I have been meaning to mention this for ages, as it is really the highlight of CassCass' little life: cars. And who they belong to. It is incredible how she remembers not only who's who in her whole huge family but on top of that she has learnt which colour and type of car each drives!
We first borrowed a white car, and that has been classed as "our car". Nevermind that it belongs to a friend of Bertie's sister who was on holiday and we will never drive it again. When we go to the town centre and see it parked streets away, there are shrieks of joy at "our car". For a while, LissaLou and then CassCass kept talking about the "nik nak". It took me quite a while to catch on that they actually meant zig zag - can anyone use this information to identify what car this one is?? I failed miserably, thinking it was a Fiat.
Next we borrowed Tatie Pierrette's car. That was very exciting too. Now CassCass simply hears it outside and immediately speeds out to shout "Tatie Pierrette's car!" Several times. And very loudly.
We have never borrowed it, but she is completely familiar with Papy's car and can identify when it returns home, something I again can't manage. It never ceases to amaze me when she turns out to be right!
Tatie Nadia's car rates highly on our list, with its air con and overall newness. After using that, it was hard to get CassCass in any other.
Tatie Felicianne's car is known as Meddy's car (her cousin) and again she knows the type and colour. Sorry, I have forgotten again what she drives! But I can tell you it is green.
Penultimately our current car is Tonton Richard's car. It's a....oh, ask CassCass, I really only notice the colour. This one is currently missing a part which Bertie needs to fix and CassCass spent several anxious days asking why it was broken. But in the meantime we get to drive our friend Agathe's much newer car, and I suspect it will be a sad moment when we say goodbye again to it!
When we see any car resembling any of the above, it will be commented on by CassCass. As well as those resembling our lovely car in London (that we miss soooo much!). Her idea of bliss is a trip out with Papa in "our car" wherever he happens to be going. There was a very sad moment the other day when she had been disobedient so he didn't take her, and she was stood at the gate watching him leave holding her bottle of water, flip flops and knickers, all ready to leave!
Rereading this entry, it has also struck me once again how generous people are here with their cars, and we are ever so grateful for that. I am not quite sure how the insurance works, and Bertie never seems to know either, but it looks like most people get multi people cover for their cars. Oh, and we might not be going anywhere soon, as the island is currently in the middle of a petrol strike. As someone commented to me today, you always know when the strikes start here, but you never have the least idea when they might finish. (Hence the bus strike that went on for months a few years ago, at which point everyone bought cars and the island became more congested than the M25. Bring in the congestion charge I say...)
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Kiddie News
We continue to be amazed by the french LissaLou is picking up and coming out with. She sat and had a conversation in french with me and her cousin Steeven at lunchtime today, and okay so there is still a lot of work to be done in grammar and sentence construction, but you can get what she is saying! She sings lots of songs from school, such as "Meunier tu dors, ton moulin va trop vite" and a really cute one that says "les oiseaux vont a l'ecole pour apprendre voler tres haut," then a few other animals and finally "les enfants vont a l'ecole pour apprendre devenir grands". Or something. It has lovely hand actions though! She is obviously picking up lots of what is going on around her and sometimes we get a few random comments the teacher has made that day. Plus some less random ones. Today she told me that it was the last day of September, which not only impressed me as I hadn't realised it, but reminded me that it was but a fortnight to my birthday! Hurrah! But I digress. She also has developed her drawing skills to adding on eyelashes and other small details. I wish I could show you the card she did for her friend Lea's birthday yesterday, with Lea's blond hair and her own brown curls perfectly represented!
It is easy to get caught up in the chaos and destruction CassCass causes, so I need to reflect more on the positive changes in her! Her french is also coming on. Both of them talk to themselves in that language but CassCass definitely has a more authentic accent and seems more at ease with it than LissaLou. CassCass is such a little girl now, so much taller, very skinny and constantly running around the place. Usually naked, much to the in-laws' horror. She can count objects (up to 8 at the last try) and loves watching me write her name and spell out the letters. She will sit down with a pen and pretend to write too and occasionally "read" a story to herself like her sister does. It is quite amusing seeing all the things she does or says that she has picked up from her sister. Tatie Evie will be pleased - yesterday she came and asked me to sing Tatie's Deep Down song, and then requested the entire family (Mummy/Papa/LissaLou/Grandma/Tatie I love you deep down in my heart etc) whilst she bounced up and down on the bed. She still loves playing with her happyland and thomas toys. Ah, and a compliment for her excellent speech - a friend today said she would like to learn English from CassCass; she speaks so clearly she understands all she says!
