Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Monday 24 October 2005
At the chorale last Thursday there was rather more talking and less singing than usual; mainly explanations and directions for an event I was unable to take part in as it was the day I went to Lille. It consisted of a kind of competion for choral conductors, for which the choir represented a sort of raw material; with a rehearsal on the Sunday followed by a concert on Tuesday. There is another concert however on Saturday 8 November, same programme and dress as the last one I took part in, at Stains, just north of Saint-Denis, to which we shall all be ferried by car. Fortunately when I am in Italy this week I shall not miss a rehearsal as there isn't one due to vacances scolaires (half term) and I shall be back in time for the Thursday after, as we arrive back in Paris early in the morning. So the last rehearsal was spent mainly in learning a modern popular song called Chanter, ready for our encore (!) and a gospel version of "This Little Light of Mine", with amusing pronunciation and even more amusing phonetic spelling by some of the members.
On Sunday I went to Lille for the day; N drove me to the Gare du Nord in plenty of time to catch the 9.00 am train. (It is only two stations away, but we didn't know how often the trains were on Sunday mornings.) The train to Lille was a TGV and only took an hour. I found Madeleine's hotel with the aid of a free map from the station, but the day turned out rather differently from expected, as not only were Richard's parents also visiting Lille with them, but they – and Richard too as the day wore on – were all very unwell due to something eaten the day before. M, R & I visited a café where they had breakfast and I showed them all my photos, then we waited in vain for some time in a bar and at the hotel for the parents to turn up, and by about 1.30 Richard decided he wasn't up to lunch either, so M and I set off on our own and found a very popular crowded restaurant where we had a long leisurely lunch, which eventually became afternoon tea in the end. We also visited the tail end of a market, and then went back to the hotel again to check on our invalids. R decided to come out with us for fresh air, but after half a fruit juice went back, and M and I did a lot more strolling and window shopping.
The city impressed me very much; similar to Brussels and Calais and pictures I had seen of Amsterdam, but with very wide streets and squares and individually different buildings squashed side by side together. As it was Sunday almost all the shops were shut, and early in the morning there were very few people about, but by late afternoon the cafés were all crowded. There were one or two very special shops I would like to visit again, including a wonderful chocolate shop where I bought a very superior bar of fruit and nut for N, and a soap shop called Nous Savons Tout. I hope I will be able to go again for the day with N, nearer Christmas. I think it was just as well for M that I was there, as she would have spent a lot of the day on her own! As it was, there was not a lot of time between tea and supper – which we thought we should begin about 6.30, as my train left at 8.00 pm. It began to rain, and then got much stronger, and we ended up eating in a not very special brasserie by the station. My journey back to Saint-Denis was quick and uneventful; I read a copy of Good Housekeeping passed on by M, and only had to wait about 10 minutes for a train at the Gare du Nord.
Today I have been to the hairdresser! The one I liked the look of, by the covered market. I turned up at about 2.30, and a very polite lady said they were busy, and could I come back in half an hour; I did the rest of my shopping and went back; was given a blue overall with a pocket in the sleeve in which was put my fiche – a bit like your order in a restaurant – and after waiting a few minutes, had my hair shampooed, the first time in years. A very competent lady then cut it, entirely with clippers, from the ends of her fingers or the comb; I had asked for a centimetre off all over, and was very pleased with the result, which she then blow dried and waxed. I was very impressed with the salon altogether; very brisk, hygienic and friendly. I discovered my stylist was called Maria, and the whole thing cost 28 euros.
Tomorrow we set off for Italy, take the car in the morning – so will have to have our luggage packed tonight, apart from overnight bags which we take on the train with us tomorrow evening. We are busy eating up what is in the fridge; and doing washing and dealing with paperwork; fortunately most of mine now seems finished and up to date; everything to do with Ainsworth Street completed, the new internet bank account set up and nothing more to do for the new house until we hear the date for the final signatures. So it's a good time to go way for a week!
