Life Moan: The Mould

Today is the height of the mouldy house situation - its been going on for some weeks since I notified the owner of the problem. But with his slow reaction and elasterplast fix we are now in a serious situation.

The whole house is 60% humidity in the air, I have mould floor to ceiling in some places and there is mould in every room. My room has 6m2 and it isnt possible to sleep in there. My daughter and I are sick from it.

The owner put in some dehumidifiers but it just isnt going to be enough. its very hard to find a rental in france at short notice especially as an expat who pays most of their tax in another country (the paperwork and cost is enormous) - but I guess im at the point where I might need to try.

Today I have had all the furniture, toys everything outside since this morning, while a lady cleaned all the mould off the walls with bleach, as a for the time being fix, another elasterplast, even though it will grow back because there is still too much moisture. By the time she finished 3 hours later it had already started to grow in a patch of about 2ft square. The smell of the mould and making my asthma bad, but the smell of the bleach is completely overwhelming, luckilly its sunny, so I come in for 5 mins tops and try to put two things back and then have to retreat back outside.

My stuff is all in garden waiting for the owner to lift it all back in and some of its a bit broken where its been moved (wardrobe for example) - Im patrolling the building like every five minutes as we are ground floor and have already had a few disappearances in the past with windows left open in bedrooms at the back - Im really trying not to let all this get to me. Which i might have been able to handle if I didnt have other worries - which unfortunately life isn't like that is it, it does all come at once sometimes!

We rent a house so that we dont have to worry about the maintenance of the property when my hubby is working away - to make life easier for us - this completely defeats the object and has been a real nightmare to endure.

I am seeing a property this afternoon in desparation but its more expensive, further from school and i dunno - well i will see - maybe its the only solution i can have today - at whatever cost - it gets our health back and there is really no price for that.

So I'm going to view it anyway right now - get out in the Marseille sun and listen to some tracks in the car - go back to the basic needs that get us on back on the right path - come on Tracy Chapman!

Life Moan: Teenagers..

How do you? What do you? Where do you go when you are at the end of your tether? How far does this tether really stretch.. when you're sure its about to snap any moment. How long can we endure? What is the limit? AND when I reach the limit what option is REALLY open for parents like me?

I always thought bad kids were due to the parents.. with little ones maybe its true to an extent, but with teenagers, no matter how hard you showed them morals and the right and wrong way to do stuff, when they want to do something their way there are very few things you can do to stop them.

We reason, we talk, in fact I wrote a great poem explaining how it truly is to be enduring the parent of a teen. And its not a five minute phase they go through, but a really long thing- mine started at 11 with a few things, then the window smashing and a few more things, we've done therapy and boarding school and family holidays, we've tried living back at home now and at nearly 16 I can only say things have escalated in how much he thinks he has a right to do, he has a right to do this and that and to take what he wants and carry on with such an attitude.

Its very hard. We have had a couple of police incidents and a few more that they probably should have known about but we dealt with inside the family. Everybody wants the best for the child but they are so draining - now im finding that everyone's patience is used up. My blog is for the good the bad, the moans and the groans - and after all - This is My LIFE!!

I never thought I would lock up my things or suffer some of the stuff he has been doing - and the problems it causes between the parents when a child behaves like this are unavoidable. The whole family is suffering the teenage curse.

Its hard hard hard. I want help, there isnt really any. In France he is legally stuck to us until he is 18 though he has already tried to leave (at 15). I want some respite and thankfully have some friends who can offer me a weekend here and there to get some sleep and time to think and maybe one normal weekend with my man who only makes it home about one weekend a month).

Hmmmmmm - Life's Tests Huh!

IKEA marseille la valentine

First we Visited the market - a local one, dropped daughter at horse riding and at Plan de Cuques we visited a superb market for clothes, shoes and stuff, reasonable prices, like La Pleine without having to visit centre ville! I will be back and Mum did manage to treat me to one or two things while we were there - great little market. Could do more time next week!

