This week I have mostly been helping my husband with his diet (by eating everything in sight).

Hope you all had a good christmas. Ours started off very well with a lovely chilled-out morning opening pressies and a good lunch of wild boar and venison. (Actually the dictionary translated it as Doe. As in doe, a deer, a female deer. Well, you have to have a bit of 'The Sound of Music' at christmastime don't you?!). All washed down with lashings of fizz. (wtf does that mean? 'lashings'. Strange word.)

In the interests of saving money, we all had less pressies than previously this year and spent less money. The girls still had a great time though, loved everything they had and Isabella said it was her best christmas ever, she got just what she wanted, it was 'just too much'! Actually, she didn't get half of what was on her list, but we'd have had to have been millionaires for that (it was an incredibly long list).

Just got my new french bank card come through. Had a new english bank card the other day as well. The english card was not 'active' and I was instructed to activate it by going online, logging in with various ID codes and passwords and other secret data and then following various instructions in order to prove who I am and that I have the card in my possession. The french card is not active either. The instructions for activating it are to either: a) withdraw cash from a cash dispenser or b) buy something.

Washing machine repair man turned up by the way. There was a large sequin stuck in one of the filters. (That's what comes from having girls). The other one had a blocked pipe or something. Also had a lecture on not using supermarket brand washing powder or conditioner or even dishwasher cleaning products (Even though he works for the supermarket). Also, washing at low temps wrecks washing machines apparently and I should run a wash through at 90 degrees on a regular basis and not worry about the environment. Oh, and only use powder, not the liquid detergent stuff, even though I thouroughly read the manual before use (in french I might add) and it said I could for clothes, in fact it recommended it. 'Ok, says the repairman, 'but just for dark coloured clothes, nothing else'. He then produced a large book of paperwork for me to sign to confirm I had listened and understood and I will be doing as he says in future. (Remember this is France. We are nothing without paperwork.)