English weather in the South of France

I’m back to Brum after a week of what was supposed to be sunshine, wine and cheese, and well, sunshine didn’t happen. Apparently the first weekend was glorious, but I missed it completely as I spent it dying in bed, cause as usual in the beginning of a holiday my body said ‘No more work? Letting go!’ and put me through all colds, migraines and stomach troubles it had bravely resisted through school time. Uh, oh.
I was going to put updates up regularly, but I found myself cut from the internet as my adoptive grandma’s computer died on her the day before our arrival. And now I’m at a loss, cause recounting everything would take pages and pages and so I should probably try to sum it up somehow, which is not easy at all.
It was blissful. In spite of the weather. Just seeing all those faces after having missed them so much!
Two huge emotional moments, first when spotting Sainte Victoire from the plane, then one evening at the dinner table, when I just wanted my life there back, but of course that is not possible and, of course, if I had not moved away, then… etc.
My still growing hair was a big hit, apparently it looks like a lion’s mane and I hide rainbows in it (as one can see on little Guillaume’s portrait of me, which he unfortunately refused to part with, cause wanted to remember me by).
Everyone was excited about meeting Paul, I was excited about everybody meeting Paul, Papi loved Paul absolutely which, if you know Papi, you know is not to be taken for granted.
And well, it was all smiling, hugging, making merry, talking, eating and drinking (uh, oh, body needs tea-totalling for a while now!).
All to be done all over again at Easter (cause it got somehow decided that we would be back at Easter and well, we did not protest too much) but hopefully in a better weather and in less of a hurry!

Stealing hugs and feeling human

We had a group teaching event today so I saw all people from my programme, well at least the French/Spanish lot.
Lyndsey’s got a boyfriend! Yay to that one!
Vincenzo and Paul are still Vincenzo and Paul, and I’m still worried, but well, suppose that they’re big boys and they know what they’re doing.
Carmen (my uni tutor) said I looked happy. I guess I am happy, if you forget not having a life.
But I’ve squabbled with Vincenzo and stolen so many hugs that it almost makes me feel human again.
I had very ambitious plans as to how I would use the time freed by the fact that I had less lessons to plan – on top of today’s thing, tomorrow’s a course work moderation day and next Thursday the National Union of Teachers strike – but it’s pretty obvious by now that I will not do half of what I’ve planned. I think I’ll just pop a frozen pizza into the oven, take a shower and watch CSI, while wallowing in this feeling of human closeness and love.