You know...

I really thought I'd be writing much more often. I can only blame my lack of internet for so much.

Now, don't get your hopes up, but it appears I will be getting it hooked up finally.  Called Virgin Media for the 4th time and told them if they couldn't do it to tell me, and I'd go somewhere else.  It's been two months as of tomorrow that I've been here, and I have to sign up for a 12-month contract.  Oh, there are some 1-month, and even a 9-month contract out there, but most internet services here require a landline phone; something I don't have, and don't care to also hook up.

They've taken my 35 pound deposit, and are supposedly sending me my modem and all next week.  Due to arrive on Thursday, which is the first of a two-day postal strike here by royal mail.  Which means it could end up in a box in a warehouse somewhere.  Oh, they said they could send out a technician, but not until the 30th of October, which is the day I'm going to Stratford-upon-Avon for a Fulbright weekend, meaning both choices are poor. I'm taking my chances and hoping the mail somehow comes through, and my feeble little brain can figure out where the BT box is that I have to hook aforesaid modem to.  Argh.

Did go to Paris last weekend.  Now that was quite a trip.  Left Friday night from school, and by 9:30 pm, I was in Paris. Had a very cool dinner at a creperie (gosh, that doesn't look right, but it's not in my dictionary),

and this beautiful concoction was what we shared for dessert.

Something different about this trip was that we didn't ride the metro except to get to the apartment where we were staying and to get back to the train station.  We didn't take any cabs either, so we only went to places we could walk.  I think I may have lost another stone just with the walking.  Both of the women I went with simply did not want to ride the Metro, so we didn't. 

With three people, it's always a democratic vote of what to do and see, but unfortunately, I seemed to often be the odd man out.  Of course it was Paris, so  it was great, but I didn't really get to see anything new.  We went to Notre Dame and an evening boat tour, two things I did with my friends the last time I was in Paris, and because we only went where we could walk, we were pretty limited in choices.  We did spend a good part of Saturday poking around in little shops, and I got a darling, much-too-expensive hat to wear when it gets really cold here.  The weather was fabulous, the sun shining most of the day,and the only bit of rain was when we were in a cafe having lunch.  Good timing!

On Sunday, we went to the Left Bank, but most everything was closed.  We walked on to the Luxenbourg Gardens, and had a moment to sit and watch the kids play with their boats in the water.  I was happy to relax.

We also went to a market;  there was fruit:

And fish:

And flowers..

Oh, the flowers...

I so wanted to buy them all up (the flowers, not the fish) and take them home with me.  Alas, the pictures will have to do.

Next week is a  big one, end  of the first half-term. Lots of student work to mark.    Hopefully I'll keep you all up-to-date better, once this internet gets sorted out.

Cheers.