Gites South Brittany

Well that's another Christmas over and done with! Both gîtes full with satisfied customers and bookings beginning to come in for 2008. Our latest acquisition (a Christmas present for our daughter) is a moth trap, which will enable her to run moth identification events for our gîte customers. The vast majority of our visitors are keen wildlife enthusiasts and will greatly-appreciate such an opportunity. Wildlife has always been close to her heart - she even had articles published in the RSPB magazines and was a Junior Leader of the local RSPB Wildlife Explorers group - and she is now enjoying sharing her hobby with Renaud and learning the French names for birds and insects.

We were invited to the local school's Christmas show (as I am their English teacher), which was held in the "Forum" in Nivillac. The Forum is a Community Centre which boasts a very modern theatre. The children did well - the star of the show being a tiny 3-year-old boy who very happily followed the older children around on-stage whilst managing to look completely bewildered at the same time! All the parents were videoing or taking photos - I don't know if it is still the same in the UK, but I remember years ago at Cheryl's school being banned from doing this, for fear of misuse of the images! I remember thinking that the world had finally gone mad - thank goodness that, for the moment at least, such hysteria hasn't hit France.

In fact a lot of the "Nanny State-isms" do not trouble us here. Schools can still collect the insides of toilet rolls for Blue Peteresque art projects and playgrounds are full of children charging about on scooters, trikes and space hoppers. Children share headphones without a sign of a box of sterilising wipes. Parents adopt a let-them-find-out-for-themselves attitude generally towards their offspring and, even though this seems a bit dangerous to my English mind, they very quickly seem to develop good sense. There doesn't seem to be an increase in the amount of children on crutches or in plaster compared with my years of teaching in schools in England - so maybe they are right! When you visit a doctor there is no accompanying nurse - even for the most intimate of examinations! I have never undergone any sort of check, police or otherwise, in order to be able to teach - just needed to pass teaching exams! Again, past experience in the UK has led to such measures being put in place - but, let's face it, the vast majority of folk are good and honest.

But then again, in the UK you do not need a doctor's note until you have been off ill for a few days - here you have to obtain one for even a half-day! You also have to visit the "Medecin Travail" every 2 years, or when you begin a new job, to be certified "apte". Oh well, you win some ........

With my shoulder and arm very much improved - nearly 8 months after my accident and I am, at last, mainly pain-free. I still only have limited use of my arm - I cannot get my hand up behind my back or raise my hand high enough to write above half-way on the black/whiteboards in class, but otherwise I'm using it almost normally. I still see the physio (kiné) twice a week, which has to somehow be fitted into my busy schedule.

Talking of work - I am now officially qualified to teach English in French primary schools. Yippeee! What a relief!Months of hard work paid off when, on 3rd December, I had my final inspection. This is akin to the OFFSTED inspections in the UK. Two officials from the Education Authority sat-in on a 45 min. lesson and looked over my planning for the year (including detailed lesson plans, overview of the progression for the year and evaluations of both the lessons themselves and individual pupils). Taking into consideration the number of different year groups I teach (although they were only interested in the year-groups where a foreign language is compulsary - CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2) this represented a huge amount of work .... and all in French! The main thing is that I passed with flying colours, receiving a lot of very positive feedback from the Inspectors. Obviously, I have to continue to work within the curriculum ("textes officiales"), but there is no longer any question over my suitability for the job! Not that there ever was, but the qualification is obligatory - even Headteachers who wish to teach English here have to go through the same process to qualify ("être habilité").

I have also recently learnt a new skill - creating interactive teaching games in Powerpoint. Thanks to my younger sister's help - she teaches computing in colleges in the UK. My teaching colleagues have taken a keen interest in this idea and I am organising a half-day "workshop" for them at home during the Christmas holidays. It will be useful to exchange ideas and also to pool our resources. All the games I and my colleagues create will be translated into French and made available to children visiting our gîtes - French or English. The children here in all the scchools were enthralled with the games this week and behaved impeccably in order to win the right to participate!

Cheryl and I are continuing to train the dogs to do Agility and also Dancing. We are building quite a repertoire - spins, rolls, weaving between legs whilst walking, looking left and right, giving left and right paws, high 5, walking on hind legs, bowing ...... and the dogs can do quite a lot too! We now need to choreograph it all to music. We have a more professional set of 12 weave poles and Gracie and Ficelle are beginning to develop a really good technique through them.

Harry continues to be the best cat ever (I'm not biased!). He's the first cat we've ever had and he has won all our hearts. He and the dogs still adore each other and play together. He even joins in the agility sessions - today he did the walk over and the seesaw, but his favourite is the tunnel. We have begun feeding the birds again - placing the feeder in the middle of the garden away from hiding places so that Harry cannot surprise them.

