Keeping in touch – one family’s solutions

Birthdays and Christmas, for us, are special times for keeping in touch with family, no matter where in the world we are. As the end of another year draws ever nearer, it occurs to me how lucky we are, in the 21st century, to be able to contact each other so easily and cheaply, even though we’re many thousands of miles apart.  

If your family is anything like mine, it is spread around the world. And, at any given moment, various family members may be working or on holiday away from home. So how do we all keep in touch?

Today, we can make ‘immediate’ connections whenever we like. Gone are the days when overseas phone calls were so expensive and difficult that they were made only on special occasions, and sometimes not even then. Many people who emigrated to foreign shores maintained contact only by letter (remember the old, flimsy, blue-grey aerogramme) and often never heard their loved ones’ voices again.

Not so today. We can telephone each other on cheap rates, arrange 0800 numbers so our children can call us when they go off to university or work away from home, or keep in contact by mobile phone.

Sending texts is cheaper than making a call and doesn’t rely on the person being immediately available. It’s also quick, once you’ve mastered the key pad and learned the shorthand code the younger members of the family use!

We have all learned to use the internet for emails and ecards, even if we haven’t all managed to get to grips with instant messaging. We have a family website, where we post snippets of information about what we’re doing and upload photos of our new babies, dogs, cats, … And getting feedback from other members of the family is like conducting a conversation, even if it occurs, as it often does, over a number of days or even weeks.

Then, of course, there is the magic of telephoning over the internet, great for those of us who have to spend time away from home, as well as for those who live at great distances from one another. The latest video system gives us the impression of being closer, allowing us to see our family as we talk to them. Great for expat grandparents!

One thing we don’t do as often as we could is write letters. With all this instant connectivity, there is still much to be said for pen and paper. Not least because it provides us with a lasting memory of people when they are no longer here to phone and the emails and texts have been deleted.

How do you stay in touch with family? Should we write more letters and cards so future generations will know what we’re up to today? Love to hear your thoughts.

Venturing outside the Orne

                                                          

One Sunday, my niece and I walked up through Montmartre to Sacré Coeur. It was a grey day, threatening rain, but a marvellous reward. It always enchants. The two figures, so proudly astride their chargers, seem to suggest another more adventurous age. It’s a wonderful place to reflect on the glory of something outside of our everyday selves. 

Paris is only a couple of hours by train from the Orne (Flers, Briouze, Argentan stations) and well worth a day trip on a Sunday. The Marais, at the base of Montmartre, has a Sunday market (one of several) and is a lively place. There are plenty of cafés where you can sit, rest your feet and people watch.

There are so many fabulous areas (arrondissements) of Paris and Sunday is a great day to choose an area and just walk, absorbing the sights and sounds of one of the world’s most beautiful ciites.

Paris is full of tourists all year round, so most places, such as museums and wonderful old churches, are open. The main shopping centres aren’t open but you can while away many a happy hour window shopping, if you wish. And think how much money you’ll save!

Take comfortable shoes (I did, but even so came home with very sore feet) and a lightweight jacket. And, if you avoid the expensive places, like the Champs Elysées (where two cokes cost about 18 Euros!) you can have a great day out for relatively little.  

Living in the Orne – the first year

We’ve been living in France now for over a year and I thought it might interest people to see what we’ve accomplished in our first year or so as residents in the Orne. Not as much as some people, I’m sure, but it’s kept us busy. I’ve also added some tips: things we didn’t think about too much first and could have done more quickly, or better, if we had! Remember, we were townies, to all intents and purposes, so it was a massive learning curve in some areas. So, in no particular order, here are some of our, dare I say it, achievements:

• turned our half acre meadow into a garden, (an on-going project) creating flower beds and vegetable plot (TIP, in hindsight, it would have been easier to mow the ground for a couple of years first. New flower beds in the ‘lawn’, have been easier to clear and to keep freer of weeds.)
• cut down some trees (note to self to remind H to do this sort of thing before planting new trees, shrubs, flower beds, etc.)
• built shed, - cost a fortune – probably would have been cheaper to buy one from the brico, though wouldn’t have double-glazing! (TIP, factor into your set up costs any outbuildings, sheds,  storage areas for wood, etc. you will want.)
• built raised beds for vegetables (again an unbudgeted-for item)
• bought mower and strimmers (another TIP, check what the local dealers are selling as not everything bought in the UK is easy to get fixed here, and buy from specialists, might be a bit more expensive but probably cheaper in the long run, and if you buy locally, you know you can get service and help if you need it)
• oh, yes, before I forget, built an extension (large family kitchen) should be finished soon …

What do you regard as your achievements over your first year or so of living in France? Have you any tips for newcomers to the Orne? Do share.