Finally my little hearthrob! Baby JoJo is now sitting so well! He really can go quite a while before he goes kerplunk, so I occasionally leave him propped up with plenty of cushions. No fun on these hard tiles otherwise. He also spends a lot longer on his tummy just looking at things. The other day it was Papy, to the latter's delight! When he is on his tummy he will try and pull himself up like he is doing push ups. Funnily enough, he can roll from his back to his front but still not vice versa. He has the cutest laugh, and if you tickle him under his neck or play games with him there is a good chance you will hear it bellowing out.
Apparently my french isn't doing too badly either (despite all those many people who don't seem to understand what I so clearly say, grr!) Another friend today told me I spoke really well with a noble accent! The mind boggles! But that boosted my rather low confidence in that area I must say! I therefore shared my attempts to pick up the Guadeloupean accent - " a plus tar-oh, je veux boir-oh" and had the table in fits of laughter. Maybe I had better keep working on it!
It is easy to get caught up in the chaos and destruction CassCass causes, so I need to reflect more on the positive changes in her! Her french is also coming on. Both of them talk to themselves in that language but CassCass definitely has a more authentic accent and seems more at ease with it than LissaLou. CassCass is such a little girl now, so much taller, very skinny and constantly running around the place. Usually naked, much to the in-laws' horror. She can count objects (up to 8 at the last try) and loves watching me write her name and spell out the letters. She will sit down with a pen and pretend to write too and occasionally "read" a story to herself like her sister does. It is quite amusing seeing all the things she does or says that she has picked up from her sister. Tatie Evie will be pleased - yesterday she came and asked me to sing Tatie's Deep Down song, and then requested the entire family (Mummy/Papa/LissaLou/Grandma/Tatie I love you deep down in my heart etc) whilst she bounced up and down on the bed. She still loves playing with her happyland and thomas toys. Ah, and a compliment for her excellent speech - a friend today said she would like to learn English from CassCass; she speaks so clearly she understands all she says!
Finally my little hearthrob! Baby JoJo is now sitting so well! He really can go quite a while before he goes kerplunk, so I occasionally leave him propped up with plenty of cushions. No fun on these hard tiles otherwise. He also spends a lot longer on his tummy just looking at things. The other day it was Papy, to the latter's delight! When he is on his tummy he will try and pull himself up like he is doing push ups. Funnily enough, he can roll from his back to his front but still not vice versa. He has the cutest laugh, and if you tickle him under his neck or play games with him there is a good chance you will hear it bellowing out.
Apparently my french isn't doing too badly either (despite all those many people who don't seem to understand what I so clearly say, grr!) Another friend today told me I spoke really well with a noble accent! The mind boggles! But that boosted my rather low confidence in that area I must say! I therefore shared my attempts to pick up the Guadeloupean accent - " a plus tar-oh, je veux boir-oh" and had the table in fits of laughter. Maybe I had better keep working on it!
Good Housekeeping?
In the UK, if you are not managing to keep your humble abode clean and tidy, you may get a comment or two, or someone sweeping their finger along a dusty shelf to make a point, or even a visit from Kim and Aggie...or it may just get completely ignored by all the kind folk around you. Here, it is a very different matter.
No, I do not have obsessively clean in-laws (far from it!). The state of my flat is in fact made very clear to me by....BEASTIES. Tons of 'em. Yuck.
Did I leave food on the table top or the dishes undone? Flies, everywhere. Great fun swatting them with a flip flop, they are surprisingly easy to kill.
Did I leave crumbs or jam dripping? Or even a few dead flies on the floor? Along come the ants, with their incredible instinct that allows them to find dirt in minutes. They are much smaller than the ones we had back home, but just as impressive in their actions. I have spent many hours killing them one by one...
