I have been cooped up for so long indoors studying for my TMA . that I was by now starting to get cabin fever! So today I decided that it was time to get out for a long walk, especially as the weather was not too cold and we seem to be having a bit of a milder spell of weather at the moment.
However, I took the precaution of wrapping up well in my warm duvet coat with black vevet hat, white faux fur collar and  leather gloves on just to be sure in case it turned chilly.

I never go out far alone,  so I Phoned my friend S who was having some time off work  this week, so we set off for a walk together,  using the same route that the local ramblers usually take, which cuts across the fields to the next village. She works in the nearby big busy town as receptionist, and is usually quite a good walker,  but  she had been complaining that she doesn't get the opportunity for a long walk these days.

While walking S spoke about her grandchildren, her concerns about their health and about her job the long hours that she has to work, the cost of living crisis thats going on and how hard it was and her car needs fixing, she has been taking the bus for now until it get fixed.

 We chatted about life in general, I spoke about the cats and the price of cat food. If I had known  what was going to happen with cost of living crisis , I wouldn't have taken on two cats! She has a big dog and she agreed with me. " We must be a couple of softies!" She laughed.

It was a bit of a moan really but we both felt better to get it out of our system!

The weather was good when we set out in the afternoon ( mornings are for study)  but we needed  the fresh air. The fresh air made us both laugh a lot and feel a bit breathless so we stopped  to rest at the bench. 

There we spotted the some signs of spring all around us, like the white snow drops, the daffodil shoots just coming up, some pretty pink crocuses and other flower shoots spriouting  up from the ground. The promise of spring was just around the corner - although there maybe still a few more cold spells first. We heard lots of birdsong and saw a flock of birds, we were observing the way they grouped together undulating and morphing into different shapes while flying, it was fascinating to watch.

However, we did not sit still for too long, as there was a cold breeze blowing, so we hurried quickly along the deserted muddy country lane, laughing and jumping, as we tried to avoid all the pot holes, hoping to reach the outskirts of the village and the little country pub before it closed. If lucky we could be in time for a nice cup of hot coffee and warm ourselves up by the log fire before tackling the last part of our journey.

Unfortunately, pub was closed! We had just missed it by few minutes, so there was nothing more to be done  but to press on, over the next field that led home. We sang some of our favourite songs to quickly pass the time ( country music, pop, gospel etc) and S joined in when she knew the tune!

Some sheep nearby in the field were grazing, suddenly looked up and scattered away,  startled by our noisy presence. My friend then  found some sweets she had in her purse,  so we ate a few sweets, which gave us a bit more courage and energy to get us through the last part of our walk. It was turning a bit colder and darker, the wind was picking up and there were some spots of rain.

 Passed by the little church,  seldom used these days as roof is being repaired,  "I haven't been to church since before the pandemic". S  suddenly confessed to me "I still believe in God and read my Bible. I still practise and try to do good where I can. " 

" I believe in God too"  I replied "I just try my best that's all we can do. No one is perfect,  if I make a mistake I pray and say sorry to God. Even Jesus wept when his good friend Lazarus died. When he couldn't be with him."  "That's true" said S. "He was just like us"

We crossed over the little style at the end of the footpath,  then further on crossed a footbridge over a fast flowing stream. It was not far to go now.

My friend began laughing as she saw how muddy she was getting and said "good job I put old clothes on!" She laughed.  I was glad it was just my old trainers and socks that were muddy, fortunately my coat wasn't touched by the mud as I had tried to be careful and hold it up over my jeans.

The light was starting to fade fast now by 4pm as we reached the outskirts of our village and the little street lights were all starting to light up. The moon appeared, shining silver faintly in the cloudy sky.

Finally we approached our village, we saw  that the smoke was rising slowly  up from chimney pots of houses with log burners or open fires. Following  the footpath past the Co-op which was right in the middle of a field and was bightly lit up, like a space ship!  We walked along a bit quicker now and soon reached the village. There was some little corner shops lit up that were still open. By now the rush hour traffic was starting to show up, as the primary school was spilling out. Cars and people heading to the nearby supermarket before going home.

 "I enjoyed that walk ! lets do it again soon" My friend told me, but she didn't know when she was free again. "I'll let you know" she called after me as we went our seperate ways. I gave her a thumbs up and I waved back in response. I  felt fully re-energized by the invigorating walk as I walked happily but tiredly down my little road to my cottage, which was by this time all lit up as the family were home!

My TMA results came today for L332 french and I was pleased to have passed. Tutor said my grammar was ok.

I really enjoyed this french literature unit and I wished I could have done so much more on this subject. Next I will be studying the subject of immigration it is not a subject I know much about so hoping to learn a lot.

Yes! at last I have submitted TMA03 for L332, I never thought I would ever finish it on time! There were so many things to check and double check, then correct before sending it on it's way! Phew what a relief! 👉

This morning I finished writing my french essayTMA03 and I felt very pleased with it , but then when I checked the word count it was well over 1,200 words. So now I am going to have to be ruthless and cut it right down to 900 words. I just got carried away writing it! I must be quick now because the clock is ticking away!    ⏳

Assez de procrastination, je dois continuer à écrire mon TMA03 !