At the chorale last Thursday there was rather more talking and less singing than usual; mainly explanations and directions for an event I was unable to take part in as it was the day I went to Lille. It consisted of a kind of competion for choral conductors, for which the choir represented a sort of raw material; with a rehearsal on the Sunday followed by a concert on Tuesday. There is another concert however on Saturday 8 November, same programme and dress as the last one I took part in, at Stains, just north of Saint-Denis, to which we shall all be ferried by car. Fortunately when I am in Italy this week I shall not miss a rehearsal as there isn't one due to vacances scolaires (half term) and I shall be back in time for the Thursday after, as we arrive back in Paris early in the morning. So the last rehearsal was spent mainly in learning a modern popular song called Chanter, ready for our encore (!) and a gospel version of "This Little Light of Mine", with amusing pronunciation and even more amusing phonetic spelling by some of the members.
On Sunday I went to Lille for the day; N drove me to the Gare du Nord in plenty of time to catch the 9.00 am train. (It is only two stations away, but we didn't know how often the trains were on Sunday mornings.) The train to Lille was a TGV and only took an hour. I found Madeleine's hotel with the aid of a free map from the station, but the day turned out rather differently from expected, as not only were Richard's parents also visiting Lille with them, but they – and Richard too as the day wore on – were all very unwell due to something eaten the day before. M, R & I visited a café where they had breakfast and I showed them all my photos, then we waited in vain for some time in a bar and at the hotel for the parents to turn up, and by about 1.30 Richard decided he wasn't up to lunch either, so M and I set off on our own and found a very popular crowded restaurant where we had a long leisurely lunch, which eventually became afternoon tea in the end. We also visited the tail end of a market, and then went back to the hotel again to check on our invalids. R decided to come out with us for fresh air, but after half a fruit juice went back, and M and I did a lot more strolling and window shopping.
The city impressed me very much; similar to Brussels and Calais and pictures I had seen of Amsterdam, but with very wide streets and squares and individually different buildings squashed side by side together. As it was Sunday almost all the shops were shut, and early in the morning there were very few people about, but by late afternoon the cafés were all crowded. There were one or two very special shops I would like to visit again, including a wonderful chocolate shop where I bought a very superior bar of fruit and nut for N, and a soap shop called Nous Savons Tout. I hope I will be able to go again for the day with N, nearer Christmas. I think it was just as well for M that I was there, as she would have spent a lot of the day on her own! As it was, there was not a lot of time between tea and supper – which we thought we should begin about 6.30, as my train left at 8.00 pm. It began to rain, and then got much stronger, and we ended up eating in a not very special brasserie by the station. My journey back to Saint-Denis was quick and uneventful; I read a copy of Good Housekeeping passed on by M, and only had to wait about 10 minutes for a train at the Gare du Nord.
Today I have been to the hairdresser! The one I liked the look of, by the covered market. I turned up at about 2.30, and a very polite lady said they were busy, and could I come back in half an hour; I did the rest of my shopping and went back; was given a blue overall with a pocket in the sleeve in which was put my fiche – a bit like your order in a restaurant – and after waiting a few minutes, had my hair shampooed, the first time in years. A very competent lady then cut it, entirely with clippers, from the ends of her fingers or the comb; I had asked for a centimetre off all over, and was very pleased with the result, which she then blow dried and waxed. I was very impressed with the salon altogether; very brisk, hygienic and friendly. I discovered my stylist was called Maria, and the whole thing cost 28 euros.
Tomorrow we set off for Italy, take the car in the morning – so will have to have our luggage packed tonight, apart from overnight bags which we take on the train with us tomorrow evening. We are busy eating up what is in the fridge; and doing washing and dealing with paperwork; fortunately most of mine now seems finished and up to date; everything to do with Ainsworth Street completed, the new internet bank account set up and nothing more to do for the new house until we hear the date for the final signatures. So it's a good time to go way for a week!
# posted by Chez Katherine @ 2:54 PM 
