Hard to believe it but its true: this week marks nine years since we moved to France. As well as being a weekly round-up, this entry is therefore also a retrospective on the previous year, and a general reflection on our life in France.
I’ll start off with the story of our week, which has been very cold, damp and grey. I realise this is entirely normal for the time of year, but the cold snap arrived with such a jolt that we’re having trouble adjusting. Barely a week ago it was t-shirt and shorts weather and now we’re suffering single-digit temperatures, the shock of which is exacerbated by the recent clock change. The cats are stuck indoors and are hating it, having been spoiled for too long.
2018 was, weather-wise at least, probably the best year we’ve known since we arrived. The summer started early, was consistently hot without getting too extreme, and the mild, sunny weather lasted until nearly the end of October. On the one hand, it’s horrifying that the effects of climate change are now so overt and irrefutable – but on the other hand, longer and more reliable summers are welcome in my book.
Workwise, things have picked up for Matt: he has a new, decent-sized project to work on, and just got off the phone with a client about another new one. As for me, at the last count I have 4 different websites in the pipeline, but none of them are currently moving. I have also had a tedious translation project to keep me busy, but that’s mostly done at this point.
There’s little to add for the rest of the week so I’ll skip to the weekend. Following a quiet Friday night in, our socialising kicked off on Saturday. We invited Benoit & Virgine over for a Halloween-themed (ie, orange and black) meal, which Matt spent most of the day preparing whilst I tidied the house. B&V arrived at 7:30 and we kicked off with aperos: various orange-coloured crisps and nibbles. These were washed down with a round of espressotinis for the black.
The main course was roast pork, which took a while to cook, meaning it was gone 10 when we sat down to eat. The pork was accompanied by shallots, roast carrots, and sweet potatoes to continue with the theme. An orange and black cheese platter followed and then we ended with chocolate mousse and clementines for dessert. After the meal, Eva and Sam both joined us and we got in a few rounds of Euchre before B&V left. The young-uns were up for a few more rounds, so we kept going on the rationale that the clocks were going back, so we had an extra hour. That may have been true, but clock-change or none, going to bed at 4:30am was not ultimately the cleverest move.
Sunday got off to a slow and fuzzy start but we managed to rally enough by 4pm to cope with band practise. Despite the state we were in, this went quite well and we all agreed that we’re sounding a bit more polished and together. After Christian left, we had an hour more at home to muster before heading off out again.
This was to Lewis and Pary’s place in Saint Front for a meal. They’re both back down in the Dordogne for a week or so as it’s half term. We were also joined by a friend of theirs called John who is here on holiday, and by Horace and Valerie, a couple who live in Quinsac. Interestingly, all three of the guests were not only American but, more specifically, Minnesotan. The latter couple have lived here for a number of years and John and his wife (who didn’t join him) are considering buying locally too.
We all got along well and enjoyed several glasses of wine over a meal of roast chicken, potatoes and Kuku sabzi (a Persian take on the Frittata). This was followed by cheese and then dessert, courtesy of Matt who made a pecan pie. It was only his 2nd attempt, and a new recipe, but it was a hit with all present. By 10:30, we were fading fast and as it was a school night, we made our excuses and left them to it.
So that was the week… what about the year? I began 2018 with an uncharacteristically upbeat blog post, a re-reading of which shows me I should avoid optimism. My hoped-for brexit backlash did happen, but rather than a roar, it’s been more of a whimper, and so easily ignored by the government. Brexit (in some form) now seems inevitable in March next year, despite growing calls for a fresh vote.
Meanwhile, Trump has used 2018 to show us that he was capable of being far worse a president than feared. Its not just his direct actions: we’re now seeing the extent that his violent, corrosive rhetoric can have bloody consequences. The optimism I expressed over Europe’s future also rings a little hollow when you look at the current state of play: Merkel on the wane, Italy surrendering to populism… Even domestically, the Macron-inspired hope of a French revival has been more of a damp squib: unemployment is again rising and the economic recovery of the first half of the year has spluttered to an undignified halt.
But 2018 has given us much to be thankful for. Chief among these is the birth of Elvie who is a delight and who I can’t wait to see again at Christmas. 2018 was also by far and away the best year that Port 80 Services has ever known. It’s hard to say at the moment if it was a freak blip or the start of bigger things, but either way, we earned significantly more this year than we need to live on. Having excess cash meant finally being able to invest in the house and we look forward to making full use of our new driveway and terrace next summer. We also look forward to welcoming Mum and Dad out here next year as permanent residents. It might be a bumpy ride at times with the looming chaos of brexit, but we couldn’t be happier that they will soon be virtual neighbours. It’ll be the closest I’ve lived to them since leaving home aged 17!
So 2018 was a good year for us personally, albeit a catastrophic one globally. Whatever 2019 has in store, we can at least all be sure it will be interesting. Here’s to another year of Frog-Blogging!