Back to almost-normal

Well, after at least a year of feeling tired, run-down, losing both weight and memory, plus a spell in hospital in Limoges, my dearest OH has been diagnosed with diabetes. It will mean sugar-free diet and medication for the rest of his life, but the (French) dietician did say he should drink 2 glasses - no more - of vin rouge a day and so life doesn't feel quite so grim now...

So, we are beginning to get back on an even keel - I'm doing the diet too (I've lost 4 kilos) and OH is definitely looking better - nose and ears are now pink instead of the recent grey - sorry if I make him sound like a kitten, but honestly, it's true!

Although our summer is winding down - kids go back to school in 10 days - I've got loads of stock bought over the last few months and I just need to launder and press etc so watch this space for more French bargains...

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a photo of dawn breaking on the day following my daughter's birthday: the teenage sleep-over included staying up to watch the sunrise, and the birthday cake which her two friends made for her to cheer her up whilst Daddy was in hospital - isn't that sweet of them?

Holiday from blogging

Having a little rest from the blog right now due to family health problems - will start up again soon when I get my head round everything and some stock sorted ready to list.

Bye for now,

Reading, writing and 'rithmetic - in War time France

Sorry, but these books are all sold
I recently sold some school books to a collector, and thought you might like to see what French children used to learn at school during World War II.

Gilbert and Michelle, grew up in a village not far from here, near to Nontron in Dordogne. Most of the books I found belonged to Gilbert, and he went on to do a special course 'for boys' to include woodworking, simple electricity, plumbing etc.

My two children, born in Britain, now teenagers, have gone through the French education system, and I can tell you now that nothing has changed since 1939! They still have to cover their books with old wallpaper etc, use the first page of their 'cahier' or exercise book as a title page, using beautiful script, and introducing the lesson. All work is marked out of 20, in red ink, and with cryptic comments from the teacher, with marks lost for untidiness, spelling mistakes etc.

My kids' work is still marked and graded in the same way - the pass mark is 10 out of 20 and no-one ever gets 20! Of course, my son's easiest lesson is English - he regularly gets 19 out of 20 and rightly so, but sometimes is asked by the teacher if something is correct. He has had to correct his English teacher a few times - very diplomatically of course - for saying the plural of toast is 'toasts' and for pronouncing the 'r' in ironing etc.

I often wonder about Gilbert and Michelle - what happened to them during their occupation in the war - did they survive? I hope so.