The shutters are down

Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will. ~Vernon Howard

I am finding it hard to get back into my studies, the summer days snatch my time away and before I realise it another day has gone by.

August is almost upon us and I realise it is a month that I dont really care for. The French people flock to the coast for their summer vacance, and around here in the villages and small towns, shops and restaurants close, everyone really does take a holiday.

Still I can always visit Fougeres,which is just the other side of the forest. Holiday makers will be admiring the buildings on the various tourist trails. I can tag along since I am always armed with my camera and pretend I am on holiday too.

Here is a little walk through my life I have been watching the French people.

At work entertaining people for an euro.

A leaflet Monsieur?

Sorry I cant stop!

Actually I did get to the coast recently but it was raining!

The French for something is quelque chose.

The French word for time that flies, or to rob, is vol.

A border town

In the UK I have lived in towns quite near to the county border, in France there are departments, within regions.

Three departments meet, Departement 35 Ille et Vilaine, 50 Manche, 53 Mayenne , and its neighbour 61 Orne, is very close too.

This is one reason why Fougeres saw so much action in its history being on the border of Brittany and France.

Last week we ventured out to department 61 to visit a spa town named Bagnoles-de-l'Orne
it is as if it was dropped from the sky since its appearance comes as a bit of a shock compared to the rustic buildings and simple towns along the route. It is in fact in the middle of a Normandy forest.

A French couple stopped and spoke to us, the French lady commented about our dog and asked if she was gentle. The lady was embarrassed that she couldn't remember where department 35 is
(she was looking at the number plate on the car). No longer working for pages jaune, (yellow pages,) and now retired she told us that she used to know the location of all the departments in France. They were staying in Bagnoles-de-l'Orne for her husband who she said was ill, he could enjoy some of the water therapies, of course the use of water to treat rheumatic diseases and arthritis has a long history. We then left them and and enjoyed a drink at this small restaurant.

Cheers or Santé

After a walk around this lovely part of the town we headed towards the shops and restaurants at the other side of the lake.

Flower Balls

Eventually we were forced to stop again for lunch, as the sky was black and rain fell heavily forcing people to retreat with their lunchtime plates inside the restaurants.

Rain soon ~ Tombe la pluie

List of Spa towns in France here.

The French word to take or give a bath is baigner

The French familiar word for car is bagnole.

PS. I am also posting pictures here.

The flowers of France

'Tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes!

~William Wordsworth, "Lines Written in Early Spring," Lyrical Ballads, 1798

In the summer France really comes alive with the dazzling colours of flowers. I have recently been learning French and Latin names for wild flowers, and now other flowers too.

Which brings me on to a French man called Charles Plumier. Charles was born in Marseille in 1646 and aged sixteen he entered the religious order of the Minims. Although he studied mathematics and physics he later became a botanist. He was very sucessful and became the Royal Botanist in 1693. In 1696 he discovered the fuchsia on the island of Hispaniola the second largest island in the Caribean. He named the flower after Leonard Fuchs, who was a respected name in botany.

Fuchsia were first imported into Britain around 1789.

Fuchsia Buds frame the castle.

Fuchsia Tower

Fuchsia colour at the Lavoirs

The French word for breathe is respirer.

A French word to gain some knowledge is connaissance.

PS. I am very flattered that Carol (NotonlyinThailand) has interpreted one of my photographs on her blog here

PPS. I have also been posting pictures on a new French site here.

Chat, chat, work, work.

Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst. ~Willaim Penn

The days are wizzing by but mostly in a good way, a Friday evening with friends, an afternoon in a sunny garden, a morning learning a new word in French sitting by a fountain, a Sunday afternoon chatting with new folks in the village.

But while I enjoy company the grass grows thick with zillions of daisies and clover, come pick me, cry the peas and raspberries . Sit for a moment and the cobwebs are a foot across. Paperwork accumulates, weeds multiply, the dust on the car hides its true colour, is it blue or green?........So the rest of the time I am busy, busy, busy!

I pop into Blogland to see what you are all doing, there is not always time to make a comment but I read wise words, enjoy arts and crafts, and sometimes become concerned if a fellow bloggerpal is unhappy or sad!

Always time for friends

Time for a week out with the camera, and not clock watching..thats next week! I hope to be doing some of the following.

Visiting Old Relics

Tee..hee hee..........

Travelling around, well a wee bit


Doing a little shopping?

Looking around markets?

I hope you have some time to get out and chat with friends too!

A French word for chat is papoter

The French word for clover is trefle.

PS. If you want information about Brittany you may like this place where I have been posting pictures on a New Look Brittany Friends link here.