And the screaming continued unabated

B and I were lounging around on the balcony in the sun yesterday working our way through a plate piled high with fragrant watermelon. D panted happily next to us, the epitomy of doggy happiness.

B: D looks very happy, doesn't she?
Me: Yeah, I think she's always happy. Kind of like me!
B: What?
Me: ME! Because I'm just always SO happy!
B: giggles.
Me: WHAT ARE YOU GIGGLING ABOUT, MISTER?!
B: Well, you are almost always happy. Except for sometimes when you're not.
Me: (in mock horror) WHAT??? WHEN!?
B: Well, like when you're talking to the cable company.

The kid has a point. Internet providers make me want to go postal. Our supposed seamless transition from 1&1 has turned into a gaping Internet-less void. It's taken many heated phonecalls and three technicians to figure out the problem, which in the end, according to the hero who came by today could have been fixed within 45 minutes if the first guys had been paying attention. Oh, and did I mention that they erased all of my antivirus software in the heat of the battle? And then denied it? Grrrrr!

Anyway, all that Internet downtime had a silver lining, because it freed up lots of time to do important things like eat watermelon on the balcony with B. And read Eat, Pray, Love, which was a major treat in itself.

So I'm happy to finally be back online. As soon as I clear the spam out of my inbox and pay some overdue bills I'll be able to start surfing blogs again and catching up on your summers!

It's good to be back!!!

are we there yet?

We've been in the car for more than 11 hours now and any minute I might start screaming and not stop...

maybe she meant space aliens?

Last night I went in to check on the kids on my way to bed. I was tucking B back under the covers when I suddenly heard slow, stealthy footsteps in the woods right outside the window. I ran to M and whispered that someone / something was sneaking around our caravan.

M was out the door like a shot and quickly searched around and under the camper. Then he got out an enormous flashlight and shined it into the woods.

Just then our French neighbors returned to their campsite. I think they were a bit drunk. They saw M with his floodlight and started giggling.

They only speak French and our exchanges so far have been limited to my limited vocabulary and M's gradeschool French.

"What are you doing?"
"My wife just heard something!"
"Oh! Ha ha. Yeah, that! That's just a djkfkfkifrfkfc. We have a lot of those around here!"
"C'est quoi?"
"A dfdflgltoflck! You know! With the points!" (She sticks her fingers out next to her face.)

M smiled and nodded. It was obvious to me that he hadn't understood what they were saying either.

I whispered to him:"You think they mean a deer?"
"No idea. I think they mean a hedgehog."

I stifled a giggle.

The neighbors tried again.

"It's a dkefkfkivkj! They come around searching for escargots!"

M smiled at me triumphantly! "A boar! I think they're talking about boars!" He turned back to the women and said:

"They're this big, right?"

To which the women broke out into raucous laughter and bid us a good night...

popping in to say "HI!"

The weather has turned beautiful again and we finally seem to have found our groove. In the last few days we've hiked the tip of the Mont Ventoux, explored Uzes and Remoulin and have spent a lot of time at the pool.

Yesterday we took an 8km canoe trip down the Gardon River- we even paddled through the arches of the Pont du Gard! Today we took the kids go-karting and tomorrow we're off to discover Arles and the Van Gogh museum there.

I just finished reading Paulo Coelho's "the Alchemist". I liked many of the ideas in there, but found it a bit hokey in general. It came highly recommended, and was apparently a bestseller in 57 different languages. Have any of you read it, and if so, what did you think? Maybe it was just due to the mood I was in when I read it?

saving the day

(Cold + crappy)weather+cold shower+(cold + greasy)fries for lunch = crabby Betsy

But then came dinner.

We dined in the courtyard of an ancient farmhouse, surrounded by azaleas. The kids relished plates of gambas in pastis sauce. M savored a perfect steak and my ratatouille was fabulous; crisp and flavorful. Bats pirouetted gracefully above our heads, and when it got dark the owner came out and placed flickering candles on every table. It was a perfect evening...

very sorry I am. (oui oui!)

I am spoiled. And I'm not just talking about luck and love in the usual sense, but in the ease that comes when one can finally articulate one's thoughts well in a foreign language.

German has become very comfortable for me lately. If I'm not yet ready to stop with my lessons it's only because I'm fascinated by linguistic acrobatics and niggling grammatical nuances.

With French, however, it's a completely different story. Despite my best efforts it's never really "stuck". In Flanders there was little opportunity for practice and I was never able to get up enough momentum to speak more than the most basic French.

So suddenly here I am in a French-speaking environment and am struggling with even very rudimentary phrases. Probably I should just give up and teach myself how to say: "Ignore that gibberish I just spit out! Despite all evidence to the contrary, I'm not actually stupid!"

The other day we were in a restaurant and I decided to swallow my pride and place my order myself. (How else am I ever going to learn if I don't practice?) So I ordered a salad, and then explained that I'd like a pasta dish with vegetables. No meat and no dairy, please.

I was so relieved to have it all over with and proud of myself for my excellent language skills!

Much later the water returned bearing trays laden with food. He doled it all out and I was left sitting there with my drool-soaked placemat and a stunned look on my face.

