Marseille, the streets

You Tube "on the back of a scooter" clips

So much has happened since April - there is no real chance of catching up everything - from the paradise month spent at my beach place in Narbonne, the highs and lows of the year, teaching and how rewarding it is, living in Marseille, not getting paid much and what a pain that is... Life goes on - the sun still shines... and the Vieux Port is a mere 4km away.

Some recent rides on the back of our scooter - giving you the real deal Marseille are available here or on YouTube from my MarseilleMum profile.

Marseille Castellane by night

30cm of Snow for Marseille

A freak bit of weather passed last Wednesday morning, depositing 30cm of snow upon us within a few hours. Apparently its the first time Marseille has had snow like this in 13 years. Very pretty and pretty unpractical too! Just about everyone had the day off work (some two or three, joined onto the weekend making it like another week off - very french).

We now live in Marseille, St Barnabe, its the 12 district, I had two people ski past on Wednesday morning, then we took the sledge to the shop to buy some juice and bits. My young daughter was in her absolute element and managed to make four snowmen on the terrace - Snow Daddy, Snow Mummy, Snow Brother and Snow Me!


After digging out the car, a path up to our front door, the gates and then making half an igloo, I decided to retreat!

Its been a funny week of weather though - loads of sunshine since then - t-shirt weather in fact, yet plenty of snow is still resting in the shady areas.

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!

Marseille's Famous Sunday Fish Market

Down at the Old Port every Sunday there is a fish market. The fishermen pull up in their boats and unload the fish from the nets - you can't buy much fresher than that.


Plenty of different varieties, some I have heard of and plenty I hadn't: Loop, Merlon, pink fish, rock looking fish, squid, and even the remains of a tuna (its tail fin) that had obviously been cut up during the morning.



A great sunny Sunday morning thing to do in Marseille at any time of the year. A quick wander around the port watching the bustling fishermen and their wives selling, gutting and chopping to order. Another Marseille Must Do!

Rain, Rain and More Rain...

When the sea level rose..

Today I was at the Veille Port of Marseille and the sea was flapping over the edge of the port onto the pavement. I am not really surprised as it has been raining and storming heavily for about two weeks now, we have had lightning, thunder almost everyday and plenty of rain. About another foot and the metro will be flooded out by the main Old Port entrance alone!

(I left there (by foot) after a lovely Mussels and Chips to see the Van Gogh and Monticelli exhibition - A MUST! - and surely another separate blog!)

But after that it rained and rained and rained and surely Marseille is flooded by now? Water wasn't going down the drains, but spurting out of them where it could not cope anymore!

Thank goodness I live on a hill - PHEW!

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!

Mum's Been to see me

My Mum came to visit me at a busy time.. I loved every minute of her company, could only have wished to have been a little less busy at that time.

I know I managed to give her a good rest from all the usual menial tasks us women have to do, and Im sure she has had a good time.

We had a great week for weather, which pleased Mum as she had spent a lousy week in Spain earlier in the summer and of course she lives in UK, so went back to torrential rain this week.

We visited La Pleine, I have to take everyone there now - its my favourite market in Marseille. We ate out at the Old Port and I took Mum to the beach too.

Apart from that Mum (thankfully) doesnt mind mucking in and living the life I do.. which this week meant buying a car, getting the children back to school and all the normal life stuff...

YES - I bought a VW POLO to runaround in, do the school run, shopping etc etc, its cheaper on petrol than the Jaguar and suits me fine.

YES - Son got into the Lycee I wanted him to, after some administration mess up earlier in the year he had been on the waiting list, but at the last minute he was given a place and will start tomorrow morning.

So I think the next holiday when Mum comes over should be spent at Narbonne, where I am not tied up in everyday stuff and have a bit more listening and sharing time - oh gosh i love my mum.

I was strong at the airport saying goodbye, and waving her onto the xray thing, but when my man gave me a hug as we walked to the car, tears filled my eyes and all I could blub was.. "Thats my Mum, I hate it when she goes..."

Im sure Im not the only one who has to say goodbye to their loved ones.. Im usually pretty good, but Mum and Dad, thats hard... my Mum isnt sick or old, but you just never know when you will see them again if you live in another land.....

LOVE TO ALL THE MUMS OUT THERE!

Best quote from Mum to keep me positive.."Look, I often wonder if your glass is half empty or half full, look around you, you should be saying its full to overflowing!"

My Family Visiting Me

WOW - fitting 8 of us into my 3 bed "Rez de chausse" (ground floor apartment) would have been tricky - if the weather had not played its part.

In fact it was superb, able to eat outside every mealtime (for which I am eternally thankful to God for controlling the weather as I had nowhere else to seat 8!) and using the garden like an extra room most days.

A chilled out holiday for my brother and his family, and us really.. we did all the tourist stuff around Marseille -

I guess the highlights were:

Visiting the Portail d'aix (the mini arc-de-triomphe), the Old Port, taking the little train up to the Mont de... (the church on the hill), walking back through the little streets from La Pleine.. fuzzing our way around on the metro/bus/tram system - great stuff..

