Sunday, July 6, 2008

In the swim


The trouble with having a swimming pool is that all sorts of people just pop in to use it.

Meet M. L'herrisson who was enjoying a, no doubt, unscheduled dip in the pool yesterday.You can't quite see from the photo but he's in about 4cms of water and was quite terrified. He desperately wanted to curl up but when he tried he put his nose in the water and his little head shot up again.Today I found the cutest little vole doing the doggy paddle around in circles in the deep end. He was in extremis and taking in water so I didn't think it fair to rush back to the house to get my camera. He was safely extracted from the pool and returned to dry land.

M. L'herrisson, much recovered from his attempt at learning to swim, has taken up residence in the garden of our cottage and has been spotted several times today.


I think it's fair to say it's been a bad weekend for him. First he gets trodden on, then he falls in the pool. Let's just hope that things don't go in threes in Hedgehogworld. What next?


The lovely Debs from Lehners in France have given me a splendid 'Just plain fun to read' award which I must pass on two three other fabulous bloggers. So, from me to you Jaywalker for keeping me amused with your Belgian Waffles, blogthatmama, who's blog I enjoy immensely and Hadriana, who I think is still on her hols, so hopefully it will be a nice suprise for her return.

Friend from Guyane has now left thank God. (Hey, who said that? It must be my evil twin) I do find French children hard work not least because they expect to be fed three courses at lunchtime. What person in their right mind cooks at lunchtime. I barely even eat and my children rarely expect more than a bowl of cereal. Hopefully a different cereal to the one they had at breakfast.

How did it get like this? I lived, breathed and occasionally ate Annabel Karmel when they were littlies but now, living in the real world, I seem to hardly managed 5 a week, never mind 5 a day, unless of course, we are talking flavours of crips.

Mind you, I was always a failure at the Alpha Mummy routine, lingering generally somewhere around Omega. I always forgot Harvest Festival and DS and DD were shoved through the door with a can of beans in an old carrier bag (not even a Waitrose one), while the real mummies reversed their 4x4s up to the school gate and unloaded beautifully wrapped fruit baskets and home-made (by the daily help at least) bread. I even forgot to go to Speech Day on the day that DS won two prizes.

Even here in France where the concept of the Alpha Mummy doesn't exist (tant mieux pour moi as they say) I send DD to school when it is a day off, forget to pick up DS when he finishes early and never have a sports kit ready or available.

I guess some people have it and other just muddle along in their own little way to the sound of lots of tutting and shaking of heads from the ones that ALWAYS get it right.

On a more positive note, tomorrow I'm going for an age defying facial. I've defied the beauty therapist to make me look 21. If she fails, when, you don't want to be there.

Next time you see me I'll be unrecognisable for the exhausted old hag that I am today!

15 comments:

blogthatmama said...

Blimey VLiF I'm almost as bad at pimping up my blog as I am at being a mother. Many thanks for the award, I can proudly say it's my first, and a lovely one it is too! I've spent ages to-ing and fro-ing from your blog trying to work out how to get it on mine and I couldn't for the life of me work out how to do a link to your site underneath it. I hope someone tells me! Cheers blogthatmamax

The Accidental Author said...

BTM - gawd, it took me ages to work out too. What you need to do is copy my web address then go onto your blog and click on Customise, then on the next menu, click on 'add a page element'. On the next menu click on 'Blog List', it will bring up a box for you to paste the url, then save it all and Bob's your Auntie Nellie's cousin. All done. VLiF x

Milla said...

3 courses. For lunch. For someone else's child. Am in shock! Am v much of the hard-hearted like it or lump it school of thought. Lots of muddling and deaf to tutting going on here, too. Came here from BlogThatMama

blogthatmama said...

Right, I'll be doing a blog list in the near future - that's my next blogging job!

Leesa said...

Hi there,

I made my way over here via Debs and wanted to say hello... I LOVEEEEEEE hedgies.. I used to have one (African pygmy) for almost 5 years in San Diego... They are the cutest things and great pets... Glad your little guy was okay... Take care, Leesa : )

The Accidental Author said...

Hi Milla, welcome to my blog and thanks for dropping in. I know, I don't even give my own three courses! The little darling phoned just before we left to ask if he could come back and stay again but sadly we are busy until, oooh, about 2010! Will pop by your blog as soon as I am back on ADSL. VLiF

The Accidental Author said...

Hi Leesa, thanks for dropping by. M. l'herrisson has now taken up residence in the garden of our cottage. He seems very happy and none the worse for being trodden on by klutzy son and falling in the pool. VLiF

blogthatmama said...

Just a quickie VliF should I pass the award on to other people? BTMx

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

I have an award for you over at my place.

Sandi McBride said...

how wonderful that you saved the hedgehog from certain death! I do love them, we had a little family of them living in our back garden when we lived in Beaconsfield (Bucks) a number of years back...such sweet creatures! Nothinglike our prickly pear porcupines!
Loved this post
Sandi

Hadriana's Treasures said...

Hi VLiF...yes..you are right it is a VERY nice surprise to hear that I have won an award! My first blogging award!! I'm as chuffed as when I won my bronze medal for Scottish Highland Dancing (when was that? Last week? Yeah right...pull the other one!) Seriously though I am WELL chuffed. Ta beaucoup! And do they really say "merci bien" in Frogland or did I just make that up and they are all mystified when I trot it out to them??(Will follow your cutting and pasting link tomorrow when I've got some caffeine inside of me. Am having bad withdrawal symptoms as have been on it for past 3 weeks non-stop!) A bientot. H xx

Hadriana's Treasures said...

Hi again. I've worked out how to pick up your award and I've left a message on my site for you to read....Also the mere fact that there are no "alpha mummies" over there makes me want to pack my bags! Although thankfully there are not too many of them round here! Salut! Hadriana.

The Accidental Author said...

BTM - yes, please pass the award on to three worthy bloggers. VLiF

The Accidental Author said...

Hadriana - enjoy the award! Will pop over to read the message. VLIF (otherwise known as Omega Mummy)

The Accidental Author said...

Hi Sandi - yes, aren't the hedgies soooo cute! It's really the first time I've seen one close up as usually they are flat in the road. I gave him a talking to about curling up not being a very good defence for large objects so maybe he'll catch on! VLiF