I have been a bad blogger

Well not so much bad as a bit ambivalent about the blogging awards that periodically circle around. I feel a bit guilty however that blogging friends who have chosen me out of many others are not then given credit for this via me doing a post. So here are two awards kindly given to me by Hadriana, up at that same said wall. What's more I am actually posting them the same day I have received them.

Now I will search through other blogs I adore and find where there are more awards that I have not yet mentioned. By the end of this award-fest you will either be dazzled by my assumed 'greatness' or just sick to death of me.

The next one is from the lovely Dash over at French Sampler and is The Vraiment Française Award, this is awarded to exceptional Bloggers living in France. They are not my words - I would never describe myself as 'exceptional', but it is very flattering to be thus described.

The delightful Nora Johnson (who is another bichon frise owner - hello Lola) gave me this next lovely award for being a blog she had only recently discovered. Mind you the fact this was given to me last June means that I am pretty old hat to her now, but she still loves me. Funnily enough I let my fourth anniversary of having a blog pass unannounced. How remiss of me.

The last one I have managed to find is from Contemporary Troubador and I feel dreadful that is is over a year since she mentioned me by name as the recipient.


Now of course I am struggling to recall which other kind friends gave me awards and then perhaps wondered why I did not bother to post about them. I seem to remember that there are about five or six others and I don't really have a good reason - I just want to say that I do value all your blogs and appreciate the feelings behind these awards.

Award time

I've got an award to blog about today but if you find any mistakes in this post blame it on the music that is blaring at full volume from very near to where I am sitting. We are on holiday at home this week and Mr FF has decided to decorate one of the bedrooms and the bathroom. Now, to save him the bother of changing CDs on a little machine beside him or sticking to what he is used to on his mp3 player, I've volunteered to be a) the CD chooser for our machine downstairs which is on at almost full volume so he can hear it good and loud upstairs, and b) the picker up of the steamed off wallpaper.

Anyway, the award is called Kreativ Blogger and it is from lovely Carol and I have to list seven things that I love.  A few months ago I was tagged to list some addictions and I chose blogging, our bichons, studying, reading the Daily Mail online* and lastly paying bills straight away. So now I'm going to have to come up with seven different things - oh, not so easy but here we go...

Tea - I just love a cup of tea. I don't drink it excessively, having just three or at the most four mugs a day. I do not like the 'one cup' bags; I prefer my tea nice and strong and the one cup bags just don't do it in a mug. So, our new tea of choice is PG tips, the one Johnny Vegas advertises - the pyramid bag and I can thoroughly recommend it.

Lord Byron - the more I read about him (from 'proper' books not just the sex and fame 'light' ones) the more fascinating I find him and his poetry. I am slowly purchasing various academic books about him ready for when I get the chance to select a subject  that will be suitable for a doctorate. You have to do original research for a Phd and there is not very much that has not been documented about England's greatest ever poet (my opinion obviously but of course I'm right). I've joined the Byron Society and for my eventual research I'll probably have to go off to Greece for a bit of LB time. Why Greece? He is classed as a hero there and that country has much of a Byronic nature to explore. Now, considering I am just about halfway through my Open University BA, I would reckon that I'll be getting my pension at the same time as being able to stick 'Doctor' in front of my name. 

Fresh flowers - we always have to have fresh flowers in a few rooms. One of my addictions used to be buying vases, handpainted Victorian ones and also Fifties primary colour ones and, well, any others that caught my eye. Obviously  at this time of year we can just pick flowers from the garden and we currently have mauve rhododendrons about the house.

Lemons - well, lemon-flavoured desserts actually. 

Dogs - I've always loved dogs, cats are tolerable but dogs just do it for me. When I was about five I was quite scared of dogs so my mum bought a dachshund to get me over the fear. It did, but now for me life would not be complete without a dog or two around. Misty and Poppy are our two bichons, each with their own personality and tastes (Poppy likes fresh fruit, Misty hates it, Misty is clingy, Poppy likes to be alone in a room sometimes) and they are both beautiful.

Music - I love all sorts of music, always have - opera, musicals, Indie, rock, folk, classical _ although there are also categories that I have no time (or ear) for. These include jazz, rap and drum n' bass.

Moving home - I just love moving on to a different house and area (or country with the last move) every few years. Even though I love our current home very much I still sometimes fantasise about moving away. I'd like to remain in France but maybe not stuck in this particular bit of it. Somewhere a bit buzzier would be good - and my ideal home would have a sea view.

Now I'm done I am meant to pick seven other bloggers on whom to bestow this award. However I don't do that any more - I just let any people who would like to have it take it (and it that isn't a perfect example of bad grammar then I don't know what is).

