It's that time of year again

I'm in a bit of a stunned state this morning as a giant collection of plastic plant pots have just fallen on my head during my efforts to uncover some of the bigger ones. I now wish I had taken a bit more time to stack them in size order and not just hurl them on to the gardening shelves in the basement. In fact sorting out these shelves is on the todo list. Still, back to the subject in hand (daft phrase).

Today will see all the indoor plants (and we have many of them) celebrate as they are promoted to the next size plant pot, given a good feed and topped up with new soil. I even wipe all their leaves clean of the dust (what dust? aren't you a dust-free zone FF? ...). Some of these repottings are a real chore because a couple of them are vast plants and it really is a two-person job (but I prefer to struggle on alone, ah me).

Yesterday saw my birthday plant go from its original state into a cropped version for outdoors. I know it is lazy of me, but I have often talked about saving gifted plants and have never done so. I hope that this birthday azalea flowers for all my future birthdays.I bought a bag of porous granules yesterday which are meant to help with the drainage. I had to give an ironic laugh when I translated the packaging, as I read they were from volcanic sources (yes, there must be a lot of volcanic sources around atm*)


*apparently buffalo mozzarella is being given away in parts of Italy as it is unable to be flown to restaurants world-wide.

It's my birthday

I've never been alone for my birthday before. There have either been parents, boyfriends, friends, colleagues or Mr FF to spend the time with and give a vague feeling (well, not so vague on lots of occasions - I've always celebrated with gusto - don't you just love that word?) that a special day was being recognised.

I'm meeting my m-i-l for coffee this morning, but that is the extent of anything I will be doing. She invited me round for a meal but, to be honest, now I am going to Wednesday Weight Watchers I don't like to eat too much the night before.

This introspective birthday state of mind makes me think of a job I once had (in the sales office of a wine company in Camden) when nobody was free in the evening to come to the pub with me to have a birthday drink. I went home and felt very sorry for myself. I was about 22, outgoing and okay to look at (photo* below of how I looked around this time); in fact my desk faced a street along which quite a few people passed, most of them men because we were next door to a garage that repaired luxury cars. It got to be quite entertaining peeking out at people and on a few occasions some of the owners of these cars came into reception and asked to have a few words with the curly headed girl they could see as they went by? I only actually went out with one of these chancers though - I called him Conrad the Cadillac (as that was his name and his car) and it was a short-lived thing. the moral of this tale being - never go out with someone who has admired you through a window**.



*curious to see a few other photos? - look here, but you might have seen them before

**unless it is a window in a certain area of Amsterdam and they are your key to a new life

Edited to add the plant that just got delivered, sent by a certain someone

Birthday trophies

There was wine in the bottle at one stage and I stuck the candle in it to try and keep a trace of the wonderful perfume that had been there when the sommelier opened the cork.

It was a very celebratory lunch because our patron (who is the chef) and his wife told us that they had just been awarded a Michelin star.

The little painting was done by Mr FF and it is of the place that we picnicked on Saturday.

I've got another Mr FF present arriving today...I'll keep you posted.


I had lots of lovely comments from bloggers old and new and an award from Dumdad



No essay books will be opened today.

Award Time

THE BIRTHDAY FANCIES

Tomorrow (Monday March 2) will be the first birthday since I began my blog that I have really come to care about some of my fellow bloggers. If they don't post for a little while I wonder if things are okay; if they go away on holiday I think about whether or not they are having a good time; when they have problems I worry about them - in short there are many bloggers out there who really have entered the French Fancy consciousness (hark at her going all third person).

Now I know there have been a lot of awards floating around blogland lately and I'd like to add another one - The Birthday Fancies. Those that receive it do not have to blog about it if they don't want to; they don't have to tag anyone and get them to do certain things; you can put it in your sidebar - or not if you think you have enough clutter already.This is it on the top left; it comes from me to you and it means that your blog means something to me. There are lots of blogs out there that actually mean a lot but, just as in real life, the chemistry is better with some than with others.

They are randomly listed and where it is a joint award I have done it alphabetically. Some of you might wonder why you are inserted in one category and not another. It was quite hard to make sure that all my favourite blogs were included and that is why some of the categories might seem rather absurd. Please don't pass it on - it is just from me to you.


Best dog with a blog Henry

Best expat in the USA Mama

Best expat in Sweden Ladyfi

Best blogger in South America Cynthia

Best father of a son Steve and The Dotterel

Best father of a daughter Brother Tobias

Best mother of a son Hadriana's Treasures

Best mother of a daughter Lane

Best pharmacist* blogger cheshire wife

Best blogger who blogged straight after surgery A Woman Of No Importance

Best nature photo blogger Blu

Best blogger with insects in her fridge Lulu Labonne

Best black belt blogger justme

Best blogger with a cigarette Jenny Smith

Best GBF blog A Super Dilettante

Best blogger who I know won't put this on his sidebar Dumdad and The Accidental Fan

Best ex-expat blogger Carol

Bloggers who get so many comments how can they even read them nikki crumpet and willow


During my celebratory lunch today whilst at our favourite restaurant I will raise a glass to you all. Unfortunately it doesn't open on Mondays so I will have to go elsewhere for my actual birthday lunch. Two meals out at two beautiful restaurants two days running - we could never have done this in the UK, not without a second mortgage.

Below is a picture of when I was about half the age I have reached today. It was easier to keep it in the frame than take it out and scan it. Can you see the stain down my dress? Immediately prior to the photo being taken I had somehow managed to upturn a glass of cider down myself. Nothing changes - almost twice as old and still just as messy.


*the word 'pharmacist' is one of those words guaranteed to make us both go into hysterical laughter - well me anyway. It dates back to an incident when we had come to France on a house-buying reccy. I had been chatted up by a pharmacist in Normandy and then, three hours later when we arrived in Brittany and I saw a man smiling at me (who to my mind did look more or less like the Norman pharmacist), I said are you the pharmacist?. It might not sound like much of a funny story but the way Mr FF tells it, with interjections from me, make it the funniest story in the world. Yeh, like a man is going to follow me in a car from department to department. Well, he might have.