Vive La France!

As you know I just got back from 5 days in France. One of BBF's friends was turning 40 and had paid to hire a big barn conversion for all of us to stay in; the property was in Lignerolles right in the middle of the country and slap bang in the middle of nowhere.

There were 14 of us altogether; Nick and Emma (it was his birthday) and their 2 kids, Emma's Sister and her husband and their 2 kids, and Emma's friend Charlotte and her husband and their 2 teenage boys. 

The teenagers were lovely; really polite and helpful and a delight to be around but the other kids were a nightmare. I'll leave them for another blog post as I have quite a bit to say about them and it would be nice to focus on the more positive aspects of the holiday today!

BBF borrowed his Mum's convertible and we took the ferry over to Calais early last Saturday; we spent the crossing going over the route  (I was navigating) as we had a 7 hour drive ahead of us. It turns out that French roads have 2 names and their road signs bear no relation to the map; but after a couple of wrong turns, getting lost in Rouen, paying 13 Euros for a burger and a routine police breathalyser check at a toll where we discovered BBF's Mum keeps her insurance docs in the house rather than the car, we arrived after nightfall at the house. 

Upon arrival we found a mental Grendel-type neighbour who had moved from Paris to get some peace and quiet only to discover next door was now a holiday home! All we did was get out of the car and walk into the house but he started shouting and screaming and then threw stones at us! aaahhh, the French... He was known to the owners and we'd been left with strict instructions to call the police if he kicked off but he didn't hassle us again after that thankfully.

The house was gorgeous; it had tiled floors, wooden beams, 4 bathrooms, a huge kitchen-diner, a massive living room with a gigantic TV, a pool, lots of sun loungers, an ivy-covered seating area and a barbecue. We had fresh baguettes and croissants every morning, lots of lovely wine, hams and cheese and we sat down for a big meal together each evening. 

Most of the holiday was spent happily lolling around the garden drinking wine, sunbathing and reading. It was very hot so I impulsively decided to turn my only pair of jeans into shorts (it's hard to sunbathe and keep your modesty in a skirt) but I still managed to get some wear out of my new ooo-la-la French Breton top which I was pleased about. We were lucky with the weather although I was slightly disappointed to hear it had been nice in Brighton as well!

For some reason there were tonnes of really aggressive wasps knocking about and I got stung on my finger and on the back of my knee. I'm not fussed about wasps but hadn't been stung since I was a teenager so was shocked to find out that it hurts like fuck! I couldn't bend my leg until the next day but after making a shandy beer trap I think I killed the bastard along with two dozen others. They got BBF as well, and Nick got stung for the first time in his life on his birthday which resulted in his hand blowing up like a balloon. He was pretty stoical about it unlike myself.

One afternoon I wandered along the lane into the fields to escape the noise that 13 other people make and spent a while quietly sitting against a hay bale listening to the cicadas and watching the crickets jump out of the crispy stubble of the hay field. I don't think you really get to have a 'personal relationship' with a place until you spend some time with it on your own and it was really peaceful there.

On Nick's birthday he was sent off to get baguettes first thing so we could decorate the garden with balloons and bunting we'd made from red and yellow paper serviettes. Later we went to a Go-Ape type of place then that evening a huge thunderstorm broke and it tipped it down. I love thunderstorms and see one every time I go abroad. Due to the heat, they're usually so much more impressive than here, and we could hear it rumbling around the house as we ate dinner He then opened his presents and we all had cake - he said it was a perfect birthday.

The Go-Ape place was pretty cool; the menfolk flew manly down zip wires in nappy-style harnesses and the womenfolk watched the kids playing on the adventure playground praising them for their ability to stay on a rope bridge without falling into a safety net one foot below. I spent most of the afternoon outside the cafe with my book and a glass of red wine which suited me perfectly. I did get some good photos of BBF grimacing in apprehension as he teetered precariously in the tree-tops though.

Overall the holiday was lovely; I got a bit of a tan and a great time was had by all. The kids put a bit of a dampener on it a bit especially as we neared our last day, but we consoled ourselves with the fact that we could go home and their parents were stuck with them for life. I wondered why we don't do more holiday'y things especially as we live in a holiday town, but I guess you get so wrapped up in your routine that you don't get to properly relax until you go away.

I had those usual idealistic thoughts of trying to incorporate parts of the holiday into my life and so far I'm not doing too badly. I've made more of an effort to get on with work instead of faffing around so I can have a proper lunch outside on the step with a book, and I'm currently drinking a glass of red wine as I type. I think I'll definitely be able to keep that one up if nothing else!