*I was more or less successful at giving up my daily read of the Mail online. I guess I look at it about once a fortnight - it's not changed at all; it's still dreadful

Locked out and other bits

Do you ever have moments when you wonder if your brain has turned to mush and you do inexplicably stupid things? One of these moments happened to me this morning when I managed to lock my bag and my car keys inside the car.

I'd unloaded the shopping in to the car boot, chucked my bag and keys inside the car (from the boot) and on to one of the doggy look-out seats and then...I shut the boot. I'd used the remote to open the boot and, because I don't have central locking on it, the doors remained locked.

What did I do? Did I stay cool and calm and not get upset?

I burst into tears, cursed the fact that Mr FF was in the UK and not due back until this evening and then I wandered back into the supermarket and the lady I know who runs the dry cleaners looked up my neighbour's phone number*, he came and took me to my ma-in-law's and I cried again. Then my neighbour arranged a locksmith and we now have new locks, but my car is still at the supermarket with my bag very visible. I knew I had a spare set of keys here but when m-i-l drove me to my car and I tried the set I had, they turned out to be the spare to Mr FF's car - he has my spare set with him (I hope he's not had to find out he had the wrong set).

I'm at the age now (51) when I'm doing the occasional daft thing and it worries me. I tried to take pictures of my two new pairs of Rocket Dog boots for this post and couldn't manage to upload them from the camera - and this is something I've done countless times. I'm taking a female supplement (its base is the Maka root) for women of a certain age and I thought it was helping but after this morning I can see my brain is not working very efficiently. If anyone has any advice it will be gratefully received - no, a brain transplant will not be considered.

After this little story I feel a fraud to accept an award from the lovely Cynthia
especially as this award is to *celebrate women's smart, strong and inspirational spirit*. I certainly felt like none of those things this morning and I'm not looking forward to the expression on Mr FF's face when he returns this evening and has a nano-second of anxiety when he doesn't see my car outside the house. Anyway, back to the award- I don't want to single out any of you fabulous female bloggers so I'm not going to pass it on.

One last thing - I've worked out that the person who was my 10,000 'hitter' is the lovely Ann from Dublin. She doesn't have a blog so I can't link to her but Ann, if you would like to let me know how to contact you then I would like to send you a present from Brittany. If only I'd had my stat counter for the first two years that my blog was up and running - oh well, I'm just happy that 10,000 times someone has come to my little corner of the internet. I don't even need a top-level brain to maintain my blog - just a lot of silly stories.

*of course my mobile was in my bag and I couldn't think of m-i-l's number and she is ex-directory.

Three-part post

PART ONE
We went to a boat flea market (nautical puce in French) today so that Mr FF could buy some rowlocks (which he tells me are pronounced to rhyme with the slang word for testicles, but being a land lubber this is news to me). There were none to be found but it was still very nice to wander around the marina and look at all the boats we couldn't afford even if they had been for sale.

I'd set my heart on having moules frites (mussels and chips) for lunch, to try and break myself in gently and eat them at a restaurant before trying my hand at Dumdad's recent recipe, but unfortunately they did not seem to be on the menu anywhere around boat land. There were lots of places with huitres (oysters) but, just as I have never tried mussels, I have also never tried oysters. It's the look of those slimy little creatures that puts me off.

We came across two little shops each with a trompe l'oeil (literally trick of the eye) painting on them.

In this one below you would never know that the man was actually a painted figure.

PART TWO
Even though there are various places in the house I could park myself when I study or mess about on here - including a basement office with my work pc - I always end up in here, the dining room. It looks out to our lovely view and, having never really liked a traditional room with lots of brown wood, this is in fact what the dining room contains and I love it. In the corner is my dear old dad's art deco bureau and cabinet and it's not easy to see but there are stained glass tulips in the panels above - yes, your eyes probably didn't stir higher than the bottles of drink. Despite the array they are hardly ever opened - My tipple of choice is the local cheap champagne (I have a wine allergy) and Mr FF prefers a good bordeaux.

I couldn't have a miscellaneous post without a shot of the bichons and this is one in which they look like two-headed dog, albeit Poppy with her bucket on could never really pass as half of a pushmepullyou.


PART THREE
Finally, two lovely bloggers recently gave me an award - the first is from the afore-mentioned Dumdad

and the second is from marc in Canada



I can't recall if there if there is something you have to do to get these awards but, in any case, I don't tag people anymore so, if you would like to take either image then I am sure you deserve it.

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.

REVISED - Best Blog Thinker Award...yes, you know what's coming

I have been given an award by the lovely Cynthia and in the words of the person who created it -

This award acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It’s a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.”

It's always good to get given things like this, even though I blush a bit at the thought that my little bits of blogfest should be described in such a way, because it's not my aim believe me. I don't take myself that seriously for one thing.

