UBIEE ENVIRO Project, helping you, me, the environment and UNICEF

Newsletter from Plaigne 2010

Plaigne Newsletter December 2010


Another year is coming to an end. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. I hope you are well and would like to thank you for the cards, presies and wishes.

At the end of February we visited my Barton family in Solihul. Deb and Nigel were kind enough to welcome us, so that I could visit family and see the area where Daddy was born and continue my family research. It was lovely to see the family and visit historical places in and around Birmingham. The Black Country Musuem and the Back to Backs were very interesting and useful in providing background to my research. Raymonde and Isabelle loved being with their cousin, Zoe too.

We extended our England visit a few days so that we could visit David's father, Dennis as he was unwell. Our unexpected Sittingbourne visit was made easier by Simon and Kim, who put us up after my surprise phonecall.

I've also extended the family research to the Pritchard Family. David couldn't understand my enthusiasm for genealogy so I decided to involve him by researching his family. He soon became very interested in his ancestors!

David returned to England later in the year to do Deb's bathroom and he took the opportunity to visit his parents again. I held the fort here in Plaigne, through tempest and snow storm (and I am not exaggerating ha ha!). We had a rather devastated garden after the freak weather conditions.

In the summer, we stayed at home and visited places that we hadn't explored before and re-visited places that had pleased the first five children and we thought would please the last two. We were correct. Raymonde and Isabelle loved the African Safari at Sigean. We visited the mountains and the wolf park. Two of the wolves wanted to play with Raymonde and Isabelle. That was my treat to go to see the wolves. I love them. I want one!!

The cousins, Emily and Jemma (aka Jemily) came to stay and the girls enjoyed being together. It was a working holiday in the maize fields. I think they enjoyed it despite the hard work, especially as many tears had to be mopped up at the good bye time!

In September, David went back to England again to spend some time with his father and say good bye. Dennis passed on and David stayed til after the funeral. The "boys" went over together and Verity had already gone over and was staying at Simon and Kim's. We have to thank them again for stepping in and helping out. Verity was supposed to be going to London, but that is another story. David and Verity flew home together the day after the boys.

Demelza and Verity finished school this year after both obtaining their Bacs (with very similar results as per usual). Verity started at the same hotellerie school that Benjamin passed through and obtained his diploma. She has just finished two months work experience in Bordeaux. Demelza is working part-time in a clinic and doing a correspondance course at the same time. My babes are all growing up which is really quite frightening at times! However, the two younger ones are keeping us young, especially Isabelle who is a real live wire. We call her Tinkerbell. She tinkers and creates fairy houses and camps (in and outdoors -- we have a tree in our bedroom at the moment full of little fairies and creatures of all sorts!). She even looks like Tinkerbell, especially when the twins give her the Tinkerbell hairdo.

Raymonde and Isabelle sang "Fly to your Heart" from the Tinkerbell film, in the Amicale spectacle in April. Their mother sang "Super Trouper" with her Amicale friends, Suzanne, Adrian and Perman. We had a lot of laughs practising and we got an encore! We have received a request to do another one next year at the spectacle. I must put my thinking cap on.

Raymonde and Isabelle are continuing the Pritchard tradition and both do tennis training. When they are not at school and the weather is fine, Isabelle is found in bushes and trees with the fairies and Raymonde disappears with Polly and Loupio.

I have been doing some private tuition and have registered as an auto-entrepreneur, which is a new regime that started here for people who want to do a little business and pay charges only as you earn. Yes, it was about time they came up with that one!! They say it is simple but it is more complicated with more paperwork than one would think, but I am persevering with it. I registered for the gîte and IM. I haven't really been doing much advertising for the gîte, but we still get enquiries, so that is cool and I can go along with that.

I was asked to do a couple of videos on YouTube. The one you see above (if you are reading the newsletter on the blog) is about the UBIEE ENVIRO Project and the Pritchard Family Vortex in aid of UNICEF. You can see the video by going to YouTube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMFgwFAFiVA

As part of my sharing angel cuddles mission I also set up a cause on FaceBook; if you would like to join the Support the Pritchard Family in aid of UNICEF Cause, you can do so here: http://www.causes.com/causes/510841

I would appreciate your help in supporting our forgotten children in this world. Thank you to those who have already joined the cause and even better, joined the vortex
(http://ubiee.com/enviro/?tag=pritchardinaidofUNICEF).

Now, it is time to wish you a happy new year, many blessings, angel cuddles, love, light and peace.

Sarah xxx