Well I survived my first full week back at work since April! Je suis claquée! Any road up, it would appear that the children are all very happy to have their favourite English teacher back - as one Head Teacher told me today "Apparament, l'anglais c'est rigolo!" (Apparently, English is fun!).

I have spent most of the week explaining that "L O" is just a list of letters and not "Bonjour en anglais"!! Followed by much hillarity trying to make a piece of tissue fly off the back of the hand whilst saying "Hello!". (I took great care in ensuring that they understood that they should pick up the hundreds of bits of tissue used around the house once they had finished their homework - I wonder how many complaints from parents I'll get next week!!)

Great shock was expressed at the idea that English people don't go around kissing each other all day long and that even shaking hands is usually reserved for a very first "rencontre".

A+ - as they say in French text messages !!

I've just become a technophobe - but it's not easy at 44 years old and with a keyboard that doesn't play fair!!!! I have just been gobsmacked and am (unusually) lost for words. I have just received my early birthday pressie - a lap top. However, it's got a silly french keyboard - I mean, who decided that it woiuld be a good idea to have to hold down the shift key just to type a ful stop!!!!

Any road up, I will have easy access to all my recordings - sound and visual - for use in schools. (sorry for the delay there - I had to stop to hold down the shift key!!!)

Perhaps it,s a blessing in disguise for "my readers" (who don't exist) because I can't waffle on so easily. (shift key!) I'll leave you with a sentence to decode:

The auick brozn fox ju,ped over the lawy dog;

Injury: The long-awaited recovery has made sufficient progress for me to be able to return to work – after 4 months of being "on holiday", it will seem strange! I still have a very long way to go to regain all my range of movements and am visiting a different physio (kiné) 3 times a week (on the advice of my doctor, who was not at all happy with the original physio's treatment). I had 2 rounds of cortisone injections (infiltrations) into my shoulder and wrist.

I had developed frozen shoulder (épaule gelée or capsulite retractile) and also "algodystrophie" in my hand (I'm using the French here, as I don't know the English medical term). After the injections I had to rest for a month. However, I regained quite a lot of movement just as a result of the cortisone itself.

House and Home: Another exciting event was the arrival of our shed! Well, OK it doesn't seem that exciting to you, but here you need planning permission. We now also have a sit-and-ride mower, which is making Paul's life much easier. He's like a kid with a new toy and is very happy that we had a wet summer, as this meant the grass continued to grow .....!

Gîtes: We have had a good season with our gîtes and our heads have grown bigger thanks to the wonderful, enthusiastic comments we have received from our customers in our Visitors' Book (Livre D'Or). I have, at last, got around to creating some French pages for our website – if you want to give your French a try, click on the French flag on our Front page on www.gitessouthbrittany.com and enjoy!

For wildlife enthusiasts I have improved our "Local Wildlife" page, in order to make it easier to read. Again we have been very encouraged by the reaction of our visitors, who greatly appreciate our "local knowledge" – helping them to access the wildlife they hope to see more easily.

Sailing: Last weekend we sailed out to sea and visited a small island just off the coast of the Loire Atlantique. This was a big adventure, which necessitated passing through the barrage (a lock). Otherwise, we have used our boat a lot less this year – just a few trips along the river – due to both the weather and my injury.

Dogs: Gracie and Ficelle are amazing us with their ability to learn new tricks. We have begun using the "clicker" method and they can now spin, roll, walk backwards on hind legs (front would be a bit too much to ask!!!), give left or right paw, high 5, bark on command, weave between our legs, circle our legs (forwards for the moment) and sit-up-and-beg. Our aim (notre but) is to put all this together to music! Ficelle has proved herself to be a natural. Gracie still has the upper paw when it comes to Agility though and we now have an "A Frame" and a very smartly painted course.

We also took them along to a Border Collie day near Dinan, where we could test their aptitude for herding. I was extremely proud of Gracie, who, faced with a herd of sheep (brebis) (she was off the lead), showed how well brought-up she is and refused to chase around after them. Unfortunately, the organisers saw things differently and instructed their sheep-dogs to herd the sheep towards us and around us to try and encourage her natural instinct – when she steadfastly continued to walk to heel (like a good dog) they gave up on her, shaking their heads! Ficelle? Well Ficelle is Ficelle – enough said! For those of you who don't know her personally, she is "têtue" – headstrong – and although she, at first, remembered her training, her brain worked out that "All the other dogs are having grrrrrreat fun chasing those sheep and no-one has told them off! Yippeeeeee! Here I go!" This pleased the organisers greatly, even when one of the sheep jumped the fence and ran off towards the car park with Ficelle in hot pursuit! Give her her due, she did stop and lay down when I whistled (organisers most annoyed with me for interfering – sorry, but I didn't want my dog or the sheep out on the road!). Another "helpful" chap then carried on the chase with his dog – result a lost sheep (in adjacent field of sweet corn) for 20 minutes!!! Oh well, they did want her to show her natural instincts and that's what they got!