Anyway, what I must now do is select five other blogs and this bit always makes me feel awkward, because I do enjoy all the blogs that I pop into on a regular basis. I wouldn't go and visit them if I didn't enjoy them. So, who to choose?:

Carol at Not Only in Thailand

Jen Smith at The Cigarette Diaries

Mama over at casa-dolce-casa

lakeviewer at sixtyfivewhatnow

ladyfi

These are all blogs that I enjoy and I couldn't begin to tell them what it is about their writing that gives me pleasure, but they all do.


On another note, my latest essay is not really progressing very well. For some reason I feel exceptionally un-student like at the moment. I don't know if it is because of the milder weather making me feel I should really be outside. It could be that this essay just does not hold much interest for me - but then Wilberforce's view of Christianity didn't either and I still plodded along with it. We all have times when we must force ourselves to do things - when I was younger I always threw in the towel when times like this started to happen, but not any more. Come what may I will be sitting at our dining room table from 2pm Monday - ready to draft those paragraphs into shape.

I've come back to this post to announce yet another award for my sidebar. It's from here

Eek and thank you

I've just received the texts that will form the basis of my OU exam in Paris mid-June. I know it seems odd knowing them in advance, but believe me if you could see just how many texts and books are covered by this current course you would understand. There is simply no way that one can study everything in all these Blocks and knock out the monthly assignments as well - guidance is definitely necessary here. It does however make it seem very real now and getting nearer all the time.

ADVANCE NOTIFICATION OF EXAM TEXTS AND TOPICS.

Answer 1 question from each of the three parts:

Part 1 - text analysis

Q1 a passage for textual commentary from the French Revolution
Q2 a passage for textual commentary from Byron's Childe Harold Canto III
Q3 a passage for textual commentary from the writings of Mary Prince

Part 2 - Questions on an issue or theme related to the texts named below

Q4 Stendhal's Life of Napoleon
Q5 Schuber's Lieder
Q6 Goethe's Faust Part One
Q7 The architecture and writings of Sir John Soane
Q8 Two conceptions of Art (texts studied in Block 6, Units 24-25)

Part 3 - Interdisciplinary questions to be answered with reference to three texts of your choice on themes below

Q9 Responses to cultures beyond Europe
Q10 Ideas about science and industry
Q11 The sublime
Q12 Religion and notions of the divine


Why is this picture at the top? It's nothing to do with my course; it is an Inspiration award given to me by the lovely Contemporary Troubador over at This Romantic Life . The thing is that there are rules that go with this award but due to lack of time I'm about to break them. The rules say to link to seven or more bloggers and their blogs that have inspired you. I couldn't possibly select some over others. I find most of the blogs I read inspirational in some way or other. so - if you would like this award please leave a comment on my blog that you have taken it - I'm sure it's well deserved.

Winter Walks and a thank you for my award

I hope the pictures capture how cold it was out by the canal this afternoon. In the distance we could hear the hunting horn (boo) and the barking of the dogs that accompany them, which made the bichons quiver with excitement. We threw stones and sticks on to the frozen water and watched them slide across. Once you force yourself to go out in winter sunshine it really is suprisingly nice and that is what you have to do when you have dogs - force yourself outside.

It's lucky we live in a little cul-de-sac (funnily enough not a phrase known in France; they say 'impasse') and that we are not on a busy road, because I am always to be found very early in the morning outside on the gravel of the front garden urging the dogs to go 'on the paper'. Why the trigger words are 'on the paper' is because Misty, the first bichon we got, was house trained using a puppy pad ( disposable absorbent pad) which got moved nearer and nearer the front door. I used to hate it when the doorbell rang and whoever stood there would have the full view of the (and it was always when she'd just that second used it) yucky old pad.

The neighbours really must think we are mad - all the local dogs are sent out on their own and take themselves for walks. Our little princesses are supervised by a bag lady in a dressing gown and slipper boots with the shower caps on them, curly hair sticking up all around her head and a very natural looking face (although I never wear much make up unless we are going somewhere special). I stand there in the freezing cold, repeating like a mantra 'on the paper, on the paper' ruing the day that I ever chose to be a dog owner and wishing the bichons would hurry up and go and not be so entranced by everything. Every dog owner reading this knows exactly what I mean.

Anyway...

The lovely cheshire wife has given me a present of an award - The Van Gogh's Ear Award.I think it's because I'm a little bit crazy and might decide to chop something off in an artistic strop. Awards are lovely and I haven't forgotten that I said I'd try and design one - it's much harder than it sounds.

merci beaucoup

Even though I've been blogging for quite a few years now it is only in the last two months or so that I feel I have made some good friends in blogland. I like to read about their lives and -it seems - they like to read my ramblings. I've got to admit that I'm enjoying blogging more and more and to be awarded a cute little thing to stick on my sidebar is the icing on the cake. It's been given to me by Kathy here and her blog is so novel, with images and words that really do make me laugh. We hit it off straight away and I wish that she lived nearer so that I could stalk her. If you take a look I'm sure you will agree that she does in truth have a Fabulous Blog.

