boring forms and fun pool

Friday, Sept. 10 was the kids second day of school. They all went off to school without complaining.

While they were at school, Rod and I had a lot of kid school issues to deal with. Lots of forms to fill out. The forms are all in French so it is slow going.

To set up lunch accounts for the elementary school we had to go to the Mayor's office. Really. They want me to pay by check. But they don't want my American check so after some discussion it was decided that after I get a lunch bill in the mail, sometime in October, I have to go the place where people pay taxes and I can pay the lunch bills with cash. (It is easy to get cash here, I just go to the ATM machine) I will worry about finding that tax office in October.

At Katie's middle school, the lunch money is paid to the school. After I get a lunch bill, again sometime in October, I just have to go to the school and pay it.

The kids were enrolled in school before I even filled out any forms. They asked me where I lived but I never had to show any proof.

Also the kids will be eating lunch at school for a month or two before I pay any money.

On Friday after the kids got home from school we thought taking the pool cover off for the first time and going for a swim would be a treat.

The building you see behind the pool is the old gardener's house. I think a gardener used to live there. The little house has a fireplace. Now it is boarded up and the roof is falling apart but it does give a glimpse on another era.

In the picture below I am standing in the back of the yard (by the garden house) looking toward our house.

Our backyard has lots of different kinds of fruit. Pears, apples, grapes, blackberries.