Genève, by the lake as the sun is going down

This is just so cool, sat by the lake watching the world go by, listening to some band getting warmed up for a concert this evening and I am on the net!!

I was just going to write something in word and add it tomorrow, but there is no need there is the ned there is the WiFi free for the public.

The smell is that almost of the sea, it is so very different to Lyon. Fish, that is it fish in the air. And perfume, strong perfume. Is it a woman's or a man's? Who knows.

The sun is just going down behing the Jura, behind Thoiry and it is going to get cold to I think I will leave it here. What a great place! Why didn't we stay here Lynn? We were so young.

Ceuillette de girottes!

Oh yes, I forgot. While doing this wonderfully fulfilling work in the camper a car drew up and a couple a little older than me got out. Took a ladder from the back of the car and clambered onto the wall behind the camper to collect some girottes (small, bitter cherries) off the tree!! I just couldn't believe it. The tree was in a private garden. The car had a doctor's sticker in it! I suppose that is why the rich stay rich!!

Scintillating day!!

What a scintillating day spent in the camper marking!! Finally got the ECE exams out of the way at around 5pm after starting this morning at 9am!!! OK, they were so booooring that I did have some breaks, like after every five copies and towards the end every single copy!!! But what were we testing? Well that is not for here just at t he moment.

It actually was sunny at one point and I went out for a walk and took some photos. Not on the mac yet! but they will be soooooooon. Came down to McDonald's to send off those marks and to have a coffee. No coffee, the machine was out of order!! So I had a couple of 20cl apple juices - pure 100% juice nevertheless. Before that I bought myself a pair of shoes to replace the ones I've had for the past 6 years!! Hope the new ones last as long.

Well, in a few moments I am going to close down and go to the lake. Get my bike off the back of the camper and do a little exercise, I need it. See you soon.

Holiday: Day 1 & 2

While doing my marking, I thought about what I should do with my blog. In fact, it really is just a diary for me as noone ever seems to come and have a look at it. Why do some blogs get lots of hits and mine... none? Perhaps I am just boring!

So, I have left Lyon and am now on my hols. Yes, I was thinking about ship logs and thought that I might try to do something like that so that I can remember what I have done and some of the things I have seen and have happenned to me during my hols.

So I left home quite late on Wednesday evening. It was important that I leave although I still have so much still to do. Leaving meant that my vacation had started and that is important.

I drove about 100 kms to NANTUA, a town in the Ain to park by the lake. On my arrival around 22h30 I found that all the places just by the lake had been taken and I had been relegated to a place near the new train track that is being built. But, no matter, there are no trains yet, or so I thought.

Thursday morning I was awakened by someone talking just outside the camper. On opening the blind I saw a Police Municipal bloke. What was going on? In fact, they have now started charging campers staying overnight: 5€60 for a night. That is more than my allowance for the day!!

After many of the campers had left I changed position, with a view of the lake and began correcting one of the classes exams I have. During the afternoon many young people came to swim and mess around. I decided to change postion, as I didn't want to have to pay for another night so I carried on to LEAZ, just after Bellegarde and before the strait of the Rhone.

What a lovely little village. The number of times I have been just above it on my way to Genève, it has a great panorama of the Rhone and the Fort d'Ecluse. I will put the photos on the net tomorrow.

It was warm, and then a rumble followed by a flash and a real storm started over my head. On seeing that the weather looked a little better on the other side of the ridge of la Faucille, I thought I would come to THOIRY and make the most of the the WiFi at McDonalds. So, here I am, but not to stay forever!! Although I have spent almost 3 hours here already! Email checking, writing emails and so on.

Just another Sunday

Well, not really, as for once I went out or rather was invited out to lunch. This weekend has been one of those weekends where I feel that if I just hadn't phoned to see how friends were doing, I would not have been invited. Not that the friend deliberately forgot me but the phone call jolted them into asking me to go to a party on Friday night and lunch today, Sunday.

Last night I stayed in with a good film: Billy Eliot, and bluberred away feeling have for Billy and sad for myself. Really very pathetic. Then my ex and his boyfriend arrived home unexpectedly, to sleep over. I have no problems with that, well at least I don't think I have.

Am I selfish? Yes. I have stayed on here rather than going away a week ago on holiday, because I am due to take part in a course on Thursday. I have just found out it has been cancelled because the speaker cannot make it as his dad has just died. My first reaction was not very nice, something that surprised me a little! I think I am becoming a selfish old fart.

Thinking about the hols

It seems still so long till I leave for holiday. These couple of weeks I have not had many lectures, 6 hours in fact, which makes it seem so much longer before being able to leave for my time. Yes, my time. Time just for me when I do what I want when I want. Perhaps that seems very egotist (is that the word in English?) but that is how I feel. Some time for me and only me.

I have decided to take the camper this year and to go to the Black sea. I have never really been to Hungary. Yes, to Lake Ballaton and Budapest but that is it. This year I want to really see Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. The problem is that I am going to be completely alone. Not that writing in this blog that anythin will change. I have learned from years of speaking to my site and the to a blog that noone finds me very interesting. Perhaps that means that I am not. It is not an easy thing to acknowlegde nevertheless. Anyway, in two weeks I will be somewhere in France or in Italy on my way to see things, people, cultures that I have never experienced in my life.

Love and the end of love

The end of a relationship is just so odd. Ever since I was really young, in my 20s, I could not understand how people who had been so close and shared so much could hurt each other so easily once one of them or both of them, had decided it was time to finish. Since then I have experienced two long-term relationships finish and I still do not understand how one can hurt the other so much for no reason at all. To find excuses to become angry with the other and put the blame on the other. I have now experienced that twice and although I really would like to find myself in another relationship, I really find this period of spliting hard, hurtful and unecessary. One makes a minor comment and it is turned upside down and inside out and for what? To cause an argument, so as to give oneself a reason to be sure that what one is doing is the right thing. Is it the right thing? I think not.