They've done it again!

As I was on the bus heading home yesterday evening I got a text message from Jordan's girlfriend, Jen, asking if I would be home later. I told her "yep in about 30 minutes", so she asked if I wanted to go out to eat with them in (the one and only restaurant) in my village. Sounds good to me as the food is very good there. They had just gotten back from Cinque Terre on Sunday night so I was looking forward to seeing their photos - and how lovely that place is! I really have to go there! It was a six hour bus ride (they went on an organized trip with Jen's work), so it meant getting up at 4 a.m. but apparently they lucked out all the way with the weather (whereas we had dreadful weather) and they said the place was fabulous - as was the food! Everything was included and for the two of them, including two nights in a hotel, it came to about €240! Now that is a deal! Anyway, while we were waiting to be served I was looking through Jordan's photos and, like I said, it is such a stunning place. We hadn't had time to go through them all when our food arrived so we chatted about the trip with them rhapsodizing about the food in Italy until we had finished eating.  Afterwards, Jen said "oh you must look at the rest of the photos", so we started up again and somewhere around photo number 41 was a photo of Jordan down on one knee in front of Jen. When I asked what that was they said "that's when Jordan proposed" (and Jen said yes)!

I've said before I'm not a particularly emotional person but I will admit to a little tear at that. I really wasn't expecting it for some reason - well not just now, I suppose. He said he only bought the ring last week and since they've been together for seven years he thought "what the heck"! Wow! Everybody on the boat cheered when he got down on one knee! Anyway, they will have to get married in their local Mairie but I'm not sure when that will be. They don't plan on having a church service since neither of them are religious so they are planning/hoping to have a non-religious service like my elder son and his wife in the château in my little village on July 4th next year!

They have already looked into it and every weekend is taken in 2019 so they are plumping for July 4th as (I think) it is a Thursday. I told them I will take care of hiring the château (and probably the food) as they don't have the kind of money that my other son and his wife have but they seem pretty reasonable in their aims so hopefully won't be doing anything budget-busting! They told me I was allowed to tell my sister in England but nobody else as they haven't told Jen's mom yet, nor my other son, nor my ex! I guess I had better get back on that diet then - you know, the one that didn't work last time!

Still, I'm delighted for them as they seem to have good heads on their shoulders and to be very happy together!  Jen said she will be taking Jordan's last name as she does not want to keep her own surname - you know the one she inherited from the father who abandoned her and her mother when Jen was two! Can't say I blame her either! Needless to say he won't be invited, even assuming they were able to track him down - you know, non-payment of child support all these years and so on!  One thing that I thought though was that since both Jordan and I have to make up our minds about either becoming French or requesting residents' permits after Brexit, at least as the spouse of a French citizen he will get facilitated procedure whichever he chooses to do!

And finally, starting this week and through next week he has his final exams for his diploma as a plumber specialized in ..... I'll be buggered if I can ever remember what it is! But he will be staying on another year to take yet another specialization so things are going well for him on that score. But get this, for his first exam he had to drive down to Annecy for an English exam! Ha! That's great! He said the lady examiner didn't seem to register when he handed over his passport as proof of ID, and then she clocked that it was a  British passport and said "is there really any point doing this since your English is obviously going to be better than mine?" Anyway, they went ahead and did his aural and written comprehension and then what was supposed to be a 10 minute chat about plumbing! Well I guess that's a few easy points on the scoreboard since not only did we speak English at home but he also went to an international school where the curriculum was bilingual. Ah, if only the whole exam were that easy! Anyway, it's onwards and upwards I guess, and time to start up the exercise routine (yet again) in time for the next wedding!