And wow! How easy it is to do a makeover with IKEA - u can think it, look it up, go get it easily and fix it up same day - for peanuts! - I AM LOVING THAT. The whole house has had a makeover except my daughter's room. So, with 2hrs to spare today I took my Mum. I have got to say even for marseille that is the most packed I have ever ever seen IKEA at La Valentine! a wet week, near to xmas, during the holidays, it waas mahem! Still with some determination we managed to find the necessities and a bit more to take the final room in the house to another level and returned to deal with the usual IKEA click clack flip flap furniture that I will finish tomorrow. Can't wait - Tidy house, tidy mind!

I am in it with IKEA, i know the layout the floorplan, where u can get that, what aisle, if u can get it downstairs, i am miss IKEA, so i can rush through or even check the map and do a left to miss out the kitchens, u know u have to be like that if you have kids or limited time! lol. Mum wants to browse and though its nice, before I realise it we are at 1hr to go until child collection and I know the till will be ram! I try to put the pace on, not to lose mum but to speed up somewhat out of browse mode into get it done get out on time mode. We do, but when we get out its 5 on a saturday and the traffic is BAD!, lucky i did get to my daughter ontime and I wasnt really stressin but imagine Mum, I need to give her more of a holiday chilled experience even though she does love to be a part of sorting my life out and making it better - which this is..

And, this week, I AM LOVING MY MUSIC - as an expat I think sometimes u gotta make yourself feel at home and comfortable, MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC is such a healer, for everything - I am really feeling some!

I'm glowing inside, maybe not enough on the outside, I'm really loving my man, I'm really appreciating my music, and most of my life really tho I admit it is tough at times and there are areas that test us more and more, for all of us in whatever way, its a struggle but lets LIVE IT!

I passed my TEFL

WOO HOO PASSED THE TEFL

Wow, apparently Im ok to Teach English as a Foreign Language now... as I have officially passed the TEFL, AND the additional grammar module.

I have already started teaching at my daughter's school - scary really that they didn't require some level of qualification other than being English. But ok, so far I am loving it! I start teaching privately on Tuesday, a couple of the girls from school are coming for an extra hour lesson at home!

All Good!

Apparently Life Begins at 40

Apparently life begins at 40...

So at 37 I am thinking of making a life decision
that I should stop trying to be a millionaire
a fashion model (LOL) or anything like that

I should spend 3 years preparing myself to start life!
Then I can become a millionaire..
Right now..I need to keep in shape, maybe even give up smoking (no really!)
Have a bit of cosmetic surgery here and there
Learn to play the piano!?
Get my wardrobe sorted - I mean really do that and find "the look"
Find my HAIR, my stuff, find myself again after having children.

Its a time in life I am going to shock out - like in my 20's
Though this 40's malarchy is meant to be more fun

Well I will be in tip top shape, with my french properties
and my English Teaching, Website Designing, Fun Loving, No Smoking me!!!

Sounds like a good idea!

La Rentree De L'Ecole

Lifes ok.. JJ is at the Lycee, he had a little scare with the "not working so good" scooter today (when apparently th accellerator got stuck on and it wouldnt brake on the way the hill to school and he fell off with a few leg and hand scrapes) - sounds like God is giving him a little reminder to behave and im glad to say he will be cycling to school tomorrow. Likes the new school, has some friends and is joining in with activities as far as i can tell. I don't need to document his recent teenage behaviour and how much it has enraged and violated me as a parent - but you can imagine - he is 15 for gods sake!

On a more positive note: On deciding to teach English at my daughter's school and then watching a show about how bad English teachers are in England, I decided that I needed some kind of skills to teach English, even to 6-7 year olds, that I should set myself up to succeed in this... so...

I have bought my TEFL course, Dad its ok, i dont want u to pay half but you can take me to the Peldon Rose for a slap up meal next time I am over and I will proudly show you my certificates in:
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
TEACHING ENGLISH GRAMMAR
TEACHING STUDENTS ONE TO ONE
TEACHING 6-12 YEAR OLDS
TEACHING BUSINESS FRENCH
TEACHING LARGE CLASSES

I am loving the course so far - bought it on Monday, they said 2 wks possible to complete it but more likely 4-6 weeks - I am on Module 4 (of 11) of the Main TEFL and Module 3 (of 4) of the grammar course already.
Ordered some books from amazon to back up my grammar, teaching and general stuff (and a couple of "chicken soup for the soul" books for jordan) I think i will start teaching next week - tues morning and thurs afternoon or similar. Spoke to the teacher at parents evening last week and I'm due to teach two thirty minute lessons each week (she has me pencilled in for 52hrs this year!)

