I am still doing a lot of knitting, however it’s mostly gifts, except for a jumper for me, so I won’t show any of it. Three couples close to us are expecting babies (5 babies between 3, you can work that out!) so there is a lot of baby garments in the planning stages. Whilst knitting I have been listening to the ABC’s Radio National pod casts, which has been a real pleasure, the other day I put down my needles to just delight in the fact I could effortlessly understand everything that was being said. Not just the basics but the depth of meaning and the nuances of speech, when listening to French I am exhausted, but delighted, to follow just the basics. One of my favourite programmes is Books and Writing, yesterday I was read to in my lounge room by Kate Grenville, Carlos Fuentes and Alice Munro, I loved the sound of Munros Runaway so much I ordered it off Amazon, but for less then $18 Aussie dollars to my door I don’t think it was extravagant.

In other news I have not had much luck with the job applications, all replys have been that it is to late in the school year, as it is a requirement that all teaching contracts are signed by early December. I will have to try private schools, however I hope to start a French course at the Lille Uni next month which is 3 full days a week and with the English classes I give I will be busy.
Jim has had some news of which he is his usual modest self about, but not I, I am full of pride for my clever husband. Some of his research has produced results that warrant a patent, it will carry his name and has required a lot of paperwork and his account details, he says the monetary rewards will be minimum. So this outcome as well has his published papers have made his post doc in Lille very rewarding

The past few weekends have been spent quietly as we are saving our pennies for a ski trip next month. Other holiday plans are a trip to Greece in May and we hope to find out soon that we have been successful in obtaining World Cup tickets for the Australia Croatia match in Stuttgart. What a coincidence it’s Stuttgart, it will be fun to return and to visit some friends and we will have no trouble finding our way around.

I have been failing miserable of late on the domestic goddess front, going through a faze where I am not passionate about what I cook for dinner, luckily Jim has picked up the slack on the weekends and has been inspired by Jamie Olivers Italy. I have been in such a rut that I resorted to cooking Burritos the other night but we both confessed they were pretty yummy. One thing I am into is bread making and the winner is Donna Hays Muscatel and Cinnamon, I prepare it of a night time and let the second prove be a cold overnight one. The next morning just pop it in the oven and 35 mins later you have a fresh delicious loaf, it so delicious that I have baked it, with variations, every weekend since we returned from Spain, last weekend I made it with banana and fig.

We saw Munich on Sunday arvo and both enjoyed it, I thought Eric’s performance was flawless, my French teacher thought it difficult to follow but I don’t agree and found it’s lack of pretension reflected well on Speilbergs part, who I am not normally a fan of. Is Eric Bana usually so sexy?

So what’s with the photo? We don’t hear or see a lot of English in these parts, so I was quite surprised to find some on a dumped mattress out the front of a neighbours!

Happy New Year

For some reason I’ve been very excited about the expectant cold weather, I mean it’s nearly February and it has been so mild. Maybe I want the cold because the more cold it is outside the less guilty I’ll feel when I’m inside knitting. We always gets asked how we cope with a European winter and lots OMG’s when anything below 10 gets mentioned, phone calls and emails always contain a weather questions. To tell you the truth at home in Australia I would describe myself as someone who feels the cold, but here not so much. I was out and about for most of the day today and hearing it was going to be in the minuses donned my secret weapon, the above sheepskin coat. It’s a hand me down from one of my mothers friends, I have an inner hippie so I love it and I swear in below zero I am still toasty warm with just a shirt underneath.

So thanks Terri!

I have depicted a raucous feast and a common source of disappointment, shock, fury, alarm… and eventually, humour and philosophy. Nature in this land just has to be reckoned with and accepted. There’s nothing quite like discovering your entire crop of fruit demolished by a flock of cockies.

I think also that the most vibrant and unique part of Australian patriotism lies in a widespread and deep affection for the unique natural heritage of this land. I wanted to humorously and joyously give emphasis to this aspect which can be shared by all. Michael Leunig

My family aren’t fruit growers on mass, just the odd tree, but I do remember an incident when I was a teenager when mum discovered a new cedar outdoor setting in the process of being destroyed by a gang of Cockies. Mum was willing to relinquish the setting to them happily, a big smile on her face as she watched them tearing pieces off with their surprisingly strong beaks. Aren’t they fabulous, listen to their fabulous squawk as they call in reinforcements. By the time I had reached adolescence I had cottoned on to the fact my mum was a remarkable woman. However it was to appear that I had not taken after her but my Nan, I whipped off my dressing gown cord and started waving it furiously at the cockies……it was a brand new outdoor setting!

She may of laughed with the cockies but she laughed harder at me, she has never let me live it down. So this warm memory and lesson is one of the many reasons I love this Leunig, thanks to my aunt I see it everyday above the computer.

We can’t celebrate Australia Day here with a bbq, but thought we might have a Coopers at the Oz bar and maybe go see Spielbergs new movie Munich starring two fine aussie actors.

Hope you all had a great day in the great heat.

p.s for a laugh go here

This evening while preparing dinner, before I headed out to give a lesson, I caught myself singing in French…

aimer jusqu’a l’impossible……

And whose song was playing in my head? Our very own Tina Arena, my favourite Young Talent Time member, now resides in Paris and has just released an album in French. Whose a clever girl! And having caught her a few times being interviewed on French TV I can confirm she doesn’t just know French in the recording studio. The first time I heard her I was browsing in a department store and despite not knowing she had relocated to France there was no doubt in my mind that who I was hearing was Tina Arena singing in French, she has such a distinct and powerful voice. So while Tina hasn’t had much success in her home country she is quite well known and popular here.

And doesn’t she look fabulous!