Summer has finally trumpeted its arrival. The 30° to 40° temperatures gave way to 40° to 50° the last two months and this week we saw them climb to mid or high 60’s. It is a welcomed change. We’re spending more time outdoors, walking to class, sitting at outside cafe tables to people watch – all basking in the sun rays that we so sorely missed. It’s also great to see all the trees greening and the flowers in bloom. It just feels like the gray days of winter lingered a bit this year.
Still focusing on our French classes, we are in session until the end of June. Last month we were introduced at the school to another American couple (C & B) and found that their sense of humor was identical to our own. A pint at the end of the last day of the week is now shared with them, as we commiserate over our French language struggles. Missteps and foibles, all laid bare as we cry into our beers. Misery does indeed love company ! They’ve lived in Lille a little over a year, in a different part of town, and have taken us to their old quartier that has some interesting areas.
As a side note, I was cleaning up the desk and found a disc in our computer of one of the first French courses we bought. Playing it, I ended up pulling it out and discarding it because we’d advanced way past that point. Then had to laugh to myself over the concept that we’d ADVANCED PAST that point. Who’d have thought? Some concrete evidence that we are making a dent in the scheme of things.
Inspired by Cinco de Mayo, we have hit three Mexican restaurants together over the weeks with C&B, as that is a favorite cuisine which we all miss from the states. Only one restaurant has filled the bill for what we enjoy. But the hunt was nice to share with our new buddies.
Over this month, we pulled down our warm season clothing, laundering and storing the cold season things. G swapped out our kitchen faucet with one that has a spray head; a nice new toy. He pulled out our bikes and put air in the tires, getting me set to try once again to learn to ride the damn thing. Always worry about losing my mind as I age – never considering a sense of balance to be something to add to the ‘worry’ list. Still, I am tenacious (read that as ‘stubborn as all get out’).
Last November, we had a building collapse just on our next street here in Lille. We talked about in in our blog and had photos. The street had been completely blocked off from vehicles until this month when the barriers were removed and structures put in place to support neighboring buildings. The city has been inspecting, and closing up some buildings, as a result of the collapse. It was good to finally have the street opened.
We also set up an appointment with a cleaning service to come and give us a quote for a spring cleaning – nettoyage de printemps. We’re also interested in seeing if we can afford someone to come in for the tougher stuff (shower and w/c) maybe weekly or twice a month. Probably being a wimp for being around 70 years old, but we really wouldn’t mind that extravagance, if we can pull it off.
Other than our never-ending classes, we were delighted to enjoy an Italian market in the square for the last weekend of the month. The Pride parade was also on the last Saturday but unfortunately the parade route is no longer down our street. Still, we enjoyed the throngs of people all out basking in the sun.
Lastly, on the 28th, G and I celebrated the date of our arrival to France, five years ago. We toasted to the memory of struggling to get 15 pieces of luggage on the plane, off after landing, onto the SUV to the hotel, on to the tiny elevator, three pieces at a time (G on the bottom floor, me on the top), then two days later back down the little elevator onto the SUV for the 5 minute ride to our first apartment in Paris, up four flights of twisting stairway. We survived and toasted to that too. Come October, we’ll toast again to the 15 pieces that we schlepped by train to our Lille apartment. May those 15 pieces of luggage rest in peace !!
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