I spent the whole 2 weeks of the holiday lesson-planning and studying for my exam – "Habilitation" – which I sat (in front of a board at the Education Authority in Vannes – gulp!!!) on 19th April. This is the official qualification to teach English in primary schools and which I needed to pass in order to continue teaching in September. Although for the French teachers taking the exam a large part of it involves verifying their level of English, for me it was my level of French that was tested. In addition to this, we all had to answer questions about the "Textes Officielles" (Curriculum and Teaching Practice). Anyway, big sigh of relief, I passed with flying colours! This has greatly boosted my confidence and I have gone into the schools with renewed energy this week!

The gîtes are beginning to get booked-up a bit more. We even have a 10 day booking for both gîtes from the "Commune de Nivillac" (the Mairie, basically) – a troop of actors who are coming to put on a play at the local "Forum" theatre. For details of the gîtes (holiday cottages) and availability go to our main web-site (link on the left of this page).

On Saturday we managed to sail further than ever before up the Vilaine river. We set off from La Roche-Bernard (where our boat is moored) at about 10.30 am (having spent over an hour just rowing out to collect it from its mooring, towing the rowing boat back to the pontoons, ferrying dogs, cat and supplies from the car and getting the sails ready) and arrived at "Le Pont de Cran" (between St. Dolay and Redon) at 1 pm. We had lunch on board and the dogs had a swim – Harry, the cat, declined! – before setting off back to La Roche. Harry is a very cool ship's cat – he takes it all in his stride.

We sailed part of the way back. Although there was very little wind and most of the headway was made thanks to the current. Arriving back in La Roche-B, we set the boat on the end of a pontoon and Paul set off to collect a rowing boat to tow back across the river with us. Just then a very large yacht appeared – we had stopped in its berth! Luckily for us it was our friend, Jean-François, who took it all very well and even looked after the dogs on his boat whilst we moored up. We then "had to" stay for an "appero" with him before finally getting home at 9.45 pm!!!!!! We were both very tired and sun burnt – it had been an extremely hot day – worthy of July, never mind April. Life's so tough here in Brittany!!!!

Another school holiday has arrived – two weeks for Easter here, and this year it is the same two weeks as in much of the UK. I shall have to be very strong-willed and make myself work on some lesson planning etc. ready for the long summer term. No half-term break here in France – we go from 16th April right through to July! There will, however, be several "jours fériés" (bank hols) to break up the stretch though.

On the boating front, we have now moved our yacht off its pontoon and out into the river, where it is moored on a buoy – "corps mort". We had put our names down slightly too late last year to be in with a chance of getting a pontoon slot this summer, but the "Capitainerie" looked after us well and found us a slot on a buoy. It was another learning curve – we had to borrow one of the port's rowing boats (to which we attached our spare 2cv motor!) and our friend Dave followed Rienkanoux out and helped us attach ropes around the two buoys – one front and one aft (or is that "bow" and "stern", or even "l'avant / la proue" and "l'arrière / la poupe"?).

Once the boat was secured, we climbed into the rowing boat (which is free to use if you have a boat in the port) and prepared to set off back across the river. I remembered, luckily, to ask Paul if he had locked the battery locker – he hadn't and had to climb back aboard, unlock the boat and lock the offending locker. "You wouldn't want to forget something and have to set off back to the boat again, would you!!!?" I said, smugly. It only took about 3 minutes to chug back to the pontoons, but rain was threatening. Just as we were about to tie up alongside – yes, you've guessed it ...... "Where's my handbag?" asked a rather less-smug me!!!!!

At last the sun has come out and we have been making the most of it. We spent yesterday and today out in the garden - clipping back the ivy which had invaded the oaks and other trees. The idea is that we have cut the lower stems only, leaving the ivy in place to provide nesting cover for small birds, but that by late summer it will have died back enough to pull out of the tree. Two of our deciduous trees are now in leaf - the Elders. For more information about our garden and the local wildlife go to our main website and follow the link to Nature Notes (see link on the left of this page).