Did I miss those crumbs under the sofa or the bed? Watch out, our friend the cockroach may be along shortly.... These ones scuttle far faster than any I remember in the past, and are far FAR bigger. It is pretty hard to get them with your flip flop, all that works is spraying the wonderful Baygone or screaming loudly and waiting for Bertie to turn up. Thankfully, I haven't seen many and mostly downstairs. I had a horrible moment when my SIL told me she had found one on the bed of her daughters one night (don't feel alarmed mum, but it was in the guest room!!). I am even more grateful for our mosquito nets!
And finally yesterday's traumatic discovery - it is only good to be green if you are organised enough to empty your leftovers and peelings regularly. Otherwise for your crime, maggots! Thousands of them! (Or so it felt.) And they don't die! It was like something out of a horror film, with more and more pouring out the box, me squashing them for all I was worth, only for them to start to move again - eek! LissaLou took great joy in watching me in my distress then running around the flat shouting "mankots! mankots!" Thankfully Bertie arrived home to help and we found that even spraying them with the deadly Baygone didn't do the job. So we put them all in a plastic bag in the bin and who knows what they are up to now? As for me, I keep seeing them everywhere...on my plate, in my glass, on the floor, in my hair...I expected to dream about them last night but was spared that!
So now I intend to be much more thorough in my cleaning schedule! No easy task as all the world seems to conspire against me when I get to cleaning. I met up with some nice ladies from the House Church that we occasionally go to this morning and they were telling me that they had left their houses by 9am this morning with the washing on the line, lunch ready, floors clean, washing up done...what was their secret? I begged to know. Ah, no children under 10 years of age in the house. May have to wait a few years before I get rid of all those bugs then.
No, I do not have obsessively clean in-laws (far from it!). The state of my flat is in fact made very clear to me by....BEASTIES. Tons of 'em. Yuck.
Did I leave food on the table top or the dishes undone? Flies, everywhere. Great fun swatting them with a flip flop, they are surprisingly easy to kill.
Did I leave crumbs or jam dripping? Or even a few dead flies on the floor? Along come the ants, with their incredible instinct that allows them to find dirt in minutes. They are much smaller than the ones we had back home, but just as impressive in their actions. I have spent many hours killing them one by one...
Did I miss those crumbs under the sofa or the bed? Watch out, our friend the cockroach may be along shortly.... These ones scuttle far faster than any I remember in the past, and are far FAR bigger. It is pretty hard to get them with your flip flop, all that works is spraying the wonderful Baygone or screaming loudly and waiting for Bertie to turn up. Thankfully, I haven't seen many and mostly downstairs. I had a horrible moment when my SIL told me she had found one on the bed of her daughters one night (don't feel alarmed mum, but it was in the guest room!!). I am even more grateful for our mosquito nets!
And finally yesterday's traumatic discovery - it is only good to be green if you are organised enough to empty your leftovers and peelings regularly. Otherwise for your crime, maggots! Thousands of them! (Or so it felt.) And they don't die! It was like something out of a horror film, with more and more pouring out the box, me squashing them for all I was worth, only for them to start to move again - eek! LissaLou took great joy in watching me in my distress then running around the flat shouting "mankots! mankots!" Thankfully Bertie arrived home to help and we found that even spraying them with the deadly Baygone didn't do the job. So we put them all in a plastic bag in the bin and who knows what they are up to now? As for me, I keep seeing them everywhere...on my plate, in my glass, on the floor, in my hair...I expected to dream about them last night but was spared that!
So now I intend to be much more thorough in my cleaning schedule! No easy task as all the world seems to conspire against me when I get to cleaning. I met up with some nice ladies from the House Church that we occasionally go to this morning and they were telling me that they had left their houses by 9am this morning with the washing on the line, lunch ready, floors clean, washing up done...what was their secret? I begged to know. Ah, no children under 10 years of age in the house. May have to wait a few years before I get rid of all those bugs then.
Monday, 29 September 2008
Things We Have Been Saying
LissaLou: "This soup has two things in it that shouldn't be there. A hair and a fly."
Hevs: "I am becoming a real West Indian, cooking soup for your lunch!" [It has taken me a long time to get used to the idea of hot soup in the Caribbean!]
Bertie: "We never have soup at lunchtime, only in the evening...."
CassCass: "I don't want lunch NOW"..."I want to go there NOW"...." I am not hungry NOW"...." I don't want to tidy up NOW..." - no idea where she got this use of now as a reinforcing word from!
Baby JoJo: "chuckle chuckle chuckle AIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!" Boy can he screech!