I am off to go and see my good buddy (my English friend who I have known since i was just 17, back when I was in the UK and now we both live in France.. long story... but she is a few hours south of here)... so tomorrow - to go to quillan house (that my partner still owns, and I visited in the summer) where i forgot to turn off the electricity and water, so will go and drain out the water so that the pipes dont freeze over winter, a quick stop into TOPLA on the way to pimp my ride (buy an air freshener and seat covers and maybe a steering wheel cover !) And I might pop in to see Chloe for lunch if I have the time and will toodle on to stay at Rachel's house and have a good girly catch up. Drive back Friday.

Kelisse's cold is still there, but I will take her to school tomorrow, and hopefull she will be ok - I have told her to soldier on! Got her signed up to Dance for Thursday nights and Theatre now Monday nights (starting at the end of the month) and I might go to line dancing in the same place while she is at theatre.. I decided not to pay for mine on the sign up date (with risk of no places left but I doubt it), and to go along on the first night with my doctors certificate and ask if I can try it out (with full intention of paying for the trimester if i like it)... I am just not sure if I can really handle that country music for an hour and a half - though im sure it should be a laugh!!!

So, feeling positive (about my course), and feeling like i have neglected lots of other stuff: like the scooters were on ebay and sold but both the buyers did not take them, the other stuff i have on ebay only sold like 25 percent of it, didnt go to the I.T. recruitment interview i should have done this morning, havent planned how I am actually going to survive this year financially.... but you know... 8hrs driving can put a lot of things into perspective huh!

LA RENTREE!!!!

How to get a rental property in Marseille...

It is really difficult to do anything in a timely fashion in France
and it is practically impossible to do anything without a lot of paperwork and hassle. Renting a house here is no exception. I think someone needs to give out some real advice, so before you decide to rent a house in Marseille - read on...

People are snapping up rentals before they are even on market - most houses get rented out by word of mouth and are never ever with an agent or in a paper. By the time the property gets on any on websites - it is usually already let.

I spent a few weeks viewing, I would see a house in the morning and be told that I must say yes or no by 12 midday or there would be no chance etc etc

THEN when we have finally found somewhere thats ok..
there is the dreaded paperwork:

These are the documents they want:

copy of passports for all adults to live in house
letter of reference from existing landlord
receipts of last years rent from existing landlord
copy of all tax documents
proof of last three years salary
copy of electric bill
copy of insurance
bank details
direct debit order
big three page form

and the dreaded - can only be a french thing -
BANK CAUTION* this i will explain in more detail:
to get the bank caution alone,
i have to handwrite some two page document and we both sign and send to the bank
the new landlord has to write a project plan for it and a long handwritten letter also which we both have to sign and send to the bank - then i give them a years rent (yes more than 15 grand) and they put it in a holding account at the bank in case we do a runner or dont pay for some months. AND its not free, they are likely to charge us a few hundred euros per annum for the pleasure of letting them have our money in a blocked account - i really dont like it! On top of this there is also a caution - a deposit of two months rent. AND WE STILL HAVE TO PAY THE RENT ON TOP OF THAT

Its madness - its like buying a place - to put 15 grand down in an account and be unable to use it?!? Only the french.

This is just to secure a new place to rent in france - headache mad paperwork - its taken me a few whole days to get this lot in order, copy it all and I will still wait a further week or so to find out if it will be accepted by the landlord's insurance company. It was quicker and easier and less paperwork to buy all of the houses we have ever had here. Much!

Meanwhile the current landlord is getting didgy and wants to be sure we will comply to french law, which we of course will, not by paying the 3 months notice, but by telling him that we can reduce the 3 months to just 1 (some loophole in french law that thankfully I have been able to find) as long as hubby has lost his job and got a new one, which thankfully he has!

Phew! - got to go and do a bit of filing now - all this paperwork creates a whole heap of paper and needs a fair few minutes of filing!

Fingers crossed for getting the bank caution and getting into the new house!!!

