as we were unsure whether this was a building-wide problem or just our apartment. He said there are no pipes for gas in his apartment, so he could not help us. Roger suddenly recalled that our apartment management group is just down the street, so we decided to finish our soup and tea and go down to chat with them. Suddenly the door buzzed, and when I answered it, a gentleman indicated he was from the gas company! Fast work! We hadn’t even issued a complaint yet! I met them on the stairs after explaining to them that Mara was not home. The twisted a handle on the second floor, then came on up and entered our apartment. I am not sure exactly what they did, but within minutes we had gas in the apartment and our heater was on. We thanked them exuberantly and they left. We turned up the heat and fell into bed, where we napped for a couple of hours, grateful once again for the duvet.
I spent part of the afternoon researching apple pie recipes for Monday’s Cook & Eat. I am in charge of making an apple pie for the group.
Roger left for the grocery store for some milk and meat, then dropped into the boulangerie for a baguette. We had a light supper, played a bit on our computers, then crashed again before 10:00. Llllloooonnnnnngggggg day! But it is good to be home, such as it is.
Heading to our home away from home
Thursday January 20, 2011 Day 204
We rose and packed, trying to tuck into our luggage all our purchases and some other stuff we had picked up at Shelli’s. As I was packing, I came across the pair of shorts I wore to the doctor’s office last week. The button was missing from the waist and they were a few years old, so I decided to toss them in the trash. Before I did so, however, I checked the pockets, and there were my Sam’s card and Discover card! No wonder I couldn’t find them! We got everything in and met the weight limit after I moved a pair of shoes into a carry-on. Then we sat around and held Brennan and talked with Ronnie and Shelli until it was time to load into the car and go to the airport. I called Alicia on the way and discussed where to meet her in the Atlanta airport. Our plane did not leave for Atlanta until 1:15, so Roger and I split a hamburger at TGIFriday’s - my first hamburger in ages. While there, I called Alicia again and suggested to her that she would only get to visit with us for 15-20 minutes at the airport, as the regulations suggest that we arrive for an international flight about two hours before the scheduled departure. After a brief discussion and with my encouragement, she decided not to come meet us. It hardly seems worth it for her to make the trip all the way out to the airport for that short a time.
The flights to Atlanta and to Paris were uneventful. There is always a medication dilemma on a flight such as this - when do I take pills and use my inhaler, and how often? I should probably be counting 12-hour segments, but then when I adjust my watch, I lose track.
We rose and packed, trying to tuck into our luggage all our purchases and some other stuff we had picked up at Shelli’s. As I was packing, I came across the pair of shorts I wore to the doctor’s office last week. The button was missing from the waist and they were a few years old, so I decided to toss them in the trash. Before I did so, however, I checked the pockets, and there were my Sam’s card and Discover card! No wonder I couldn’t find them! We got everything in and met the weight limit after I moved a pair of shoes into a carry-on. Then we sat around and held Brennan and talked with Ronnie and Shelli until it was time to load into the car and go to the airport. I called Alicia on the way and discussed where to meet her in the Atlanta airport. Our plane did not leave for Atlanta until 1:15, so Roger and I split a hamburger at TGIFriday’s - my first hamburger in ages. While there, I called Alicia again and suggested to her that she would only get to visit with us for 15-20 minutes at the airport, as the regulations suggest that we arrive for an international flight about two hours before the scheduled departure. After a brief discussion and with my encouragement, she decided not to come meet us. It hardly seems worth it for her to make the trip all the way out to the airport for that short a time.
The flights to Atlanta and to Paris were uneventful. There is always a medication dilemma on a flight such as this - when do I take pills and use my inhaler, and how often? I should probably be counting 12-hour segments, but then when I adjust my watch, I lose track.
Sparse posts
Thursday January 13, 2011 Day 197
Sorry, nothing today! I am sure I held Brennan all day!
Friday January 14, 2011 Day 198
Susan and Randall came this evening to see Brennan and to celebrate Roger’s 60th birthday a few weeks early. She brought a cake she made and iced, then placed Hot Tamale candies on the top in the form of a formula which totaled 60. Cute. And delicious! We gave them a card and a balloon in celebration of their 40th anniversary tomorrow.
