I smiled when I
reached my village at six thirty of an evening. A good
omen! The second joy was that Big Feet the Cat came running along from the
rear garden entrance to the roadside when she heard my car! Now she is nestled
on the settee in front of a roaring woodburner. Arriving home after
a week’s absence, the temperature in bedroom and kitchen was 10C, the grand
salon 12C rising to 17C, the courtyard 6C, Chauvigny street 4C. There was evidence of rain, whereas before the flight
descended to Poitiers, there was beautiful sunshine. Left that in England! Five hot water bottles are
in bed as I haven’t bought that electric blanket! My family always called them hotties!
It was a fairly good
week unfortunately marred by daughter being under par
when I arrived and then she and grand-daughter suffered a tummy bug for three days, luckily without vomiting. Many children were absent from school and some hospital wards were closed. I never managed to see my mother, as the
day I could have hired a vehicle, I didn’t. Although disappointed not to have seen her I can’t feel
guilty that I too was feeling low and tired. Certainly didn’t wish to take
her any illness. Fortunately, I haven’t succumbed. I saw some friends and
not others. I didn’t buy clothes or shoes as there was no time, yet, I did
collect more weight than I took, having to remove 2kg from checked in
baggage to cabin baggage!
HOWEVER, the best gift
of all was that I was allowed to take Francesca out without parental chaperones for the FIRST time in SIX YEARS! Mother can begin to let go! Gran'mama can be! Not-so-little-one-anymore was ill on Monday but the
school didn’t send her home! She missed the school carol concert and so did
I! I never managed to treat her
after school as planned but maybe this was better. It was agreed that after three days indoors we would go to see Santa on a Saturday
afternoon. Gran’mama and little
one, growing ever taller, walked hand in hand into the city trying to
avoid the crowds. ‘Quel horreur’, when she said she needed to go to the toilet.
I explained that I didn’t know where they were, then suspected a ruse when she
said that there were reindeer in the Mall, the old Mall that I avoid at all
possible costs. One couldn’t take a risk, so we nipped into John Oliver
restaurant, which I dislike, but I knew where the loos were! Trying to avoid going to the
department store first, I asked which Santa she would prefer to go to but then I had a wheeze of an idea! It
would be unlikely for her to believe in HIM, after the age of seven. "I tell
you what Francesca, would you like to see TWO Santas?” We laughed conspiratorially together when
I suggested we could make a comparison, explaining the meaning of the
word! I felt like a naughty girl, freed from parental control and about to have some fun! Ooohhh, Santa One and Santa Two. Gran'mama hadn’t seen Santa
for a very long time! Whhhooopppeee! Francesca chose to go
to The Stranger Hall Museum first. We paid £5 but had to wait for the next slot
in half an hour. Therefore, I paid £3.50 to visit the house, which I had never been
into in all the time I had lived near that city! This is fun… there is a sixpence
finding trail… each has a letter, unravel the letters to find which day in the
year is special for mixing Christmas Puddings. Knowing the answer made this
easy, as I wasn’t sure what size sixpences we were looking for! Eventually
after four rooms I found a paper one about 20cm diameter! We backtracked and
found one more … eventually we found 4 out of 6 letters, filled in the last
two, showed the Victorian lady in the kitchen whom we had already spoken to
about Christmas puds and Victorian money in her table display.
(I had to correct her when she spoke about holly as a pudding decoration
when she was holding a sprig of bay leaves!!!!! Hm??? What kind of English education is this!!!!!????) Francesca won her reward of a size of a
sixpence Christmas pudding – a foil wrapped chocolate ball!
Santa was BRILL! Very
Victorian - red not green! He spoke very eloquently. Francesca had a charming
conversation with him and Alf the Elf, who disappointingly was in his normal
clothes wearing an elfin headdress. She
received a wrapped present, delighted to open a history book including
pictures and the story of Guido Fawkes and the Great Fire of London, which she
has been studying at school.
Next was the large
department store where she was confident to purchase her ticket at the cash
desk and work out how much change from a £10 note… easy peasy for her -
£6. On both occasions she was asked t
spell her name ( it doesn't have a 'h') and was complemented on an Italian name! This Santa did have a real beard but when
the reindeer feeding timetable was updated by a man in mufti instead of looking as if he was a
Santa’s little helper, I was aghast when my dear granddaughter announced,
having watched Santa arrive from his lunch break, that he was not real!!!!!!!!!
Younger ears were present as we were third in the queue! Full marks to the assistant who managed
to allay reality and told Santa through the window that she doubted his
reality! Santa being well trained, understood what to say. She
could choose from the piles of toys in the grotto providing she left him some
food for his reindeer! She chose a
soft turtle with goo goo green eyes. All kiddies could have a red balloon! Actually it was Gran'mama who could reach
the string to pull it from the ceiling. These days the parents pile in to the grotto and one
can ask to take a photo of child with Santa. I thought it was all good value and great fun for me!!!!!!!
Afterwards it was pizza and ice cream as promised but not to the dreaded Pizza hut and express requested. We compromised with “Giraffe!” The main purpose of the visit was to see family and rid myself of French cabin
fever. The weather was kind and so were my friends and family! It was mostly joyful!
Nice to read 😍
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