Hevs: "I am becoming a real West Indian, cooking soup for your lunch!" [It has taken me a long time to get used to the idea of hot soup in the Caribbean!]
Bertie: "We never have soup at lunchtime, only in the evening...."
CassCass: "I don't want lunch NOW"..."I want to go there NOW"...." I am not hungry NOW"...." I don't want to tidy up NOW..." - no idea where she got this use of now as a reinforcing word from!
Baby JoJo: "chuckle chuckle chuckle AIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!" Boy can he screech!
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Ask Away!
I am going to have a look through the comments you have all kindly left, as I know I didn't answer everything when I wasn't online so often. If there is anything you are dying to know about life here, do ask and I will try and answer!
Going Green
It has been quite challenging applying my green principles here in Guadeloupe. For a start, they don't appear to have got into recycling yet. The main (and only?) recycling place is near Pointe a Pitre and we haven't yet visited. We saw a few booths outside the post office but it turns out they are just for glass and plastic bottles. In the meantime I have been throwing away all my paper and feeling terribly naughty every time!
Recycling food is not an issue, as it all goes to the pig. It is very satisfying knowing that all our peelings and leftovers are going to such good use!
Speaking of the post office, when we were there for Environment Day recently, I was very frustrated that along with the croissants and cafe, they were giving us plastic plates and cups! These are so frequently used here, and it was very ironic to seeing them piling up in the rubbish bin next to the posters telling us how long items take to degrade!
Items get recycled quite well. Did I mention my BIL collects the glass doors from washing machines on the side of the road and makes them into pyrex dishes for his wife? And there are 101 uses for the front part of the ventilator (the girls love playing with them to serve food or store dolls) which is a good thing as they break so very easily and quickly there are plenty around.
I visited an organic shop this week called Biocoop and was delighted to find the Ecover range, as my stain remover had run out. I also found eco friendly washing up liquid, powder and toilet cleaner in Carrefour. Plus I found recycled toilet paper. Did you know one of my biggest hates in this world is pink toilet paper? It is rife in France, but I am delighted to tell you that this paper is white (with pretty pictures on it and very soft, a big bonus for the girls!).
Carrefour has a whole aisle dedicated to organic food, though I don't see many people in that aisle! Other shops have a few products here and there. And there are a few of the organic shops around. I haven't really found anywhere that sells fruit and vegetables though. The Biocoop sells seeds so perhaps Bertie will plant these when he has finished preparing his land at Pika.
With all the sun and rain, there is such scope for solar power and reusing rainwater, but I am not sure how many people have taken advantage of it. When we visited the future in-laws of the family last Sunday, they showed us two wind turbines on the hill opposite their house. The people there are so remote that they don't have electricity yet, so have to rely on these, which is not a bad idea.
As for the simple things such as turning off the plug, well the annoying thing with french plugs is you can't turn them on and off, you have to pull them out. Plus they are a bit stiffer than UK ones, so they are usually left in, even in our flat I am sorry to say. It is quite funny to watch Bertie's Dad, who has a real thing about the light on our stairs being off, so he is constantly turning it off after us. But then he leaves the tv on as well as the light in his room!
One of the least green things here is the reliance on the car. Bertie's sister will drive to work...which is opposite LissaLou's school and therefore 5 minutes or less from our house! And she is not alone. The number of cars outside the school gates is horrendous, and a sight repeated all over the island. Do not try to drive here between 7.30-9.30 and 3.30-6pm. LissaLou often asks why we don't go to school in the car!
All the electrical goods (and some others) sold come with an eco tax included. This is quite helpful for seeing how much your purchase will affect the environment. So for example the tax on fridges is €10 but on washing machines is about €4. Funnily enough they do sell tumble driers here but they are not really a necessity, although the rain does mean drying time is longer.
Recycling food is not an issue, as it all goes to the pig. It is very satisfying knowing that all our peelings and leftovers are going to such good use!
Speaking of the post office, when we were there for Environment Day recently, I was very frustrated that along with the croissants and cafe, they were giving us plastic plates and cups! These are so frequently used here, and it was very ironic to seeing them piling up in the rubbish bin next to the posters telling us how long items take to degrade!
