Babies by the Park

Speaking to one of Tinkerbell's teachers today, made me realise that perhaps we were a little crazy!

I didn't realise that checking out 20 nurserys before you choose one, wasn't normal, perhaps its the only daughter thing? When we moved further away from the preschool I decided to check out another 5!

But I keep on coming back to how fantastic the teachers are at Babies by the Park preschool, they're full of energy, cuddles and always happy, just what you want when you drop off your kids. Since my daughter started over 3 years ago no teachers have left unless they're being promoted to new roles in new centres that they are opening. It is a very local school the children have Chinese everyday and I think the standard is high. They prepare them to do show and tell every week in both English and Chinese so that at the end of K2 they can get up on stage and present in front of 300 parents. I would be nervous doing this!!!! But free play and sport isn't ignored either, the kids have swimming, rugby and hip hop every week.

What you really can't ignore though is how happy she is going into school.

A few years on...

I thought it had been a few years since I blogged, but I am ashamed to say its been 8 years!!

Since the last time I blogged, we have moved country twice, got married and had a daughter! We've now been living in Singapore for 3 years and I have got the best job in the world teaching kids how to swim.

One year on...

We've been in France a year...and well nothing much has changed. To be honest it's been a rough ride and I think at times we've both wondered what would happen, but we're happy enough and we're just about to celebrate our 3rd anniversary with a cheese fest.

We went to see little Hayden last night, Hans and Sara's new baby boy, and it seems this morning we were a little the worse for wear - happily highlighted by the repeats on the shopping list. It seems we really do like coriander!! Wetting the baby's head sure is fun!

Cannes Film Festival

This weekend is a long weekend in France. My favourites even though I'm not working, it just means I get to see more of eveyone and everyone is in a great mood.

Yesterday we went over to Cannes for the festival and strolled the prom, we did our best to hunt down the celebrities but they are a wily lot and we saw zero famous folk. I'll just have to wait to see the photos in Hello!, OK magazine and The Enquirer.


All the stars' boats


The only star we saw was a robot!

The weekend has got off to a great start with more than a few drinks at Smarties and Deux Freres bar, and being invited for a bbq on Sunday to watch the grand prix in Monaco on Sunday. Yippeee, and hopefully making a new friend. We did try to make a few more, but obviously shouting across from your balcony saying, "Are you English... do you fancy going for a drink?" does not work here in the Cote d'Azur and should be best left to Ibiza or Fuertuventura. We were a bit disappointed that they didn't come out but I did like the way Dan put it: "They've missed out on some great friends!"


Dan at Smarties bar

And that pound I've been trying to shed has finally come off whooooohooo.

Health eating

This week has all been about trying to eat healthily and hopefully lose some weight along the way. To be fair I think I was getting there until Saturday and a killer hangover made me resort to my last bottle of Lucozade packed with about a thousand calories. I really wish I hadn't as the 1lb I did lose has gone straight back on, but I do have until Wednesday weigh in day to re-lose my pound.

What have we eaten:

From Ainsley Harriott's low fat meals in minutes we tried the following
Lemon garlic chicken with coriander - tasted amazing
Roasted onion, rocket and percino salad - yum, yum
Grilled peaches and mint feta cheese salad - hmmm, I think I put too much lemon juice in the salad dressing

From Channel 4's healthy food site we tried:
Feta and pomegranate salad
Chicken with mango salad, this seemed to be Dan's favourite although I'm not keen on Mango and the day had been a bit ofa Mango disaster which put me off but it was nice.

Chicken Fu-Yung - wow, simple chinese cookbook
Fattoush - a middle eastern cookbook

Turkish Chopped Salad - defiantely a winner from the 2nd Moro Cookbook

As for next week I haven't decided what to cook yet, but it will definately be on the same lines and I might just try doing a run or two and see if that helps shed a few pounds...

Brownie Points...

Finally I have finished my CELTA in Paris and passed so although I'm looking for a job, I have time again to start blogging. And yes, for those of you thinking about doing your CELTA it is hell! Yes, I am now a fully qualified English teacher.

For those of you stuck in England, I just have to tell you I had to leave the beach early today as it was so windy; but what I really want to talk about is my wonderful boyfriend...

What did he do to gain all those brownie points?

