popcorn

Spring is totally springing - beautiful weather and all the flowers are going bonkers. There are primroses all over the sides of the roads, daffodils and now the prunelle is blooming. The other day there were buds and I swear it looks like popcorn from the front windows! So pretty! Now I just need to start getting to work on setting up my veggie patch!
Here are a few pictures of the sunset the other night... so pretty.

hard... water - HELP!

Requesting some blogging help... !

We have really really hard water. It's weird because according to numerous maps we shouldn't. Our friends who live 5km down the road have normal water. But ours? Hard, so hard. Can't get the shower doors clean, have to clean the hot water kettle once a week at least and now we have switched to using bottled water in our coffee machines so we don't ruin them.

I know we can get a water softener but I really don't like the effect it has on soaps and just the feeling of the water itself.

I've heard good things about different magnets but my question to you is - do you have hard water and how do you deal with it???

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

bikes!

A couple of months ago I decided to sell my old bike, it was the very basic model from Decathlon which I bought about 5 years ago and the poor thing had no home for the last year and ended up getting pretty rusty under a tarp outside. A co-worker bought it for 40E and had her husband fix it up for her. It would have cost me more in new tires, new brakes, new chain etc ... and then do all the work!

So today Mystery Guest and I went and got new bikes. We both splurged for the next model up and are very happy with the purchase of the day!
I knew I wanted to buy new bikes this spring and so about a month ago I was trolling leboncoin and found a bike rack that holds 2 bikes and hooks onto the trailer hitch. It's super easy to take on and off (easier than those old ones I remember with all the straps that needed adjusting each time etc...) and I only paid 20euros for it! Woot!
Today we drove to about 3km to the parking lot of one of the entrances of la voie verte - it is the bike/walking/jogging path that runs up the peninsula. There used to be railroad tracks running all over and when they were decommissioned the path was left as is and made available! I think it's a fantastic idea and to give you an idea here are the two main paths (in green). My plan this summer is to take the bikes on the ferry that runs to Sark and bike around for the day - the nearest port town is only 15km away!
We biked up to the next town, about 5km and then turned around and came home. It was great! You see so much of the countryside that you wouldn't normally see... all the fresh air and mosquitoes (added protein bonus!) - it was great! :)

the joys of unemployement..

I finished my contract the end of February. On March 1st I filled out my online declaration to the unemployment people. They sent me a convocation for a RDV today. FYI the people that work there have reputation of being incompetent and most importantly - unable to find you a job.

The first lady was the one who was in charge of me getting paid (woot!) my unemployment benefits each month. Very professional, friendly and quite on top of things. I thought to myself well maybe with the new merger a few years ago things have changed around here...

Ohhhhh did I think too soon. Too soon my friends.

The next lady (in charge of helping me find a job) takes the cake, fulfilling each and every stereotype. She was nice enough but instead of getting me motivated about finding a job she had the opposite effect.

"So you were an English teacher before."

Yup.

"Ok, let's put that down." - pecking at the keyboard like a chicken... Do they not pay for their workers to get typing lessons??? "So, let's see... You were an English teacher, and well, American teacher, is that right?"

No, I am an English teacher. "American" doesn't exist. (Sore spot with me but trying not to jump out and grab her throat)

"But it's not the same language."

Yes it is.

"No, there are differences in vocabulary"

"Well there are differences in vocab in Belgium but you wouldn't say they speak Belge...?"

No, it's more like Quebecois.

Sigh.

Thoughts going through my head: Look lady are you really going to lecture me on how I do MY job??? Seriously??? Let me tell you I could do yours ten times over. Nevermind, if you're going to be that pedantic about it whatever put it down if you want.

Smiled sweetly, comme vous voulez.

"Oh no, it's not what I want..."

Sigh... moving on...

Have you applied here? Yes. And here? Yes. And here? Yes. Look lady I know how to get a job but there is no job market here and you won't let me apply for jobs that do not fit into my "box."

Good thing I know how to get a job, but now we know why there is high unemployment in France - not because of socialism, job security or whatever but because when they need someone to help - someone whose job it is to help - utter incompetance.