Harry (our kitten) "visited" the vets 10 days ago for the big op. At 6 months old we had been advised he was ready. We are hoping that he will now not look to stray too far from the house and garden and have therefore finally allowed him out without being on his long-line. The timing was just right, as we were able to leave the doors to the house open and enjoy the sunshine. He has ventured as far as the log pile at the bottom of the garden (several hundred feet) - stopping to shake his paws as he went because the grass is still long down there and it was quite wet with dew. Otherwise he has just enjoyed his new-found freedom and followed his "sisters" (our two collie/spaniel crosses) around like a little lost sheep! He also joined-in the dog agility session this afternoon - his strengths being the tunnel and the walk-over. (Again photos are available on our website - follow the link from the "Dogs Welcome" page).

We have been given a mooring for the boat for the summer at La Roche-Bernard (where it is currently on a pontoon, but from which we have to move on 1 April). This will be a cheaper option, but less user-friendly. There are free rowing boats available to the port users in order to access the moored boats, but we have a small boat of our own with a small, 2CV outboard which we will transport there and back on a trailer. In order to ensure a pontoon for next summer, we need to present ourselves to the Capitainerie on 1 July to get our names down. However, for such events as the Bastille Day Celebrations and the Music Festival, we will be able to put "him" on the Visitors' Pontoon to then stay overnight onboard.

It's amazing how quickly two weeks can go – back to school tomorrow already. Having started the break with flu and then flown over to Cyprus for a week (which involved 3 days of travelling in all), I spent 3 days lesson planning and there you have it!

Cyprus was a chance to catch up with Paul's parents in their holiday home out there. We haven't seen them for nearly a year and they, very generously, paid for us to fly over and it was great to see them. I am not a fan of flying and to have to take a total of 6 airplanes in one week was not my idea of fun. However, once there in one piece, I managed to put the return flight to the back of my mind and enjoy the break. We were fortunate with the weather – eating breakfast outside on all but one day and only having one day of rain. However, we were shocked to see the changes since our last trip 4 years ago. The place has become one big building site – villas going up everywhere (all crammed-in and over-looking each other!) and more estate agencies than ever – all adverts in English (even the prices!). Olive, lemon and orange groves are being carved up along with the mountainsides and gorges. To help people to get around they are building miles of roads just to add to the habitat destruction. I suppose it may be some people's cup of tea, but not mine. The local restaurants have even begun to serve roast dinner all day Sunday! We still managed to find some un-spoilt areas off-the-beaten-track, but the birds were harder to find – I wish I could say the same about the litter – bottles, cans and spent gun cartridges everywhere.

I may often moan about how complicated the planning-application process is here in France – we even need to get permission to put up a garden shed! But at least it means that the countryside I so cherish will be here for the good of people and birds for the future and you don't have to get on a plane to get here! Vive la France!

Well, after my moan last time about the broadband connection teething problems things have been markedly better. Although the line does go dead a few times a week it is usually a case of switching the box off and on again and job done - fingers crossed that things continue to improve because when it works it's great!

Not much has been happening here apart from me going down like a very heavy thing with bronchitis which meant that I finally had to admit that I couldn't keep on working and take to my sick bed (cue violins!) The problem with the French system (there's a problem ??? !!!!! shock !!!!) is that you do not get paid for the first 3 days illness - and, seeing as it is usually just those 3 days you need, people tend to try and work through - understandably. The knock-on effect being that everyone else catches the bug and on it goes! The schools have been half-empty (pessimistic view) for a couple of weeks now. The other big difference between the UK and France is that you are required to produce a doctor's certificate for even a half-day's absence (children included) - so the doctors' surgeries are full of people spreading germs too! Add to that the idea that everyone kisses everyone else at least once a day ......!

As for the health service system here - you have to cough-up (sorry for the pun!!) 21 € every time you visit the quack. He/she then gives you a form which you send in to the local health office. They then reimburse 70% of the fee (minus a mandatory contribution of 1€) directly into your bank account. The remaining 30% (minus - yes, you've guessed it!) is also reimbursed by your "Mutuel" or complementary health insurance. The same system applies for medicines on prescription, except that now most chemists will take your "Carte Vitale" (national health card - a green credit card with a chip) and you, therefore, do not need to part with any money (no mandatory contribution here ...... yet!). However, we have found the complementary health insurance to be rather costly if you wish to take this option. The first year we lived in France we took out the full Monty (if you'll excuse the phrase), but for the second year we made some enquiries and found that we could save over 200€ over the year by taking the "hospitalisation" option. As far as it appears - and has proved to work so far - all you lose out on is the 30% contribution towards docs visits and prescriptions, everything else (tests, hospital treatment etc) being covered.