 Je n'ai plus qu'une semaine pour l'écrire, puis taper 900 mots. À cette période de l'année, j'ai tellement froid et je suis fatiguée, mais je dois me dépêcher !
😂😂

Enough procrastination, I must press on with writing up my TMA03!

I have only 1 week left to write it, then type out 900 words. At this time of year I just feel so cold and tired, but I must hurry up!

Assorted mushrooms, Tomatoes and vegetables provençal, dauphinoise potatoes and a little grated cheese.

Cette semaine, j'ai étudié avec mon amie.
Elle était ravie d'apprendre comment commander de la nourriture au restaurant en français!

🦪🦑🍝🥗🍧

Je trouve que cette période de l'année est propice à la réflexion sur ce qui s'est passé au cours de l'année écoulée et sur ce qui se passera cette année.

La pandémie s'est produite, ce qui était un grand événement mais semble être passé (espérons-le?) La mort de Sa Majesté la Reine a également été un événement très triste pour le pays. (J'ai aussi perdu ma sœur cadette )

Il semble que cette année ait été sombre et sombre, surtout lorsqu'elle est combinée à la crise économique que beaucoup d'entre nous traversent ! et bien sûr la guerre Russie/Ukraine juste à côté de nous !

Cependant, lorsque des pertes surviennent, de nouveaux changements et de nouvelles opportunités surviennent souvent. C'est ce que nous devons rechercher, pour voir le bien dans de nouvelles possibilités, de nouvelles perspectives, de nouveaux positionnements et de nouveaux espoirs.

Personnellement, j'espère passer mon diplôme (Degree) cette année. J'espère que mes enfants s'épanouiront, j'espère que notre santé reste bien. J'espère que l'économie s'améliorera, mais je sais que toutes ces choses seront une longue lutte et ne viendront pas très facilement.

Nous ne devons pas abandonner, mais continuer, garder un rythme soutenu avec espoir et confiance que l'avenir peut s'éclaircir, que quelque chose de bon peut sûrement en sortir. Parfois il suffit d'attendre mais ce n'est pas une attente inactive, non ! mais c'est proactif, et c'est une pleine participation à ce que nous espérons ! 

Que Dieu te bénisse! Paix et amour! Bonne année 2023 à tous!  

Making a start on TMA03 after having finished reading the book in french. Now time to  start to write up notes for the evaluation. Hopefully by this weekend will be able to make a good write up and start typing it out.👩‍💻

              Traduction

J'ai commencé à prendre des notes pour TMA03 après avoir fini de lire mon livre en français. Il est maintenant temps de commencer à rédiger des notes pour l'évaluation. J'espère que d'ici ce week-end, je serai en mesure de faire une bonne rédaction et je pourrai alors commencer à la taper.👩‍💻

Trying to save electricity ! 💡🌎

Les jours deviennent sombres. Je dois me réveiller tôt a six heures pour faire entrer les chats.  je leur donne leur petit déjeuner puis ils dorment, l'un sur le fauteuil l'autre sur le canapé.

Je parle en français à mes chats chaque matin, mais ils ferment les yeux et s'endorment!

Je prépare mon petit déjeuner. Un café avec un croissant, quelque fois je prendre un Muesli avec une petite banane hachée. Aujourd'hui c'est un croissant.

Le premier chose que Je fais,  J'allume le chauffage, J'éteindrai le chauffage plus tard, quand il se réchauffera, J'essaie de limiter ma consommation d'énergie au minimum ! Puis Je ouvre mon ordinateur portable.

Ensuite, je m'assure que mon fils prend son petit-déjeuner. Il lira alors généralement ou joue sur ses jeux pendant un certain temps. Cela l'occupera pendant la matinée.

Maintenant  je peux commencer mes études. Je regarde d'abord mes e-mails, je visite les forums, puis je vois quels exercices je dois faire. Je fais quelques exercices pendant une courte période, puis je travaille  sur les notes pour le TMA.

Je travaille toute la matinée. Je vérifie ensuite si mon fils va bien, je lui parle et je bois un café.
Nous parlons ensemble pour environ trente minits.

Je fais les courses a Sainsbury's qui prennent environ une heure  Quelque fois je prend le longue chemin si le temps est bon. Une ou deux fois par semaine Je vais a la marchand de legumes pour acheter mes provisions. Cette apres-midi il y a un brouillard et les gens ressemblaient à des fantômes flottant le long les trottoires!

Après cela,  Mon fils fait une sieste et je faire un peu de ménage. Je peux  étudier un peu plus, puis Je prépare le dînner
vers cinq heures. Ce soir Je fais buble  squeak avec des saucisses et des sauce à l'oignon.

La nuit arrive trop vite!                J'allume les bougies et regarde un peu la télé. Mais si la télé

n'est pas intéressante, je lire mon livre, ou Je tricote,ou je regarde quelque chose sur l'Internet.

Avant de dormir, j'aime me détendre en écoutant de la musique classique sur la radio. Je dors à minuit. J'ai du mal à dormir. Je me sens anxieux. Je n'aime pas l' hiver J'attends le printemps !

Ma journée est terminée. Bonne nuit.

🌙❄🌧

🛌