Saturday January 15, 2011 Day 199
We met Roger’s cousin, John Patrick, at Jason’s Deli along with Susan and Randall and had a lovely visit all around. It was good to see Susan and Randall again before our departure. It was also good to see John - we probably saw him last at Alan and Isa’s wedding more than a year ago.
Sunday January 16, 2011 Day 200
No notes - sorry!
Monday January 17, 2011 Day 201
Again no notes. I feel as if I am a failure as a blogger!!! :-(
Tuesday January 18, 2011 Day 202
Brennan had another weigh-in at the doctor’s office. He gained 13 ounces in one week, and the parents were thrilled. While they were gone, I cleaned out much of the refrigerator, then Roger and I took Bruno for a walk around the nieghborhood.
Wednesday January 19, 2011 Day 203
This morning Roger and I ran out to Sam’s and to Wal-Mart for some final items. I had spent the last couple of days looking for my Sam’s card and the Discover card, which I keep together. I had them shortly after our arrival in Dallas, but was unable to locate them for a trip to Sam’s, so we gave up and went without them. I knew I could get a pass at customer service which would let me in for the day.
After a lunch of tacos, Shelli, Roger and I packed up Brennan in the car and drove to Ann’s in Ft. Worth. We had a good visit with her - her health is not particularly good, but she did seem to enjoy holding Brennan. She fed us ice cream with chocolate sauce or Dr Pepper Cherry sauce - interesting! From Anne’s, we drove to Mary Ellen’s house for family game night again, with Christa, Sarah, Aaron, Paul, Roger, Shelli, Brennan and me. Mary Ellen had fixed soup and hot bread for a hearty meal, then we settled in to playing cards and passing Brennan around. We left just before 10:00 for the 40-minute drive back to Shelli’s house.
Sorry, nothing today! I am sure I held Brennan all day!
Friday January 14, 2011 Day 198
Susan and Randall came this evening to see Brennan and to celebrate Roger’s 60th birthday a few weeks early. She brought a cake she made and iced, then placed Hot Tamale candies on the top in the form of a formula which totaled 60. Cute. And delicious! We gave them a card and a balloon in celebration of their 40th anniversary tomorrow.
Saturday January 15, 2011 Day 199
We met Roger’s cousin, John Patrick, at Jason’s Deli along with Susan and Randall and had a lovely visit all around. It was good to see Susan and Randall again before our departure. It was also good to see John - we probably saw him last at Alan and Isa’s wedding more than a year ago.
Sunday January 16, 2011 Day 200
No notes - sorry!
Monday January 17, 2011 Day 201
Again no notes. I feel as if I am a failure as a blogger!!! :-(
Tuesday January 18, 2011 Day 202
Brennan had another weigh-in at the doctor’s office. He gained 13 ounces in one week, and the parents were thrilled. While they were gone, I cleaned out much of the refrigerator, then Roger and I took Bruno for a walk around the nieghborhood.
Wednesday January 19, 2011 Day 203
This morning Roger and I ran out to Sam’s and to Wal-Mart for some final items. I had spent the last couple of days looking for my Sam’s card and the Discover card, which I keep together. I had them shortly after our arrival in Dallas, but was unable to locate them for a trip to Sam’s, so we gave up and went without them. I knew I could get a pass at customer service which would let me in for the day.
After a lunch of tacos, Shelli, Roger and I packed up Brennan in the car and drove to Ann’s in Ft. Worth. We had a good visit with her - her health is not particularly good, but she did seem to enjoy holding Brennan. She fed us ice cream with chocolate sauce or Dr Pepper Cherry sauce - interesting! From Anne’s, we drove to Mary Ellen’s house for family game night again, with Christa, Sarah, Aaron, Paul, Roger, Shelli, Brennan and me. Mary Ellen had fixed soup and hot bread for a hearty meal, then we settled in to playing cards and passing Brennan around. We left just before 10:00 for the 40-minute drive back to Shelli’s house.
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