Rant over. Keith do I win rant of the week?

Saturday brunch

une pensee pour le japon

I'm not going to write a novel about how much this earthquake (then tsunami, nuclear problems etc) has been hard to watch but it has really hit hard. Not only do earthquakes in general freak me out - I was in the '89 quake in the Bay Area, got knocked off my bike and saw my house swaying like Jello in front of me - but I have many close friends in Japan.

Watching the news is just horrible so I tend to stick to Facebook where I can read posts from friends who have heard from other friends and keep track of the people I haven't seen in years but still care about.

The numbers keep climbing - 6,500 as of this morning. It's frightening to watch.

I've donated to Médecins Sans Frontières, a fabulous organization in general (and tax-deductible to my French declaring self). For those in the States I highly recommend Mercy Corps as well.

Gambatte!

House update

It's been a long time since I've done a house update... we finally have move around and reorganized a lot of the boxes that were lying around... we - I should say MG - he was a busy bee while I was in the US! It sure cleared up a lot of space and then today we were expecting company after lunch so that got us motivated to clean up and put the mess away.

I thought I'd take advantage of a nice clean house to take some pictures. There are obviously lots of things left to do, bits of drywall here and there, a kitchen to buy and install, decoration etc... But at least it gives you an idea of where we are today.

Living room (kitchen/front door is on your right).
Other side of living room (kitchen/front door on your left - stairs behind you)
downstairs bathroom (unfinished walk in shower behind you).
Kitchen (front door just to the left)
Looking up from the living room to the upstairs hall (and newly installed banister)
From upstairs looking back down
Upstairs hall
Guest room
Our bedroom.
There you have it! A little tour t'cheu nous.

uninvited guests

There was quite a bit of excitement yesterday... a small herd of cows let themselves loose and decided to come pay me a visit! There were 15 or so cows that came right up the driveway and started "mowing" our front lawn! When I tried to shoo them away they took that as an invitation and even came up and blew a raspberry on our sliding glass doors! Eeep! They were a lot speedier than I would have expected and huge - although not the most graceful animals as they tried to climb up and over through the backyard...

I ran over to the neighbor's and he and his wife came over to chase them back into their pen. Apparently this doesn't happen very often but often enough that farmers are require to have a special insurance for cows that wander into people's yards... The main damage that they did was stomping through our recently done lawn!! We've had a lot of rain this winter and those beasts sure do weigh a lot, their hoofprints go down deep! They also broke one of our little solar powered lamps that we have lining the driveway...

Sure was quite a sight though, seeing them running up our driveway! And I thought the neighbor's puppy who likes to come take a walk on our property was an uninvited guest, this really takes the cake! Sure makes me want to have a front gate now!

cheesecake "french" style

Bitesize Cheesecakes - Frenchy style!

Take some Speculoos cookies

Spread a nice thick layer of your favorite chilled fromage a tartiner (I go for the 0% Carre Frais)

Then put a little dollop of jam (my favorite, Bonne Maman quatre fruits)

Et Voila! Insta-cheesecake!!! Miiiiammy!

breakfast

Bircher Müsli

One of the remnants of my parent's four years living in Switzerland that they brought back with them to the States was Bircher Müsli. My mom always made it slightly different then the recipes you find online (no cream, remember this was the 80's and it was non-fat all the way - no Atkins around!) and the way I still make it today.

All you need is: yogurt (I prefer plain), your favorite muesli (I get a basic no added sugar mix of oats/dried fruit mix from the organic store) and apple. The one part of the recipe that really changes everything is apple. Not just a chopped up apple but a grated apple. Grab your cheese grater and grate up your apple, it takes no time at all! Mix it all together and enjoy! The apple not only adds a fantastic texture but also really sweetens the dish when grated in a way that a chopped apple just can't.

Then I see this and want to cry...

Missing fantastic Mexican food already..!

Blue skies in Orange County

Where citrus trees abound!

Finally 1 day of sunshine!!!!