He didn't bring anything for me!

The only thing I ended up eating that evening was a big slice of humble pie!

Back to le old drawing board...

Wissenswertes ueber die Roemer

We just had one of those "aha!" moments that every homeschooling parent dreams of!

I'm doing workbooks with the boys everyday- B is working on English spelling / grammer, and S on German. Coincidentally S's chapter this week focuses on the ancient Romans, which fits right in with many of the sights we saw in Nimes yesterday.

Today's lesson is about aquaducts, and includes a large picture of the one at Pont du Gard! He was so thrilled!

This afternoon we're off to go see the real thing with our very own eyes! I love it!

just checking in...

Hello from Pont du Gard in southern France! We're camping next to the Gard river. I'm devouring French chocolates and German literature in copious amounts. (So far dark chocolate with sesame and Erich Remarque top my list!)

This weekend M and I lounged around topless in the dappled shade of an ancient tree while the boys caught frogs who all seemed to be named either Bob or Speedy.

S and B spent an inordinate amount of time yesterday paddling upstream in an inflatable boat. (Which meant, of course that I then spent an inordinate amount of time rescuing them from the groping tentacles of river algae.)

Today we explored Nimes, which is a lovely city! There's an extremely well-preserved amphitheater which saw its share of gladiator fights back in the day. I also really enjoyed the Jardin de la Fontaine with its Roman baths and Temple de Diane. (I'm composing this via M's Blackberry, otherwise I would include Wikipedia links, because it was really awe inspiring!)

Today I dined on cheeseless pizza and coffee with rice milk. Blech. (And to think that up until now you were probably feeling jealous!? ;-) Just thought I'd throw that note in there to even out the playing field...)

It's raining cats and dogs (and loaves and fishes) right now. Have I mentioned how grateful I am not to be sleeping in a tent on a leaky air mattrass?!

I hope the summer is treating you all well! A bientot!

when I leave the sun behind me...

An open courtyard in the middle of a 16th century farmhouse. I am jumping on a trampoline. Or flying, rather. The Kink's "This Time Tomorrow" is blaring through my iPod headphones. Suddenly life slows down and I am living a scene straight out of a Wes Anderson film. There are children tumbling around everywhere. Their mouths are open but I can't hear what they're saying. Bubbles float up over my head and drift off to seek their freedom in the clear blue sky...

Change of plans

A neighbor here has suddenly died. of cancer. he was only 57. So we will wait to leave until later on today so that my father-in-law can help with arrangements. My mother-in-law is busy baking quiches.

I seem to be the the only connecting factor between all of these disperate people. Those of you who know me personally are probably breathing a sigh of relief that I'll be out of pocket for the next three weeks. At least you're safe for now...

We're off!

We just got back from a visit with M's cousin and his family. Leroy Sievers once said that the greatest gift you can give someone with cancer is a little slice of normalcy. C had built an intricate creation out of legos and really enjoyed showing it to S and B. And I was actually able to make it home before the tears came...

We're leaving tomorrow to travel down to the Ardennes where we've rented a house with extended family. After that M and I will take the kids and the dog down to the Provence for two weeks worth of camping. Of course we also plan to do a lot of hiking and to sample about a bazillion different kinds of local wines and olives.

See you all when we get back at the end of August! Take care of yourselves and enjoy your summer vacation! :-)

Bad news.

A cousin just came by. The chemo isn't working for M's cousin. There is nothing more that can be done for him.

We're all waiting for the prognosis, which might be given on Friday.

Although this is not exactly a surprise after the most recent test results it is still a shock all the same...

He's only 25 years old, engaged to be married and had his whole life stretched out before him. How is this possible?!

Dag allemaal!

Hello from ze heart of ze Netherlands! The weather here is fabulous and I'm slowly recovering from last week. On top of packing and everything else I had to do hand to hand combat with my nefarious Internet provider.

(For those of you new to this blog and my Internet woes: never take candy from strangers and NEVER EVER sign a flatrate contract with 1&1 no matter how attractive it sounds!)

So last week we were without Internet on top of everything else. I haven't been that consumed with rage since... well, since the week before when S got accosted at school, but nevermind...

I am now on vacation and it is off to a great start. On Saturday we took M's 98 year old grandma out to dinner. We wanted to go someplace local, and it just so happens that the nearest restaurant specializes in organic vegetarian food! My meal was amazing-- a broccoli tart and crisp green beans with blood orange sorbet for dessert.

The woman who runs the place suddenly showed up at our table with an armful of books with pictures of historical Dubbeldam, the area here where Oma grew up. She flipped through the pages with the black and white photos and her face came alive! Then she told us stories about what it was like here in her youth and during the war. I have never seen her so engaged or animated! The whole evening had a bit of a magical touch to it.

I've been sleeping in in the mornings and have been indulging in all sorts of exotic teas. Have taken some long walks along the dikes with D and have spent a lot of time in the garden just gazing at the birds and flowers. The boys have liberated a few hundred snails and carried them to safety.

