Enough of this heat...

All summer here in France, the weather has been terrible.  Lots of rain, wind.  Just not the summers that they usually get.  So I go home to Charlottetown and it's very hot.  I don't do well in heat.  OK I don't think you can say it that way.  I will rephrase, I don't do well in hot weather.   So it's been hot in Charlottetown all summer apparently.  I get back to France and what do we have since I'm back.  HEAT!!!  It was 38 Sunday and that is in the shade.  Talking about shade, I didn't read 50 shades of grey but I guess it's very popular.  Coming back to the heat.  How is one suppose to survive in this weather.  I've done every meat section in the grocery stores.  Pretty soon I'll have dogs following me because I smell like meat.  Next stop is in the frozen section of the stores.  Frozen fries, watch out.

Well another session has started.  The Summer guides are gone and the Fall guides are here.  I get attach to the little rascals.  This session, I am going to be mean.  No more M & M's (yes I fed them M & M's) and I did buy them erasable pens before they left but NO MORE.  They are not going to crack me.

I'm taking care of Bob and he loves it.  We have our little routine.  As soon as I put the key in the door, there he is.  I think however that he is getting the best end of the deal.  I pick him up and lay on the couch (yes boss, with my shoes) and I pet him.  He lies down on me and purrs.  I take pictures and send them to his mother.  I think Bob likes me more.  Then after about 45 minutes, I get up and off he goes.  I change his litter, feed him, give him treats, water and what do I get, cat hair on my uniform.  Well if I don't represent Canada well because of cat hair, NOT MY PROBLEM.  Bob is Bob.  He's a good cat and very pretty.  I wonder how Princess Zina is make out without me.  I'll see her at Christmas.

André and Christi were gone for a whole week, without me.  Poor Christi.  I was left in charge of watering her plants and I couldn't get in the apartment.  I think that they all died.  I could see them from the street but couldn't do anything,  I really don't have a good reputation when it comes to plants.  I kind of forget about them.  Mine died too.  I should go plastic.

I bought my first flat shoes.  Now I know why they call them flats.  They are flat.  I was so excited.  I had seen them in the window so the next day I go but it was pretty well closing time.  Door was still open so I went in.  So I asked for the shoes and like everyone else, when it's near closing time, they don't like to see clients.  She grabs the shoe in the window and goes to get the matching one.  I tried them, liked them and bought them.  I told her, oh I'll wear them now.   I walked out and they locked the door.  I was going out for supper with André and Christi so I had to look my best.  Christi always looks good and she has nice flats.  I'm walking to the restaurant and looking at my feet all proud and what do I notice, NOT THE SAME COLOR.  One was quite a bit lighter.  Hey, if I just have one eye and can notice it, it had to be bad.  I walk back to the store and of course it is locked.  The girls were still in there so I knock on the door.  One girl looks at me and points to her watch.  Well, insulted was I.  I pointed to my shoes.  She comes to the door and says, Nous sommes fermés Madame.  Well I'll madame you.  I said, mes souliers ne sont pas la même couleur.  She looks down and opens the door.  Ha, c'est vrai.  Yes, it's true.  Now what was your first clue!!!  Is it that one beige is lighter than the other one or is it because one beige is darker than the other one.  Take your pick.  Anyway, they finally gave me two matching ones and I left, very happy.  Another satisfied customer.  Now I feel like everyone else.  I have flats.

Madame Louise is doing well.  She is getting plumper.  Is that a word.  She is not fat.  Maybe big boned but not fat.  She is getting a new bell this week.  She lost the other one crawling under the fence.  Monsieur the shepherd man is not happy with her.  I keep telling him, it's not her fault.  She is hanging with the wrong gang.    Tomorrow I'm going to get her a real collar.  She was mowed this month.  Do sheep get mowed, anyway I kind of didn't recognize her.  I think that they mowed the black spots.  She was black and white and now she looks all white.  They all look the same to me.  I am not a good mother.  I should recognize my sheep.

Well it's been alot of work these last few weeks.   I am off the next 2 days and I am not doing much.  I should really clean my apartment, if I find the energy.  I feel like I should be doing things, visiting places on my days off but I just can't.  I need to rest.  Might sit at a café and just watch people.  Lots of tourists around.  This week-end is Le festival de l'andouillette.  Gag me with a spoon. Those andouillette look gross. I will not taste any of that.  Last year Christi and I went to le festival.  Maybe she'll want to go back this year.  Fingers crossed.

Time to call it a night.  Next blog will be about who I dedicate my 2nd year to.

I went and I'm back...

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE SISTER.  I am so lucky to have you.

