Vingt et un years old

  La Rochelle, France
Saturday, October 4, 2008

Incase you weren't aware, October 3 (yesterday for me as I write this, the day before yesterday for you as I write this) was my 21st birthday.

I woke up at 7:30... okay, make that 8am, and quickly got ready (pausing only breifly to open my cards and pressies over breakfast) .  In my letter box was a card from Bonnie and one from Josée.  Aww ^_^
I then left with Amy and Bonnie at 8:40 - 10 minutes late, so we walked extremely quickly all the way to uni, with Amy giving me a card as well and also 3 blocks of chocolate! She sure knows how to give good presents =P  Mmmm-mmm.

We arrived at uni just on time.  There was Josée, sitting in the foyer, looking unimpressed. 

"Le cours est anulé."
So, for the fourth week in a row, our Littérature Français tutorial has been cancelled.  It is a month into semester and we still haven't had that class once.  I would be annoyed - cancelled again, after having woken up early, and rushed all the way in - except, honestly?, I was pretty stoked not to have class.

The Café instead of class

So Josée, Amy and I wandered into Centre Ville, where we went to a café and had coffee and croissants.  That was lovely, and afterwards we wandered back home.

Criossants in a basket

I tried to call mum, but she wasn't answering, so I called Rach, and we had a really lovely chat.  Phone card ran out, so I wandered down to the tabac and bought another one, and posted a few of letters (Dad, Mel, Kylie G. - watch out).  When I got back I gave mum a call and we ended up speaking for quite a long time, which was wonderful.

Then Amy and I went down to the beach, where we met Bonnie.  We went to the restaurant on the beach and had coffees, and I tried to write a draft of my homework that was due that afternoon. 

Home again, home again.  Once there I got to fixing up my french homwork, with a little help from Josée (my lovely French-Canadian).  Then in walk Meredith and Amy: "We have the best birthday present for you", they announced. "Amy just got and e-mail from Nora P__ and..." "Class is cancelled!"
Down tools! That's enough birthday homework for me!

So, I spent the next hour and a half tidying my room and getting all dressed up for my evening out.  I put my hair up, and put on the necklace that Wendy had sent me for my birthday, and the earrings from mum.  I wore my black pants and pink blouse, and even dared to don a pair of heels. 

She's ready to party

It was 6:30pm and I was basically ready to go.   The bus didn't go until 6:58, so I was only waiting until I could reasonably go and rally the others, when Bonnie comes running upstairs.  "There's something for you, downstairs," she said.  So down I went, and there was a young guy with a giant basket of deep red flowers.  He brought them upstairs for me and I have put them on top of the fridge.  I checked the card - thanks gran and parents!  They're beautiful. 

Fleurs!

But seriously - if class hadn't been cancelled, I wouldn't have been here, and if it hadn't been raining, Bonnie would have been out walking.  How convenient!

So, after that wonderful surprise, I rallied my ladies and we headed off to the bus.
We were so close to the bus stop, but just then, from no where, there was the bus, rattling past us.  Noooo!!
So off we ran, Amy in the lead, Josée a cloe second, followed by me and then Meredith (to be fair, Meredith and I were wearing heels).  Amy and/or Josie managed to hail the bus, and we four piled on in a cloud of exhilirated confusion. 

When we reached Centre Ville, off we all got, and headed over to Nadine's.  She met us at her door as she arrived home, and we all trooped up her stairs after her and chatted in her lounge room while she got ready. 

Then, it was off to find somewhere delicious.  We wandered the streets for a while before finding a hands-down winner: Via Roma.  Mmmmm-mmM!

I totally ordered the fetticine, fruit de mer.
Wow, and was it good!
While we were waiting for our food, Amy and Josée exchanged a strange kind of glance, triggering Josée to pick up her bag and produce from it a gift.  It was from all 4 of them.  What was it, I hear you ask.  That's exactly what I wondered myself, and so I opened it...

It was perfume I had been drooling over for the past week: Maroussia. (click this link!)
Mmmm-mmm. So stoked! Now I can actually smell amazing ^_^

Mmmmmaroussia

The food was amazing too - mussels, cockles, and some...thing else.  Impressive and tasty indeed.

Fettucine, fruit de mer - Gem's delicious dindins

Then it was dessert and coffee time:  un crème brulé pour moi, s'il vous plait, et un grand crème (coffee with milk). 
And wow!  Both were really good, but that crème brulé?

Crème Brulé & crème

Just... wow.  Amazing.  I am sooo glad I chose that, even though Amy's looked amazing too...

Amy's delicious dessert

Then it was home time, so we walked Nadine home, and we 4 girls walked back, me feeling a little tired of wearing heels by the end of that. 

What a lovely day though! 

Here is a list of people from whom I have received cards, not to guilt anyone who didn't send them, but just so those who did can know that I have received it:
Gran + flowers
Aunty Leonie & Family
Mum & Geoff + parish card + trinkets + flowers (trinkets received on actual birthday, oh, and flowers, of course)
Aunty Wendy & Catmate
Jenny (on actual birthday)
Maurice & Noreen (on acutual birthday)
Aunty Julie and Uncle Bert

I have them all up on my wall now, so I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. 
Thanks to everyone who sent birthday cards/emails/texts/wishes via someone else/wishes via the air.
I had a lovely day.

She's 21 now - can you believe it?

And no my first day of my 22nd year is over too.  Today Bonnie and I went into Centre Ville and she bought me a Vienoise Chocolat - awww ^_^  I also shouted myself a birthday kettle, as the one Bonnie and I bought when we first arrived, that lives in the kitchen and is used by everyone, is starting to worry me.  There is mettle flakes coming off the element, which sometimes sneak under the spout filter.  I don't think I want to drink that.  I wonder if people have been boiling the kettle when it is empty.  Ahh well, now I have one up here in my room, which will be sooooo convenient for morning coffees or evening cups of tea.  Yay! 

Now? An episode of Vicar of Dibley with some birthday chocolate (from Amy) and some chai tea (from my shiny new kettle). 

Good night big dog.  Good night girls and boys.

And the sunset