Sometimes it feels like my feet never touch the ground - and I don't even work anymore!!!

Crikey, if I don't finish writing up the end of my trip to Thailand soon I'm sure I'll forget half of it - and I don't want to do that! That being said, I was away again this weekend and between coming back from Thailand and going away this weekend it feels like my feet haven't touched the ground! I went a bit mad and made a ton of appointments - you know, the kind that keep getting put on the "to do list" and then nothing gets done about them. Well eventually I get mad at myself and must have made 10 appointments (winter tyres, dentist, optician etc.) in the space of 15 minutes. That'll teach me to let things slip, I guess!

I had just gotten back from picking my car up when my gardener showed up for the first time this year. He comes and goes as and when possible and as long as I'm up for continuing to have him cut my grass, we just take up where we left off. I must admit everywhere looked really nice once he'd left as I had pressure sprayed the back patio area just last week. Then Jen asked if I could look after Charlie for a few hours on Friday as she needed to go out and Jordan hadn't arrived home from work yet. No problem there. We went out to the park and then were playing "balloons" on the balcony, when the inevitable happened and it ended up landing in the park below. But just as we were about to go down to pick it up, the older lady who lives on the ground floor yelled up that she would put it in the lift and send it up! I get the impression most of the older folks are enjoying having young children around playing in the park again (as one of them already told me), and I thought it was very sweet of her to send Charlie his balloon back! I'm also trying to keep up the English with him after their trip to the States, but I'm not sure how much is sinking in because every time I ask him something he just says "oui" so I don't really know how much he is understanding!

Anyway, Friday after work was our time to set off to enjoy the Christmas present that Jen's mom, C, and her partner, F, had bought for us all. Her mom paid for an air BnB for seven of us for two nights and F paid for us all to get into a lovely little theme park about 90 minutes away called Walibi! I've been to Walibi a few times but not recently, so it was a real treat to go there again. It's not big like Disney but I much prefer it, and even with some of the attractions being closed off or under maintenance, it was still lovely. So on Friday night we arrived at a very rustic air BnB about 15 minutes from Walibi which was really lovely. Very simple, dead quiet and seemingly capable of accommodating maybe 12 people if necessary. By the time we got there it was already quite late so we had dinner, sat around and chatted for a while, and then all hit the sack around 11 p.m. in order to be on form for the next day!

Now I'm guessing this was probably the first weekend of open season but the car park was pretty full, probably something to do with it being spring holidays in this region and great weather. Charlie was too small to do quite a few of the rides and Jen was also limited because of being pregnant, but everyone had a good time and what one person thought was "a great ride" others said would make them want to throw up, and vice versa. I wouldn't go on a roller coaster ride because I don't like being thrown forward, but anything that spins me round and round - no problem, although those bloody pictures that they take of you on the rides always showed me with my face screwed up and looking like I was facing a firing squad!

Charlie's favourite ride!

I would have gone on this one, but
nobody wanted to go with me at the time!

No way was I shooting up in the
air in that thing!

I did the log flume with my two sons.
I was sitting at the back and they both
ducked when we hit the water so I got soaked!
I seem to remember saying something derogatory
about their parentage! (Photo curtesy of google)!

Charlie did this one with us - he wasn't too
sure at first but he hung in there! Again, a
google photo!

Jordan did this one on his own. I
probably would have thrown up!
Another google photo - it just went
by so fast I couldn't catch it!

We stayed at the park until closing time, went home and ate and since I had missed Charlie's birthday when he was in the States, the kids brought his French gifts with them so he got to blow candles out a second time and play on his new bike! We left after lunch today and while we were only away for two nights, it feels like I was gone for a week, so maybe a change really is as a good as a rest. It did bring home to me, though, that you really don't have to go very far in France to be able to get off the beaten track and still enjoy some beautiful scenery! I'll have to give some thought to maybe booking a small place a bit later in the year - but first I've got to repack shortly because I'm off to Corsica at the end of next week. Having all these trips one after another was beyond my control - but then I wouldn't have it any other way!