Tag: family

France on the Go

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If anyone had told me I would be writing about Pokemon on the blog a while ago, I would have laughed, but it has taken France by storm. Yes it may all be rather silly, but there is so much tragedy in the world and so much horror that I thought something light-hearted from the school summer holidays, (rather like the hanging umbrellas in Rochefort) far removed from everyday normality, might be fun and if that means getting involved with the children and helping them find some rare Pokemon then so be it! Continue reading “France on the Go”

by ourfrenchoasis

The Return of Millie (Sailing Edition)

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Millie was somewhere out there in the English Channel, bobbing about in a sailboat. I scarcely slept a wink and awoke groggily, my first thought was to grab my phone and see if there was any word, but nothing. Walking into the kitchen, I opened my laptop. We were able to track the location of their boat via the AIS satellite tracking system. When we had gone to bed last night, she was still off the south coast of England having just passed the Isle of Wight. Now we saw she was about 40 miles west of the Channel Islands, obviously they were reverting to plan B and not stopping there, but heading straight down to Brittany. Continue reading “The Return of Millie (Sailing Edition)”

by ourfrenchoasis

Audrey – A Short Summer Story – Part IV

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AUSTRALIA 2009

Her head ached with November sun despite the straw-hat, and dust coated her shirt and shorts. Audrey was driving the tractor in bare feet, as she had always done, and her toes danced on the brake and clutch as she eased down into the last row of bananas. To her left the first tree had a ‘bunch’ covered in the coloured plastic sheet she was looking for, a lurid orange, and she brought the trailer to a stop with a touch on the brakes and a grunt of gearbox. Her boys spilled off the edges of the trailer and started down the row, looking for further flashes of orange which indicated maturing bunches that were ripe enough for cutting. Dotted down the row were other colours, red and green, each indicating a different stage of maturation. This week it was the orange they were after. Her bandana was wringing wet and she squeezed it dry over the mudguard as she stood on the small plated step. The late afternoon sky above was a vivid blue, and for an instant she was jolted back to a land of lavender and grapes, where a small house sat on the edge of a little village. The thought startled her with its suddenness and intensity, and she shook her head, wondering which bizarre part of her brain had brought the scene to life. Continue reading “Audrey – A Short Summer Story – Part IV”

by ourfrenchoasis

What Have We Done?

IMG_0116This morning we have awoken to a new Europe.  Overhearing our discussions at dawn over the glow of an iPad, two little girls rushed into our bedroom this morning at 7.05am. Two innocent pairs of eyes worried about something they could scarcely understand, worried that we could no longer live in France, worried for a future they know nothing about.

“Mama what’s going to happen to us?”

We reassured them that everything will be fine, because that’s what parents  do.

Izzi, our eldest daughter phoned from London where she is working as an intern for two weeks, scared and worried, wanting some family reassurance.

Our two teenagers, who have finished school for the year, sat at the breakfast table; long periods of silence were punctuated with urgent questions.

 “Oh England, what have we done?”

It’s a question that is going around and around my brain this morning. Who knows where this will lead and what will happen.

The only thing I know for sure is whilst I am British, I am also extremely proud to be a European and very happy to call France my home, to have so many French people as friends,  and we really do appreciate the welcome they give anyone who visits their country.

France

Our home

 

 

by ourfrenchoasis

Summer and a Day That Could Change Our Lives

 

IMG_7515As I sit here writing this post gazing down our long garden, it’s a scene that probably hasn’t changed much in a hundred years. Yet so much could alter today, the day Britain votes to either remain or leave the EU. In London it’s pouring with rain, there are lightning strikes, and storms and flooding have caused travel chaos. Here in the Charente Maritime the hot sun continues to shine, the skies remain resolutely blue, and life continues as normal. Continue reading “Summer and a Day That Could Change Our Lives”

by ourfrenchoasis

Spring-Chicken Fever

 

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Who knew that keeping chickens could take us to so many places?  We’ve driven down roads scarcely fit for a car in search of eggs and covered two départements buying our chickens over the past two years and it’s turned out to be a far more technical business than I realised. Along the way I’ve expanded my French vocabulary as we have dealt with species, sexes, ailments and treatments. All of this for the love of chickens, our own organic free range eggs and the excitement of newly-born chicks.   Continue reading “Spring-Chicken Fever”

by ourfrenchoasis

A French Street Party

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The French are exceptionally good at street parties. I remember going to my very first one in a village somewhere in southern France when I was about 20 years old and I have been hooked on them ever since. Throughout the summer little signs appear all over the place announcing the dates that each village will be having a party, or be “en fête“. In any given area during the summer months there is nearly always somewhere to go each weekend for fun, dancing, outdoor food and other entertainment. Continue reading “A French Street Party”

by ourfrenchoasis