J’ai mal aux dents

Not really but, because of my recent medical history, I have to have my teeth regularly checked and cleaned and so one pressing matter has been finding a dentist in Lyon up to the job.

The best periodontist in the business, Dr Simon Stern, told me he would ask around for a recommendation in Lyon. And he came up with the goods – Dr Stephan Duffort.

Unfortunately when I rang I understood that Dr Duffort wasn’t available until July. So I opted to see his colleague Dr DeLaval.

Les dentistes
It’s just round the corner

I was worried beforehand about the level of my French when it came to discussing dental implants and necrosis of the jaw. I had prepared some phrases – mon parodontiste en angleterre and j’ai besoin d’un examen dentaire et le nettoyage des dents. J’ai quelque implants dentaires.

La salle d’attente

But fortunately Dr DeLaval spoke English. Phew. And she understood my medical history and did a great job. And, compared to English dentists, the price was cheap too.

Medicales en deux

Having passed our lung x-rays the next stage in being allowed to stay in France is the medical.

So this morning we went to a nondescript building not far from Euronews to have the medicals. My main worry is will my French be up to it.

Une autre salle d’attente

There is a lot of waiting to be done in this process and our 10am appointments meant little as Cath wasn’t seen til 1035 and I was seen at 1055.

Cath went first and I could hear her rabbiting away in French. Not the words just the babble, you understand.

I had time to Google hay fever – rhumes des foins – in case they ask me whether I am taking any medication.

First I saw a nurse and was weighed measured and asked questions about whether I coughed- de temps en temps, oui. Or sweat in the night. Or spit- cracher – eurrghhh non, c’est degueulasse. Man, the French are obsessed with tuberculosis.

Un entretien avec l’infirmiere

Next, le medecin. She said I was there grâce à Brexit. Too right. A few more questions- a bit of breathing with a stethoscope attached. And then we were done.

It’s another hurdle overcome. Let’s see what’s next.

Un weekend avec les oiseaux

As Cath was back in England and I had the weekend to myself I decided to go birdwatching.

Firstly on Saturday I went back to Parc de la Tete d’Or where the weekend before I had seen some sort of egrets on an island in the middle of the lake but without mes jumelles (binoculars) I hadn’t been able to make them out.

So this time with mes jumelles I looked for them. I saw a couple of little egrets (aigrettes) and a load of herons.

But then I found that your could get closer to the island by taking a tunnel under the lake. And then I saw that they were cattle egrets – les herons garde boeuf. Now as the name suggests, these birds usually live around cattle where they eat the flies that bother the cows.

The white dot in the middle is a cattle egret – trust me.

But here they were in the centre of Lyon, high up in trees on an island on a lake. Bizarre.

On Sunday I headed to a series of lakes out near Lyon airport in a place called Meyzieu.

I took my scope and tripod and the list of birds that you might see there was promising – red kites, black kites, kingfishers, beeaters to name but a few.

I was set up to get some amazing pictures – but apart from the ever present buses (buzzards) this is the only bird I took a picture of. Le grebe huppé. Oh well. Le prochaine fois.

Le grebe huppé