And then he said, maybe we'll see each other again

Hey readers! Here we are again, on what has now become a pretty regular posting pattern here: Tuesday night, Thursday night and Sunday at some point. There's nothing wrong with a bit of routine, right? I know I'm a sucker for it ;) Forget sweet talk, give me a man with a strict schedule and I'm his...haha jokes! Men with schedules never approach me (more's the pity) unless it's the doctor coming to tell me it's time to take my next batch of pills and to stop eating the glue...jokes, I'm not in a literal mental institution yet!

So, since my return from the STUNNING weekend retreat, I've come into this week with a renewed sense of joie de vivre or vigour or something. You see, I wrote my bucket list on Sunday. Not a life long bucket list though, just what I want to have achieved by the time I turn 22 in 4 months (buy me a present, yeah? ;) ) and, let's just say this, it's a list pathetic enough to make an angel weep. Can they weep? Interesting... Just to WHET your appetite, pals, here's a few points on the list.

*Meet as many people as possible
*Go on a date
*Allow yourself more you time
*Learn to love job
*Get really good at German (and use it in practice)

Now, I can't say I've fulfilled all 16 points straight of the bat, because that would be RIDICULOUS! However, I really think upon reflection tonight that I've really made some headway on some of the points. And I should be good at making headway as I have a huge head (and ego...hey, who said that?!) Saddo right here, talking to myself...I'm like one of those creepy men with ventriloquist puppets- why?? No wonder I can't make any friends!

Now, in case you're wondering why Angelina Jolie is perched on the side of my blog- bit rude of her- it's for the hilarious thing that happened during play time yesterday. There I was, cuddling my child the horse teddy and we were lying in bed having a sleep, then some grubby little hands came along, nicked my CHILD and left me her child, a kangaroo! I just remember thinking, 'Isn't this the exact plot of The Changeling??' and ironically enough, the lead character shares my first name...spooky! Anyway, luckily there was a happy ending to my saga, I managed to snag my own child (Megan the horse) back in time for her next play-doctor examination. I've jazzed up playing doctors, readers, because I can only listen to a heart beat with plastic stethoscope so many times. As there is a phone included, when I get to be the doctor, I ring up other doctors (today is was Dr. Cary Grant) and have imaginary flirtatious banter with them- with one sided conversations such as 'Ah, hi there Cary. Yeah, it's me. I was just phoning to-....oh no, not about last weekend...it's just, I have a patient here who needs a consultation and...oh Cary, not now, don't make me laugh out loud...yeah, after work drinks for sure...that's perfect, bye!' As you can see, I really have an active social life winky face *sob*

In the afternoon, as this weather here is still playing the fool and absolutely boiling us all alive from 7am to 11pm (STILL HOT NOW!) I was playing in the paddling pool with the kiddies. Unfortunately, Ring a ring a rosies was too vigorous for me when I got a wet pair of shorts from the 'All fall DOWN!' bit, so I taught them something new. It is a legend that has pervaded all of our childhoods. It makes us laugh. It makes us cry. It makes us involuntarily become milk maids. That's right, I taught them how to fill rubber gloves with loads of water and pretend they're cows' udders. How I laughed! Then I got shouted at when I tried to milk the cow so I just left them to do whatever the heck they wanted with the gloves instead. Obviously the true class and elegance of our beloved game was lost on them.

This week is interesting, because we're having a visit here in the house from the other au pair who used to work here. She's from England and went to the same uni as me and was in the same college and also played the piano and violin. Weiiird! But we get on well and it's lovely to have someone close to my age to talk to, we even went out for a beer this evening in the city and it was like I was a normal person with a friend. Also, she had a box of her clothes here still and gave me loads of really nice clothes that she didn't want anymore. And a DRESSING GOWN! Woooohooo! I can't wait to wear that in the winter!!! It's nice to have someone who really gets what I'm going through, and indeed there isn't anyone who could better understand! I'll enjoy her visit while it lasts, that's for sure!

Now, readers, I have a truly magnificent nugget of a story for you...gird your loins...ew, actually, please don't...but no, that's bad too!! Look, forget I mentioned your loins at all...this is so awkward.
There I was, getting the tram home from language class (did I mention we have five members now so we officially get to keep it up and running!! woooohoooo! I can continue being a swotty git! Now I have an Iranian boy who is also a swot and we get to sit together so the other 3 don't stand a chance, wayhey!  We were so smug tonight, swinging in our chairs and grinning, while the others tried to finish an activity...SUCH FUN!) and this boy sat next to me who looked about my age. There I was, having a tic tac from my bag, when I paused and thought 'Hang on, I may as well try out my german' so I just offered him the box and said 'Mochtest dich eins?' and he said 'Ja, danke' and then a load more stuff and I had to say that I was from Ireland. Then he said, do they speak English there and proceeded to whip out a book for learning English. I whipped out my book for learning German. We were both just back from our classes to learn each other's languages! How delicious is that??? I could  practically here the synthetic keyboard sounds of the meet cue on a classic Romcom. Amazing! So, we had a nice chat, found out he was called Sam and was 23, we were getting off at the same stop, he lives in the next village from me, and I have to say, my German is pretty good! He was a bit lazy so just said 'I find English very difficult, I prefer to speak in German with you' and I did it! I was speaking away in German and he was understanding it. GCSE German has somehow kicked back in!
I just thought that this would be the most wonderful opportunity if we were friends because then we could always help each other out with both learning. And he seemed a nice, sensible, normal boy. What are the chances of finding one of them to talk to, eh?
So, we got off the tram and were going opposite directions. I sort of thought he might say 'Do you want my number?' or add me on Facebook or something...but then he said, 'Maybe we'll see each other again on the trams soon. So that was that!

