Monday 19 January 2009

J'ai Trois Ans

We've been hearing (and correcting!) this for a while so today we all asked CassCass "quel age as-tu maintenant" and were delighted when her reply was at last the right one! Instead of saying "mais non CassCass tu as deux ans!" LissaLou was able to reply "Bravo CassCass!" What a difference a day makes!

We decorated the living room with balloons, pictures of her from birth to recently (though she is convinced that they are of Baby JoJo!) and her birthday cards, including two handmade by LissaLou and myself yesterday courtesy of this book.

Here she is opening her helicopter which Papa kindly helped her put together, and we also got her Chouboulote fete son anniversaire (we love the Choubouloute series which are set in the French West Indies and give a very true picture of everyday life here!). Her other present from us was a Dora the Explorer activity book for Petite Section, Maternelle (which is what she officially is now she is three years old). We are going to play school and work through it together - I was very impressed at her pen control when drawing in between two lines this morning and she is also very careful about not colouring over the lines (LissaLou's teacher seems to have a bit of an obsession about this so it must have passed over to CassCass!).
Congratulations to Royal Mail & La Poste who got her parcel from Grandma to her on the very day! No customs fee this time I am pleased to say.... CassCass was delighted with her taxi (we are working on black cab!) and says I love Grandma, I love Grandma's taxi! Tatie Nadia bought her these dolls (green hair!!) and it must be said they have fallen into LissaLou's hands. According to their hair colour, she has named them Cythere, Vanille, Chocolat and Fraise! I'll leave you to work out which is which... Tatie also brought the Dora banner you can see - we shall save it for LissaLou's birthday, especially as it has her middle name in it!
For our birthday lunch I gave CassCass a selection of meals and she chose spaghettie bolognese, yum! Plus we had jelly and ice cream for pudding. Bertie hates jelly and you should have seen Papy and Mamie's faces as they looked at it wobble (we even sang the song for them!). My offer of a taste was quickly turned down! No wasting a drop!
And what would a birthday be without a cake! This one was courtesy of Bertie (a quatre quart nappe au chocolat if you want the official description) and was delicious! We sang Happy Birthday and Joyeux Anniversaire and the candles got blown out very successfully.
Umm, you can just taste how good it is!
At Sunday School yesterday, CassCass told her teacher that she would be three today and a big girl and that she therefore wouldn't cry anymore, it would only be Baby JoJo who did. I was impressed at her french but a bit sceptical of the content, and yes we had a few moments of tears today! Ah well!

Here is the birthday girl having her siesta - all caked out!
Providing the weather is fine and the strikers aren't striking (oh yes, there is another one planned for tomorrow and they are even threatening to turn off the water supplies! This country!) we shall be going to La Ferme Ti Bou on Wednesday with their cousin and a friend or two. Then there is a few weeks respite before the next set of partying!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for such a detailed account of the day! I've been wondering all day - well nearly! - how you would be celebrating!
Tell Papy I am disappointed he wouldn't tast British food - as I did the Guadeloupien!
Glad the parcel arrived safely- and in time!

evie winter said...

Oh what joy to have yo get the camera just in time for Cass' birthday:) We enjoyed reading this and looking at the pictures xxx Tatie Evie

Anonymous said...

Did you read the website about Claudie Ogier - explaing her inspiration and artisitc journey through life? I liked it.
The dictionary says quatre quart is a pound cake but surely you used grams to measure the ingredients?

Hevs said...

Bertie could give you the recipe, it was certainly in grams. I think the idea is that each ingredient is a quarter of the whole. Not sure what pound cake is though!
Shall read her website soon.
Glad you enjoyed it - soo glad to have my lovely camera back, what a difference it makes!

Anonymous said...

It was so good seeing Charis in her element, enjoying every bit of her big-girl day. Looking at the pictures on the wall, you realize how much she's grown; a pretty and charming girl.
Concerning the "4 quart",the name says it all. The weight of the eggs sets the standard, same weight for flour, butter and sugar hence the 4 quarters; simple and delicious!

Missus Wookie said...

Happy Birthday!

Wonderful photos - and that last one is just my favourite, worn out and satisfied :)

Anonymous said...

It sounds like my Victoria sponge recipe 8 ozs of marg, sugar and flour and 4 eggs.
I learn some new French every day - quatres quart and nappe au ...
I look forward to another cake..