Sushi heaven!!!

California

Hello from California! I'm here for a quick 10 day trip to see family (dad, grandparents and a couple cousins.)
I got in to the San Francisco area Wednesday night and am up again at 5:30am today thanks to jet lag...
Yesterday we did a bunch of shopping, the weather was terrible with torrential rain allllllll day (apparently I brought it, it had been beautiful and warm up until now... Or so they say!)
I got to go to Target to get some jeans for MG and some adorable onesies for some new baby presents. Then with a quick trip to the Gap (trousers on sale for me!) and REI most of my shopping is done :-) lucky me I'm catching the winter sales all over!
Hopefully the weather is supposed to get a bit better over the next few days, which is good because it would be nice to take some walks around here. But some fantastic Tom Kha Kai soup & green curry chicken at the Thai place last night sure was a great way to warm me up!

Sent from my iPhone

At the airport...

Getting ready for my little trip to California!

I knew it was a bad idea...

My gut told me never never to go with Orange - but over Christmas they had the best iPhone 4 deal and I decided maybe things have changed...

Nope. Gah they are still a PAIN to deal with!!! Brief background: it all started when I switched to Orange just before Christmas to get the new iPhone. Because I moved my old number to the new SIM card there was about a 10 day delay when I had 2 phones, my old one and the temporary number with Orange in the new phone. Up until that point everything was working fine - both numbers worked and I just had to wait for my number to be transferred to the new SIM.

With my Orange plan I have 3 free numbers that I can add to have unlimited calls, otherwise I only have 1 hour talk time per month (which is fine, I never talk on the phone). But one of my good friends had some serious problems and I wanted to call her. So I added her number through the automated service in the afternoon while I was at work and then called her (hands free of course!) on my way home that evening.

The next morning my phone wouldn't connect, I couldn't get online, no SMS or phone access. I called Orange - they said that because I was still on a temporary number I couldn't add my free phone numbers but they would fix things, unblock my line that afternoon.

That never happened, nor did it happen the next day or the following day. Because of New Years Day I was without a phone for 5 days because while this was going on my number was transferred to my new SIM so I had nothing. No phone to respond to the Happy New Years SMS that I got, nothing.

The next week it all got sorted out, one simple phone call with someone who KNEW what they were talking about for a change. The confirmed that my "hors forfait" that I had racked up from this call that I had thought was free would be reduced from my monthly bill + 10 euros as a commercial guesture.

January's bill came, no reduction! Plus my 3 free numbers were still cocked up, I kept getting an SMS confirmation "your numbers have been added, thank you" followed by another SMS "we have received your confirmation to cancel your free numbers, thank you."

So I called AGAIN and got someone who said it was all sorted and that I would get a new SMS confirmation with all 3 numbers. I asked about my reduction I was supposed to get. He said that it had been too late to go on the January bill but it would be sorted for February. So.... in February I will see 22 euros deduction my bill? Yes. Loud and clear.

Today I get my February bill.

FULL PRICE!

I could scream, I knew I never should have gone with them!!!! Why oh why did I???? Guess who will spend the morning with them on customer service reminding them that their conversations are taped and I want my money?!? ME. Gah.

a few tips on French banking...

In the last couple of days I have read a few experiences on other people's blogs in regards to French banking and specifically direct debits.

My most recent job gave me a lot of insight into the way things work. I won't go into too much detail simply because the only words to describe things would bring my blog straight up in a Google search with those keywords and I would prefer to avoid that at the moment..

Anyway just a quick word of advice re French direct debits and bill paying.

For those of you who do not know there are several ways to pay a French bill:

1. cheque - FYI it is illegal in France to post date a cheque and if there is a discrepancy between the letters and numbers the spelled out amount always takes precedent.

2. TIP (the tear off bit at the bottom your bill can be sent in along with a cheque so the company has your reference number. Alternativly it can be signed, dated and returned to the company with a copy of your RIB details allowing the company to take a 1-off direct debit for the amount on the TIP.)

