Friday 14 November 2008

Goings On

Well, Mum has left us this week to return to the chill of Europe, and the island has mourned her departure with day after day of rain, rain, rain...! When she has organised her photos, I will hijack them and blog her stay (hint hint!). Now I am having to get up early with CassCass (I very much appreciate your 6am or earlier wake-ups Mum, and all those lie-ins I got!). The girls have been enjoying the books she made with pictures of car symbols on each page. When it stops raining we are going out with paper and pen to copy the ones she missed - LissaLou did a mighty fine attempt at a Peugeot yesterday! Then wrote PEJO (with J backwards!) under, and I suggested that it was creole!

Today Bertie has gone to Sainte Rose with CassCass and Mamie to buy some seedlings. Papy hired a man and a van, nope, sorry a tractor I mean, to plough his land at Pika (two new french words for me - first he had to hacher several times the land, then silloner it- all over a space of a few weeks to allow the land time to repose and take in the sun) and has given some space to Bertie. I am hoping for tomatoes, peppers, various herbs, and given the price of lettuce at the market right now (€4 a kilo!! we are eating every last leaf to get our money's worth!) hopefully some of that too.

LissaLou is at school and off to the swimming pool - it is outdoors so they will be wet from below and from above!

I am carrying on my cleaning campaign which I have shamefully neglected over the past weeks. Perhaps I will bake too, who knows?

Baby JoJo is happily crawling around investigating everything in his path, but I shall put him to bed soon. I have hung his mobile up next to his cot and for the first time in a long time, he went to bed without crying as his eyes were fixed on the spinning giraffe!

Other events of note this week...Bertie made chichis and most delicious they were too, though a very strange shape and we shall ignore the fact that his nephew Steeven said they tasted like bokits! Chichis are a bit like the Guadeloupean form of doughnuts (beignets) but long and thin and dipped in sugar or nutella. Very good for you, as you can tell!

Wednesday night there was a BIG match at the stadium next to our house, as the winners get to play against a mainland French team in the next round. In honour of the occasion, the street sellers were out in mass (we were tempted to go and sell our chichis but decided the average man in the street may not be discerning enough to appreciate the unique taste and form they had...!). The underdog team from Petit Bourg had also brought along their own personal band to support them, with drums and other instruments I was at a loss to identify. The (loud) music began before the match, and went on, and on, and on, and on... Bertie said they would play the whole match to encourage their team and that they did! It obviously worked, as they won.

I thought the music was gwoka, which is local traditional drum playing , but in fact it was carnival style. Apparently the carnival season lasts THREE months this year and every Sunday the bands will be parading past our house practising! Better get used to the noise! I really enjoyed listening to it, and was so tired that it didn't stop me going to sleep as the match went into extra time and then penalties for good measure!

Speaking of football, I hope you have all been following the stunning renaissance of the Hotspurs recently?!

Unfortunately Premier radio's Listen Live isn't working at the moment - I like to put it on at 8am and 6pm for the worship hours!

Right, I shall don my ipod (SMILE!), get out the vinegar and get scrubbing!

4 comments:

BCB Webmaster said...

Spurs' revival has been quite amazing! When Harry Redknapp arrived, one player said they had a chance now of beating relegation... they'll be thinking of Europe before too long!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the details of daily life!
I've found the Stade, the school and Pika on Google earth- so exciting!
Saw Phil today and delivered your letter. texted Eline and will go there on Sunday.

I think I remember that word 'silloner' or a derivative in La Marseillaise? Will check it out.
Have been taking photos of car badges.
Missing all of you too.
and the heat, and the colours...

Anonymous said...

Just came fro the 8 months blog... and was thinking about PEJO and remembered explaining to Lissa Lou about how French uses eau to make the english sound of 'o',so you could tell her this is a similar situation. Or do we english speakers just mispronounce PEJO.
BTW I think Creole is a good thing!

Hevs said...

Well I hope they don't get beyond themselves - remaining in the top flight is quite sufficient. Tho there is always the Carling Cup...

I have saved your citroen badge photo as our wallpaper Mum and the girls shrieked with joy when they saw in this am!

I think I will save the pronounciation of eu and eo for a little later... We are currently doing nutrition (amazing all the good things in our meal today!) and may work on telling the time next.