First off I would like to wish Mary my sister a Happy Birthday.
January is heavy with birthdays for us, Claudia last week and Flora this week, my sister of course and Julias sister Suzanne next week, plus young Harry N.
Lets start by being very british and saying that we had a lot of snow at the start of the month and although that cleared up it got milder it snowed again last night and Lannemezan was totally covered in about 20 minutes. I had gone to pickup Suzie and a Spanish lorry had gone off the road not far from Bonrepos whwih meqnt we had to sit there whilst the ambulance and Ancient Guiallaume did their stuff. I have to say they have a very good attitude re fatals here, if a driver kills himself then thats his tough shit, road openasap, no lengthy investigation, job done. I never understood why we got the black rats out and did accident reconstructions, if the bloke is dead what can be achieved. Of course if the driver aint dead and sombedoy else is then it is a different matter.
Today it is snowing on and off but it is due to get warmer and the snow will become rain.
Enough of the Michael Fish or Francis the vague if you are a sky fan.
Hot news re Pierre, after weeks of silence the Gendarmes came to see us with new of the fact that they are pursuing the case against him. It seems the local examining magistrate feels that although the amount of money taken from MrsF’s card is not great it falls into the definition of an aggravated offence in that there was a flagrant breach of trust and respect to us as foster parents plus it was not a one off and her had to do so much to find and get to Julias bag and card. It also transpires that they have found out that there has been another phone recharged using MrsFs card , but this is not registered to Pierre, but to some bloke who lives near Pau. Now then either P has stolen another phone or he has been topping up a mates phone. The matter has been transfered to Pau and an early arrest is anticipated.
However this morning we got a telephone call from the social worker responsible for Pierre. Could we provide them with the receipt for the MP4 player we had bought him as it has been lost or stolen “Quelle MP4″ I said and she told me it was for the creative MP4 we had then told her the story. In fact we had bought him an MP3 with the othe family who looked after him, but it was Claudia who lost a Creative MP4 player. “So can you send us the recipt so that we can get him another?” She said. I was remarkably restrained in my reponses. You have to admire his front if nothing else.
Marine on the other hand seems to be settling in well, but I am sure it is not easy. Good signs are that she leaves her Nintendo DS here for William and Flora to play with - We have refused to allow them to have one so they have almost by passed the imbargo, but I hide it away and her shoes are disgarded in the hallway like the others, where as on her first couple of stays they were neatly stacked away and her oom is degenerating into a typical teenage girls tip. She has a good sense of humour and is very pleasnat easy company. It just every now and then she disappears into a little world of her own and looks lost, sad and vulnerable Try as we might, we are not her familly. We have said to her we will treat her like one of ours but we do not expect her to feel the same way. Which reminds me that she must be due a bloocking for something.
Fora had a week away last week skiing with the school. Actually she was skiing with skis but the trip was from school. She had a good time, great snow and being fairly advanced was in a small group of five with a teacher who is a qualified instructor so it was off piste and having it large.
MrsF has taken up country and Western dancing at the newly formed Galan Country dancing club. I would have loved to have gone especially as there are only woman there, but alas my injuries have rpevented me going and being subjected to a couple of hours of Willy Nelson of Bucket Eye Joe or whatever he’s called.
Still trying to get the hang of this French keyboard so please excuse the typos which are even odder than normal.
Abientot pop pickers