Summer Vide-greniers in the Orne

The rain held off for most of Sunday, the first day of June, and the vide-greniers at La Ferrière-aux-Etangs, with its large number of stalls, was well attended as a result.

The number of British people running stalls at vide-greniers seems to be growing. Looking at what was on offer on Sunday, it seems like a good way to get rid of books and DVDs, among other items. All these stalls attracted Brits, probably like us, looking for something ‘new’ to read, in English!

The stalls were the usual eclectic mix of old and new things, including clothing and shoes, various items of household and garden equipment (some of it looking as though it had just been picked up from where it was lying and taken along) books, CDs and DVDs. It seemed to me, that there were a greater number of ‘large’ stalls, but that may just be that this was a bigger venue than I’ve been to recently.

While we were there, admittedly around lunchtime, the food stalls were doing great business in the French equivalent of sausage in a bun, with mustard and ketchup, and chips. The restaurants and both boulangeries were being kept busy, too. We sat and had coffee, watching chefs and waitstaff dashing around, trying to keep up with the requests.

The ‘Calendrier des Brocantes 2008′, suggests that the rest of June, especially on Sundays, will be just as busy throughout the Orne. Let’s hope for the weather to keep improving. Somehow, everything looks better in the sunshine! 

D-Day thoughts

The pale golden sand welcomes the embrace of the sea. Catching the fresh breeze, tiny yachts and windsurfers skip across the tops of the waves. People enjoying the early summer warmth bathe, laughing and splashing each other. In the sky above, the sun glints off a hang glider and a parasurfer tries to control his chute. On the beach, a group of boys in their late teens enjoy a noisy game of football.

In the tiny town of Arromanche, in Normandy, an old soldier poses for his photo against the backdrop of the remains of the Mulberry Harbour. He’s wearing his service beret, dressed in his best and with his medals proudly displayed across his breast pocket.

The whole scene is one of peace and serenity, of people enjoying themselves on a sunny day early in June. 

Many of us have been visiting the museums and cemeteries so prevalent in this part of Normandy. We’ve seen the photos and newsreels of the events and the people involved in the D-day landings. Some of us, like the old soldier, have more intimate memories. None of us can fail to be reminded that this peaceful scene was so very different 64 years ago.

On that June day, the gliders and parachutes had a much more important mission. The landing craft, wallowing and sinking in the waves, were not pleasure craft. The swimmers on that June 6 were soldiers struggling to get to shore in full uniform, laden with kit. No laughter but the cries of injured and dying men. No time for games on the beach. The beach was a very dangerous place to be.

There are commemoration services and other events being held in many places throughout Normandy during the next few days. Although there are fewer and fewer old soldiers returning to remember their fallen comrades as the years go by, many people gather to pay tribute to the brave men and women who did what they had to do.

There are few villages in Normandy which don’t have a memorial to foreign servicemen who died in the fight to liberate Europe. Ours is in honour of several Canadian airmen, whose plane crashed nearby. The French remember them and so should we!

Lessons to learn

Those of you who are kind enough to check in occasionally will have noticed my absence for the last week or so. Those of you living in the Orne will probably remember the thunder and lightning of last Tuesday. The two things are connected.

Lessons I need to learn (actually have learned- it’s too expensive not to!) – in a thunderstorm: one, turn off the computer, completely and quickly, and two, unplug the telephone.

Yes, I know. I should have been aware of this. Well, I was, sort of, but we’d never had a storm like it before or one that came on so quickly. If the meteo is correct, there are more storms forecast, so, please, take warning from my ‘mishap’.

The modem suffered fatal damage. Thanks to my provider, a new one arrived two days later but, when we connected it up, we realised that the computer was also damaged.

By this time, it was already late on Friday and, when I called the technician, he said he couldn’t come out until Wednesday afternoon!  

All is now well. In fact, the computer hasn’t run so smoothly for ages, so something good came out of the event.

I’m still trying to catch up and hope to be back to posting regularly soon.