3. Direct debit - prélevement automatique. This is the most common means of payment and the most traditional way to set one up is to provide the company with a copy of your RIB details requesting a direct debit be set up on your account by the company. By doing so you authorize the company to call for the funds each month and the bank releases the funds accordingly. This can also be set up on your debit card but for the following reasons this is to be avoided at all costs!

The direct debit system works great - until you have a problem! You authorize the payment to leave and each month it does so. You do need to make sure there are sufficiant funds in the account to cover direct debits as your authorization permits them to take any amount which can put your account overdrawn and rack up fees. The reason being is that you have authorized the company to collect the funds and they do so as they see fit. Again, most of the time this works out fine, the company calls for the given amount each month and you do not need to do anything, no bills or cheques to deal with.

The problem occurs when you have a problem with the company. The bank does not pay out unless the company calls for the funds. When set up with RIB details the bank is able to put a block on the direct debit if need be - faire opposition de prélevement - which simply blocks the company from accessing your account. This does not cancel services or contracts you hold with the company and it is the only thing the bank can do to stop any outgoing direct debits. There used to be a charge for doing so but I think a law was passed to prevent banks from charging you. If you have problems with a company not respecting a contract you have with them and direct debiting your account for the wrong amounts or after a contract has been cancelled the first step is to send a registered letter and the second step is to ask your bank to put a block on the direct debit. In the meantime nothing prevents you from paying the company by cheque/cash etc until things are sorted. If a disagreement is settled and you want the direct debit to continue you need to ask your bank to lift the stop - demander une main levée de prélevement.

It is important to know that while you can have several contracts with a single company (2 different cell phones, internet vs. landline, different taxes set up for the tax office, 2 homes both through EDF etc...) if you put a stop on the direct debit the bank cannot differentiate the contracts you may have with a company and will stop all direct debits to that company (this includes TIP payments as they fall under the direct debit catagory even if they are not ongoing).

**However if the direct debit is set up on your card there is nothing the bank can do. Even if you stop your card, block it, lose it, declare it stolen and it is officially cancelled by the bank the company can still have an ongoing direct debit on the card that will continue to debit your account.

If a direct debit has already gone through your account there is a small window (usually 2-3 business days) that your bank has to pull back the direct debit. This will be done automatically due to insufficiant funds in your account but can also be done at your request (written or in person) but you will likely incur bank charges for the privilage. If your account is overdrawn the direct debit will eventually be rejected and recredited to your account. In this case the company will obviously notice that they have not been paid and will try to represent in a few weeks time, again incurring you with more bank charges. This will not make you interdit bancaire.

Interdit bancaire is only if you bounce a cheque. The reason being is that that cheque is a debt you owe the person you wrote it to (think an IOU). Until that debt is paid and officially confirmed to the bank you will be blacklisted for all of your French accounts at your bank or any other accounts you hold at other French banks (via the Banque de France) for up to five years. Again, this is only due to a bounced cheque, going overdrawn by other means (debit card payments, direct debits etc) have no effect other than racking up charges (FYI if you go to the main page of your bank's website I can pretty much guarantee that all of their charges will be listed in a pdf document under "tarifs principals" or "frais bancaires / nos tarifs" etc).

I hope this little "tutorial" wasn't too confusing or long but I thought it might help some newbies out there or even some of us that have been around for a while! :-)

ps. I hope there are not too many spelling mistakes, always a shortcoming of mine and spellcheck via blogger is on the blink...

culinary adventure

A couple of weeks ago I attempted this to make a salt-crusted chicken after reading the recipe on Chocolate & Zucchini. It turned out fabulous! So easy to make and the chicken was to die for, the breast was really juicy (I won't use the "m" word here but it was!) and it really was tender with lots of flavor.

So today I took it a step further, I defrosted a pheasant that our neighbor shot a few months ago and gave to us. I decided that after reading online game birds can dry out quite easily so I thought this is probably the easiest way to do things.

Here is the bird just after coming out of the oven still in it's salty crust (which you discard once cooked).


