Cath est tombée dans l’escalier et s’est cassé l’orteil.
On est allé à la clinique du Parc pour une radio qui a montré que le gros orteil a une petite fracture.
On a acheté une attelle que Cath doit porter pendant quatre semaines.
L’orteil est cassé
Spoilt for choice this weekend
Look at this – we’ve got some great options ahead of us this weekend.
There is a fair in our street and then a squash festival in the park just around the corner.
Fortunately we should be able to take part in both!
L’automne arrive à Euronews
Mais le cube vert est toujours vert.
On peut se garer ici?
While looking for a parking space I saw this sign. Can I park there?
Not unless I’m picking up takings from the bank I can’t.
Our first adventure with a hire car
Now we have no car, we have joined ZITY– an electric car hire scheme in Lyon. So it would be rude not to give it a test drive.
Cath was so enthralled with my news of my recent trip to l’Ile Barbe that she wanted to go so it was time to grab a ZITY.
There were quite a few people there but we were able to visit the chapel and other buildings on the island.
We sought out the popular bakery nearby – but it was a bit too popular.
And then we drove home. I think ZITY cars are meant only for driving around Lyon but I’ve signed up for another scheme so we can give that one a go to go a bit further a field.
Cattle egrets returning to type
After work I met Cath in Parc de la Tete d’Or.
As we walked around I could see egrets on the ground near some deer. They must be les herons garde boeuf doing what les herons garde boeuf are meant to do.
Before today I had only seen them in the trees but this was more like the behaviour I would expect.
We then walked through the zoo and saw some more exotic birds.
And as we were leaving we saw a red squirrel too. Quite the menagerie.
Regarde ça
Look what greeted me when I got back from work.
Now it feels more like home.
Combien de cormorans sur la grue?
When I first arrived in Lyon there were cormorants – les cormorans – everywhere. Then in the summer months they vanished.
But now they are back.
Tu veux de ling?
Another day, another new fish. Filet de julienne sounds quite enticing.
Ling fillet a bit less so.
Formation Civique Jour Quatre et un martin pêcheur
Today was my fourth and final day of Formation Civique. I had chosen the socio-culturelle option and we were told to bring a packed lunch so I was hopeful it would be some sort of field trip.
There were 18 of us and we started off by talking about culture and words in our native languages that were used in French.
We then learnt some words used in Lyon:
- Gones – kids
- Gache – place
- Vogue – funfair
- Cagnard- hot
We did some quizzes on history, gastronomy and politics and then it was time for lunch.
As it was a lovely sunny day, I ate on the banks of the Saône and enjoyed watching the rowers – les rameurs – go past. Then – joy of joys – a martin pêcheur landed on the branch of a tree in front of me.
After lunch we went on a trip to L’Ile Barbe – a beautiful island in the Saône which once had one of the oldest monasteries in France on it. The Revolution put paid to that.
When we returned to the classroom there was a spot of karaoke as we sang two songs by Charles Aznavour – well, the rest of the group did. I couldn’t join in as I didn’t know Emmenez-moi or La Boheme. And then, just like that, my formation civique was over. Four days of training which means you can stay in France longer when your one-year visa runs out. It also helps if one day you want to apply for French citizenship.
I now know to call the paramedics dial 15, the police 17 and les pompiers 18.
I’ve learnt that France is 672m square kms with a population of 67m. I’ve learnt about the number of regions (18) and departments (101) and Communes (35,000). A bit about Clovis I and Francois I and Henri IV.
Not sure that should have taken four days but hey-ho, it’s done now. C’est terminé.
Today’s bird count: 1 kingfisher, 2 yellow wagtails, a buzzard, 2 cormorants, 2 black-headed gulls.
Thrown to (the) Lyon 