Janice will be in Caunes for the next 6 months, with a brief trip back to Hebden Bridge at the end of June/ start of July, for hospital visits and to see Le Grand Depart of Le Tour as it passes ( almost) past our front door.
Getting ready to go back to France has meant making sure I see lots of people I wont now see for a few months, which has been fun.
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| Ashby Castle, 5 mins walk from Sue's house |
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| 3 ex teachers, enjoying retirement |
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| Jess and Sue |
Melody is coming out to Caunes for Bastille Day, and to see Le Tour, when it leaves from Carcassonne on the 15 th July. We will have fun. Hopefully Sue will come out later in the year too.
Bon voyage, Janice, and enjoy your return to Caunes. Your reunion with your former colleagues sounds like great fun and I can just imagine new teacher Jess enjoying your reminiscences of teaching in what must seem like another age. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think Jess really enjoyed the day... apart from anything else we got to spend 4 hours in the car together, chatting and resolving the world's problems. You are right about teaching now being in a different world from 36 years ago..... although I think her enthusiasm was matched by ours all those years ago.
DeleteHope your bags are packed with a few interesting items you have picked up along the way whilst here.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful and relaxed you ex teachers look.Studying the photo you all look so young.I feel a bond with Melody straight away as I taught at Salendine Nook High School for 37 years.
I enjoyed the last blog of yours Janice about your dad.We celebrated an 87th birthday with my dad this week.He still drives a motorhome and likes to fill each day with something which interests him.
Bon voyage Janice.
Melody always reckoned that her job changed so much during her 37 years she never got bored. As Head of 6th form, maintaining a pretty heavy classroom teaching load and being a trained counsellor by the time she left, those heady days of being "just" an art teacher seemed in the distant past. I do know she was a fabulous teacher and many of her past students have stayed in close touch with her. I really admire anyone who stuck it out in the classroom for their whole career...lightweights like me only managed 12 years, and then onto working for the LEA.
DeleteLovely to hear that your 87 year old dad is still enjoying life to the full. Our first visitor to Caunes this year will be my dad's wife... and she is 80 now, I'm sure she'll enjoy herself.
Hi Janice,
ReplyDeleteWill you be leaving on a jet plane or making the long drive south? Another grand depart.
How lovely to re-live memories with good friends, and for Jess to join in. I think our children are always surprised by the things we got up to, and that we haven't always been middle aged!
Have a wonderful time in Caunes. We look forward to sharing your experiences. X
We're driving down for the first time..... so we'll actually have 2 cars with us, which will be good, as I will no longer have to deliver Mark to the golf club and then pick him up 5 hours later. It seemed to make sense to take my car... rather than leave it sitting on our front drive in the UK for 6 months.
DeleteJess's jaw would certainly have dropped if we had talked about some of the things we got up to in those far off days of our early teaching careers.... I think she's still too young to hear about some of it !
Enjoy your last term....and then...... well, what fun awaits you ! jx
Girlfriends are an essential for a balanced life, Janice, and old girlfriends are the absolute best! It is lovely that Jess could join in, and enjoy the old memories too. Have a good trip to Caunes, and look forward to seeing more lovely posts from France! Bonsoir...xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Patricia... your comment is spot on.... Somehow those old friends made when we were young are the ones that it is easiest to pick up where you left off from. I shared a house with Melody for a while when we first taught together, and I travelled quite a bit with Sue over the years when I was single... all such good times !
ReplyDeleteOh, Janice, besides the fact that I will be humming to "leaving on a jet plane" for the entire day, I will be wishing you safe travel while smiling at similarities in our lives. I left teaching 37 years ago and remain close with three of my friends from then (in fact, one is Godmother to our daughter Katy). When Jeri and her husband come to Chicago, they stay at our house, affectionately called the B&B, and just yesterday all had some online "conversation". I think those friendships forged as we start out in our adult lives and share common goals are often the most lasting ones. How delightful it is that Jess shared the day and has had such a model of lasting ties to relate to.
ReplyDeleteFriendship is very important to Jess...she somehow manages to maintain various groups of friendships from different stages of her life. Last summer she managed to invite a friend from her pre school days, one from her 6th form college and 2 from university, all to stay with her in France. It was lovely....but yes, I think she enjoyed seeing me with my special friends from those early days, and you are right, it is those common dreams and aspirations that we shared that bind us together now. The internet makes those on line conversations so easy, maybe it is actually easier to stay in touch now that it was a few years ago. And... lastly...what is it about 37 years ? It features in a few people's comments....how interesting.
DeleteLovely post, Janice and so full of happiness - both for your past and for the future. I'm still close to many of the friends I had 37 years ago when I would have been 18 and although I have made some great friends since then, those relationships remain important and very precious. Lovely that Jess joined you!
ReplyDeleteSafe journey - it will be so good to hear from you once you're back in Caunes!
Axxx
It is so good to catch up with old friends. These 2, and one other friend I met when I was 4, remain my "closest", even though sometimes a couple of years goes by without us getting together. Actually, in recent years we have never let that long go by without managing a catch up session....but I think we all know that if circumstances and miles between where we all live make things difficult...we will just pick up where we left off, when we finally get around to meeting up.
DeleteAll that said, it is so good to make new friends. I think many of our blogging relationships are pretty strong, and I am really looking forward to seeing a few of my friends back in France later this week. Hope you are coping without Sam being close by....that is a friendship that I am sure will just become stronger. Lots of love...your friend ! Janice xxxxx
Ah...the memories when you all got together...wonderful! Have a great trip on Sunday xx
ReplyDeleteWhat is good about sharing memories with good friends is that you can still make new memories too. Hope you have a safe trip home after your great adventure. jx
DeleteWishing you a safe and happy trip back to France.
ReplyDelete