Salut!

As the title would suggest - it is.

So I thought I would tell you a little about the Parisian parking habits.  I’m sure you have seen for yourself or heard the rumours!

It is incredible.  Outside my house there is a parking space for 3 English cars.  Most nights there are 5 French ones there.  As long as about half the car is in the space it seems as if it counts…

But the crazy thing is watching them getting in and out of these TINY spaces.  They really are gifted!  A little nudge here, a small touch there and out we go.  No one seems to bother about scratching anyone elses car.  It’s gotten to be my morning sport while eating breakfast, watch them parking and try and spot the one who does the most damage!

When I scratched a car, (Stupidly, not even doing clever parking…) I left my number and he never even got back to me.  Not even to say don’t worry!  It seems people don’t care.  Tant mieux!  That makes my life easier!

But just popping out for an errand in Fifi is impossible.  Firstly you have to do the maths.  Is the benifit of taking the car going to off-set the inconvenience of losing the parking space?  Usually it doesn’t, and I walk.  Going out in the car also takes a whole lot of concentration and energy.  In Orleans I used to think, I’m tired, I’ll drive’.  Here it’s more like, ‘I’m tired, it’d be easier to walk.’

How things have changed!

I am deffienetly a city girl.  I LOVE it here!  Everything is close by.  I hardly ever use the car.  (Poor Fifi.)

Last night I went into the city for a meal with friends and then we went to a jazz concert.  It was really great to be in Paris, but quite wierd knowing that I live here and I’m not a tourist!  (sort of!)  We saw Jerri Brown and the Jobic Lemasson trio.  Quite funky, sometimes bizarre, generally really cool.

Today at church we were a very small group.  Everyone is off on holiday.  Here is a little picture of us enjoying the shade and a chocolate cookie after the serivce.

The service usually finishes about 12.30 and then people seem to hang around for about an hour sometimes two over coffee and nibbles just chatting.  It’s really nice. 

I was very nervous - but I did it!  I did the Paris Rando Roller!!  (Or at least half of it!)

I was nervous for quite a few reasons:  Not being good enough: not knowing anyone; Getting lost on the way home; Getting attacked on the way home etc…

But it turned out fine.

I took the metro there which took 15mins and arrived in front of the Gare Montparnasse and there were hundreds of skaters!  Most of them very cool and very experienced, it was then that I got even more scared!  The crowds continued to form as night fell and bang on 10pm we were off.  Maybe 2OOO people on rollerblades!  Crazy! 

 I know it’s not the best photo but it’s hard to stand very still for a long exposure on rollerblades - I’m sure you understand!  For better photos see: http://www.pari-roller.com/

We went really fast.  On orleans there was an easy hour and then a ’sporty’ hour.  Paris goes straight into the sporty and it was push all the way!  It was still 26 degrees and very heavy so the going was quite tough.  There were serious decents that went on for about a kilometre.  I used up nearly all of my stopper!  I need to improve my braking skills or I’ll be praying a fortune for stoppers every week!  There was a huge climb too, again almost a km  - phew, that burned some calories!

It was so cool to be flying along the roads of Paris with all the monuments lit up.  The road was blocked for us and people were lining the sides and cheering!  Funny!  I saw all sorts there: A dad with his child in a buggy; A guy with a white suit and little LEDs all over him; A man with a rucksac that was a portable stereo system pumping out Kylie; A group of organised and co-ordinated Germans; And even the police!  They were on rollerblades too - they looked seriously cool! 

The rando starts at 10pm and finishes back at montparnasse at 1am.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to stick the pace for 3hrs and I was worried about getting back OK.  So at the half way point I broke off and took the metro.  We were right in the North of Paris and I was worried about missing the last train or being alone in a carrage.  But there was nothing to fear!  I got the train at 11.45pm and it was standing room only!

On Sunday afternoon there is a rando for families that goes at a slower pace, I’m going to try tnat one out too. 

Way!!  it’s all done!  My new insurance papers arrived this morning - efficiancy!  This afternoon I got hidiously lost trying to find a garage that would make and fit the new plates.  But it’s done and she looks wonderful!  Now I have no excuse for U turns - my new 94 shows that I’m from here I not an outsider!  Hmmm, scary!

