Didier et Nadine

Voici mon email address: amy.j.johns@gmail.com

Je vous ai envoyé un email a aujourd'hui et j'espère qu'il arrivera!

Bises,
Amy

Peter und Paul Festival - Bretten

Last weekend we spent three days in the town of Bretten, Germany for the Peter und Paul Festival. It was quite a spectacle; there were camps of blacksmiths / leather smiths / cloth dyers/ washerwomen gathered round their community fires, woodsmoke in the air, costumes everywhere, sausages, sauerkraut, beer. We spent our days (when not napping or watching Fran finish the costumes) watching flag tossing displays, drinking beer and attempting to get involved with German folk dancing (which was quite hard when none of us knew the moves, or how to understand the bloke calling out the instructions!).

Big thanks to Wille & Briggette who let us stay with them and use their coffee machines.


Paul and Amy looking like extras for Lord of the Rings


Sara, Briggette & Fran



Amy working on her german



Paul, Graham & Fran


Paul, Graham, Claudia, Fran, Traude, Willie & Rob

Summer in London

While not as balmy as last summer this one has certainly got itself off in English tradition. There's been Pimms resembling fruit salad, corporate functions with cucumber sandwiches, Ascot with the Queen, Wimbledon on centre court (observing not playing) and one of the super highlights was Paul's partners v staff cricket day at Tilford. The day consisted of a train ride to the middle of nowhere to play on the village green (on a hill) and to enjoy a BBQ in a beautiful English garden.

Of course as we had been used to Christmas falling in summer we decided to have a Mid-Summer-Christmas with the usual suspects and some English friends (it took a lot of explaining for the English to understand quite why...). It was a great day with the house bursting with 22 people. There was a Pav, a well received care pack with a bottle of Watties, a visit from Santa, and a whole lot of rain.



Jess looking like the Grinch (with a smile)

Present time - Tom, Jon (with his pink nail kit) Reuven and Emma


Santa's helpers - Vicky and Amber


Neil & Reuven on the BBQ