Jokes about the French

Here are some jokes about the French that are doing the rounds between their Belgian and Swiss neighbours....

When a Frenchman takes a piss, does he wash his hands before or after?
During.

How does a Frenchman commit suicide?
He fires a bullet 15 centimetres above his head, smack into his superiority complex.......

Why do the French so love a joke about Belgians?
Because they get to laugh three times. First time is when they hear it. The second is when they have it explained to them; and the third when they finally get it.

Why is it that the French say 'to go to the toilets' whereas the Belgians use the singular, 'to go to the toilet'?
Because, in France, you have to try a few before finding a clean one.

After creating France, God realized that he made the most beautiful country in the world. He could see that others would be jealous. In order to redress the balance of things, he then created the French.

Why do the French always swallow so much water when they swim?
Because, even in the water, they just have to open their mouths.

Do you know how to save a Frenchman from drowning?
No? Just as well, then.

What's the difference between Nelson Mandela and members of the French government?
Nelson Mandela went to prison BEFORE being elected.

Amazing Ireland

Our trip to Ireland was fabulous. We visited the counties of Mayo, Galway (Connemara), Clare, Kerry and Cork - most of the west coast basically.
We rented a car and rode 2200 km on the narrow roads of Ireland, cutting through spectacular scenery. Every turn of the road revealed spectacular sights, so we would stop a hundred times a day to take pictures and enjoy the view.
Nature, wildness, and ... sheeps. They are just everywhere !
I've been really impressed by Ireland and its diversity :
In Connemara, pine forests and lakes just like I would imagine in Canada,
and straight deserted roads going through nowhere just like I imagine in Midwest, USA,
In Kerry, sand beaches and clear water just like in the Caribbean;
and so many surrealistic sights enhanced by the most beautiful sky and light at sunset.

Hope you enjoy the pictures !
If you do, just go there : if you like nature and hiking, and you don't wanna be one of a crowd, you'll love it.

One hour in the life of Gaby

I didn't particularly want to share these pictures, but my boyfriend did put them on his "family blog", so let's just post them !

They are pictures of our fabulous and unique (believe me!) interpretation of the play "8 Femmes" in front of a real audience (!!) one wednesday night in June...
(cf. http://sawatika.blogspot.com/2006/05/back-to-blogland.html)

The scene takes place in the 1950's and my part was Gaby (Catherine Deneuve, at the top, in the middle on the movie poster picture)... I'm supposed to be a bourgeoise in her 50's... always smoking a cigarette !

Rehearsing was really great fun and so was that night, even if we did forget a couple of lines (okay - more than a couple !)
Of course it was not perfect, we are just amateur actors and did not have much time to learn the text by heart... so we did improvise a lot !
but the important thing is : we enjoyed it and so did the audience !!!






PS : no comment about the dress.. it was fashionable in the 1950's !!

Summer

I just love summer... Most people do...
July has been really hot in France this year - the hottest in the last 50 years.
Some people say this is the result of global warming... but I heard those same people complaining 4 months ago about the rough winter we've had ! And they were really looking forward to a hot summer !

My office is closing for 2 weeks in August, so we thought we would go north for a holiday to the fresh and peaceful lands of Ireland. With loads of Guinness of course ;-)

The south of France is one of the most appreciated destination for summer holiday but it involves lots of traffic jam and crowds everywhere you go - which we already have in Paris all year.
I love going to the beach but I hate being jammed in too little space and being "serviette contre serviette".

So instead we will enjoy a little bit of nature and adventure in Ireland.
And maybe we'll go to the beach there ! (I'm really not sure about that but let's try - so I can tell everyone I was brave enough to go for a swim in Ireland ;-)!
There are fabulous beaches and landscapes in Ireland.

We've booked the flights, 3 nights in a Dublin B&B, rented a car and bought a tent...
I hope the weather is gonna be fine !
Have a great summer !!

http://www.discoverireland.com

Allez les Bleus

I would like to share this very funny TV ad on my blog as I just realized I'm not gonna see it on TV anymore after tonight...



The match is currently finishing, the score is 1-1, and they've been playing for 106 minutes...

"Art"

A couple of weeks ago, as I was going to work, I picked up the Metro (free newspaper) in the tube station. I was browsing the newspaper when I hit upon this photo :

Weird, isn’t it ? First, the glasses are strange. Kinda like a swim mask to go scuba diving…or a welding mask… Modern design, but not fashionable to me !
This guy is the mayor of my town. He’s called Andre Santini. He’s a personage : jaunty, and megalomaniac, he even wrote a Corsican jokes book. I have no idea what Corsican jokes are like.... ?

But the oddest is… the baby doll ! I mean.. why ?
And the title of the newspaper column was A.N.A.T.O.L.E.
What does that mean ?
Apparently the Metro publishes this column daily – so everyday there is a new “famous” person photographed with the baby doll…

At lunchtime yesterday, a colleague started talking about this column. She had found it so bizarre and meaningless that she had written an email to the photograph asking her why she was photographing people with the same baby doll and if it had a particular meaning.
The answer she got was like : “I’m an artist. I have no explanation to give to you, this is art.”
So she wrote back to say : “But why did you happen to choose a baby doll ? Baby dolls are ugly!” And the photographer responded : “You’re just a “petite bourgeoise” who does not appreciate art.”

I think she copied the idea from the movie "Amélie Poulain" - she gives a garden dwarf to her friend stewardess to travel with her and send pictures of the garden dwarf all around the world to her Dad...

So yesterday afternoon I surfed on the website of the photographer and …. WOW this is really weird. Here is the worst of what I found there :If you're curious, here's the website : http://www.katyalegendre.com/accueil.html

Life is great with a balcony

Thursday was bank holiday in France. We went to see our apartment-to-be (should be ready in September)... The building is under construction and surrounded with barriers but we found a way in and went up to the second floor where our apartment is...

What I love about this apartment is : the balcony !!!! we're already planning to do barbecues all-year-round and have a little swimming-pool there... Ok, I'm joking... but having breakfast on the balcony on a sunny Sunday morning ... this is gonna be so nice !