I’ll put a photo up when I dare…I felt a bit stupid photographing my car parked in the road! 

It seems to have worked!  It only took 2 go’s!  I was expecting to queue up and be told something was wrong and to have to come home again.  But in the end I queued, they told me since the beginning of the month it is done by post, but I still need to get my photocopies stamped at the office, so in fact the postal thing just makes the process more complicated…  So off I went in serach of evelopes, stamps and a photocopier.  I came back, queued, handed over the papers, got the official stamp and SUPPOSEDLY my new car reg number will arrive in the next 8 days.  Hopefully that will be just before I leave so I will then have to figure out how to get new reg plates made up and how to fix them on the car.  Life is full of new lessons!

Got back to find that France Telecom were billing me twice for the same thing.  So I spent another 1/2 hour on the phone getting that sorted.  How do people work a full time job and move house in this country?  It seems impossible!

Tomorrow I have to start sending out my new bank account details to everone who takes payments from my account, ie electricity, phone, tax etc…  All I wanted to do was change the address on my cheques! 

Last night I had my first guests round.  In true French style they arrived 1h30 late!  Ha ha!  I knew that I was adapting to France when I didn’t bother ringing to see where they were!

Anyway, here’s some photos of my flat nice and tidy and people eating…

Today I thought I would tackle the issue of my car registration.  I had heard you had to change it within 3 months.  Last night a friend told me I had a month, this motivated me a bit.  This morning I went down to the town hall and was told I had 15 days.  Hmmmm.  ?!  Anyway, The lady in the town hall said I needed to go to the other, bigger, more important town hall in a neighbouring town.  I asked her how to get there and she told mw the bus 144.  While waiting for the bus 144 a lady told me that it went no where near the important town hall.  So I went home for lunch to ponder what to do.

On the internet - God save the internet! - I found the bus lines and the papers I needed.  I then spent about an hour searching for MOT papers, registration papers, insurance papers, newspapers….

I head out to the bus stop armed with a mini-reference libary.  Only to find that I was waiting on the wrong side of the street and the bus went sailing past me!  Arghhhhh! 

I will start over again tomorrow…

G came to church for the first time on Sunday and made some kind of commitment.  I was really happy to be able to do a new believers Bible study with him and another mature male Christian from the church this afternoon.  G asked Jesus for forgiveness and asked Him to help him in his new life - Praise God!  Rejoice with us for our new brother!!  

I have invited the pastor and his wife, G and another guy from church to my flat for a meal tomorrow night.  I’m excited to have my first dinner guests!

The rubber is hitting the road.

I got back from my holiday yesterday and arrived at church this morning looking brown!  A new guy and his wife has also started coming.  He is a gifted envangelist and had been out on Saturday.  So in the church were 2 men, one converted, one not, except at the send of the service he was!  Praise God!  So tommorw lunch time I will be out by the metro stop with the mobile bible stand and at 2pm we will start the first new believers bible study with G.  Phew!  Keep praying!!

I’ve just had fun in the sun!  I was down in the South near a town called Beziers.  It was gloriously hot and we made the most of the beach and the rivers.  Fun fun fun!  It was great simply spending time with friends.  Just waking up in the morning and eating together - simple things like that - but I miss that living on my own.  God is good!  He knows what we need. 

I’ve got Sunday to enjoy and then I need to start thinking about the car registration plate issue.  Ho hum!

I’m off!  In 2 hours!  Hurrah!  I’m going to a friend’s grandma’s house in the south for a week of reading in the sun - I hope!

Moving house is stressful.  Moving house in France is worse.  Moving counties in France is just as silly as it can be.  For example:  I have to close my bank account and open a new one.  WITH THE SAME BANK!!  I have to change my car registration plates.  I can’t just call the electricity company to transfer my account.  I have to wait in a queue to close one account in Orleans, and then queue all over again to open another in Paris.  It’s a mini nightmare.  I’m glad I’m going on holiday and leaving my illegal car, my non-functioning bank account and the disaster which is the electricity compagny behind.