Items get recycled quite well. Did I mention my BIL collects the glass doors from washing machines on the side of the road and makes them into pyrex dishes for his wife? And there are 101 uses for the front part of the ventilator (the girls love playing with them to serve food or store dolls) which is a good thing as they break so very easily and quickly there are plenty around.
I visited an organic shop this week called Biocoop and was delighted to find the Ecover range, as my stain remover had run out. I also found eco friendly washing up liquid, powder and toilet cleaner in Carrefour. Plus I found recycled toilet paper. Did you know one of my biggest hates in this world is pink toilet paper? It is rife in France, but I am delighted to tell you that this paper is white (with pretty pictures on it and very soft, a big bonus for the girls!).
Carrefour has a whole aisle dedicated to organic food, though I don't see many people in that aisle! Other shops have a few products here and there. And there are a few of the organic shops around. I haven't really found anywhere that sells fruit and vegetables though. The Biocoop sells seeds so perhaps Bertie will plant these when he has finished preparing his land at Pika.
With all the sun and rain, there is such scope for solar power and reusing rainwater, but I am not sure how many people have taken advantage of it. When we visited the future in-laws of the family last Sunday, they showed us two wind turbines on the hill opposite their house. The people there are so remote that they don't have electricity yet, so have to rely on these, which is not a bad idea.
As for the simple things such as turning off the plug, well the annoying thing with french plugs is you can't turn them on and off, you have to pull them out. Plus they are a bit stiffer than UK ones, so they are usually left in, even in our flat I am sorry to say. It is quite funny to watch Bertie's Dad, who has a real thing about the light on our stairs being off, so he is constantly turning it off after us. But then he leaves the tv on as well as the light in his room!
One of the least green things here is the reliance on the car. Bertie's sister will drive to work...which is opposite LissaLou's school and therefore 5 minutes or less from our house! And she is not alone. The number of cars outside the school gates is horrendous, and a sight repeated all over the island. Do not try to drive here between 7.30-9.30 and 3.30-6pm. LissaLou often asks why we don't go to school in the car!
All the electrical goods (and some others) sold come with an eco tax included. This is quite helpful for seeing how much your purchase will affect the environment. So for example the tax on fridges is €10 but on washing machines is about €4. Funnily enough they do sell tumble driers here but they are not really a necessity, although the rain does mean drying time is longer.
Out And About
In the end we decided on Ste Anne again for our Wednesday trip, as time was getting on and it is the nearest. It was ever so much quieter this week, as the rain has evidently put people off the beach. However, we had one cause for ranting...Smokers on the beach! We have noticed that hardly any Guadeloupeans smoke, however, practically all French people smoke. As Ste Anne is full of the latter, it is also full of cigarette smoke and stubs, ugh! So LissaLou got a lecture on why she should never smoke - I remember getting the same from Al when I was little and it was very effective!
Whilst there are definite moments of homesickness for me, for example reading about autumn and thinking of apple season coming up and the leaves getting ready to turn colours and fall, there are also moments of sheer delight here - floating in the warm Caribbean Sea watching the coconut trees against the blue skies and the golden sand is definitely one of them! As is hearing the girls screaming and shrieking in delight as they splash and swim and shout "you can't catch me!" then laugh joyfully when I do!
Bertie is building up his clientele very successfully, so he has decided to invest a bit in his "business" by buying a board and pens. The girls have enjoyed this investment too, drawing intricate pictures then rubbing them all out. Unfortunately CassCass jumped on it this morning and it is not quite the same. That could be said for a lot of things that have the misfortune to fall in to her hands. Everything is pulled out of cupboards, boxes, folders, envelopes, and poor mummy spends her time clearing up after her. The funniest bit is when I come up to her and she says "don't come in here mummy, don't look"! Who says children don't know right from wrong?!
Thursday saw Baby JoJo and I wander along to the Post Office to cash some cheques and finally send my camera to the UK. I couldn't get it insured without the original receipt so I will just have to have faith in the French postal system! After our previous visit, I expected the worst but we actually went straight to the front of the queue. Unfortunately, nothing gets done speedily here so we still had a ten minute wait whilst the cashier was in deep conversation with a man...turned out that he was from the snack bar parked outside and he was taking their lunch orders! Depositing a cheque was surprisingly complex - no swiping cards here, you have to fill out a form and put all your details and the name of the person and bank from whom the cheque is, before signing the back of the cheque for some random reason. Once completed, we collected CassCass and wandered along to the boulangerie. On the way, I was asked by a random man if I was on holiday. When I replied that I lived here, he asked if that was with my husband. On hearing the affirmative, he smiled and went off. I am still wondering what his motives were! Bertie said he would never stop and chat up a lady with two kids, she would obviously be far too much work!