This afternoon I biked into town with my mother-in-law and bought a bathing suit. And not the usual cheapo, flimsy kind that will fall apart before the end of the season, but a horrendously expensive chichi affair; an indulgence of the highest order. (which, of course might also fall apart before the end of the season, but hey, at least I will look dashing up until the point of its passing...)

Tomorrow I plan to break in said suit at a nearby swimming pool; and maybe eat some tasty sandwiches.

My week is shaping up just fine, thank you! How's yours?

We made it!!!

School is out; let the summer begin!

The terrorist ended up getting expelled after the umbrella incident. It was kind of an empty gesture since he only missed the last three days of school, but I was just happy that at last someone had finally taken action!

We will be leaving on Friday for a month-long vacation, so I am knee-deep in camping gear and laundry. I have never been so happy to be packing up our stuff-- normally I hate it, but after the last couple of months I'm so ready for a break!

Am giddy with excitement and am playing Coldplay's new album at full blast. It's amazing!

I'll be in Holland next week and will have an Internet connection so you're not rid of me yet!

Happy summer, everyone!

As the stomach turns...

The terrorist beat up a girl with his umbrella today in school. Apparently he hit her point-first full force in the stomach. When I left school she and the witnesses were in with the principal. I had to hurry home, though, to return a call from the police.

When I spoke to the mother yesterday she said that he was shaking with fear. That seems to have worn off today...

It is definitely time for this school year to end.

There's a boy in S's class who is a complete terror. He disrupts class, bullies other kids and vandalizes property on the way home from school. Unfortunately he lives near us and walks to school using the same route as S. If he sees S he runs up to him, kicks him, throws him into bushes and pushes him out into the street.

I've tried talking to the teacher. I've tried talking to the mother. Other parents of bullied kids have gone to the principal, all to no avail. Two weeks ago he choked another student when the teacher left the room. Nothing happened.

Today the teacher left the room again.

This terrorist started mercilessly teasing a heavyset boy in the class. S told him to knock it off and leave him alone. So he turned his full wrath on S. Yanked him out of his chair by the hair and threw him on the ground. S apparently got up and got back in his chair, only to be dragged out by the hair and thrown on the ground again. This was completely without any further provocation from S-- I heard the story from S's classmates long before I heard it from him.

This time he's gone to far. I have contacted the police. I talked with an officer and told him very calmly what had happened, and that I realize that this incident in itself didn't end in personal injury but that I was worried that the next one might. At first he sounded a bit skeptical, because, of course, we are talking about third graders here, but later he became sympathetic and said that he'd pay this kid and his mother a visit, and that maybe that would help.

I picked S up from sports this afternoon and when I saw the terrorist I just boiled over. I shouted at him and told him I'd called the police and if he so much as touches another hair on S's head again he's going to be very, very sorry.

Scared him to death, at least for now, and embarrassed him in front of the the teacher and the other students. I'm not proud of myself for terrorizing a 9 year old, and S will probably suffer the repercussions later, but at a certain point enough is enough. Even for a committed pacifist like myself...

5 more days of school. Just 5 more days....

Savoring the sweet moments

The boys are playing with a boomerang down in a field near our house. As usual I sent the walkie talkie with them. I was buried in a project I'm trying to finish when the walkie talkie started beeping. The boomerang was stuck in a tree and they didn't know what to do.

Normally I would have been annoyed at the interruption.

Today, however, I walked down to the field and personally rescued the boomerang from that tree.

And I came bearing lollypops.

It just keeps on coming...

My VHS German teacher and I have developed a friendship over the last year, so when classes ended last month she agreed to give me private lessons up until the summer vacation. I showed up at her house this morning and she was very agitated.

"I'm so glad you came today-- I can really use the diversion. My husband has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and we're waiting on test results to see if it's metastized to his lymph nodes."

She was so shaken and I felt so intensely sad for her! Life seems so precarious to me at the moment. I've got tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat every time M or the kids leave the house. I'm trying to keep everything in perspective, but it's not always easy...

Double gulp.

I am just reeling. Just got off the phone-- one of S's friends started throwing up blood last night. The took him to the hospital in an ambulance and he was in intensive care for several hours. They gave him blood and stabilized him-- moved him to a normal room, and then it started again, so he's back in intensive care.

They're apparently doing an endoscopy to see if they can locate the problem, but it sounds like everyone's in the dark. And this is a very healthy, robust kid! He and S attended a birthday party together on Sunday and I've got a picture of him right here smiling with his popcorn at the theater!

Are we all really so fragile? I can't help but think of his mother and M's cousin's mother and what they're probably going through right now and I've got tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.

Sometimes it seems like it's only a matter of time before something horrible happens to any one of us. We're just biding out time until then, that's all...

Shit.

M's cousin has just finished his two rounds of chemo. He went in for some scans last week and was in for a shock: although the largest tumor has shrunk he suddenly has two new tumors in his liver. (!!!)

He was feeling so much better, his hair was coming back in and the family's optimism was finally returning. In spite of all that, his blood markers have suddenly skyrocketed off of the charts. It doesn't look good....

Give your loved ones a hug (or a call!) today! You never know what tomorrow might bring...