This morning I woke up at around 7am but didn't want to get up. By about 7:45am I could hear a lot of voices so went to see who was awake. The aunt asked me if I wanted something to eat but it looked like she was still setting up breakfast so I went to have a swim with the children first which was very nice. The mother (Hélène) had mentioned yesterday that the youngest child, Wandrille (5 years old) was not good at swimming so needed to be watched by someone older so when I was ready to come inside I tried to ask Wandrille if he wanted to come inside. He either didn't understand or didn't want to but the 12yr old (Anthelme) told me he would watch Wandrille and that it was super. (He speaks a little bit of english but not much. Hélène later came to tell me off for leaving Wandrille all by himself and that he was too young, she told me, it was very dangerous etc. etc. I understand what she means but she just said 'older' to me, not an adult. Her english is really bad!
After my swim, I had a shower. Most of the rooms are ensuite but mine isn't. There is a toilet near the kitchen and then just a 'Spa' which has a Jacuzzi and a 'Hammam' (apparently this is the correct name for a Steam Room rather than our anglicised 'say what it is' thing we have) although this also has a shower in it. I've googled and it looks like there is a proper ritual for 'Hammam's which is to scrub off all the dry skin with hard scrubber things, and then paint yourself with a clay or mud mix and wait for a while, and then put some black soap stuff on and leave that for a while too before rinsing off (sounds a bit like my body wrap experience at Tortworth Court Spa....) The girls said I could use their shower if I needed to but there is already 3 of them in their room so when I went to ask them if I could they said it was in use. Not many other people were around to ask so I just used the shower in the Hammam. It was fine, it just didn't have a shower hook on the wall so I had to hold it.
I then came out for breakfast and had my first experience of french hot chocolate in a bowl! It is brilliant! I drink that much hot chocolate anyway and it's really milky. Hermine (7yr old girl) made me some in the microwave. Most of the adults had bread and honey and/or cheese and ham and fruit for breakfast. No croissants or pastries though *sad face*.
Hélène came in briefly to ask me to make sure that Wandrille had suncream on as she was going off for a swim. Then me and Wandrille did some loom bands (the ones I brought as a present for them). They all love them! Alienor and Alice told me that they haven't seen them in France but Alienor had seem them once or twice when she was in London. (She was Au Pairing but only for a month with a family friend).
For lunch, they had pasta, bread and salad and then cheese for dessert. They just put olive oil on the pasta but it was lovely (I think Mum puts too much olive oil on pasta when she does it!) After that, they had cheese and more bread. They had bought some local cheeses - goats cheese and a cow cheese but apparently they were unusual because they were made with raw (unpasteurised?) milk which the german uncle said was illegal in most EU countries.
After lunch I had a nap and then was woken up by Hélène who had come to tell me off for not putting suncream on Hermine (she didn't tell me to!) She had burnt a little bit but Hélène told me it was my fault because I had to make sure the children were 'wearing the sunscreams'. Hermine was in the pool where her mother went after telling me to put some on Wandrille so you'd think she'd have known seeing as she was already outside?! Alienor later told me that it wasn't my fault and helped me learn how to say 'have you got suncream on?' so I can actually ask the children tomorrow. I am really struggling to understand the younger ones - they don't speak any english at all and speak very fast. Wandrille is very high pitched and I think must have a bit of a childish lisp as he doesn't pronounce words very clearly. Hermine is quite good at repeating things several times for me or trying to explain things in a different way.
We all went to the beach at around 3pm and I had a swim in the sea. I think I'm better at swimming than I think as every now and then when the sea got deeper because of the tide or waves and I had to swim because I couldn't touch the bottom I was fine. I find swimming very tiring and my technique is probably very bad but it was ok. The beach was very picturesque and there are even fishes in the sea. I only saw one small one but I think we might go to the rockpools tomorrow as that is directly outside the garden gate! When I came out of the sea I had heat-rash style red bumps on my arms, tummy and legs so Hélène thinks I am allergic to suncream. I don't think I am though as I hadn't put any on before swimming this morning and it happened a bit from the pool too.
After swimming, Hélène and the famille went home but Wandrille wanted to stay so we made sandcastles 'chateaux de sable' though he mostly called it 'un fort'. We tried to make a moat but we had problems because I couldn't think of the word for 'moat' or 'river' or 'around' so settled on 'de l'eau'. Eventually I just got some water from the sea and made one but the water kept sinking into the sand. Turns out 'oh no' is a common phrase as he said that a lot!
Wandrille said he wanted the toilet so I kept trying to ask him if he wanted to go home but he kept saying non. I tried loads of different ways of saying it but then he got really stroppy and smashing sandcastles so I just started packing up the things and gave him his shoes! That worked! Haha.
Back at the villa we washed off and then it was nearly time for dinner. Dinner today was very odd...
Hélène told me it was the "birthday wedding of her parents a to-monday" so I corrected her...
They had some strange cold onion and cucumber salad/soup with a type of chilli sauce - it had a very french name but I have no idea what that was. Also there was some strange spicy tomato sauce thing, and a black thing which I first thought was caviar but it was disgusting! They also had a massive bottle of Champage - un magnum pour celebrations. Champagne brings out flavours though so not the best thing to have after eating disgusting black stuff. I tried to eat it though as everyone else seemed to really like it. It just made me feel sick though!
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| L'aperitif! Grapes Tomato sauce stuff, Bread, strange Salad/soup, Watermelon |
I keep getting bitten by mosquitos. They are everywhere. I don't think I had seen them before but I'm covered in little red dots from the bites. Savlon seems to make it better though so that's good.
Alice et Alienor then asked if I wanted to go to the Spa so I went in the jacuzzi with them. They are very good at english. Alice goes to Camp America or similar camps in Canada every year so she is near enough fluent. Alienor is also very good at english but struggles with some unusual words. They were telling me all about french music, schools and exchanges.
It is very hot tonight! The weather forcast for tomorrow is rain apparently so not sure what we'll all do. If it's warm and just a shower I think I'll walk to the local shop to get postcards! If it's really bad then I think I'll just sleep. I'm aching all over from carrying heavy suitcases and swimming so could do with a resting day. That's if Hélène lets me... Jusqu'à demain!
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| La Piscine! |
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