This is Mikey and Jo (modelled in clay so I don't ever have to miss them) along with their pet rubber duck and bottle of chinese magic potion on my desk at work:
So last Saturday I finally plucked up enough courage to go for a haircut. It had been six months since I'd last had it cut and it had become rather unkempt. Not really knowing what I wanted however, I decided to play it safe and left the house armed with the phrase "juste les points, s'il vous plaît" (just the ends).
Having had my hair washed and wrapped up in a towel, I was seated and presented with a hairdresser, to whom I addressed my specially prepared sentence. I then removed my glasses and took advantage of making French conversation with the man as he worked. Being monstrously short-sighted I was utterly oblivious to what it was he was doing to my hair until the very end when I popped my glasses back on and saw locks of hair at least five inches long lying on my lap! The cut itself was very nicely done but I'm glad I didn't ask for him to take any more than the ends off or I could have come home bald!
Last Tuesday I got my first free breakfast from my favourite boulanger who when I went to pay him replied "aujourd'hui, c'est un cadeau" (today, it is a present!) Greatest start to the day since November 6th 2010! Or perhaps the day after watching Star Trek in English with Mathilde, who having learnt a single phrase from the whole film woke me up the next morning by very proudly saying from the other side of the darkened room "Good luck!" (she understands my difficulty in waking up in the mornings) This had me in stitches for the rest of the day!
Last week I had my first stab at babysitting in French - something I had approached somewhat nervously - and Monday I was invited round to "learn the routine". So I turned up on the dot of 6:30pm and buzzed up to their appartment. This buzz was answered by a woman's voice and I said "Yes, hello! It's me, Sophie!" to which the I now realised unfamiliar voice replied "...who?"
so I said "Sophie!" and then added "I'm here to babysit the kids?"
The voice then said "I think you must have the wrong appartment" to which frankly I was thinking, "I heartily agree!" until I saw the name I was calling (fancy building where you buzz names not appartment numbers and it was unmistakeably the right surname - no one has B and Z and D in their name like that!
So I eventually just said "... Erm, Yohanna?".
"Oui. She's not here." came the reply.
"Well, I'm here to babysit the kids, I was told to come at 6:30 to learn the routine".
"Well I wasn't told anything about that, bleuh blah blah I think its best if blah blak blah blah" and hung up.
I tried the door, which was definitely not open.
The woman evidently wasn't going to let me in so I rummaged through my bag and found the piece of paper with the mum's mobile number on it. I call her and she says "Ah yes, that's the nanny - I didn't tell her about you. Don't worry - my husband will be home soon, I'll ring him."
I thought it might perhaps be better to call the nanny but then someone came out of the building and I seized the opportunity to get in out of the cold. I slowly climbed the many floors and came to the front door. I could hear everyone inside laughing and I rang the bell. They continued so I rang again. Then I heard the lady coming towards the door, obviously on the phone to Yohanna saying "There is a girl outside ... she says her name is Sophie ... hmpf" And then she opens the door with the chain on.
"Hello!" I say.
"Yes?" She says. "Who are you?"
"...Sophie." I replied (I really don't know who else she thought I could be!)
She then very reluctantly let me in and from that moment on didn't take her eyes off me and when the father walked in I practically flew to greet him!
To my great amusement his first words to his daughter were :
"Hello darling, how was school today? Any explosions?"
To which she replied :
"No, not today."
I laughed and in mock shock said, "Oh dear, are they a regular occurence around here?" giggling to myself but stopped short when he replied "Well there was one on Friday."
The kids then discussed it for the next bit, Essi-Clara emphasising that the explosion was BEHIND the school and not next to it (evidently very important), Jonas recounting who cried and who didn't and whether anyone got hurt.
After a while the Dad said, "Well, shall I give you the tour?" So we got up and headed for the kitchen. I had entirely forgotten the explosion incident up until this point, when he calmly began the whole "how to look after our kids" routine with:
"The gas tap is to be found here in this cupboard, behind those plastic bowls, do you see?"
Exactly how dangerous is this neighbourhood???
I discussed this with Laura afterwards and we came to the realisation that if there were to be an explosion, we'd be blown to smithereens before we could get anywhere NEAR the gas tap!
This, however is not something I'll point out to the kids next time they fret...
Well, the rest of the evening was fine, apart from the end of the tour where Bruno indicated some nappies, saying pink for girls, blue for boys. I didn't ask at the time but I was absolutely wetting myself thinking "I've never done a nappy before, (to my great shame) and these kids are not exactly babies anymore ... this could get very awkward exceedingly quickly!"