For passing my CELTA he took me back to rainy Manchester to see Razorlight, which was fantastic and then on to Sankey's after. Although the whole weekend was brilliant as we managed to meet up with a few folk, it got off to an impressive start with him booking a room for the night at the Palace Hotel in Manchester - both of us had big grins!! However the hotel was a bit of a disapointment as it was freezing and our room was above the bus stop on Oxford road...but he still gets brownie points for effort and surprise.

Villefranche Merde

After reading one of our Christmas presents, we decided to go on a walk today; up and over the top of Mount Boron and down into Villefranche. The views are pretty amazing but I think Dan was more concernced with counting dog poo's, I believe he managed to count 31! And although I was tempted to take a picture of one and post it below, luckily for you I restrained myself and took pictures of the view instead.





Well I wonder what the rest of the day has in store, I've attempted some of my French homework and have decided blogging is much more interesting and a lot easier. We can't really do much tonight as we're off skiing Valberg tomorrow. My mission for tomorrow is to get Dan on a red slope. Wish me good luck!

Last Night

I suspect most couples have the same argument as we do, when we go to bed. Although maybe what I really mean is I hope most couples have this argument. Most nights when we tuck ourselves into bed we go through an almost ritualistic argument, over who has the most space. Last night though Dan took action, and before we had got into our FSPs (final sleeping positions) a piece of string had been stratgetically placed down the center of the bed!

A Weekend away from the Slopes

This weekend we've torn ourselves way away from the slopes.

We've tried to go to the cinema, twice, and managed to miss the showing twice. We've made a new friend in the English book section in FNAC, yet failed to find a Harry Potter French audiobook, and ended up with the Jungle Book in english and french.

So this weekend has been spent with friends. Friday, was out with my French class. And Saturday was out to Sarah & Hans' flat for a few drinks; and now I'm writing this I've realised I forgot to take round their Christmas presents, 2 delicious creme eggs. I did buy them twelve but I have been a little hungry since we got back from the UK and I accidently ate the others which I do feel ever so slightly (very, Very) guilty about. Leo the German Spitz was on top form and insisted on Dan bonding with him by jumping up and kissing his neck, although Dan would hate to admit it I think he rather enjoyed it.

I think we've decided on having another party in February but haven't managed to nail down a date. This time round it might be a better idea to use a book that we don't use very much for a light prop rather than the French Dictionary and Nigella Lawson cookbook, as it was rather embarressing asking folks whether they had seen a 26.4 x 20.2 x 6.6 cm dictionary go walking out the door!

Skiing

It's been a while since I last blogged. I guess I haven't really been in the mood; probably because things seem to be going well in France. It's been nearly four weeks since Project Goddess started and I have lost four pounds! Still a long way to go, till I get anywhere near a size 0, but at least it's a start. I'm just looking forward to fitting into my own jeans again! Rather than Dan's and I think secretly Dan is too, as it means he can have his jeans back and he won't have to lie when I scream "Does my bum look big in this?".

We've been out to Auron with my little bro teaching Dan how to snowboard, and then out to Isola 2000 last Sunday which was great at the weather was fantastic and Dan and I managed to ski all day together, and he even managed a red slope so I'm pretty proud of him right now and I'm so glad he seems to have got the skiing/snowboarding bug.



My French lessons have been pretty hard ever since I got back from Christmas and today was no exception with the realisation bought home with a test. I spent all day revising yesterday only to have revised something that wasn't even in the test...grrr. I think I'll get the results tomorrow but I'm not looking forward to it.

Tomorrow I have to go job hunting as I've put it off as long as I can, and I have to start pulling my wait around here. To tell the truth, the thought of having to go and get a job in France is a bit daunting, just because of the language barrier so tonight I'll have to sit down with Dan and practise what I might want to say. Wish me good luck, and I'll promise I'll try and blog more...

Day 2 of Project Goddess

It's day two of Project Goddess aka getting trim and slim for the summer and so far I'm on a roll, having made it out rollerblading last night and swimming today. In fact things can't be as bad as all that, as I did manage to get chatted up in the swimming pool to my surprise. Or was he just practising his English!

Last day of school or/ou Dernier jour d'école...

I've just had a phone call reminding me that I haven't blogged in 10 days and demanding that I do so! So, a quick apology to those I've let down for not writing. It's not that I don't think about writing, it's just that sometimes I can't quite figure out how to say whatever I have in my head in an interesting enough way to blog about.