Friday was our return visit to the dispensaire. You may recall our three hour wait last time, so I went prepared with writing paper and book. How disappointing, this time there were only 10 of us and I was seen fourth, and back home within an hour and a half! The lady who saw Baby JoJo also saw Bertie at the same age, and was delighted to see his son! He is now 7.8 kilos (I think he hasn't put much on as he was not eating much due to his cold) and 68.5 cm. The doctor checked him all over again and he has no laryngite no bronchite no otite or any other ite hurrah! So he was able to have his first injection for Hepatitis B.
Today we were going to go to the shopping centre whilst Bertie was at work but it rained (surprise surprise!) so we stayed home and painted instead. The girls produced some lovely displays and clearing up was great fun as we used the water collected from the rain!
Mamie brought a few more chicks home and Bertie and Papy were meant to be making a coop for them, but apparently they just sat chatting, father and son style. So the chicks (now 12) are still here and very smelly! Reading Handa's Hen took on a whole new perspective as we realised that's what we had downstairs!
Whilst there are definite moments of homesickness for me, for example reading about autumn and thinking of apple season coming up and the leaves getting ready to turn colours and fall, there are also moments of sheer delight here - floating in the warm Caribbean Sea watching the coconut trees against the blue skies and the golden sand is definitely one of them! As is hearing the girls screaming and shrieking in delight as they splash and swim and shout "you can't catch me!" then laugh joyfully when I do!
Bertie is building up his clientele very successfully, so he has decided to invest a bit in his "business" by buying a board and pens. The girls have enjoyed this investment too, drawing intricate pictures then rubbing them all out. Unfortunately CassCass jumped on it this morning and it is not quite the same. That could be said for a lot of things that have the misfortune to fall in to her hands. Everything is pulled out of cupboards, boxes, folders, envelopes, and poor mummy spends her time clearing up after her. The funniest bit is when I come up to her and she says "don't come in here mummy, don't look"! Who says children don't know right from wrong?!
Thursday saw Baby JoJo and I wander along to the Post Office to cash some cheques and finally send my camera to the UK. I couldn't get it insured without the original receipt so I will just have to have faith in the French postal system! After our previous visit, I expected the worst but we actually went straight to the front of the queue. Unfortunately, nothing gets done speedily here so we still had a ten minute wait whilst the cashier was in deep conversation with a man...turned out that he was from the snack bar parked outside and he was taking their lunch orders! Depositing a cheque was surprisingly complex - no swiping cards here, you have to fill out a form and put all your details and the name of the person and bank from whom the cheque is, before signing the back of the cheque for some random reason. Once completed, we collected CassCass and wandered along to the boulangerie. On the way, I was asked by a random man if I was on holiday. When I replied that I lived here, he asked if that was with my husband. On hearing the affirmative, he smiled and went off. I am still wondering what his motives were! Bertie said he would never stop and chat up a lady with two kids, she would obviously be far too much work!
Friday was our return visit to the dispensaire. You may recall our three hour wait last time, so I went prepared with writing paper and book. How disappointing, this time there were only 10 of us and I was seen fourth, and back home within an hour and a half! The lady who saw Baby JoJo also saw Bertie at the same age, and was delighted to see his son! He is now 7.8 kilos (I think he hasn't put much on as he was not eating much due to his cold) and 68.5 cm. The doctor checked him all over again and he has no laryngite no bronchite no otite or any other ite hurrah! So he was able to have his first injection for Hepatitis B.
Today we were going to go to the shopping centre whilst Bertie was at work but it rained (surprise surprise!) so we stayed home and painted instead. The girls produced some lovely displays and clearing up was great fun as we used the water collected from the rain!
Mamie brought a few more chicks home and Bertie and Papy were meant to be making a coop for them, but apparently they just sat chatting, father and son style. So the chicks (now 12) are still here and very smelly! Reading Handa's Hen took on a whole new perspective as we realised that's what we had downstairs!
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