Blog – Sun 13 Sept 2008

Two weeks of language school under our belts (I don’t think “sous nos ceintures” works in French) and we are both enjoying it although I have been extremely tired this week (better now).

I have had fun from time to time in class discussions when we have been asked to answer questions such as “is lying acceptable?” or is there such a thing as the ideal man?” To the second, the class were arguing “no” until I intervened with a statement that I know the ideal man and his name is Jesus! They were a bit shocked, but language school must be a good excuse for evangelism surely.

We have done an Ikea shopping trip getting there on public transport as we have no car and asking the kind Gordon Neal to collect us. This has meant we are able now to make better use of the space available in the apartment.

For most of this week summer has continued and it has been glorious to look out over the park.

We are having a few problems with the apartment block regulations: we have no parking space allocated to the apartment. That’s not a real problem as we have no car. We do have our bikes and are using them extensively. The bike shed is the same building as the bin store and is at the back. There are three ways of getting bikes to that shed: (a) through the vehicular access under the block from the road (b) through the ground floor common parts of the block and down some steps (c) hurl them out of our 5th floor window. We have no code or card for (a), carrying bikes down the steps whilst opening a door is tricky and (c) has not been tried yet so (b) therefore is our favoured option, but we have just been informed that taking bikes through the flats is “interdit”. I have asked Mme la Gardienne for the code and a card. She said no. I said why. She gave no reason. The saga will continue as we propose to continue doing (b) until she gives us the code!

I have just conceived a possible fourth plan for the bikes: a visit to the local Bricorama (DIY shop) should do it. A simple rope and pulley system and we’re there. We attach the bikes to the rope outside in the street, go up to our flat and then haul the bike up and store it on the balcony overnight.