Tuesday, September 4, 2012

My own rentrée...

Son 1 is at lycée - we await the end of the day (technically they can finish as late as 5.30pm, but possibly not every day) to see how he's got on! Thanks for all your comments about this yesterday - Ben and I cycled up with him for the first day, and then stood to one side and watched (with a load of other parents in the car park) as our offspring went in without a backwards glance... So today it's just Son 2 and me at home - and I'm getting ready for my own rentrée! This means a good tidy-up...
The guest bedroom is going back to being my teaching room, after accommodating some wonderful house-sitters over the summer (Izzie and George, what would we have done without them?). So the bed is allowed to go all vintage again, and I have my first Rentrée Resolution - keep the spare room tidy!
There's plenty of motivation - every Wednesday my teaching (usually spread all around Toulouse) narrows down to the nearest town and villages and I have a stream of local children and teenagers coming for lessons on their day/afternoon off. I also have an adult coming for lessons on Thursday evenings this year, so a good desk and a pleasant atmosphere are a must. The good desk was donated a whole year ago - do you remember this post?
A pupil donated me her old desk, and I had an interesting time reading your comments about how to tie modern and vintage together - Wendz was particularly helpful and it only took me a year (sigh) to talk Ben into putting holes in the wall for all the pictures she suggested. (Yes, many of you can hang your own pictures. I suffer from clumsiness and have a perfectionist, but very capable husband, so I usually DON'T.) Here is the delightful result:
You'll have spotted the Willows having a good look around - I got Mr Toad off my laptop ASAP, I can tell you! Who can tell what would have happened if he'd got onto my Facebook page?

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I can see Mr Toad being very interested in Facebook! Can you imagine his status updates?

Love your gallery wall of pictures. I've been doing pretty much the same, getting the house into a more ordered (well it will never be totally ordered!) state and the children ready for school/college.

Wendy said...

That looks fantastic! It makes such a difference. I am also in the middle of trying to do exactly the same thing above my sewing table - and I also have to get hubby to do it as he is very very VERY nitpicky about hanging pictures..I just bang in a nail but he measures and measures again and then drills a hole etc etc...*sigh*..so yes fully understand why it's taken so long to get it done. :)

My boys started school today too - I am waiting to speak them tonight to find out if they have Saturday school - apparently starting up again this year (in their region at least) - and that impacts me because of flight bookings for holidays - they used to come to the UK on a Thursday night, (cheaper flight) missing the last Friday of the term...but cannot miss Friday and Saturday as well - so it's a headache..wretched blinking French bureaucracy!

Pom Pom said...

Ha ha! I'm glad you're keeping a short leash on Mr. Toad!

A garden just outside Venice said...

Salut Floss!
I'm glad you're back to normal service :)
Bonne rentrée à tous!

Michela x

Vintage Jane said...

... into the September calm! Me too - little one back to school and time to resume normal service. We'll see! M x

fee @ chipper nelly said...

oooh yes, bonne rentree a tous! I hate when the boys go back to school but one the upsides is that some order returns...which suits my OCD tendancies! (known around here as OC Fee!)
Still haven't tracked down that shop but I will!
fee x

Frances said...

Best wishes to you, Floss, as La Rentree commence.

You've got a good looking place there to encourage your students, formal but friendly, too.

I always love school and the promise that September brought. I still enjoy learning new things, and perhaps from time to time showing new things to others folks.

Bravo to teachers and education all over the world! xo

magsmcc said...

Dread to think what that chap would have got up to with a world of Internet from which to shop! Who knows what parcels would have been arriving at your door!!