Today was the last day of French school before Christmas so for your pleasure I have managed to get a picture of my class, even if we do all look a little stunned!

Alayna, Nailya, Daniel, Eran, Marissa, Sylvie, Me & Catherine


And as I'm a little nervous about forgetting everything I've learnt I decided to head to the bookshop and get something to read over Christmas in French of course! Although now I'm starting to think I've bitten off more than I can chew with "Le Diable s'habille en Prada". So I might have to watch the film again.

Under the Weather

I've been meaning to post since Friday with little success as I've got a cold. Woe is me...

We did have a fantastic weekend though and that's probably why I'm suffering so much today. It was Dan's birthday on Thursday so a party was held to celebrate on Saturday with our new friends. I'm not quite sure when everyone left as I apparently snuck to bed sometime near the end and I do seem to have quite a lot of gaps in what actually happened so I'll let the photo's talk for themselves.


Dan the Birthday Boy



Peek a Boo Sally



Pierrick: "Homme Des Femmes"



Pulling Faces



Malcolm the Head

Dan's Birthday...

Yesterday was Dan's birthday, and although we're officially celebrating on Saturday with a bit of a party we thought we'd head out anyway.

First stop was the Negressco Hotel for some cocktails and unfortunately for us, they don't do proper cocktails so I settled for a chocolate milkshake and Dan plumped for the lemon sorbet in Vodka!! (which was very nice).


Onto a place called Queenies by the seafront, and then on to our final destination Un Gesu (Gesu should have an accent on the u) a great little pizza place in the Vieux Nice where we ended up speaking Franglo and stuffing ourselves silly. Whilst the waiters brushed busily by.

Merry from the wine we stumbled out onto the wet street. Yes, it does rain here! And headed off to end the evening playing air guitar with some French folk in a pub on Cours Saleya.

Christmas is a coming...

Yesterday, Dan and I took a couple of pictures of the Christmas market being put up. I tried to get them up yesterday but technology failed me.

It starts on Saturday, and I can't wait to have a nose. The picture below reminds me of Where's Wally as the guy spraying the fake snow is pretty hard to see.

Arghhhhh passwords

I've just spent 30mins trying to upload some new photo's, and failed miserably as everytime I do go to reset my password for flickr it times out...with any luck it will work tomorrow.

Dreaming Drunk French

I've had one week of French, at Alliance Francaise and now I'm dreaming French verbs! Last night hopping into bed slightly drunk I was trying to speak French and then my dreams where of ipod coloured letters swirling around like candles on a cake into the French verbs that I'd been taught in class all week, and then gently disappearing in a flourish of glitter...as the next verb came in.


I usually dream of things when I've been doing them too much, but it's usually of an excel spreadsheet with complicated formulas in grey! I think French verbs are much better, and I can't wait to be able to speak French.

Monday

So it's Monday, and I've had a fantastic day. I've finally joined my new French class with a few people in it and they all seem pretty nice, and I was quite shocked to find that I was the only Brit. Luckily for me there are a couple of American girls so that makes it a bit easier if I don't understand something. Plus my afternoon has been spent looking at gorgeous guys in Speedos, although I think the reality is somewhat different...

Who's got you by the balls?

You wouldn't catch most blokes in the UK in any type of Speedo, and so I've always wondered why people in France and Italy always seem to be sporting the David Hasselhoff look.

My question was answered yesterday, when Dan and I went off to the local pool for a swim and he was refused entry by the lifeguard for his trunks being too long! Funny at first until we realised he was serious, and then even funnier when both Dan and I realised that he would have to go and buy some Speedos (at this point Dan's face began to turn a whiter shade of pale and he decided to watch from the sidelines). It seems that this is a rule for most pools in France and so for poor old Dan he will have to bite the bullet.

So I have decided to make Dan's job of choosing the perfect Speedo's easier by doing some research...Roar

Gis a Job...

If your wondering about moving to Nice or have just arrived below is a list of a few places that might help you settle in. I haven't managed to get round all of them yet, but I'll get there slowly.

1. ANPE based in Valbonne
   
2. APEC based in Nice
   
3. GRETA French for Foreigners
   
4. Adapt in France
   
5. AVF
6. AHPSA
   
   
7. And if you need passport sized photo's you can get them at Nice Trainstation 5euro's for 5

I'm not sure why everything has to begin with an A??


I'll probably add to this list as time goes on.