Maybe I will, maybe I won't!

May Angels Lead You In...some friends?

Hello...is it me you're looking for?? No, Lionel buddy, it is not either of us they are looking for! Because, apparently, I am really struggling to make friends here. It's not that I'm just being difficult. I just live in the country and I don't get to meet many people. It's a crying shame, that is! Any offers, Swiss readers??

L'Aventure Peugeot- the museeeee in France

Anyway, I'm not gonna be one of those ranty mcranters, who just moan on their blogs, unless of course it's with regards to SOTPM in which case we all enjoy a good moan about him, because we are his biggest fans, aren't we guys? But blaaargh, he's not being mentioned until I have good reason to do so!

 Previously in my life, I posted that rather melancholy post on Sunday  at lunch time.  Hilariously,within the space of a melancholy breakfast, melancholy lunch and some general mopey-ness- the unthinkable happened.

There I was, enjoying a mopey coffee and reading a magazine article about a model who likes eating, when the roar of a car arrived. Then another one. Then another one. Then another one. Minis. Vintage ones. Men. Six of them. After being introduced, I was whisked into a mini with a lovely man called Andre, and we all sped off in procession towards France. My life, eh??

Here we are arriving at the musuem: Andre and I. Not my words.

Don't believe me? Check it out, four mini parked together in the car park- what??







I had a whale of a time! For the first time in ages I was the only girl amongst a group of men. Plus, they were much older than me so really treated me nicely. They held doors for me. They bought my lunch and my tickets and my drinks. They called me a lady. They complimented me. They helped me. I loved the looks other people gave our group: six older men and one young girl- we must have looked fantastically weird!

So that was a delightful time in the afternoon, one of my happiest days so far. It was such a lovely drive into the country side too. Such a novelty for me to be being one minute in Switzerland and the next in France. Inconceivable! Plus, I had such lovely conversations with Andre the whole way there and back. And I might even have gotten a new reader for my blog...could it be true??

The second ever Peugeot car- and my favourite

In other news, the pursuit for finding me a prospect is continuing. Today a young man of roughly his 20s was getting his van fixed on site and I was quickly informed. It was suggested maybe I could go subtly play with the little girl outside, just to get introduced. I felt like a Victorian debutante. Until the child said 'Go Away' and hit me. Lovely job I have. Plus, although I enjoyed his initially flummoxed expression when I suddenly appeared in front of him, I got introduced dismissively as 'the au pair' and therefore got instantly dismissed as an absolute dunce who couldn't do anything else with her life. Dragging the child off to the other side of the yard, I tried to look casual in my denim shorts and pink fluffy slippers as I got ran into with a toy truck and got forced to dig through some dead leaves. He was very taken with me, I'm sure. Still, I did get a kick out of watching him trying and failing several times to reverse his van back out of the driveway. He was no SOTPM.


Today, I had to accompany the little one to Playgroup for half an hour, as she was too sad to stay alone. After a few games of cooking, I witnessed one of the earliest bitch faces I've ever seen in a life. This TERRIFYING toddler kept coming over and stealing things we were using. She'd then parade around the room with them and suddenly chuck them at us while looking really evil. You should have seen the two toddlers circle each other- like a chick flick frenemy montage!

This evening I got sent to my first language class. I had high hopes that I might meet some nice people my own age and FINALLY have places to go and people to do things with. It's no fun knowing you're in the way always being here. Plus, it gets really depressing to just stay where you work all the time. And the work is HARD. So I got on the tram with high hopes.

Where I'm going to end up, in a strait jacket, after my mental break.

Those quickly plummetted. For ages, it was only me and the teacher. Then a Turkish girl showed up. With an older woman who must have been somehow connected to her. Then a Brazilian girl. And that was it. Apparently if we don't get anymore members then our class is getting cancelled...yay! There goes my hopes of learning German! I thought the Brazilian girl was about the same age as me and we might get on. Alas, she is married with three children: the oldest of which is TWELVE!!!!!! The other two were both older too and the Turkish girl kept trying to correct me on things so I took to trying to beat her to every single right answer. Ha! And I succeeded.

Jazzy...

The only people who did really address me in town, with the exception of patronising Turkish girl and the teacher, were an absolute dead ringer for Whoopi Goldberg who was sitting in front of me on the tram and offered me some friendly advice when I couldn't get off the tram at my stop...like an IMBECILE! I really wanted to yell  'Thank you, Whooopiiii!!' The only other person to address me was a short teenaged boy who appeared to be auditioning for a Jay Z impersonation gig and looked like he might have been from the Phillipines who said 'Heeeellllo' in what I assume was meant to be a sleazy way which I quite frankly ignored. So an abundance of social opportunities, as you can see!

On the plus side, 1) I have totally gotten tanned without a single bit of sun burn. Like as in, people actually comment on it. 2) People keep mistaking me for a native and asking me for advice and directions. 3) And the mosquitoes here don't mind me one bit! Unlike those stupid Tiger Mozzies in Spain!4) Travelling Salesman totally emailed me back today. Turns out the reason we didnt meet up for some fun on Sunday was because he had to go back to London early due to a knee injury. Now we're penpals! And if there's anything I have a real aptitude for, except for giving the wolf in Red Riding Hood an exceptionally fine American accent, it's keeping up correspondences with people at a distance who never have to see me whatsoever!

QOTR