I can hardly believe it! Maybe it's because the last few months have been pretty "samey" or just so hot that all I wanted to do was flake out on the sofa - but seriously, how did August get here so fast?
I continued to have many problems with my new computer, the main one being that I couldn't get Excel to work, not even to add just two numbers. It was driving me nuts because I was terrified of losing all the work I'd put in for the old fogies club, so I was having to work on my old computer (which wouldn't hook up to the internet), copy the files to a USB stick and then copy them back to my new computer, with the inherent risk of overwriting the wrong files. Eventually, after about three weeks, my old computer started hooking back up to the internet but I was still frustrated with the new one. Every time I tried to use Excel it would insist I use WPS and "you can do so by paying €XXX here"! I was really pissed off because I'd just renewed my Microsoft Office subscription and downloaded it to the new computer, so in the end I looked up exactly what WPS Office was. Turns out it is a "free, all-in-one productivity suite .... which serves as a lightweight and popular alternative to Microsoft Office". Well I don't know how popular it really is but once I deleted the bloody thing, guess whose computer works perfectly fine! Maybe I'm being haunted because I'm also finding that apps are disappearing off my phone too. For instance, I need the UBS app to log into my Swiss bank account and it just upped and poofed one day. About a week later I downloaded it again - and the old app popped back up so I ended up with two versions of it. Maybe it's because my phone insists I have run out of storage space, but who knows. Either way, I've just ordered a new iPhone 16 because I think my phone might be dying on me too, but at least I hung on a few years (from my iPhone 11) and the price has come down considerably!
I mentioned in my last post that I'd ordered a new UK passport and it was delivered about a week ago by DHL, but I was still getting messages from their main depot saying to come and pick up my parcel. I kept studiously ignoring the messages (because there was no telephone number for me to call them to find out what the package was), but as luck would have it my friend mentioned that she had to go out there (it's about 60 km from here) in connection with her late father's estate and she offered to pick up my parcel for me. How lucky was that because in all honesty I've only ever had to go there once in my 36 years in France, and the day I really need to dash out there, she's going anyway. Turns out it was my old, expired passport, so in the end I guess I should have taken it more seriously!
When I was getting a mani-pedi the other month, my lovely Thai lady asked if I wanted to try dying my eyebrows and lashes, what with the summer being here and "all that swimming you'll be doing". I didn't really care either way but thought I'd give it a go. It's actually time-consuming and the product stinks, but when she was finished I can't say I noticed much difference in my eyelashes, but oh my goodness, my eyebrows made me look like Groucho Marx! She coloured them to match my natural hair colour and since I've never gone grey it was quite a shock when I saw these two caterpillars crawling over my forehead. That being said, 24 hours later they look just fine and totally natural, but the thought of wandering round town looking like Groucho was not a funny prospect to me at all!
I'm still continuing with the Italian lessons (I'm very impressed with Duolingo) but the other day they did a complete lesson where we had to just listen to a normal speed conversation in Italian with no subtitles - and if that doesn't bring home to you how much you don't know, I don't know what will!
I picked up my new car the other Monday and once I got past the fear of the bloody computer, it's quite a pleasant drive, even if the trunk is very small compared to my old Ford. Still, all that lets me know is that I was carrying around too much clobber before, so it was definitely time to downsize! On the following Friday I was due to go on a day trip with the old fogies club but when I went to start my car nothing happened - zip, nada, zilch! I was really pissed off so called the garage where I'd bought it and they gave me the number of their assistance hotline. Before calling them I called Martine at the club and told them to go without me because my car had died, but she and her husband very kindly drove up to my village and picked me up. Not only were we not late but we were not even the last to arrive so I'm really grateful to them!
First stop was lunch on Lake Geneva (filet of perche, a local speciality) and it was very good, despite the usual mutterings of some of the more miserables. I said hi to Roger and he told me that obnoxious Chantal (she with the nice Portuguese partner) had managed to insult half the bus before they even arrived and then there was some muttering from people about one of our group who had stripped down to her swimsuit and dived straight into the lake for a splash around before lunch. Apparently she swims outside every day of the year and this was to be no exception. To be honest, I don't see what harm she was doing but then some people have to something to moan about don't they! Still these outings allow me to chat with some of the others in the group and I was quite pleasantly surprised by a much older lady (who I still consider to be a bit of a battleaxe) who turned out to be pretty good company, even if I wouldn't want to cross her. It tickled me when she asked about "my partner" and when I told her I didn't have one and nor did I want one she was quite shocked - couldn't understand the "I don't want one " part at all!
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| Looking toward Montreux (the most spectacular end of Lake Geneva) |
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| One of the many beautiful properties on the lake! |
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| Looking back towards Evian (where the bottled water comes from)! |
When I got home, Martine's husband walked over to my car and pulled the driver's side floor mat waay back - and the car started! Just like that! Turns out they'd had the same problem with a rental car and the mat moving forward prevented you from fully depressing the clutch to start the car! Thank god it was nothing more serious than that (and I didn't get to look like a fool by calling out roadside assistance)!
After a couple of days off for good behaviour I had Charlie overnight again. The two grandmas have been taking it in turns to break up his week so that he is only in summer camp two days a week (even though he loves it). I had left my terrace awning out at one point when it started to rain, so when we got home I was showing Charlie how we had to push up on it with a broom so that the water didn't accumulate. Well he wanted to do it himself of course but was standing in exactly the wrong spot when he pushed up on the broom because he got what must have been a bucket load of water dropped right on his head. I thought it was hilarious (because I'm a bad grandma) and he laughed too, probably because it felt good in the searing heat), but I wish I'd had my phone to hand right then to preserve it forever!
On the Wednesday I suggested going to the mountains to get up to the cooler air (it wasn't cooler) but he whinged and whinged because he wanted to go swimming. In the end I told him I'd drop him off at the pool and see him when I got back from the mountains, so that soon shut him up! He got to take his first cable car up to Beauregard and was fine with it as long as I held his hand. We stayed up there for about an hour as he was fascinated watching the cows with their cowbells. Then it was back down the same way we'd come up in order to get another, smaller cable car up to a place where we could roll balls down various tracks and follow them back down to the village of La Clusaz where we'd parked the car. I have to say La Clusaz have done a great job of drawning the tourists in with summer activities, since it really is winter when they make their money. We ended up going to what would be the outdoor ice rink in winter and where they'd set up play areas for little kids for the summer. Charlie made a new friend and I got to sit down for a couple of hours out of the heat, so win/win all round!
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| La Clusaz |
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| His first cable car ride! |
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| Beauregard |
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| I had him wave to people in the cable cars coming the other way so he would let go of my hand long enough to get some blood flow back! |
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| Playing roule ta boule! |
In the evening we watched Jungle Book in French before he passed out and slept like a log. Next day I took him back to Vitamparc for the morning before going to pick Elynn up from daycare. He was as good as gold but I'm knackered! The following night they sent me a video of a family of wild boar (mother plus seven babies) wandering round the private park attached to their apartment building! The kids are on the second floor so they went down to the ground floor to warn the tenants there to be careful because obviously a mother with babies could be very dangerous. Jen called the local authorities who were going to come and move them further up into the forest for their and everyone else's safety!
The kids left yesterday afternoon for two weeks in Brittany, driving nine hours through the night to make it easier on the littles. Thankfully they arrived safely and I now have most of the month of August to myself - no sewing, no old fogies club and no overnighters. I was so tired I actually fell asleep for two hours yesterday afternoon and I never take nanna naps, so I guess I could use a break. Mind you, I reckon it won't be too long before I'll be chomping at the bit to get back to my usual routine either!
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