However, for me to put this award on my sidebar and play by the system of blogland etiquette, I have to obey some rules which are as follows:

Copy and paste the rules and instructions in your post.

When you post about receiving this award, make sure you include who gave you the award and link it back to them.

Post five winners and link it back to them as well.

Post five of your addictions.

Add the award image.

Let your winners know you gave them an award by leaving them a comment on their blog.

So, here we go with my five addictions.

I think it's fair to say that blogging has become one of my addictions. It never used to be so - I've had my blog for nearly four years and in most of that time I was very ambivalent about it. It is only since I updated my template from one of the old ones to a more modern one (about two months ago) that my view about blogging changed. I suppose it is the same as neglecting your appearance for a long time because you can't be bothered and then all of a sudden you wake up, decide you look a mess and resolve to change. Well, that was how I suddenly felt about my blog and now I love being in Blogland.

If owning an animal can ever be called an addiction, then I am addicted to our two bichon frisé dogs. I can't imagine life without a dog around and, even though it is a tie and sometimes (not often) inconvenient, I would not be without them. I like them to look good and they go to the groomer every five weeks.

I'm addicted to learning and when we first moved to the French countryside I felt slightly concerned that I would mentally waste away. I then began an Open University course which I enjoyed so much that I decided to carry on and study for a BA in the Humanities. When I eventually get that I'm going to carry on with a Masters and then - if I'm still alive- think about going for a Doctorate even though I'll shuffle forward on my zimmer frame to be awarded it.

Hmm, this isn't easy because I have quite an addictive personality and consciously have to stop myself from getting too obsessed with things, but I have to come up with two more so...

Even though my politics are more in tune with the Guardian and maybe a dash of the Independent, I always look at the Daily Mail online every morning. I'm not going to link to it because I don't want to pass on bad habits.

and finally...

I'm addicted to paying a bill straight away. I think this stems from an early flat-share I was involved in where none of us paid bills very regularly and a Crisis Situation would develop fairly regularly, with my parents being called on to help out. Consequently, now that I've grown up a bit, I've gone to the other extreme.

My bit is now over and I'm going to pass this award on to the following five bloggers:

Blu because she is another expat in Brittany - one who takes beautiful photos of nature - and because blue is my favourite colour

frankofile because she is yet another expat in Brittany (hmm, do I detect a theme here?) - she tells much more about daily life in Brittany than I do and I like to see what goes on in her department.

brother tobias because he is witty and worldly and sophisticated.

contemporary troubadour because it must be very difficult to conduct a romance on a long-distance basis and she writes about it so very well.

carol because I like the things she writes about and I like to see the photos from Thailand.

It's been so hard to single out five bloggers and I think everyone should have at least one award on their sidebar. I must try and design a French Fancy award which I would give away indiscriminately.

You always remember the first...

Whatever it is, the first time you receive/buy/experience something it is always a special and memorable moment

My first kiss that wasn't given by a relative was whilst at school and was from a boy named Ian.

The first man (well he wasn't a man and he wasn't a boy - perhaps he was a mabo) I spent the night with was coincidentally also called Ian. The only bf I've ever had who rode a big motorbike.

My first car was an old Honda Civic. It was bright orange and sadly I managed to dent it a few times. In the end it was too rusty to pass its MOT and got sold for £100 and some fashion jewellery.

The first time I ever went on holiday alone I went to the Edinburgh Festival. It was a lot of fun and I followed the festival with a week touring around the Highlands where it rained everyday.

The first thing I ever bought with my very first pay packet (a Saturday job in Boots at Muswell Hill) was a kettle. I wanted to have it in my bedroom so that I could offer my friends tea and coffee and appear a little grown-up.

The first time I left home it was to a flat share above a secondhand clothes shop in Blenheim Crescent off Portobello Road. Most of my friends had stayed on at school to do their'A' levels and I was the only person with their own place, somewhere where they could bring their boyfriends and be 'alone'. Alone if you didn't count me there wishing they'd stop it and go to sleep. I was home three months later with exhaustion.

The first ever blog award I got was yesterday from Dumdad - that's it at the top of the page - and I'm very pleased with it. I've seen so many awards on so many blogs and I have to admit to having felt a slight yearning for one. It's also special because Dumdad is a journalist and words are his business. He's a Brit living in Paris and his blog is an interesting and funny read.

What's the first thing you ever did, bought or experienced that meant a lot?