Fortunately, to my IMMENSE relief I discovered on Wednesday night that they were just pull-ups *PHEW!*
However, as I couldn't leave work early, I was fifteen minutes late, which AGAIN put me in the terrifying nanny's bad books, as she had a church meeting to get to.
Babysitting itself went ok, we played games and I understood a good 75% of what they were saying! They were rather late into bed though and JUST as I'd put them to bed, Mum walked in through the door! Jonas went flying to her and she said "Oh Jonas! What are you doing out of bed? You should be asleep like your sister! Is she asleep?"
Doubt it.
Friday though I had a nice chat with Rose-Marie, the nanny, who is absolutely lovely when you're not convinced she hates you! And though the kids were in bed earlier this time (still not ON time!) I was left feeling a bit of a failure as Essi-Clara had barely eaten anything for dinner and Jonas spent 45 mins getting back out of bed! I was reassured later however that that was always the case and not to worry!
Saturday I had a lazy day, (slowly wandered round the Pantheon and then discovered the most BEAUTIFUL little church next door, where I sat for a good hour) then went out in the evening for crêpes, ice-cream and "Burlesque" at the cinema with Amel.
Sunday was the second to last day of the Monet exhibition, and I'd read in the paper on Friday that they were open non-stop all through the weekend til 9pm Monday but that all tickets were sold out online and you had to queue! This queue, by the way was 7 hours long last weekend! SO, I set off bright and early on Sunday, armed with a ferocious number of layers and a chicken baguette sandwich from my boulanger.
It took us 45 mins to reach a sign saying "5 hours from here". Which, in fairness was less time than I had been expecting. I did debate going home and coming back early tomorrow morning before work as many around me were quitting but decided finally that as it was fair weather I would stay. I spent the queue catching up with Mars Hill podcasts, chatting with my neighbours and sharing some toblerone I found in my bag (I LOVE it when that happens!) Loud cheers went up from the front of the crowd every time people from our queue were allowed up the steps inside and boos and hisses were to be heard when the people in the fast queue got in.
After a mere three hours however, I found myself inside! Also, being a techno-show-off I downloaded the Monet app to my iPod and spent the most GLORIOUS afternoon wandering round all the paintings. I was so glad I'd gone on my own and that I'd also not gone before work because it meant I got to take my time and really appreciate each room.
I was MOST excited to find that he had been comissioned to paint St. Lazare, the train station I change at every morning for work and to see paintings and names of regions that I was now familiar with and could recognise! The cathedral paintings were my biggest surprise I think, as I'd always seen them separately or in small in books but here there were five all lined up and you could truly see how well he had captured the light from all the different times of day! Apparently when learning technique this he used to traipse about the coast with children following him carrying a number of different paintings and he'd stop and swap canvasses as the light changed!
I saw coastline that reminded me of Cornwall, paintings that so perfectly captured summer, and looking at it, I truly felt I could do it too! (Just give me a canvas and a tonne of oil paint!) By the end I was firmly decided that he was my favourite artist and I emerged outside to find the queue was even bigger, it was even colder and dark and exhausted from having been on my feet all day I came home to collapse into bed with a pizza and a film with Mathilde!
And the other, L'Arc de Triomphe!
I loved the low wintry sun:
I found the jardin d'acclimatation and within it, a farm!
Grandad/other horticulturally knowledgable person, what are these?
At first I looked in this cage and only saw sparrows until this chap popped out from behind his hiding post - how did I miss him?!!
This bird was also incredible:
I liked how soft these ducks looked:
These ones are clearly highly fashionable young Parisian ducks, hot off the catwalk from fashion week, complete with stylish sideways fluffy hats: 
Lovely fresh green colour in amidst all the dull wintry browns:
I liked the pictures on the side of the boating house:
Right next to the deer enclosure!! Poor deer :(
Llama and DONKEY DONKEY DONKEY!!! :D :D :D
I love Donkey.
RABBITS!! (But not for strokesies)
Fish blocked in an icy pond at the bottom, cows on a muddy hill and blue sky!
Further on into the woods and I found my lake again: 
Then I went in search of the huuuuge lake on the map but only found muddy paths with bare trees and eerily bright blue stream (I think it was chalk at the bottom or something - again someone more knowledgeable can educate me!)
The most sky I've seen in SO long!!! 
There was a tree with a long branch at elbow/shoulder height stretching across the path with lots of names carved into it:
