Some pictures while I work on my English lessons for the family...I am making lists of questions and hotel related vocabulary words to practice saying with Steff & Laurent (the parents.) With everyone, we will work on household words and question words first. For myself, I am studying my French verb conjugations as I am a moron and have forgotten most of them except for, as I said before, present or immediate past tense. So, hopefully, I won't sound so dumb. I say stuff like, "Yesterday, I am going to the store." Must fix that. Mrs. Duling, my French teacher for two years in high school, would shudder!

Went to the store with Steff (had to get my diet coke (Coca Light) fix so I didn't die) and just had to show that Justin is popular the world over with kids! Steven, the oldest here, even has the "Beiber Swirl!"

The original front door. I LOVE things with faded paint!

Looking down the driveway toward the main road.

Dol, the town, is walking distance and Steff and I are going to walk there tomorrow so I can learn the way and go into town. There is a huge cathedral which I can see out our back windows. Dol has about 5,000 people and is apparently, the birthplace of the The Stuarts, the people who came to rule Scotland eons ago. It has a long history of Celts, Saxons, Catholics (hence the giant cathedral), etc.

Apache (pronounced Ah-pash in French). He bit Steff's arm this morning and gave her a really good bruise. Little shit. He is only 9 months old.

Apache's mother...Madone....or Madonna as I will be calling her.

She is a bit nicer than Apache.

They are working on getting the house on the historic register. A "gite" is a cottage. I had to look it up. There are streets signs in the town of Dol directing people to La Crochardière so obviously it is a well-known place in the town, at least.

The main house.

There are about 4 houses actually on the property in various states of disrepair. Steff told me that when they bought it last May, the property had been abandoned for at least six years. I'd say they've done some amazing work since then! There is a totally modern kitchen, several bathrooms, and at least 5 modern bedrooms, living room, etc. in the main house. There is still more of it to do, but it is coming along. There is another little house next to it that is almost completely renovated and this will be used for a vacation rental.

Les Poules

Side view of the main house. Under all the stucco, (or whatever that is) there is stone! My window is the top right one, I think. I am in the really old part of the house that has a separate windy wood/stone staircase up to it.

Apache ran over to me, probably to bite me.

All over the property, there are huge granite planters. Can't imagine they are very mobile!

The old fireplace with a new wood burning stove inside of it. Huge granite mantle.

This is another house/barn/building? on the property behind the main house. Obviously, it needs a little work since it has plants growing out of the roof.

Léo with Apache. He loves the ponies! Elementary school kids often come home for lunch. He is a really cute little guy and really hyper!

One of the sweet little kitties. They fight constantly with the dog.

So, today I am just kind of getting my bearings and doing a lot of French studying in between making huge amounts of t-charts with French/English vocabulary to start working on pronunciation and speaking with everyone tomorrow.

Here's what's hard: when I "speak" French with Mike in England, if I don't know a word, I either just say it in English or ask him the word. Doesn't work when you are with people who don't speak English. I've been carrying around a dictionary. French word I learned today: congeler- to freeze.

Will post pictures of the town tomorrow. Oh if it would be sunny! It is even more grey than England so far!