And here is the bird all cooked, there was tons of juice inside and it smells really good but to be honest there is something about eating a game bird... I mean it looks kind of human and well, you can see the bullet hole when you turn it over. In all logic this bird lived a much better life than caged birds raised for meat but this is the first time I've ever cooked something caught in the wild (aside from fish) and I will eat it when I get the courage but just look at it!

I'll let you know how it tastes and if its good maybe one day I'll atempt the hunk of wild boar we also have in the freezer (gifted by one of Mystery Guest's customers)... recipe ideas??

evening conversation

MilkJam: "hey, Starbucks introduced a new size, as big as a Big Gulp, the 'Trenta'."

Mystery Guest: "humm".

MilkJam: "Do you know how big that is??? You can fit a bottle of wine in it!"

Mystery Guest: *rolls eyes*

MilkJam: "Who would make something so big??".

Mystery Guest: "Someone who can't advertise with sex..."

MilkJam: "true...."

foggy morning

But the birds are chirping :) If I really had the motivation I'd get out of my pjs and go down the road where the sun is rising and my shot isn't blocked by the telephone poles... but I'll save that for another day!

relaxation

It hasn't been quite a week since I finished work last Thursday and I'm loving it!! Slowly getting caught up on my sleep, admin stuff and joining a gym. It's not a New Year's resolution but an unemployment resolution. After 18 months of sitting in the car, sitting at a desk and sitting on the couch in the evening it's time to get a move on! More than anything it helps me have a purpose to my day. It is such a hard thing, changing schedules from go-go-go non-stop to ... um, well I could do that today or tomorrow, or the day after...

It's all about balance and trying to find that balance.

I had been contacted last Fall about a teaching job that I couldn't accept as I was under contract and so I called him back and have a job interview on Friday. I have no idea if they even have any hours for me but I want to get as many interviews as possible, always good experience! Need to update my CV and if this doesn't work out I'll contact the school district to get back into subbing.

Anyway it sure is nice to just rest and do all the things I had been wishing I had the time for before! Oh and reminder for my future self, when you decide to play with the hair straightener just for fun to see if you can get some Farrah Fawcett wings going remember that those parts are hot and scorching off your fingerprints is not a good idea... besides those wings look a little ridiculous on me!

ch-ch-changes!

Well that's it folks, I've finished work! My time filling in for Bridget Jones comes to an end February 28th but I put my paid holidays at the end of my contract so I could stop work early and not drive that long drive everyday (118km each way for 18 months, I'm a little tired!). So as of Thursday I am on holiday until my contract comes up, then it's time to get another job! The HR does not want to give me a full time job in a local branch because I do not have branch exprience but cannot give me another CDD because I have already maxed out my CDD options. They said they will call me if a maternity leave contract comes up... I'm not holding my breath.

Looks like in March I'll go back to teaching at least for a while but I'm hoping to find something else more long term. At least I've got the teaching to fall back on as well as the unemployment payments. I also planned in a quick 10 day trip to California to visit my grandparents and my dad. Can't wait to see some sun instead of February drizzle!

New development in my quest to become a Frenchie:



The Prefecture called me Thursday afternoon and said that he was very sorry but there was a paper he forgot to have me fill out when I dropped off my application last July... Could I come by to do it? So I gave up my relaxing Friday to drive down to the Prefecture... an hour each way for a 15 minute meeting. Oh well. He was really nice and said that things should be moving along! He thinks its a matter of a mere 2 to 3 months before I get the official decision but he said he thinks there's no reason for me to worry - I hope he's right!

Here's to job hunting and a positive reply from the French government!

Driving into the sunset :-)

Coming to an end..

Wow the job I started back in Sep '09 is finishing up! It's a CDD contract and instead of getting my congès paid at the end of my contract (which would then be counted as income & taxable) I chose to use them at the end to finish early. Finally got the last calculation of my days off and will have my last day January 27th instead of February 28th.