Lazy Sunday

                                                  

Orne’s Hidden Treasures – Le Conservatoire des temps jadis

We are experiencing some lovely weather at the moment here in Basse Normandie. It makes one want to get out and about in this lovely area we call home. Here, as promised, is the latest in the series of ‘Orne’s Hidden Treasures’. Rp has been exploring somewhere interesting to take the children, or grandchildren, when they come to visit. He tells us about his latest discovery.

It has been my experience that taking small children on a visit to a large zoo is a complete waste of time and effort.

The children have seen all the animals and birds on the television and their interest wanes after no more than half an hour. Thereafter, they only have two concerns – ‘Where is the café?’ and ‘Is the gift shop open?’

It can also turn out to be very expensive when there is a large family group. What you need is something on a much smaller (and cheaper!) scale. I have found just such a place in the Orne.

‘Le Conservatoire des temps jadis’ (The Conservatory of Times Past) is a small farm which is dedicated to preserving ancient and rare breeds of poultry. There are over 30 different types of chickens, hens and cockerels, including many with wonderful names – Yokohama, Hambourg, Hollandaise and Padoue.

Perhaps the most striking of all is the Sebright. It is the only bird named after an individual, Sir John Sebright (1767-1846), the seventh baronet and MP for Hertfordshire, who bred it. What distinguishes it in the collection is that its feathers are so arranged that they appear to be covered by a spider’s web.

My particular favourite is the Orpington, developed in the late 1800s by Willam Cook, who named it after his home town in Kent. The original birds were black but I liked the ones at the farm because of their gorgeous, golden brown honey colour.

There are also peacocks and turkeys, including the oldest American turkey breed, the Narrangansett, originally from Rhode Island. And no French farm would be complete without an example of La Gauloise dorée, the oldest cockerel breed in France, and now its national emblem.

On the farm there are also lots of rabbits, ducks, geese, sheep (which escaped from their pen during our visit!) goats and pigs.

The birds and animals do not roam free but they are very accessible to all visitors, young and old.

Look out for the plaques dotted around, for the children, which ask simple questions (the answers are there, too) but beware, the questions and answers are in French!

There are also a few games for the children such as hopscotch and croquet.

After wandering around the farm, make your way down the steps and walk along by the stream. You will arrive at a small picnic area where there are tables and a couple of swings.

The farm is quite hilly and, I would suggest, is not wheel-chair accessible, though you should have no problems with a baby-buggy.

The cost is 4 Euros 80 per adult and 3 Euros 80 per child, which makes it very good value for money, in my opinion.

The farm is open weekend afternoons, until July and August, when the only day it is closed is Monday.

The farm is a quiet place – the only sounds you can hear are cockerels giving it their all and squeals of delight from the children.

There is no gift shop – but, not surprisingly, you can buy eggs! 

 

Directions (RP has given directions but if you are coming from further afield, you might want to check the farm’s website here for details of opening times, directions, and a photographic taste of what you can expect to see when you visit. The site is in French but very easy to navigate.)

Take the D908 from Carrouges towards Sees and turn right onto the D2 (signposted Chahains and Rouperoux). Turn left onto the D226 to Fontenay-Les-Louvets. In the centre of the village, turn left onto the D204. Le Pouillolet is on your right and there is a small car park on your left, opposite the entry to the farm.

For the sophisticates amongst you who have GPS – the farm is Latitude 48.53617 … Longitude 0.006463.

Bonne Anniversaire Red Hatters Everywhere

Do you remember your tenth birthday party? If you’re anything like me, you don’t, unless it was especially memorable in some way. However, the tenth birthday parties being celebrated around the world today by many thousands of women ‘of a certain age’  will be long remembered, as they continue to live their lives in the spirit of ‘fun and friendship, freedom and fulfilment’.  

Today is the 10th birthday of the Red Hat Society, which began in the United States, when a small group of women met to take tea, dressed in the now familiar purple outfits and red hats. Their intention to enjoy life to the fullest has been embraced by many thousands of women, not only in the US but around the world, even in our little corner of France.

Sue, the founder of the Normandy chapter, based in Domfront in the Orne, told me how she first became aware of the Red Hatters and why she chose to start a chapter here.  

The first I ever heard about the Red Hat Society was while I was on the way to New York on board the QM2 in 2004. It was the evening of the Royal Ascot ball and I happened to have chosen to wear a red hat for the occasion. An American lady came up to me and asked whether I was a Red Hatter? Being London born and bred, I knew the old expression ‘red hat no drawers’, so I looked rather puzzled and said, ‘No’.

