Libraries, Family and Inception Deception

So Wednesday night Amel showed me the Parisian library system online - it's absolutely magical, there are 69 libraries in Paris, and it seems as if you are never more than 5 mins away from one and some of them have specialist subjects and some open on Sundays and as in England, you can look online to find a book and which library it's in and whether it's on shelf or not and then it tells you the nearest metro stop to each one and you can borrow up to 40 things for up to 6 weeks in the summer!!! I love Paris.

The closest one to us is just down the road but it closes at 7.00pm so Thursday night I raced home and made it to my stop at 6.30. I then decided to go straight there, but I hadn't memorised its exact location and as a result ended up going up and down the roads around me until I finally decided to get directions from a friendly-looking man in a bookshop who was very helpful and came out and pointed at the huge library building just down the road!

Anyway, I came in with 20 minutes to go before closing time and walked over to the man at the first desk. I said I was new to the area and wanted to sign up to the library but I must've said something wrong because he didn't understand but once I explained myself again he told me I had to go upstairs.

I did. And there I found the kindest lady who talked me through the form and told me everything about the system. It's most likely due to the fact that she was repeating everything Amel had told me the night before but I understood every word she said (for the first time since arriving in Paris!) and this encouraged me greatly and I felt even more French when she exclaimed delightedly "Oh but you have a French name: Sophie! And Louise! Louise is very French too!" Good work there, parents.

Once I got my shiny new library card (it is nice but not half as pretty as my Lancashire and West Sussex County Library cards!) I asked where I would find Petit Nicolas and she sent me upstairs again. Here I found a very jolly lady who was able to tell me the precise code for it and I discovered many copies of different books but I ended up going for the first one and one about his neighbours.

I merrily skipped home and proudly showed my new card and books to Amel as I came in. She was very impressed. But before I could settle down to enjoy them I had to go straight back out as I was off to see Inception at the cinema!

I felt like the world was ganging up on me on Thursday morning; I'd spoken to Dad the night before and everyone had been to see it and said it was awesome and then when I logged onto facebook, every status was about how great it was so Chris had then said he was going to see it with his friends after work and I decided to tag along, only to discover (upon arriving half an hour in advance) that they had sold out of the English version with French subtitles! (And I do NOT want to see a French version as it is a) too complicated and my french is too poor and it is b) too distracting and irritating watching dubbed versions.)

So then I tried to go with people from work again on Monday night but alas, we had mistakenly turned up to a french showing! So we ended up in a café on the other side of the street for the rest of the evening. Third time lucky? I hope so!

The weekend was just WONDERFUL: I got to spend it with Brian and Paty at their shed in Leysdown and Gerardo (whom I utterly ADORE - Isaac, he's like you but Mexican!) one of their nephews, was there too! So we spoke lots of Spanish - although for the first couple of hours I just couldn't get my head out of French mode (I finally finished my French book on the eurostar over, two minutes before I arrived! It is an excellent read.) They took me out for a curry in Sheerness and we were waited on by the craziest (albeit very lovely) Indian man who didn't seem to know the menu at all or indeed speak English! He gave me a proper look when I asked if I could have a doggy bag and so I only asked for my leftovers and not those of the others (this as ok really as they all had VERY spicy food!) This meant I had curry for breakfast:

And then Phil and Hazel made curry for lunch, which I then finished off for tea! Hazel also made chocolate brownie. It was gooey and good and I love her. I got to see Joy and Nanna and all the rest of the family and Brian even managed to arrange to an airshow to be put on for us, with spitfires and everything! We went and played in the sea and the playground where we found a slide which was not very slidey at all so we spent a good long while trying to fix it. And then Brian's new car, Collins, arrived! I love Brian and his cars. This was a Rover ... something and it was beautiful. Brian drove us down to the club in it for a quick drink that night and when we got back we tested out all the buttons and worked out what they all did. I honestly felt like I was involved in some government secret going-on in the past with the headlights beaming into the dark, empty field! We then played BILINGUAL UPWORDS which just made me so very happy as I always see the best foreign words when we play word games at home but I'm never allowed them so this was a dream come true for me with four of us speaking English and Spanish!

Sunday we went to Abbey Minster in Collins and had a wonderful time, the woman spoke in a true vicar voice and we sang bits back to her but the line that cracked me up the most was "Hosanna in the highest" and it truly was in the highest and I'm certain only bats could actually reach that note, we the members of the congregation certainly couldn't and this made me crease up and then again when Gero decided to sing Great is thy Faithfulness imitating the accents around him, I can't describe it but a fourteen-year old Mexican boy trying to sing churchy hymns in an English accent has to be heard to be fully appreciated!

When I got back on Sunday night I pulled out my pyjamas and they smelled like the chalet and I love it when that happens.

In other news, the earlobe infection I had a month or so ago has returned with a vengeance after wearing an earring that can't have been properly cleaned :( I still have the cream the doctor gave me but not the tablets. I am hesitant to go and see the doctor as it is EXPENSIVE but it was looking really quite red, swollen and yucky Sunday night.

My new roommate moves in on Sunday - this TERRIFIES me: apart from everything else the beds are feet-to-feet and my feet rest on the other mattress at night so I REALLY hope she's short!

I noticed last week that my mousemat at work is squidgy and there are purple triangles which float about inside! This kept me happily occupied for three long minutes.

I got presents from people who love me in Mexico.

I got post from Edwina, Phil, Molly & William, Laura Crosby, Chelsea and Gragry.

I return to Wo'Town in just over a week!