Sunday.................

Sunday, what happens on a Sunday where you are?? Here in Noumea we could spend it lazing about reading, entertaining children, catching up on a episode or 2 of House or  maybe even going to the beach(we can still go swimming in May) but you could also have a birthday lunch for a friend and celebrate with good food, champagne, cake, coffee & chatter. And that is exactly what we did this fine day. The kids ran themselves ragged & the adults chatted. It was nice nice nice!! I am now sitting here a bit fatigued thinking thank god I don't have to think about cooking dinner as there is a decent amount of leftovers to be had.

I hope wherever you are you had a Bon Dimanche!!!

Friday frappe...........

Friday mornings activities............catching up for a birthday coffee...........not having coffee but a fine Italien chocolate frappe..............new cafe opened up that serves fine Italien hot chocolate as well.............you know the kind you have to drink with a spoon!

It was very good indeed.

Day 17- talking about yesterday.........

Dinner table set for an evening of bubbles and food. Was going to write about it last night but there was far too many bubbles consumed. You may have got a post that was incomprehensible. We did have a lovely evening sitting about with lovely friends, eating good food and laughing.

It was a good way to start the weekend.

May day.......

Today sees the beginning of the public holiday month here in Noumea. May has many. Between public holidays and the school break it's not worth actually going to work. Today was Mayday. We were celebrating the rights of workers all over Europe- well at least I think that's what it is. The kids and I -husband is away right now- were invited to a bbq and it was such a fab day.
Of course there was some fine French wine drank,

lots of baguette eaten,

and last but by no means least some hammock swing in the lovely sunshine.

Next Friday sees us celebrate Victoire 1945. I will see if my friend would be happy to host another bbq seen as this one was so fun.

This week........

Well where did that week go! One minute we are saying our Christmas greetings then all of a sudden we are wishing all a Happy New Year. Our week has been full of playing with stuff received from Santa, drinks with friends and swimming on a desert island.

And there was even a bit of sunset watching with drinks in hand. We have had a few fabulous days away up north with some lovely new friends we have made here. This past year has revolved a lot around friends. Some very dear ones I made when we first arrived left (unhappy) but then there has been some unexpected friendships blossom(happy) and there has even been some made through my blog(very happy).
I have hopes that next year will see me enjoying more of their company........ and them enjoying a bit more of mine.

I hope everybody has a great night tonight. We are celebrating it with friends. How appropriate.

Mixin' it with the Frenchies......

This afternoon for the first time the kids had non English speaking friends over for a play. Usually we have kids of mixed marriages who are all bi-lingual. This makes life easy and I need to admit this I have been avoiding it. For obvious reasons- language barrier! But I am going to say right here and now I need not have worried. The kids now have a level of French that far surpasses mine and so for them this is normal day to day stuff. For me it's a great learning experience and I should be thankfull for it. I know we read this and people are always saying that kids are sponges and it is all just soaked up but I am very proud that my two have had to learn a new language as well as learning the very first basics at school e.g reading & writing. It gives me such a thrill when I see them sitting around the table having gouter with their buddies and yabbering on in a language that isn't their first.

Bon courage Django & Juliette.

Pegs.....

Sitting in a friends yard this afternoon I spied these two things on her fence. I thought they looked very cute. I didn't ask her if I could take the photo's I hope she doesn't mind.

The apero.......

We went to our first apero evening tonight. It is a very French thing to do apparently. You are invited around for drinks and nibbles in the early evening which can run into dinnertime but you are not served a full meal. Just drinks and savories as I mentioned but I have heard some terrible stories about us anglo-saxons not quite knowing what to expect from these soirees and often coming home totally starving and probably pissed from not having any food in their stomachs. Luckily we were invited by a English/French couple and Mel didn't let us go home wanting for anything. She, herself, has been to way too many apero evenings where she has returned home starving and drunk from way too many aperitifs!

Jedi rabbits & fairies......

Over the past months we have had to say goodbye to a few people. Some have left us because of work others by unfortunate events and yesterday we had to do it again to two wonderful families. They have touched us and helped us in many different ways since coming to Noumea. I'm not going to ramble on too much because I will probably start to tear up(again) and I think they know already how much they meant to us.

Now it is onto cultivating some new friends. It's the hardest part, I have found, about living and working in a country that you know not everybody is staying forever(including us)but I think this topic deserves a post all of it's own with some friendly helping tips from others about forming such friendships.

Onto the going away gifts, the kids that have been leaving us have all been scoring something handmade by moi. No changes this time round we had a family with two boys and they scored the above 'jedi rabbits' as they are mad keen jedi's themselves and the other family of girls got the below fairy and a mermaid(which I forgot to take a picture of). I do like the idea of giving something they may not always have in plain view to see all the time but they may stumble on it sometime down the track and remember me or the kids that they spent many a sunny day playing with.
Hopefully these will be the last going away dolls I will have to make for a while!

The scarf....

Brenda's scarf....... hope it's making her feel nice and cosy and not to sad.

Farewells........

Yesterday we said farewell to some dear friends and it was sad. They are heading off on a fab new adventure in Qatar. This is the first off three farewells we have to do over the next few months. It's going to be a sad time for all concerned but they tell me this is what happens here. You arrive, you make really good friends, then they up and leave to go and experience other interesting stuff. I know it will be us in a few years(maybe) but that doesn't make it any easier. These friends almost become like family because you are here without the people from home. You see them quite regularly for kids catch ups or coffee or whatever really. All this people moving thing just means that I have to go out and find new friends but they will never be the same as the ones that have just left.

On a happier note our going away gifts for 3 of the 4 in the family were homemade goodies. For the kids I got each of my kids to draw up a character and I made them up. Juliette drew the above for Gabby and below Django drew the lower one for Remy. Hopefully when they look at them later we will come to mind.

I made Brenda a scarf, which she won't need in Qatar but they are spending a bit of time back in Canada before they head off. I forgot to put the image up so I will do that next post.
Anyway all I should say now is- Farewll and good luck Brenda & co.

Rain..............

See it isn't always blue skies here in Noumea. Sometimes it even rains and is very grey. It has been like this for two days and is expected to be the same for a couple more. When it is like this and you are looking out at it from inside the house you think it will be cold out there and you will need your woolliest jumper but alas no. It might be raining but it is still warm. I have tried very hard to rug up in my favourite cardigans that I brought over with me but they are just too hot. So I have finally reach the conclusion that it is to be short, 3/4 or long sleeves in a very light fabric. I think that also means some new pieces of clothing in the spring wardrobe which should include some sewing on my part and that's what I should be doing on these days is sewing but all I have been doing is reading 'the life of pi' and what an interesting novel it is. I will get my butt into gear. The incentive is to go to the wardrobe and decide that I have nothing to wear to do it. Oh well while you all ponder if you have nothing to wear in your wardrobe I need to go off to my french lesson. I will try and learn to say,in french, "I don't have anything to wear so I need to go and buy new clothes." I will then say it to my husband and he will nod and say " oui,oui" not knowing what he has said yes too.

To finish this post I have to send a very big cheerio to my friend Lucy. It was a special celebration for her a couple of days ago but she knows I am always thinking of her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY!

My dear friends.......

This is the gaggle of women that I spent last weekend wondering around Brisbane with. We had a great time together laughing, eating and reminiscing. These ladies have all entered my life at different stages but have become very much a big part of the life I lead now. If they read this I would just like to thank them all for leaving their loved ones at home and spending the weekend with me. I will remember it for years to come and for the two who couldn't make it. There was already talk of the next one. So girls get your 2008 calenders out!!

P.S. Sharon make any corrections on the grammar you think necessary!