Look what I got....presents...

My aunt Pierrette and my cousin Joanne (I can use their real names because they are not under witness protection) arrived on June 18th.  It sure was nice to have them.  Even though I had just arrived from Portugal (I love saying that place.  Like who goes to Portugal....ME!!!), I was tired and didn't have time to do much cooking before they arrived, oh right, I don't cook, I enjoyed every minute of their company.  I thought that I only had a 2 bedroom apartment, but apparently I have a 3 bedroom apt.  Joanne slept on the couch the whole time.  So on the plus side, I don't have to wash her bed clothes, ha, I love it.

They brought me gifts and more gifts.  Joanne like all the rest of the world, knows how I love to unwrap gifts.  Doesn't matter what's inside, it's the unwrapping that is important.  Here is what I got.  I got something else but that's for tomorrow night.

What a treat.  Of course an angel.  I love angels and collect them.  This one is the 3 colors of gold.  It really touched me.  How so very thoughful of them.  OK, enough sucking up.  Thank you, you shouldn't have but my God it's beautiful.

They visited quite a bit while they were here.  Unfortunately they could not come to Beaumont-Hamel but they visited Vimy Ridge and I introduced them to the guides and they got a nice tour.  Beautiful pictures of the Monument.  It is breathtaking.

Ok, why didn't anybody tell me that my pants were too big.  And you call yourselves friends....

Mother Canada.  Everytime I look at her, she becomes more and more beautiful.

While they were here we went to Bruges and stayed over night.  We had such a great time that we all peed in our pants.  We laughed and it felt good.  So we are at La Grande Place where all these restaurants are.  Outside the restaurants are the terrace for every restaurant.  Outside the terrace is the menu.  Are you following me....so we are looking at the menu at this place and the waiter is right behind the menu.  So I ask him a question about the menu.  He says, I am sorry Madam but I cannot talk to you outside and he starts walking in the terrace, just about 3 feet away from the menu and he stops.  So I follow him and I say, well can I talk to you now.  He says, oh yes, I just can't talk to you outside.  Well it was like WKRP in Cincinnati, where Les Nessman has this invisible line around his desk.  I thought OK, we are outside.  Anyway, he explains about the menu.  Now my aunt and Joanne are 3 feet away and they hear the conversation.  So I tell the guy, after he finished explaining, OK, I'll go tell my friends and I walk 3 feet back.  Yes that is where we lost it and peed.  I suppose you had to be there but nevertheless, we went elsewhere because we couldn't face him.  We ate well, we had fun and we came back.  Oh coming back we waited in Lille for our train.  So Joanne is beside me reading her book and this man comes to me and asks if I had 50 cents.  He said, 50 cent madame pour prendre un train pour retourner dans ma famille - 50 cents madam for a train ticket to go see my family.  Well, I made the man cry.  Yep, real tears.  I didn't mean it.  I'm not a mean person.  I said, monsieur (he smelled liquor, he was cleanly shaved, had a Nike baseball cap on), is it really for a train ticket.  Joanne by this time had her face in her book, thinking oh my, what is my cousin going to do now.  I said, let's be honest here.  What do you really want the money for.  Is it for drinking.  I was having a great conversation with him.  He said, well I'm homeless.  I said really, now why would that be.  He said well, I had bad luck, then tears started to run down his cheeks.  His name was Daniel.  Then  he came clean and said it was for booze.  I said, now don't you feel better for telling the truth.  I encouraged him and he said he had a place to go at night where he had meals and a bed.  I felt better.  He said, you're Canadian right.  It's the accent.  Really, the accent.  Wow, that blew me away.  Me, a Canadian accent.....  He said in Canada, people are very nice.  I said, well right beside me is my cousin, she's Canadian, ask her for 50 cents, but be honest.  He did and Joanne gave him 50 cents.  He then kind of wouldn't let us go.  He was velcro man.  It was as if he adopted us.  We got up and left.

We met André's uncle and aunt and we all went out for supper.  He looks like Bob, he acts like Bob and his wife is very nice also.

 Great picture of you Joanne and matante.  Picture of me is pre-cold sore.  Joanne and matante made supper for André, Christi and I.  It was a wonderful evening. They prepared a beautiful table with flowers.  Roast beef, wine.  Not sure we made it to desert.

André and I don't just match uniforms during the day, we match at night too.

Well it's back to work tomorrow.  I had 2 great days off.  It's the sales in France so I bought a few things, (note to self:  hide Visa bill from Allen).  I'm well rested and ready for another week.  So fellow readers, it's time to say goodnight.  Will blog soon.