Sailing off into the Sun-set

A very nice week-end last week-end.



First-off was our first barbie of the season at Isabelle's. John, with all his natural charm as befits a Yorkshireman, informs me my French is still painful - but at least I managed to make it through the entire evening with only one enormous wine-induced mistake (when I describe Tizzy's hair decoration as a magic wand (baguette) as opposed to a hair-slide (barrette), although by that time I suspect even the Swiss themselves also thought I was quite fluent).



Isabelle has a very nice house out in Plymouth - with three ovens, a wine cooler and a dish-washer (see, showing my age. I should have pointed out the pool first). She says it's a bit small for them, but only by American standards, ie they can't cycle around their West Wing like what we can.



On Sunday we were invited out on The Boat. This is a big thing for us, as we hadn't been out on the lake before. these friends have their own company, where, I understand they produce brochures of boats. This means they (or rather the Company) has a rather spiffy "pontoon" ie a wide, three-hulled boat, which, get this, actually has legs which come down independently when you want to stop, and stabilize it completed flat so you don't get buffeted. I'd thought we'd only be out for an hour, but we were out for 4 (more wine), and I even risked a dip (pretty nippy). We went to Big Island out on Lake Minnetonka. I have been told "no definite article, as that marks you out as a Hawaiian or a foreigner". That's the place where all the kids in Daddys' boats go to hang out at the weekend, moore the boats close together so they can run from one to another and, quite frankly, drink themselves silly. Sigh - if only I had been 19 there instead of in Karlsruhe. I think there used to be an amusement park there, but now only enormous $$$ houses.



This week is T's French week at school (ummm, aren't they all?), but it basically implies a week of playing about, as each afternoon is dedicated to a different activity eg Kermesse (sort of school fete/sports day), soccer, fashion show. It's actually her last day tomorrow. Hasn't the year flown by, etc.