My Son has passed the "BREVET"

Great news - Jordan has passed his Brevet. An examination taken at age 15 at the end of college before Lycee. I am really pleased and pleasantly surprised that he passed. His results are (thankfully) accumulated - obviously top marks in English and surprisingly very good marks in French too...

Phew! He was really laid back and it took at lot of hard "parenting" to get him to start revising properly - but well worth the effort and the look on his face tonight!

France - Life beyond the croissants...

Sometimes from our sleepy villages and slow siestas the world could almost pass us by.. thats why its not a bad idea to find out whats going on in the news from time to time - to remember we are in 2008, living in a supposedly democratic society, its an olympic year and many people in the world are at still at war, suffering terrible famine or fighting the backlash of natural disaster.

China are boycotting Carrefour after the fiasco with getting the olympic torch through Paris. They have over 100 hypermarkets in China so this will undoubtedly affect finances. There have already been protests outside some of the stores and the Chinese are taking it as a very serious insult from France.

Nicolas Sarkozy (Mr Boombastic for those of you who watch Headcases - The new spitting image) is not helping the situation with his refusal to rule out a boycott of the opening ceremony. But Im sure his wife will look good in her kimono eh!?

And sadly, just last night half a ton of canabis was seized coming here to the South of France from Morrocco... in a helicopter! - these guys are high tech and they have money to jet set in private helicopters - I am surely in the wrong game with my green fingers! 600000 euros worth of smoke that will not be hitting the streets of Marseille and Cannes this summer - bit of a shame for the mellow laid back vibe really!

Well off out to the real Marseille, to face the long queue in the supermarket even at the swipe and go counter - I actually think they have programmed their checkouts and tills to work slower to suit their pace of life.. Next stop this morning to get some forms filled out by various members of the community (doctor, mairie, bank, insurance - this is just to get an application for my son to get to Lycee in September - though you really would have thought this would be mandatory, and perhaps done for you in the education system - oh no! another folder of paper commences! lol)

oooh oh oh got to go - everything still shuts at 12 you know! and soon it won't reopen til 3pm because of the intense heat! ah siesta life!

Back to work… Marseille style

I know that when you act and think positive things it is true that good things happen to you…

Well, now I’m working from home for a bit, the same same contract website work from London without the grey sky. Fantastic, what I have always thought COULD happen while living out here but never has. A short contract but enough for a taste, something I won’t give up easily and perhaps a chance of extension or future work (after the long summer on the beach)!

So, what IS it like to work from home in the South of France – watch this space and I will let you know – so far so good – no pressure for the first week AND probably some hectic days to come will compensate for that…

As UK don’t really log on until 10am my time and certainly not really chatty til 11 ish (midday my time) – And, bearing in mind I'm up and free from early – like mid-dream for people in the UK…

My week went like this…

Monday – everything I wanted to do, as didn’t have any logon – Nails, shopping, Ikea...

Tuesday – 2 mins on MSN, wardrobe clearout, complete clean through

Wednesday – 5 mins on MSN, Taxi-mum, theatre show, Chronicles of Narnia movie

Thursday – Centre of Marseille to get Jag plates and car service - 2 mins MSN + 2 min phone call –

Friday – Yes got logon, also 4 washes, bleached the bathroom and got the metro to town to look at a lycee, still managed to access all the databases, get a brief and have idea of the project b4 weekend.

Also managed to find time to chase everybody for everything – this is France no further explanation should be required on that one.

To set up a network, buy a video camera, check out dishwashers, look for some holidays, plan a paradise island, nurture/discipline children, speak to mates, book flights, some other stuff and even meet a man about a .. erm dog..

Anyway – phew hard week at the office LOL…!!!

SOMETIMES I REALLY LOVE I.T. – no really I DO!!!

Is PARADISE within our reach?

A bit like the show on telly without the eco friendly too much, I'm looking satellite connection, wifi on the beach! We want to enjoy this place it will be Paradise - as it already is - certainly a better view and weather than we have right now in Europe!

Yes of course it’s a risk, isn't everything in life? It’s the man who never took a risk that never fell over or got hurt, he never experienced life - me, I like to take a few knocks along the way but hell I am going to enjoy IT ALL....