Well let me tell you.....the most amazing thing happened to me at the start of my vacation.  Well before the amazing thing, I was not in the Charles de Gaule airport more than 10 minutes and I had already lost my reading glasses.  Without my glasses, I cannot hear.  That's just the way I work.  However, I found my way to my gate.  Gate 51A, destination Montreal.  When I got there, I noticed a red, upright, shinny piano.  It was beautiful.  It was just sitting there.  A young girl, maybe 15 years old went and played a few songs.  It was for anyone.  Then she left.  Lots of people were waiting for the plane.  Then, all of a sudden, a little girl, maybe 10, sat down at the piano and her family was standing beside her.  She started to play a tune that is a duet.  She was playing the lower part.  Now, you know when something erks you and you just have to do something about it, well I did.  I couldn't stand listening to that tune without the higher part.  So without even realizing (I do that because I often do things without thinking but it's me we're talking about here) I got up, picked up my stuff and went to the piano and started to play the other part of the duet.  The little girl just continued to play without stopping and we played for quite a long time.  We just kept going.  Finally, I stopped first and then she did, and believe or not, true story, people applauded and we had a standing ovation.  Now who can match that.  Me, at Charles de Gaule, at Gate 51A, playing the piano with people clapping and an ovation.  OK, the people got up at the same time that they announced that it was time to board the plane, so it might not be a standing ovation.  The little girl's family thanked me and she looked at me so proud of herself.

Got to Charlottetown at midnight and was greeted with balloons saying wecome home.  Kevin was hiding behind them and as soon as he saw me, he said, OK, take these.  God forbid if anyone would see him holding balloons.  Then all of a sudden, 3 weeks went by and I'm back.  In that I had a business trip to Montreal in the first week, then Allen was home for one week, I had lunches, dinners, saw friends then didn't see some of them.  I should have put out a seat in the Atrium at work and said I'm here from 2:00 to 4:00.  Sorry to the people that I did not get to see.  Saw Kevin do CrossFit - not sure if a mother should see that, however, it is pretty, no very intense.  Philippe and Becky came over for a few days in my last week.  Thank you so much, I needed that.  Spent quite a bit of time with Kevin and that was super nice.  Had Tim Horton's with my favorite buddy, twice.  Next time, I am going ingocnito.  Hey, I even met somebody that I had never seen before but reads my blog.  Claude, you seem like a pretty cool guy.

What else can I tell you.  Oh, I found my glasses 3 days after I was home.  They were in my jacket pocket which I had packed before I checked my suitcase.  On the plane from Montreal to Charlottetown, the window I was sitting at had ducktape all around it and in the far horizon, there was lightning.  I said to the guy next to me, how lucky to you feel.  Pretty scary.  Good think that I'm brave.

My trip back to France was a little less fun.  We landed in Montreal and then the captain says, ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking, we are on Red Alert.  Due to lighting, the ground crew cannot come out to the plane.  For your safety, we have to keep you on the plane.  Red Alert, who says Red Alert to me.  Don't they know that I watch alot of movies and have an imagination.  I need to catch my plane.  The guides need me.  I need them.  After 30 minutes, we were allowed off.  My next plane from Montreal to Paris was not good.  There was lots of turbulance or turbulence, whatever....Luckily, I had 3 seats to myself so I could lay down, but we might have been in the air for 30 minutes and they were going by with the food cart, Chicken or Pasta.  The lady looks at me and says, you're going to be sick aren't you.  My face was whiter than my sweather.  She told the guy working with her, move, this lady is not well.  I never saw a food cart move so quick.  The guy ran down the aisle and she pulled that cart.   I made it to the bathroom and was sick as a dog, with nothing in my stomach since the morning.  It was deadly.  Then they announced, please go back to your seat and put on your seat belt.  Hey, I'm staying right where I'm at, laying down on the bathroom floor.  Have you ever flushed the toilet in the plane.  First it sucks you in, then the air pushes you about 2 feet away.    I felt like my whole face was going through the toilet, I was holding on to dear life then, the air pushes you.  Great facial though, now that I think of it.  Oh what a trip.  However, I made it here and have been on gravol since.  Tomorrow I start work so I had a few days to rest.

So year 2 has started in this beautiful country of France. New guides arriving, Summer guides leaving.  I will be sad when they go.  I'm attached to them.  I did manage to see past guides in Charlottetown when I was there.  Laura, Kariane and André are working at the University so they came to my place the first day I arrived and we went in the hot tub.

I couldn't remember my userid and password for my blog but finally after 2 days, I found it.  I was scared there for awhile.  I need my blog to keep me going.  So here are a few pictures.

Laura, Kariane and André at my place.  Holy gee the water's clear.  Kevin's doing a great job.

 Kevin doing crossfit.  I wonder who he takes after, me or Richard.  It has to be on my side of the family...NOT.

 A fox in the yard at Lise and Gordon's. Nice tail, Mr. Fox.  It would look good on my antenna.

 On our way to Moncton, Allen and I stopped in Cap Pelé at Camille's for fried clams.

 Kevin doing the ball thing in the crossfit competition in Moncton.

 Becky was giving me the Royal treatment while her and Philippe were visiting.  I needed to relax she said.  No she is not for hire.

 Had supper (one of so many) at Linda and Jean's camper.

 At Lise and Gordon's house.  Damn, her flowers are nicer than mine.  Damn her.

 I was helping Greg putting up the baby's room.  Always the same ones working.  I bet Melissa did on purpose to get pregnant so she wouldn't have to help.  Ya, I know your type.

 Ah and Zina, wondering what is happening.

Minime was feeling pretty depressed just knowing that I was leaving.  I'll be back.

So this is it for today.  My routine is starting.  Already 8:10 pm and I need to get myself something to eat.  Hopefully my stomach will hold it.