The End of the Adventure

This week has been a non-stop party. On Thursday it was Sacha's  end-of -the-year class  party.

  
He brought home his Christmas handcraft: a lovely Nativity crib.

It is in place of honour in our entrance hall, and much admired.




Everyone in the class had done a drawing for Sacha, and these were all bound together with a class photograph in a souvenir album.

A photo of the artist appears in the corner of each drawing

Sacha in charcoal jumper next to little girl in pink

On Friday morning, the whole school went to a Christmas service at a nearby church. Sacha came home for lunch as Louis was invited out for lunch two days running : on Thursday with Valentin, and on the last day with Andrew.


At last the moment arrived. The last hometime of the last day of term.The boys were  fêted, kissed, hugged, and wept over.

We went to the station to collect Denis, Emilia and William who have come for Christmas.  Nick arrived in the late evening. Then this morning at dawn, they were off for a week of winter sports.

Monsieur Gautier, the headmaster, told Caroline that he had been very doubtful in the summer, when we told him of the plans to send the children over to France for a term. However, it wasn't long before he was watching them joining in with the others in the playground, and saying their first words of French. That is when he began saying: "How very lucky those children are, to have such an advantage in their lives!"

It was a wonderful adventure, not only for the children but also for us, the French grandparents. The four months simply flew by. We will have so many lovely memories of our time together.

As for their progress in French, you could get an idea by clicking on this link. Denis made a little video.  (You have to make sure that the volume is turned up when Sacha speaks as there was a small technical hitch at that point. ) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVlFcoBC4Ig

Thank you all for following this blog!

Sir Hugo's birthday and visit to Clara

The final Wednesday before the end of term. Sacha missed swimming again, as both he and I have colds, and preferred to stay warm and dry this morning. We put the final touches to Louis' knight's costume. François made him a splendid shield.
                                        

It was a wonderful birthday party. The knights were taken to the town centre, and given turns on horseback on the roundabout before returning home for chocolate birthday cake.

Sacha helped me to make a cake for his school leaving party tomorrow, and it was soon time for his visit to Clara. She only lives at the end of our garden, so we didn't have far to walk. Clara was an excellent hostess. I stayed to have a cup of tea with her Maman, and was thrilled to hear Sacha playing with Clara IN FRENCH. He was apparently very good company, and wished everyone "Bonne Soirée!" as he left, with absolutely no prompting from me.

Christmas market

We went into town to see the decorations, and the Christmas market. There were a lot of people in the streets. The boys were allowed to choose the shops that we would visit. They chose a nice souvenir shop, and a children's clothes shop.


We had lunch in a steak restaurant, then walked down into the town centre. Louis bought a hat from one of the stalls.

He chose the hat himself, and looks very good in it.
Then they had a turn on the old-fashioned roundabout.

In the evening, they drove to La Flèche to see Ingrid and her babies. Ingrid had come from Paris for the weekend.