So this is Project Paradise V style

I have found an Islan in Bahamas with a LAGOON... its awesome You will in just a few moments have all the access and rights to rush ahead and buy it outright without me ... if that’s what you want... of course i will be gutted, but I’m thinking that you can see my honesty by offering the REAL URL and telling you how it is EXACTLY.. i only profit from having a piece of island like you at the end - nothing extra! (hell - i may even ask for some help with the paperwork here and there)

My plan involves a few sensible earners who really are in the 5% of us that know whats happening to dip in their pockets and say - yeah thats a good investment. And then we will all have a piece of paradise... I am totally for real - ask anyone who already knows me!

Depending on the bids/offers/considerations (we are friends/associates don’t forget that - this is for paradise) and depending upon the level of serious interest, I will find a way to make this work..

I should already assure that the highest bidder is guaranteed acceptance... after that We will, with legal assistance, decide if its possible to run co-ownership or some timeshare and part ownership possibilities, or whatever paperwork it takes to make this PARADISE happen .....

So .... let me know what you think...? – Don’t worry about the price remember I HAVE A PLAN... that will pay all the mortgages... and give profit! A superb investment.

Owning an Island in the Bahamas

http://www.privateislandsonline.com/little-hog-cay.htm

If UR interested in PARADISE send me a comment or an email and I will explain the deal further... just remember its not out of our reach, nothing is , we are all human, the same...X

Over n Out

Paradise Possy

V

Mad Wednesday Schedule

My Mad Wednesday Schedule

On Wednesday’s – when the rest of the parents with primary school age children whom do not have school on Wednesdays get to have a bit of extra time in bed… I’m up – earlier than the rest of the week.

I love my life, especially when its full and busy and at the end of the week or month I can easily see what has been achieved in my life and with my family.

6:30 Tea in bed

6.45 Peeling mango, chopping pineapple for a fresh smoothie - appreciating sunrise in South of France

6.55 Quick carpet sweep

7.00 Breakfast and chat about what’s happening today with my 5 year old

7.20 Clean the microwave, liquidizer, coffeemaker, kettle, sink, tout!

7.30 Showering us both and cleaning the bathroom

8.00 Tidying up and theatre practice

8.45 Sitting in the chemin outside our house wondering why it takes 25 French guys and three large vehicles (blocking the exit) to cut down just 3 or 4 trees…. Explained I need to come in and out three or four times this morning and they said – sorry they are not there to amuse themselves – slowly they moved the vehicles and I got away at

8.50 Drop Kelisse off at theatre for a final rehearsal

9.10 Arrive back at the house and decide to ascend to the house up a rickety track to avoid the tree men – walk up to check the post box and the certificate of conformity is here from jag, go in and copy it and study it a bit.

9.15 scan sons mock exam results and put them on personal page for hubby to see

9.20 ah coffee and logon – quick email and blog update

9.22 make beds

9.25 contact the Narbonne Marie to check she has sent the compromise du vente

9.30 makeup and video camera check – batteries etc

9.45 leave again (down the rickety track exit) to go see the theatre show

9.55 arrive at Theatre and converse in French about the kids etc for 5 mins

10.00 The show – where my daughter is mother hen (with a fantastic chicken suit mummy made from a sheet and a few other bits and bobs) the show lasts actually 5 minutes and is run 2.5 times due to it not being up to scratch according to the teacher!!

10.50 Quick chat with one of the parents who is building a website for his wife’s hairdressers, mostly in flash but might need some techy advice.. swapped emails

Reminded me a lot of one of T’s friends, and spoke very good English, must make those two link up next time T is back.

11.00 Quick refreshments and change Kelisse’s clothes, run to the hall at the back and set her off into Twae Kwondo

11.15 Drove up to the hill to see the sea and take a few sun drenched photos of the jag. (Just cannot stand the thought of driving down the chemin and disturbing those treecutter road workers (now about 25 in total with big sand pile, i can see as i drive past) twice in twenty minutes no no no... sun and jag photos rock

12.00 Back as parent taxi again, having picked up from Twae Kwondo – yes still using the track (cannot imagine the wear on my 200e/each tyres)

12:30 Prepare lunch with left hand, surf on laptop, checking for access or work, with right hand- have lunch together

12.37 Flicked on the hotpot for tonight’s dinner

13:00 Poppet playing outside mummy cleaning the kitchen and looking for holidays and filing the bank statements and bills that have arrived this week and updating accounts file.

