In my head
Every once in a while, when I’m least expecting it, reality comes along and punches me in the face.
Life is busy here at Bedford-del-Sol. Catching up on all the little jobs around the farm that got neglected during the showing season. Work, work, and work. And planning our trip to France at the end of August.
The rough itinerary has been planned, flights, car hire, insurance and accommodation booked. Everything has been done online and has been pretty hassle free. In the back of my mind I've been thinking that I must brush up on my French. I studied French to A level, and I was very good at it – I’m not claiming any huge intelligence here, I’m just fortunate to be one of those people with an ear for languages and I pick them up very easily. I loved the language with a passion, and not long after I took my A levels I spent a month travelling through France. It was a fantastic opportunity to cement all those years of learning. I spoke no English. I ended up thinking, and dreaming in French. When I came back to the UK it was a huge adjustment to speak English again. We’ve had several holidays in France since then and I’ve always found it pretty easy to slip back into speaking French.
So, I’ve been thinking, it’s all in there, right? I just need to freshen it up. So, I’ve been trying to think in French.
Rien.
Well, ok, maybe not rien, but certainly only un peu. Where have all those words gone?
When I tried to remember our last holiday to France, I couldn’t be sure of the exact year but I know it was in the early 90s. 10 to 15 years ago. Crap. No wonder I’ve forgotten so much.
Which got me thinking. I took my A levels at 18. That was 24 years ago. Shit. That means I’ve been alive longer since I took my A levels than I had been when I took them. I’m middle aged.
It’s not that I’m mourning my youth, I’m happy being who I am now; it’s just that those years have gone by so quickly. And in my head, I’m not 42, I’m……. well, 21 tops. I know I’m never going to be taken for 21, I’m not stupid, but my mind just hasn’t caught up with my body. I still get a kick out of knowing I can eat ice cream all day, or stay up all night, if I want to.
These days it’s so easy to forget how old you are. Once you reach a certain age people no longer ask you how old you are, so on the rare occasions when I do have to think about my age (like birthdays) I can sometimes find myself subtracting the current year from my birth year to work it out.
These are the kind of thoughts that run through my head when Eddie is away working and the nights are too hot for sleep.
Now I’m just waiting for the needles I bought on eBay to arrive from Hong Kong, and for the evenings to cool down a little.
Life is busy here at Bedford-del-Sol. Catching up on all the little jobs around the farm that got neglected during the showing season. Work, work, and work. And planning our trip to France at the end of August.
The rough itinerary has been planned, flights, car hire, insurance and accommodation booked. Everything has been done online and has been pretty hassle free. In the back of my mind I've been thinking that I must brush up on my French. I studied French to A level, and I was very good at it – I’m not claiming any huge intelligence here, I’m just fortunate to be one of those people with an ear for languages and I pick them up very easily. I loved the language with a passion, and not long after I took my A levels I spent a month travelling through France. It was a fantastic opportunity to cement all those years of learning. I spoke no English. I ended up thinking, and dreaming in French. When I came back to the UK it was a huge adjustment to speak English again. We’ve had several holidays in France since then and I’ve always found it pretty easy to slip back into speaking French.
So, I’ve been thinking, it’s all in there, right? I just need to freshen it up. So, I’ve been trying to think in French.
Rien.
Well, ok, maybe not rien, but certainly only un peu. Where have all those words gone?
When I tried to remember our last holiday to France, I couldn’t be sure of the exact year but I know it was in the early 90s. 10 to 15 years ago. Crap. No wonder I’ve forgotten so much.
Which got me thinking. I took my A levels at 18. That was 24 years ago. Shit. That means I’ve been alive longer since I took my A levels than I had been when I took them. I’m middle aged.
It’s not that I’m mourning my youth, I’m happy being who I am now; it’s just that those years have gone by so quickly. And in my head, I’m not 42, I’m……. well, 21 tops. I know I’m never going to be taken for 21, I’m not stupid, but my mind just hasn’t caught up with my body. I still get a kick out of knowing I can eat ice cream all day, or stay up all night, if I want to.
These days it’s so easy to forget how old you are. Once you reach a certain age people no longer ask you how old you are, so on the rare occasions when I do have to think about my age (like birthdays) I can sometimes find myself subtracting the current year from my birth year to work it out.
These are the kind of thoughts that run through my head when Eddie is away working and the nights are too hot for sleep.
There’s been very little knitting activity chez moi (oh yes, it’s all coming back to me :0 ). A combination of the heat, working two jobs while Eddie’s away, and the learning of the French have left me a sweating, frazzled heap every evening. Picking up the needles just seems like too much effort at the moment.
I did manage to finish another pair of socks last week though.
Not quite identical twins, but not bad. Schaeffer Anne yarn (wool and mohair) in “Parrot”. Knit on 2.5mm circulars. I have just over half of the 100g skein left. Lovely yarn to knit with. Pricey though, so I'm very glad I'll be able to get two pairs out of one skein.
I also have yarn for a new (non-sock) project
Now I’m just waiting for the needles I bought on eBay to arrive from Hong Kong, and for the evenings to cool down a little.
posted by Carolyn at 9:09 am
8 Comments:
Great socks! Anne is nice yarn. You'll love them! I'm knitting a non sock project with that same giotto yarn same color too! What you going to knit with it?
Quel dommage!! (from my school-girl French) Don't worry, it will come back to you. Go with the first word that pops into your head and don't sweat the grammar.
It's been hot here, too, but at least we have air-conditioning. Only one more week of work before my mini-sabbatical -- can't wait to just relax for a month.
Bonne vacance!
Carolyn
Enjoy your trip. Once you're there, you'll start remembering things. Going back and forth between Boston and Montreal, I'd forget my French for the weeks when I was in Boston, but it would come back to me once the term started up again.
Have fun!
Great socks, and how lucky that you have enough left for another pair!
Re. French, isn't it amazing how completely it is possible to forget? French was my first foreign language at school and I studied it for more than 7 years. You'd think that I would remember at least something, but apart from the absolute basics there is nothing at all left. It's depressing, really...
Anyway, I'm sure you'll have a fantastic holiday, no matter how much of the French you remember. ;-)
Bon voyage!
oooh, the Anne socks look lovely. Have a great time in France, we MUST meet up for pizza and gossip again soon.. x
I love those socks!
What are you making with the giotto? I have 2 skeins of lovely giotto from a lovely past Secret Pal ;)
love those socks - they are so buzzy!
Hope la plume de ma tante and other such useful phrases return to your brain in time to order deux bierres and so on.
Nice socks! I have some Anne to use, but its so nice I almost want to keep it for petting!
France sounds wonderful.
Oh, and my whole family loved the story of the Supreme Goat! I showed them your blog as I was spinning up more of the mohair locks over the weekend!
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