Babyhood

It's now Friday and it's been the most miserable and lonely holiday I think we've ever had. Poor Kevin is naturally very frustrated. We did let him walk around a bit yesterday because he seemed so much better, but by afternoon he was limping and crying again, so now he's firmly back in the wheelchair. If we take him to the beach, he can only stand in the shallow waves or sit in the sand digging, and sadly watching all the other children splashing and having great fun.

Luckily P. had enrolled Pauline in a kind of "Yachting for babies" class with the local yacht club. A young woman called Coralie puts life-jackets on Pauline and four other small children and takes them out on her boat for two hours every morning! She absolutely loves it, as they catch fish and crabs and do a nature study class on the water. I felt quite nervous about the idea of my wee girl going off in a small sailboat like that, but the weather conditions have been very calm, and she's enjoying it so much. I mustn't be a wet blanket! Also, the instructor is properly trained in boat safety, of course.

Otherwise, I spend most of the day trying to entertain Kevin in non-physical ways. There is an internet club here, with six computers, so he has spent an hour every morning playing very basic educational games. There is no television or video, unfortunately, but there is a library, so we read a lot. I've just about exhausted the stock of books and games I had packed for wet days. He is really good at Snap, dominoes and Memory now! I feel like screaming with boredom though and wish we were at home where at least we would have more toys and all our friends to entertain us. Since we have had the wheelchair I have been able to take him out on long walks, but it's very hilly here! Still, the village and scenery are really beautiful, with dark pink granite boulders, grey stone houses and beautiful hydrangeas and hollyhocks, menhirs and dolmens, just like in Asterix & Obelix, everywhere. I've noticed many plants and flowers similar to New Zealand coastal varieties, but I can't think of their names. We are right on the port, so there are plenty of boats to look at, and even a small roundabout/carousel thingy for Kevin to ride on. It is costing me a fortune, more than the wheelchair, but at least he gets more fun out of it.

The mishaps and accidents continue...

- Kevin's glasses broke and of course I didn't have a copy of his prescription in our luggage (will remember next year though!). So after only five or six attempts to phone our ophthalmologue at home, I finally got through to his secretary who promised to post it to us here, but that was four days ago and we're still waiting...

- P. has developed a revolting, tubercular cough, which should arouse my compassion, but only drives me mad ...

- Imagine my shock when idly flicking through the English newspapers the other day, to learn of the Concorde crash near Paris. It is a strange coincidence that every time my parents come to Europe, something frightening happens just days before or after their arrival (for example the IRA bomb scare in our London hotel 1978, actual bomb explosion in Paris metro 1996, bomb threat in London last week)...

- In our hotel rooms the windows are extremely wide and when they are open we are constantly bashing our heads on the sharp pointy frames...

- I have lost the lovely watch I bought myself in New Zealand last year as a treat for having worn cheap and nasty watches for so long (I'm really upset about this)...

- There's a Mickey Mouse children's club on the beach with trampolines, swings, games and supervised activities etc, where we were thinking of leaving the children for an hour or two next week, if Kevin's leg gets better in time. But just yesterday I happened to be walking past and saw an ambulance arrive to treat a little girl who was lying on the ground with eyes closed and covered with a survival blanket... I don't know what happened to her, hope she's all right now...

I just want to go home! Have been dreaming of my new job, miss the office and my brand new clients terribly!

Now for some more cheerful news: there are no mosquitoes here! And tomorrow P. has promised to take us to an Ornithological centre, and perhaps an aquarium, so that should put some pep in Kevin's day.. Cross your fingers for us!