A busy week (again)!

My classes have started back up again after the school break and I'm back to being pretty full on - and I'm okay with that! Monday started with my early morning yoga class, and by god I soon realized how much I missed it! I felt like I'd gained 20 kg and turned into Lot's wife after just two weeks' absence. But I soon got back into the swing of things and thoroughly enjoyed it! It sets me up for the week actually! Then on Monday night it was back to sewing club and for some weird reason we are now at full capacity, our numbers having gone from eight to 20 this year. That really is the maximum number of ladies we can accept into the club, I feel, taking into account the space each of us needs for our different projects. So "full house" then, for the first time ever for the sewing club apparently! I was chatting with Patricia, the teacher, and she was telling me that two out of the three sewing machines that belong to the club are pretty naff (although most people bring their own machines anyway) so I took the "executive" decision to buy two new second-hand machines for the club and get rid of the naff ones! Patricia contacted her supplier and I will be heading off out to his place to pick them up next week.

I spent Tuesday morning lugging more stuff out of my living room and up into the back bedroom in anticipation of having my new floor laid soon. By 1.30 and realizing I was running a bit short of time, I jumped into the shower and then went to slather my usual body cream on before heading out for my yoga class with my neighbour, but I picked up the wrong bottle and ended up pretty much basting myself with sweet almond oil! I didn't have time to take another shower so sponged off what I could but half way through my class I realized I felt (and probably smelled) slightly like a Thanksgiving turkey! Oh well, at least I've got skin like a baby's bottom now! I asked my neighbour how she felt after the two-week break and she said stiff, "but I wouldn't give up my place for a cat", which is the French way of saying she wouldn't miss it for the world! I'm so glad for her! So then I asked her if she would now go on her own even if I didn't go, did she feel comfortable enough with the other ladies? I should have known better, because while her answer was "yes", she said she hoped I wasn't going just because of her, that I wasn't sacrificing my time for her!!! Oh cripes!! I should know her better by now! Mrs. "I-don't-deserve-anything-good"!!! So I explained to her that I was going because I wanted to take two yoga classes a week and not because of her!! Maybe if I keep hitting her over the head with a metaphorical hammer she will one day realize that yes, indeed, she does deserve to do nice things for herself! Then on Tuesday night I had my once-a-month patchwork lesson, which was our final lesson on how to assemble a Kaffe Fassett mystery quilt. Our teacher has been providing us with a new "section" of the quilt each month for 10 months, with instructions on how to make each block, but we won't know what the final quilt will look like until the end! We have made some changes to the basic blocks though in order to "jazz it up" a bit! To be honest, given how much we paid, I find the fabric a little disappointing - coordinated of course, but not some of the most exciting fabric I've seen! So yes it's a mystery quilt but I have to admit I'm not overly impressed - well, not considering all the work and money that will have gone in to it! But, and here's the good news, I've made such a cock-up of some of the blocks because I just can't cut straight/accurately! Seriously, I'm useless, and while you can work around covering up some cock-ups, I may have gone beyond that point! That, however means, that I've got to get creative to try to salvage some of the blocks and so my teacher suggested I cut all the "rubbish" blocks down to odd shapes and appliqué them on to additional, brighter (and much more to my taste) fabric to give it a different look. So that's what I will be doing (if I ever get the bloody thing finished). Oddly enough, one of the ladies took one look at what I will be doing with the "wonky blocks" and said that she would like to have done the same thing, to liven the quilt up a bit. As I say, one lady really wasn't impressed with the fabric provided and I think we are all fairly meh with it, but I'm hoping mine will finally come together when I get it all done, wonky blocks and all!

That's not my quilt - but just an idea for "wonky blocks"! Pity I've got about 30 to make!

Then on Wednesday I went in to work to use the gym/see my friends, had a drink with my friend and then shot off back to the other side of the lake for my next Italian lesson. I told you I like being busy! Thursday - pilates class - and I feel the instructor is starting to up the ante just a little, making us work just that little bit harder, which isn't a bad thing! At one point, to strengthen our lower backs, she had us lying on our stomachs, arms off the floor and then lift our head, shoulders and upper torso - which was fine as far as the head and shoulders go, but "upper torso" - forget it! I was telling my friend about it and she subsequently sent me this picture! Nice friend huh!

And finally, Friday we had a pre-planned trip for a "gastronomic tour" of Lyon. Lyon is considered the gastronomic capital of France and is only a 90 minute drive from La Roche! Actually, many moons ago before I was married my then boyfriend and I went down to Lyon regularly to see friends of his who were studying there (and who still live there, I believe)! So while we had a "students' eye view" of Lyon it was still lovely! It's a beautiful city with such a lot going for it! What's more, after pretty much two solid weeks of rain, the clouds cleared and we had an entire day of sunshine right on time!

Lyon

We spent the first couple of hours wandering round les Halles de Lyon, which was right up my street! The best translation I can think of for les Halles would be "undercover market", but it is more of a luxury market rather than your run-of-the-mill market! They have les Halles in Geneva too, of course, and while the produce there is superb, I would probably have to sell a kidney to be able to afford to shop there! But we had a wonderful time exploring all the great stalls - people were already sitting down at 11 a.m. eating oysters (and snails!)! Beautiful place!

After that we had lunch in a relatively famous bouchon called chez Paul! A bouchon is a typical small Lyon restaurant known for its good food. (A bouchon is also a traffic jam or a cork, but not in this case, obviously)!

When they talk about "gastronomic" food, in this instance I would say it is more "peasant food", based on the wonderful ingredients available locally. Lyon, being situated in east central France at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, it lies at the crossroads between northern France and the southern mediterranean region. Also, not being that far from Italy, it was one of the first regions where Italian cuisine was introduced into France! An interesting feature of our trip around les Halles was when we were introduced to the concept of les Mères de Lyon (the Mothers of Lyon), who were the ladies who really initiated the first bouchons! These were working class women who were in service in the big houses where they learned the art of fine cooking. After the first world war many of them were laid off for economic reasons and so "getting in to cooking" was a way of making ends meet!

Mère Bizolon, was one such woman who set up her own restaurant and, I believe, it was with her that the legendary, Michelin-starred Paul Bocuse started out! Incidentally, the medals that she is wearing denote the fact that she was widowed during WWI and also lost a son in that war!

One of the Mères de Lyon, who offered free lunches to returning soldiers!

After lunch we had a couple of hours to wander around and take in the sights, and it was lovely! I haven't been to Lyon for years but I'll make sure I don't leave it that long before I go back again! Well in fact we'll be back there in a month's time for the Fête des Lumières (the Lyon light show), which is supposed to be spectacular! I can't wait!