Another day at Grimpozarbes - for anyone who has not experienced this delight of Marseille its a must.. a climbing park - great for kids and certainly an adrenaline high for adults too (so I hear from my brother, as I carefully chose a summer dress and summer shoes and was not able to partake (PHEW - im not that into heights - even when clipped on and harnessed!!!)) A great picnic area in the shade of the trees left us well fed and ready to continue after lunch.

And.. Borely Park and plage. While my sister in law and I took a leisurely stroll towards the Botanica Gardens, which were unfortanely closed until later, we saw the filming of La Plus Belle La Vie (the equivalent of French Eastenders) - that was interesting... We left my brother in charge of a pedal bike for 4 or 5 and all the children.. later, we found my brother alone on a bench, like they done away with him... I began to be somewhat concerned at where my 6 year old was and her two just teen cousins were, but it was all fine, we re-grouped, had a picnic by Chateau Borely and headed to the beach for the afternoon!

Many happy times chilling at home with the view of the vineyards, a glass of wine, good company and the children entertained on the wii or the trampoline.

A happy summer visit.

Shopping Therapy - The "East Street" Market of Marseille

Having lived here for over a year, I still crave shopping in the cheapy markets of London, where you can still get a dress for two pounds and some shoes for five. Every visit back to UK involves a lot of shopping and picking up essential outfits for children etc..

But today, my prayers were answered, and my son showed me a superb little market La Pleine. Two stops on the tube and we arrived at my heaven in the sun.

A colourful bustling array of fruit, clothes, toiletries and all the everyday stuff we need to be buying at budget prices. The photo above doesn't do justice - I will take my own next time.

Kids Birkenstock style for 5e, adults same and real Birkenstocks for 30e. Dresses and tops galore from 1e-5e - even the most expensive designer items were a mere 20e or so...

My son and I went to buy trainers... we didn't find them but... despite me saying I wouldn't buy anything..

I bought him two pairs of shorts and a top, my daughter 3 pairs of shoes and a shorts set. Hubby some 3/4 linen shorts and a nice t-shirt, and myself 3 dresses a pair of shoes and a bijoux (necklace). So much for not spending any money LOL - but it was great. Feel like a new woman!! He bought himself some RayBan sunglasses.

My son got off the tube two stops before me with his new t-shirt and shorts in a bag ready to meet a friend and go straight off to the beach! - ah what a life.

This market is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings - I will be back!

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!

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.

HOLIDAYS

Its been quite a good year for holidays, so many i might accidentally miss some out...

Visited UK early in the year to work for three months returning to France every weekend and then i had my holiday fund...

May - Portugal (with a friend and her children and one of mine - very windy and not much sun, she always has bad luck with weather on holidays, in fact she was in a hurricane last time, nobody else would dare to travel with her!) July - UK, Euro Disney August - Pyrenees, Monaco September - England again, Amsterdam... yeah i do like to travel - UK for xmas.
And of course in between my many trips i have had many visitors friends and family over, so then home isnt like home as you are in holiday mood for them... great to see everyone though (two more arriving this month, mother in law just departed)

Already taking and making bookings for next year - its a good life really.... South of France with holiday options all checked.

First month in Mars

Just about to find my feet on my second European Emigration!! We came to France as a family 3 years ago, hubby is in I.T and is always working overseas, so its me and the kids to find our way - J my son is 13, yes a typical teenager and Kelisse is 4 years old.

So we used to live in the sleepy Pyrenees, close to Spain. We bought a huge character village property on a hill and renovated it, although a great experience, not one I am planning to repeat in a hurry, and i don't want to break any more nails now! We moved because we needed a bit more life - whilst the Pyrenees is a great place to live if you are retired or havent many demands other than great wine and great scenery... we need a bit more to life - like football, dance, yoga, life and even a bit more sunshine wouldnt go a miss..

So, we are installed in Marseille.. some four hours down the coast, one of the bigger cities in France. I have found us an apartment that also overlooks vineyards, so its a bit like home from home having moved from wine country (something im becoming quite a connisseur of nowadays). Its cosy, we had to downsize and declutter and its actually been a very refreshing experience. I hadnt realised how much time and energy that old house had been eating up from me.

We had the pleasure of my husband to be (of fifteen years) company to help with the moving - The moving involved a little convoy of our cars and our moving truck taking the four hour drive (375km) from our old house. Then of course he was home to experience our first christmas here together - which was great.

Plenty of christmas cheer - presents, chocolate, mince pies, christmas pudding, cranberry and of course sprouts - this year we didnt manage to get parsnips - but no one seemed to notice!

Now we have celebrated the new year beginning and im really ready to get sorted out with work and everything - its all pending - god i hate pending! lol Kids will be back at school next week - Jordan to his boarding school and kelisse to a new school here in Allauch, on the edge of Marseille.....

Watch this space to see how we get along!