I’ve been a bit quiet over the last week both here and on the blogosphere in general as I decided to take some me time in honour of the French holiday season.
Last weekend we went back to Lac du Bourget and spent a great weekend in the rain, constantly hoping for it to stop so that we could get out on the lake and wakeboard. After hours of watching the drizzle and storms, the clouds finally dispersed so we made a mad dash down to the lake, jumped on the boat and went out. Five minutes later, the clouds started to gather again and we just made it back to shore before the mother of all storms rained down upon us. No wakeboarding took place 
So quite a disappointing weekend really.
View from the house - how I would love to have a view like this
Our next trip was on the Monday back to Aix les Bains and was more promising. We spent the first afternoon baking cookies with Hubby’s Godson and the little cousins. Cookie making with a 2 year old, 6 year old and 9 year old is an interesting experience. Once they were finished I had to keep reminding myself not to eat them as I had watched the dough go all over the floor, in and out of the kid’s mouths, behind their ears, in their hair…
Hubby monkeying around
After a while the sun decided to come out and we went up the mountain to a monkey park. I say monkey park as it is an activity park where kids and adults swing from trees like monkeys. The French call this accrobranche (accro for acrobatic and branche for the tree branches). For ages I thought it was called aquabranche and had something to do with water. How very wrong was I! Needless to say I was not equipped: heels and palazzo pants aren’t quite the right the right attire for walking on a tightrope or swinging amongst the trees and nobody could care less that I had a swimming cossie and towel in my bag.
Not being able to do anything and faced with waiting in the cold for hours (14 degrees!) whilst everyone perfected their monkey swings (how appropriate!) I was relegated to looking after the two year old and helping him around the kiddies course.
It was not easy as I had to keep hooking him up and I think the other parents considered that I was a Mere Indigne (not a good mother) as after all, who would take their kid to a park dressed like I was? I must have been a funny sight as I tried to scramble up through the trees so that I could unhook and rehook him all whilst he was wailing or looking at me as if I was an idiot.
On one part I got stuck and couldn’t get down, so there I was with a two year old stood 3 metres off the ground hanging by a rope and me, stuck. Thankfully a parent came to my rescue (or more so to the child’s) and helped me out, all whilst I was trying to explain that he wasn’t my kid and I had no idea what an accrobranche was! Thankfully we were able to complete the course unscathed and the little boy enjoyed it so much that he he looked up at me expectantly and asked if we could do it again. I told him that no doubt his Daddy would take him another time… I was not going to risk his or my safety anymore than required in one day!
It was 14 degrees at the Monkey Park!
After that we went down to the Beaux-Parents for a few days where the temperatures were stifling (39 degrees, what??) and I convinced my Mother-in-Law to teach me to make legumes farcies (one of my fave French dishes). She was very patient and spent a whole morning talking me through the family recipe – I didn’t realize it would take so long to make! You can see the recipe in my latest Expat Focus article here.
So quite a funny week and oh yes… how could I forget? I quit smoking! Desperate not to pile on the pounds I have taken up a new hobby to keep me from nibbling or becoming anxious – fly swatting! Seriously, at the BP’s I spent hours swatting flies. It’s like keep fit. Keeps your mind off the ciggies, off food (essential) and gives you a full body work out at the same time! So far, the scales have stayed the same and I’ve managed to stay off the weed so to speak so all’s good.
Fly Swatting Results! Yuck!
Happy Fly Swatting Day everyone! (because I decided that today is fly swatting day)
OMG! I’m over here laughing my head off. Too hilarious, you in your heels and palazzo pants! And acquabranche! Thanks for the laughs, really!
Enjoy the rest of Fly Swatting Day!
A very cute post. The image of you in your outfit trying to take care of little kids who are not yours — HA!
The weather has been pure crap this August but it’s good that you got out inspite of it.
Also, good luck stopping smoking! You can do it!!!
Ah Piglet, that’s my next job…not accrobranching…quitting. It’s just so damned EASY to smoke in France. It was nearly impossible in the U.S. My date is September 7. Good luck. Are you patching it?
That made me laugh so much!
Yo know, the way people are, you could probably make money offering courses in fly swatting in France to those giving up smoking…..they pay for dafter things, after all.
@Tanya: thanks, glad I made you laugh! I’m all swatted out at the moment!
@Dedene: Just hasn’t it been awful? Today is a perfect example. Yesterday we were sweltering again in temperatures of 35 degrees and I’ve woken up this morning to miserable rain/drizzle and have just seen that it is forecast all day and into tomorrow as well! There is no respite
It’s now been a week but very difficult!! Hubby has been getting the rough end of the stick somewhat…
@Delana: Quitting in France is a nightmare but there are so many people that want to quit now it’s amazing. Unfortunately not many of them do anything about it, but it makes them more understanding to your plight. I find nobody more antisociable than a smoker who has quit recently… grouchy, short tempered and can’t stand the smell of smoke around them or on others!
It’s good that you’ve set a date and remember just one day at a time. If you have any lapses it doesn’t mean you have started again, it’s just a lapse. This is my best way of dealing with it as if I lapse I feel like a failure and mentally tell myself that I can’t do with them and then smoke again! So now, a lapse is not important!
Feel free to email or skype me if you need help, it’s always good to have someone to communicate with when you’re having a craving
ps. no patches here, completely cold turkey!
@Fly:Now wouldn’t that be an idea! I’d have to get a bit better at it though before teaching others! I’m sure I could get La Secu to pay: just yesterday I found out that I could get a holiday in a thermal town to loose weight through them if I insisted to my Dr that I couldn’t loose on my own and that my Hubby could get a holiday to somewhere on the Atlantic coast for a week or two after an operation. All paid for! Not bad eh? So considering that I think you’re right, I could definitely get paid for this fly swatting lark
OMG, I love your blog lol! Thanks for the sweet comment! XX
Thanks Dee!
How splendid that you brought some style to the jungle.
Good luck with the quitting smoking; if you can get through the first week or so, it’s easy peasy after that, and you’ll never regret it, although as Delana warns, you’ll become fanatically anti-smoking, and you’ll find that everybody’s smoke always drifts your way.
LOL! I think I was lucky they let me in!
Thanks ref smoking, it is hard but I’m determined to see it through
I agree with yuck with the flies. Despite the rain and the cold and hot temps it looks like you had a good time.