This week

This week has mostly involved waiting around for deliveries and then bullying/pleading/bribing the delivery men to carry the item up to the 4th floor. The good news is that nearly everything we'd ordered for the flat has arrived! The bad news is that the SFR wifi box doesn't actually work (apparently not uncommon) and although the kids have mattresses, they're still without a bunkbed! Still, Sam and I were expecting it to take a lot longer and this actually feels likes a success! That probably says more about our low expectations than the efficiency of the French delivery system :)

The kids have nearly finished their first week of French school and they have settled in so much better than we'd hoped. Leila has become good friends with another little girl in her class-this girl was brought up in the UK until last year and so can translate the teacher's instructions for Leila (very handy!). Harry has also made a good friend and, even better for me, this boy's dad was brought up in Australia and is fluent in English! Hurrah! 

As I wrote before, we'd arranged for the kids to have lunch at home on Thursdays. So yesterday, I trotted on down to the school and sat waiting in the lobby with the other parents who collect their children for lunch. I waited and I waited and eventually I was the only parent left. I found the school secretary and we went in search of Harry, only to find him seated amongst his friends in the canteen and tucking happily into chicken breast with a side of grilled cauliflower cheese. He gave me a cheerful wave and carried on eating! He is more than capable of understanding the words 'cantine' and 'maison' so I knew he'd deliberately sneaked into the wrong line in order to eat a tasty school lunch with his friends! So much for my thinking that they'd prefer to come home one day a week and have a break from speaking French! We've now agreed with the school that they'll stay for lunch four days a week like their friends!