13:30 Quick update with Daddy on MSN, called Jaguar to check on a detail of the paperwork and decide to head off to the prefecture.

14:00 Leave for the metro… get there cannot park within about a mile of the place… decide to drive into town and park in the underground car park…

14.20 get 2 mins towards the centre of Marseille and realize that it the greves – the strikes and the whole 8 lanes 2 way motorway into Marseille is blocked with taxi’s… decide its not the best day to head down town and head back home.

15:00 get back, Kelisse happily making me tea (muddy water) and stones (biscuits)

I’m happy putting the video clips on, baking for later in the week, cleaning the bathroom, trying to continue my networking and a few other bits…

15.45 Moi decide to clear out my room and have all the ebay stuff out and reorganize it all, whilst popping out to have tea, and chatting with T and my boss once or twice…

16:00General tidy for Kelisse, instructed by me while I did my own tidying in my hotmail and around the house...

16.30 Watch Chronicles of Narnia with Kelisse (and finish up tidying my room in the less scary sections) Popped out a couple of times when it wasn’t a scary bit to clear up etc…

18:00 got some salad ready and served up the lamb hotpot with mint sauce

18.30 washed up cleaned the kitchen, let Kelisse watch TV after tidying her stuff (supervised)

19.00 supervised madam to get to bed, wash, brush teeth, etc

19.05 swept the kitchen

19.15 read story

19.30 say prayers goodnight

19.31 clean the bathroom and toilet

19.35 glass of wine and time to have a smoke

19.40 online email checking work, msn everything

19.45 setting what’s on TV Real-time tonight and what do I want to download…

Proposed:

20.00 A quick Porno moment for my hubby then

Laptop and TV – soon Music… music and music and then

21.00 10 mins MSN with son about coming home tomorrow arrangements mostly.

22.30 Tea and Book

23.30 Sleeping….

A day in the life of…Marseille Mum!

You could check hubby’s blog on the link below to see how his hard day\s at work are. not that im in any competition or in any doubt about how us women can multi-task, in fact im sure I have left loads of bits out!!!

Thoughts

I know not many people are going to understand this feeling inside me that enables me to forgive a man who may not in everyones eyes deserve to be forgiven. But its a love greater than that that flows and flows and gushes and makes it all worthwhile - a happiness from within to to the outside. Without it i feel like a normal human, with it I am empowered beyond this life to do WHATEVER i want to do, to really see myself acheiving everything i ever wanted and more for the betterment of myself and my family. I got to make it work - i know i love this man and this is the way.

This moment when i am waiting on my beach front apartment to come through, my s type jaguar to roll up, a job thats in limbo but im sure could work very well... im still very happy and confident - strollin in life, striving for the best no matter what the weather. (which incidentally in Marseilles is pretty good, very sunny at this time of year but windy)

Theres nothing more than i could ask for my whole family to be happy and me to be working partly in Marseille and partly in London, driving Jaguar S and visiting my beach apartment in Narbonne - wicked! Got to sleep on that thought and about do i deserve this...? im already sure i do... :)

WAG again

I had a difficult and doubtful Christmas starting 2008 with a few too many question marks but…

After a good deal of moaning, thought, wine and Martell. I’m feeling like a WAG again.

Spent a superb weekend being spoilt and treated, staying in a top hotel suite overlooking Marseille Port with partner and the kids in their own suite.

Fantastic to wake up and see the famous fish market going on on the Vieux Port quayside, people strolling around for coffee or over to their boats, a great Marseille atmosphere on a Sunny Sunday morning in January.

Still smiling.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

In our relationships we have the Good, or we wouldn’t be there.

In most relationships we have the Bad, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot

And when we see the Ugly … something has to change…

I regret the end of last year when our relationship got lost and nearly hit rock bottom to the point of no return, gee its hard enough to live apart – to LOVE apart we have to be stronger – I learned a lot about myself from this time…

Thanks to my family and friends support and my man finally appearing from his cave there is once again hope for 2008.