Today I've been.....

School holidays are over in France - hooray! There was nobody else in my huge lake today which is just as well as I was wearing my face mask and snorkel. There was nothing to see,but I find it much easier because I can swim without raising my head. I have never got the hang of breathing properly when swimming, and I get a pain in my neck through keeping my head out of water.
I also spent an hour or so climbing a reasonably steep path up to a waterfall - I was just trying it out for Annobel! The lake and the area around are very beautiful.
I love the way the heat brings out the scent of the foliage.
I wish I could post photos on this forum but tech have never been able to help me. I have put them on Facebook.

Exactly, Mamie! I think I only like to go now and then, and not because I have to. And it is still hot and muggy. And I do have my iPad. And as you say Ella it's still school holidays, so it will be busy. Mmmm. Will have a little lie down and ponder.

I will take it for you Ariadne! There are days when I love rural France and days when I would love a trip to Bluewater...

Ariadne can it wait until the schools are back? It will be quieter then

I have been faffing around, finding displacement activities that will give me an excuse not to go back to Bluewater. My iPod has died and I need to go to the Apple store. But I think it can wait until tomorrow....

Hi sook what a shame you had to miss your son's wedding. Maybe your other son will surprise you yet!

This will be the second wedding this year. I expect there will be a third, at very short notice and with minimal fuss, as it will be both my son's and his partner's second marriage. I don't think they would bother but all the 'paperwork' is easier if everything is official. Our youngest daughter 'ran away' to York to get married so I only had to worry about what to wear for the party in the evening and looking after the baby while they were away. Luckily this next wedding will be in a hotel with the reception in the same place so I am hoping there will be no need for a hat, even though I have made one. I get dreadful hat hair!

gracesmum and breathe again!

Night night! Had a lovely, lovely lunch with my friends; we talked and talked and drank and ate and I am now very, very tired.

Night, jeni!

Very tired and it's only Monday. Bed I think! CRESCENT MOON!

Still hot here today, so I walked for an hour, swam in a lake for half an hour and walked for another hour. Bliss.

All three speeches at my grandson's wedding were excellent. His new FIL made us all tearful when he said he was satisfied that his daughter had married the right man. My grandson spoke without notes, but he had them on the table in case he needed them. The best man read his speech, but it was funny without being embarrassing. When I was lecturing, I always found it handly to have cue cards in the right order but to look at my audience when I was speaking.

kitty will this be the third wedding this year? My eldest son was married in Cyprus and we didn't go because DH wasn't well enough. My youngest son and his partner are happily unmarried after seven years and two children. But I live in hope that I will one day get to wear a big hat and posh outfit.

gracesmum how is the bunting coming on?

Me too gracesmum.Will remember it for OH if my DDs ( 34 and 27) ever get round to it!

Dh is quite a shy man so what he says will come from the heart. He knows not to try jokes, but remarks which will bring a smile. It will be short and he will end with what he said at eldest DD's wedding "In the words of the Psalmist - may they live to see their children's children" - which I find very moving.

gracesmum - how exciting. My OH has made 3 truly brilliant wedding speeches for our DDs. He is very skilled with words and just skates by the edge of rude! - whilst still putting feeling and love into it all. We were thrilled last year when he managed to make the speech of the last of my DDs to marry - his PD makes his voice very soft and he is quite shaky - but he did it! - a very emotional moment for us all!

One of the things he did was to have the speech on cards and sometimes at the bottom of the card was a potential double entendre or other risque remark; but then he would slowly turn the card and it would be something totally innocent - it was very funny!

Had a meeting of our U3A writing group in my small house. It's a bit of a crush, but we all get on well, so it doesn't matter. Some good stories came out of it. Our oldest member (81) gave us a moving poem about the way life has turned the tables on her, and her daughters are now more like her parents. I had thought this myself last week when my son came and organised me, not that I was entirely reluctant to be organised, since I am so bad at it myself.

Working!

Spent a pleasant day wandering around Wisley with DD2 and DGDs..picnic and an ice cream..lovely summer day!

Gracesmum Our middle daughter has booked her wedding for 10th November and my husband has started looking on line for hints already but I can guarantee he will still be panicking at 11pm on November 9th.

Now, what shall I wear?

glass - when I do that sort of thing (rather too often) I ring a local florist and get them to deliver a bunch/bouquet/plant with a card in it. Google + florists + postcode usually gets you a better deal than the likes of Interflora.

There was an article in yesterday's paper about a FOB who left his speech in the pub the night before and somehow they found out who he was and got it to him in time. So that was that excuse out of the window!
At least I can stop nagging now!!
Getting excited - 50m of bunting down, middle D has done 100 taking most of yesterday!! but she had help from future SIL and another friend. She rang this morning full of apologies once she realised what a mammoth task I had on my own - bless!

glass how about an e-card, perhaps not everyone's taste, but I like some of the Jacqui Lawson ones www.jacquielawson.com
Hope that doesn't count as advertising, no connection, just a satisfied customer as they say

grace he is doing well ...... tonight eight years ago my DH was sitting at 9pm on the eve of the wedding with a blank piece of paper, but he did it and it was perfect, I still fill up thinking about it. Hope you all have a fantastic day and the weather is glorious for you.

Oh no I forgot to buy an Anniversary card for DD for tomorrow!

Thank goodness!!
He's got the speech written!
Phew - writers' block was putting it mildly
I'll make him a now

Agree about like buttons being useful to let people know you've seen and read their post, and appreciated it. Competitive people will be competitive wherever they find an opportunity; that doesn't make the like button a bad thing – just shows up silly competitiveness for what it is.

I use the 'like' button on Facebook just to let my friends/family know that I have read their post - it has never occurred to me to compare how many likes I have had! Perhaps I am just not competitive. The Swiss ex-pat forum enables you to say 'thank you' if you really agree with a post.