What do we do about the recession?

For English minded people like myself, yourself perhaps? How does it feel - when 1e used to be 75p and now 1e is about a pound - and the French still have the audacity to put the prices up.

Im finding it hard - everything that used to be cheaper, or in Marseille at least relatively similar prices to UK, now its much more expensive. The budget I set for the following year, as I always do, has never been so over budget in such an early month in the year before in my life!

Does anyone else have any fantastic solutions at this time???

R.I.P Jade Goody

For me and millions of others, you will never be forgotten as an icon - a regular Essex girl, who made it - for me Jade is up there with Posh!

I truly feel that this is one inspirational lady who got out there and did what she wanted to do - she worked hard to better the future of her children and fought for her life at the same time - right until the end she never stopped trying.

So what if you messed up your words and got slandered for racism, I think you all know you would grow from it, you learned from this incident, you weren't racist, maybe just a little at loss for what words to choose - people cannot be labeled so easily in this day and age. And now thats a miniscule fragment of Jade's life - but as the press won't leave it - I have to put this paragraph in for her defense.

Diagnosed and dying of cancer so young is a terrible sadness. My heartfelt thoughts go out to not just Jade's family for their loss, but to all the other people who are suffering quietly and their families too. Jade's idea of going through this illness publicly was far from a selfish money making plan, as many dare to now slander her with these lies - she wanted more awareness of what happens with Cancer and how the families deal with it - she has achieved this Nationwide.

To show the Nation how Jade kept happy, to fulfil her dream of marrying and to provide just a little bit more for those left behind is by no means a bad thing - its something we should have respect and remain in awe of.

As already said - Rest In Peace Jade Goody - during your short life, you have burst through some barriers despite all the criticism you were faced with... For me and the millions - we love you Jade xxx


PS and for the Millions of "others" who are still asking "what did she ever do?" in a spiteful heartless way - I really hope that your sister/mother/friend doesn't have cervical cancer at this very moment and isn't quietly suffering as those words pass your lips - who knows how many women Jade has given strength to? I imagine millions of cancer victims and their families - And at the end of the day if its more than one, she did something worthwhile.

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.

Happy New Year

Well its been an Fabulous and Eventful xmas, family over for festivities and merryment first, then secondly moving house to St Barnabe - a bit further into Marsielle.

All positive vibes for the new year.
Still many French things I will never understand though......

Why did they take all the turkeys off the shelves for the weeks coming up to xmas? Why is Pintade cheaper and more popular as a xmas meal?

A conversation I had 20 December:

"Bonjour madame, pardonnez moi je suis anglaise mais pourquoi toute la monde va chercher pour les pintade - on est au tradition pour manger dinde" I say in my 6 yrs still rubbish french..
"Ah parce que cette oiseau c'est beaucoup moullier pour goutier"
(OK I say, thinking its moister to eat - and yes turkey is a bit dry im listening)
"Quelle oiseau?" I ask
And plenty of impressions and giggling from ourselves later, I am none the wiser until I reach home for the dictionary and find it is in fact a Guinea Fowl ! aha

Two days later all the turkeys appear on the shelves at the normal(ish) prices - though some of them are indeed huge and all the families I talk to seem to be having 20 people to dinner so no wonder really. So I find a comparitavely tiny turkey at 3.5kg and make haste!

Parsnips arrived by la Poste curtessy of my Mum and Dad, Mince pies and Christmas Cake (thank you E!) by British Airways from Sister in law - Dinner was very English, and Boxing day lamb with safeways mint sauce and christmas pudding came over too.

So that was Christmas, and as this year my glass is half full I will not rant on about anything else tonight xxx

Alice Wifi Problem Fixed

If you get trouble with "Acquiring Network Address" or it can't renew the IP address or it gives you limited or no connectivity or all that rubbish.

The easiest and best solution for me after trying hundreds of other really technical ones was to reset the alice box to its original settings using the "configuration advanced" tab in the control from the main PC. Then just rebooted all devices and fingers crossed - its all fixed :)

Hope this helps someone!

Avignon Weekend Break

Super relaxing weekend in Avignon. We stayed at Hotel de Limas within the 11th Century city walls, close the the bridge to nowhere (Pont Saint Benezet). A very friendly quiet hotel with great contempary art mixed with the authentic french pieces of furniture.

Great to have a chance to recharge the batteries, rethink the next chapter, unwind and generally kick back. Time to talk. A time to cement what we have. Yes I am still in love.

I guess my only regret is that I could have stayed another few days and got another few hours sleep!

Avignon was a nice place that I would gladly revisit anytime.

Yummy English Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
4 large apples (any kind)
75g butter (soft helps)
2 cups of flour
1 cup of granulated sugar
a sprinkle of brown sugar
a sprinkle of granualted sugar

1. peel and slice some apples, then throw them in a dish with granualted sugar (big sprinkles of it - half a handful!)

2. to mix the crumble rub the butter, flour and cup of granulated sugar together with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs

3. sprinkle the crumble over the top of the apples to cover them and then lightlys prinkle brown sugar on top

4. Put it in the oven for 40 mins at 180deg (medium heat)

(make sure it doesnt bubble over the sides as its a helluver job to clean the apple syrup off the bottom of the oven!)