Tea, Jane Fonda and a Dance-off.

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Ok so i feel i should clarify a few things after 9 days in France. Firstly although the location of each blog (see above) keeps changing, rest assured i am in the same place. I just keep discovering more precisely where i am.

Will try and put up some pictures soon. Well i have to take some first but can probably manage that. It just never seems the right time for a camera. Don't worry though guys - now that the ice is broken with the frenchies ill get snapping.

What do i have to add? Oh ok. Here we go.

1) Lovers of Marmite, bring it with you - it doesn't exist here, well not that i could find in the Carrefour (supermarket). Not that that means very much, as it's layout left much to be desired. I found wine in 4 places (price starting at 2Euro) in a wine galley (fair enough), next to some chicken breasts (escalopes)- these are not to be confused with the whole chickens which were at the other end of the store, thirdly there was wine next to the dvd's and lastly some wine cases were casually interspersed between some anoraks. The footballs and other inflatables were with the mayonnaise and creme fraiche and what i found most bizarre was that almost as you enter, in pride of place, (just next to the donuts) is what looks like a huge bird table filled with those cat scratching posts - upon closer inspection (well i had to read the label actually) it turned out to be a variety of saucisson or herby sausagy/ salami type things. Nuts, completely insane, it makes no sense at all.

2) Chocolate here is crap. Unless it is in a croissant or a crepe don't bother - bring your own from home. I had to buy a double fun size bag of m&m's, which were the only non french choc to counteract this traumatising fact.

3) Thirdly, if you like tea, the balwark of britishness, bring a mug. They've provided my mobile home with tiny espresso cups and an empty bottle of rum but no shower and no mugs. Ideal. So i am drinking tea - with water i boiled myself, no modern luxuries like kettles in 3* french campsites - out of a cereal bowl. Wooo.

4) Despite my reputation here as the new Jane Fonda i am fast running out of new aerobics movements to teach my classes. Also my growth in confidence means that i am now attempting to verbally direct movements - difficult at best when apart from ARMS, LEGS and HIPS i can only point. Small tip - don't confuse the words for "shoulders" and "back" - today i thought i had explained perfectly clearly the mechanics of a variety of sit up and was about the back up my verbal explanation with a physical demonstration when i was flummoxed by 3 fast moving members of my class attempting a move which looked remarkably like the crab, their stomachs in the air, arms thrown backwards and feet on the floor. Aah well - i reverted to demonstrations only after that and i am now trying to learn all the body parts out of a children's book.

5) I won a dance-off last night. And no it was not down to my cancan girl outfit or my feather bower, very simply my superiour movements won the day. To be honest im not sure how it happened, i just hopped around a bit, shook my tassels, did something odd with my knees and voila. WINNER! This was part of the animateurs vs campers tournament last night. Another game included was pop the balloons - we were given 3 per team. 4 teams of 2 people. And then were were given 3 specific positions to pop them in - stomach to stomach, back to back and 1 person sitting on the other. Needless to say Marie and I had almot unpoppable balloons. I had her up in the air on my back, legs akimbo, trying to break it. But noooo , we came last. Sad face. Singing was another game which didn't go so well for me - I yelled Fame and Lion King down the microphone and then was swiftly discarded. Bad french taste i feel.

I hope everyone at home in England is enjoying the start of summer - i managed to burn just my bum yesterday, nothing else. Bizarre. Have paid for a week's internet am fed up of waiting. So can contact people for a bit - woooo!

Love you all xxxxxxx

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