Whew! It's been busy around here! It is April break but just like the last 4 years I've decided to work during my break. They have a program here run by the local government that buses in junior high kids for an English workshop. They ask teachers and assistants to run the different classes (and the pay is great!!) for either one or both weeks. I always sign up for both ;-) This year I'm teaching American Geography, it's usually pretty fun but tiring trying to motivate these kids. You have to try to have fun lesson plans since it is during their break, but not too fun or they tune out quickly... Anyway week 1 is done and only 4 days left of week 2!
To get a little change of scenery Mystery Guest and I drove up to a little village near
Etretat where some friends of his live in a beautiful big house. They are great, so nice and fun to hang out with. The weather got a little better as the weekend went on but with their covered veranda you have the feeling you're outside but without the wind (and rain!). It really feels like a vacation with the jacuzzi and vegging on the sofa. Mystery Guest got to play on the computers too :-) I got to play with their little girl, she's going to turn 2 next month and is just adorable!
To thank them for inviting us I made some chocolate chip cookies and it was too cute when I watched the little one eat her first cookie. She eyed it with such suspicion - even when I told her it was a
gâteau. In then end she scarfed it down though! I also made them some pancakes for Saturday brunch, seems like I've hit my audience when it comes to American food! I know Mystery Guest's family has already taken to my pancakes ;-) even with maple syrup! In the afternoon the weather cleared and we took a little walk down to the beach to work off all those calories!
It was beautiful down there, extreme low tide exposing all the seaweed covered rocks and you could see the sun setting in the distance and a huge rainstorm off in the horizon... Idyllic.
Here are the insanely steep steps you climb down to get to the beach. Mystery Guest is pointing to the geocache that we fixed, the other one we put there a few months ago but was misplaced so we
had to go back and fix it :-)
We heard there is a geocache in the area but we with the directions we would a compass so we just scoped out the area and will be back soon to really search for it.
Beautiful no? You can see the town of Barfleur (and the recently restored church) in the distance.
I can't wait for summer!! Now if my memoire would just write itself... 
Mystery Guest and I decided to go out on a Saturday night for a little date night, we went to go see Ca$h. It was really fun, reminded me a lot of Ocean's 11 - the same style, music and theme of big slick crooks. The story, however, was quite different and kept you wondering what would happen all the way through. I can tell you that I never would have guessed the end! Those are my favorite kinds of movies, the ones that keep you on edge and surprise you with the final scene :-)
It was beautiful down there, extreme low tide exposing all the seaweed covered rocks and you could see the sun setting in the distance and a huge rainstorm off in the horizon... Idyllic.
Here are the insanely steep steps you climb down to get to the beach. Mystery Guest is pointing to the geocache that we fixed, the other one we put there a few months ago but was misplaced so we had to go back and fix it :-)
Spring has sprung the last couple days, ever since the snow went away. It feels so nice to have the sun toasting your shoulders and hear the birds chirping away... I walked around town to take a few pictures. The first one is of the back of the chateau de Caen where they have been restoring the ramparts.
Yesterday on the news it was fun to see the weather report, usually the country is divided in half, the top grey and rainy (according to the news!) and the south sunny, but today the north was bright and sunny and the south was nothing but thunderstorms! haha take that! :-)
Wednesday evening some friends invited Mystery Guest and I out to the countryside. They are housesitting this beautiful old farm for a month while their friends are in Australia. Before dinner we walked around the property, met 2 of the 7 horses, all of the dogs and cats. Apparently their friends bought the property in 2001 when it was mostly in ruins and half of the house was hidden by the weeds, but now it is beautiful, all restored with that creamy white pierre de Caen.
They also added some cool things, in the barn there is an old cider press that still works but they added a table in the middle and benches around the trough so they can seat 15 people around 1 round table, too cool!! Plus these friends left some bottles of wine aside so we had some yummy bordeaux with our chili dinner and homemade cookies! That and a rousing game of Catan made for a great evening! Thanks guys ;-)
Sorry for that little April Fool's joke back there... tee hee, I thought I might get some of the bloggers but I never thought my family would believe me! You'd think they'd know me better than that and that I would call first instead of putting it up on my blog ;-) But anyway I was proud, it was my first very successful April Fool's prank as I can never get through them straight faced, I always crack at some point!
I have big news for everyone out there!! Last night Mr. Mystery Guest popped the question!
and spring is in the air!
