.. write about ponds and pools.

My older boys returned to school today, the younger have another week off, frustrations of having one lot in French system and the other in an International School.  The sun shines so we will spend time in the garden and walking Sherlock.  Almost tempted to open pool.

The pool has been a bone of great contention.  When we moved here it was on the must have list of requirements.  Back in blighty Blakeney we converted a pond into a splash pool.  The boys were using it for inflatables pre-conversion so to avoid catching dysentery or some such when also diving in to retrieve treasures thrown by youngest, then toddler age, we emptied out flora and fauna and added some nice tiles and a couple of chlorine tabs.

Small it was, bad the weather was, great fun still for boys and friends and unfair to move to better weather and not one have.

Pre-conversion,

Who needs a beach?

So we rented a house with pool but arrived at a house with swamp.  Green it was and green it stayed those first few months and cross was I and offspring too.  Frustrated,  we closed it down for winter in the hope that all would be resolved come following spring.  It wasn't, not even after a full on raving middle aged loony mother, shouting match, with recalcitrant landlord, witnessed by mortified off-spring one not so sunny day.

So a formal letter was sent, this is France, threats of withheld rent made, and finally come July in time for the long summer break we had a fully functioning pool,  if a bit rough around the edges literally;that concrete needs filling.  And there, on lounger, lay I for the best part of two months; car issues have their advantages, another blog peutêtre .  I do love France.

The boys on the other hand, after all their bloody moaning, had to be blackmailed off their various
electronic satanic beasts to use it!

Summer 2013

Amazing what happens when the internet is turned off.

...sort out my laundry room

French houses, unlike british houses, don't appear to have boot rooms.  Okay many british houses don't have them either but most have an utility, a place for washing machines, wet dogs and dirty gubbings alike.  Never worked for me, two opposing needs lumped into one room.  Too many crisp clean sheets soiled by muddy paws and earth clad floors.

In France they have the baunderie, easy to remember ' sounds like ....laundry', throw back to my teaching days there.  It more often than not is situated upstairs, convenient for discarded clothes, not convenient for dirty boots and wet dogs, hence the obvious segregation.  Unfortunately mine is rather a large room, unlike back in blighty where it fitted a machine and ironing board,  and as in all large families there is an accumulation of stuff and that stuff must be housed. Not in an attic where stuff never needed again and xmas decs live, things  that may be useful stuff. Material for projects planned, not done, grown out clothing that will another conveniently birthed son adorn.  Mouses live protected from killer cats. Every house needs an indoor garage in my opinion.

So stuff therein accumulates and spreads, gets rummaged through and dropped.  Frankly it all ends up in one big,messy muddle that yours truly has to sort on a too regular basis.  Put off for far too long today it will be once more tackled and this time it will stay organised.

She doth jest of course!

A brave before photo.

So no backing out now

Might need to do some ironing?