Given that technically I'll be on vacation in February instead of on unemployment I've decided to take advantage of the low fares and go to California for 10 days to visit my dad & grandparents. Something to look forward to in dreary February is always nice :-)

So the new job hunt is officially on!! I'm looking for: something closer to home (current job is 118km away!!) and something a bit more challenging/involving.

I can't wait for the day where I'm excited to get out if bed and go to work... Please tell me this isn't a dream!

So anyone have any job leads??? :-)

Happy New Year 2011!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas full of gingerbread men, apple pies and twinkling lights.

Prepping for Christmas

Getting ready for Christmas MG and I went into Cherbourg yesterday. We stopped by the little Christmas market for some vin chaud and then walked around the stores. I love shopping in Cherbourg, it is a small town but all the main chain stores are there plus some fun boutiques. Because it is small even on a crowded Saturday it is never too crowded :)
We stopped in a coffee store that does fantastic coffees and teas and I discovered that they also do flavored coffees! I haven't hardly seen any stores in France that sell flavored coffee beans! They had hazelnut, vanilla, mint-chocolate and brownie! I bought some hazelnut and having been sipping that goodness this morning.
We also stopped by But and picked out a new mattress (you know yours has bit the dust when you wake up in the morning with a sore back, a butt print and realize staying at friend's houses that their fold out sofa is more comfortable then your bed at home...)
We found a great one on sale in a Queen size 160cm (ours is a double, standard 140cm French bed) so we got that as well as the new bed to put it on! Only sad part was that they didn't have any more delivery trucks so we have to wait until Tuesday to pick it up... I can't wait!!!
Otherwise most of the Christmas shopping is done, just a few more gifts to pick out... :)

Rain, rain, SO happy to see you!

The rain has come and with it the snow has gone! Woooo!!! Managed to leave the house for the first time since Tuesday. It's pouring buckets but I've never been so happy to see it rain :)

Morning sunrise

I had a dream last night that it rained and all the snow melted away - alas it snowed more! My car is buried in 45cm of snow and MG was able to catch a ride to work. It is amazingly beautiful so I'll go outside this afternoon for more pictures but I am so ready for it to melt! At least these last few days have given me all the time in the world to surf and get my Christmas presents ready :)

snow day

I called in yesterday, the main road into Caen wasn't even clear or advisable according to the radio. I sure am glad I stayed home! It snowed alllll day, with a bit of sun mid-afternoon and then MORE snow! MG could barely get home, he left his car at the end of the driveway. Then last night even MORE snow again and we are totally stuck. MG is getting a shovel to try and dig his car out and put our 1 pair of chains on it to get to work. I'm going to call in again, it's just not worth it to fight my way to work (118km each way) only to turn around and fight it home again.
I had asked my manager and she said that if we are snowed in and out of days off for this year we can take them from next year which is good, I would hate to think I'm not only stuck here but loosing money from my paycheck!
Snowdays are fun but not being able to go out and enjoy a day off cause the car is stuck in the driveway isn't as fun. Oh well, lots to do around the house that I had been putting off... !

winter wonderland

Winter has come early to Normandy! (and the rest of France according to Facebook) On Thursday there was heavy hail and then it snowed all afternoon, about 3inches. You can imagine the panic and people all jumped in their cars to try and get home. It took me 45 minutes to drive 1.8km because there was bumper to bumper traffic and then the snow and the ice had people slipping all over the place. Made it home because the snow was totally aimed at Caen and as soon as I got out of the city it was dry and perfect road conditions t he rest of the way home.
Friday the sun came out and melted some of the snow so I was able to drive into Caen after work to partake in our annual Thanksgiving dinner!

The lovely Sarah came in from Paris and then came home with me afterwards for a relaxing weekend in Normandy. Little did she know snow was on the menu!

Yesterday it snowed all morning but fortunatly melted away in the afternoon so we were able to escape and drive up to get some groceries - 25km away by Cherbourg they had over 6 inches of snow!!!

And this morning we woke up to a lovely hard frost that you see in the picture, the cows munching away and their breath steaming. Hopefully we won't have any more snow! It is beautiful but when you live out in the middle of nowhere like we do it makes life really difficult!