Once we arrived in the US, I began to see Red Hat merchandise in many of the shops we visited. On my return I got online and found out more about the RHS and found I could join as an online member. That was my first step. I was then invited to join a group called the Purple Princesses of Poole, near where I used to live, and I started attending their gatherings. 

I realised that setting up a chapter in France would be a great way of getting to know people. I was going to be spending much of my time here and was keen to make new friends as soon as possible. I put a message on Anglo Info just to test the water. I had a great response and heard from about 30 women within a matter of days. So I registered the Red ExpHat Society in February 2005 and let all the interested ladies know we were ‘in business’.

Sue went on to say that the women who were initially interested in joining came from all over Basse Normandie.  Many of them didn’t want to travel too far, so the half dozen or so who lived within easy reach of Domfront, became the founding members of the chapter. Sue explained some of the benefits she believes members gain from being Red Hatters here.

It can be great fun and I have certainly achieved the objective of making new friends. Many of the members have also thanked me for introducing them to people who live very close to them but they had never met. Some very close friendships have come out of this little group.

Although we are in no way a business group, I know that many people find it an ideal place to network, and we certainly all try to help each other out with untangling the French red tape. Partners of members have made friends, indirectly, through red hatting, too.

I asked Sue about the membership of the group. As founder of the group she is the Queen, a Red Hat tradition, and she has her vice-queen, known in this chapter as the Snow Queen of Vice. Six of the founding members, are now honorary queens, in recognition of their loyal support.  Sue went on to tell me:

The group is currently around twenty strong. This is an ideal number and I do not promote membership nowadays. We are still on Anglo Info in their social group listings and occasionally we get ourselves into the newspapers and I get phone calls from people who are interested in knowing more about us. A new  member found us recently on the ‘what to do in La Ferté Macé’  website, although I have never approached them – so our reputation is spreading!

All the women in the Orne chapter are expats, though some have lived here for some time. Most are now retired but going out in friendship groups is a familiar concept to them. I wondered if Sue had ever tried to interest french women in joining. I asked her if cultural differences, the french still prefer to socialise in family groups, and the language made it difficult.

I would love to have French ladies in the chapter. I was told some time ago that French women do not go out in groups of women. They prefer to go out with men! When we appeared in the ‘Publicator Libre‘, my French neighbours were very excited. One said she thought we looked like great fun, but the other said she thought we were ‘frightening’ and we would all speak English. They are both very much older than the average age in our group.

Some of the French ladies who go to the Groupe Franglais are more of our age group, and they like to practise their English, so I am working on them! I have suggested that we include an afternoon tea in the programme where everyone tries to bring along a French guest to see how it goes.

Finally, I asked Sue about what she would like to see happening in France for Red Hatters. She told me that she would like to help other chapters to get started here and she would like to see a European Red Hat Society convention held in Paris. She says:

 I think it is such an easy and inexpensive place for the UK, Dutch and German chapters to get to, the Americans and Canadians would love Paris, and I think we would look such a wow at the Moulin Rouge! 

What a picture that conjures up! Bonne Anniversaire to the Orne chapter and Red Hatters everywhere!

Tuesday talking point

It’s said, not without foundation, that the English talk a great deal about the weather. When you first move to France, if your French is sketchy, you can find yourself talking to your French neighbours about nothing else. Today, I thought I’d talk about the weather, specifically April weather, since that is the month we’re in.

                                                 

This photo, of orange tulips and white daffodils, was taken last April (2007) when the sun shone for most of the month and temperatures went up to 30 degrees C on our patio. This April, the same planting has produced one daffodil head (two flowers) and half a dozen or so tiny (6 inches!) tulips which haven’t even opened yet. And this pattern has been repeated, to a greater or lesser degree, all over the garden.

Needless, to say, for those of us living in the Orne, (and elsewhere, I know) the April weather has reverted to the usual mix of sunshine and showers, interspersed with snow and frosts. And the temperature has rarely gone above 12 degrees C. Yes, we’ve had a few lovely, balmy days and thought that spring was really here at last. But, too often it seems, the following days have brought rain and a drop in temperature.

Last year’s summer was dreadful! Can we hope that a more usual April will usher in a better summer this year?