The complications of setting up in France, hopefully, as of this morning, are over! Two days ago, with the help of school-mates, we got the fridge home, barely, begrudgingly (sometimes people say yes and mean no). Then yesterday, the delivery company from Ikea called to ask if I had gone to the police to get the permit required to enter the old city and deliver my furniture! Unfortunately, I had been told (by someone, no idea who) that that was the responsibility of the delivery company. After many phone calls and attempts to solve the problem, all in French, by everyone but me, of course, the furniture was dropped off at the school! So after school yesterday, phase one took place and we took one load of girls and pillows, bedding and chairs back into town and to my home.
This morning, we loaded the rest in to two small cars- a mattress, sommier (what the mattress rests on), table and coffee table along with 5 people (!) and caravaned into the old city. Cars can access my street between 7pm and 10am (unless you have a permit), otherwise it is just for pedestrians, which I really appreciate except at times like this! Keep in mind that the street is only as wide as a small car and although it was before 10 this morning, we still got hassled by the police for stopping and unloading.
Anyway, that’s an update. As for school, we have now covered over 200 raw materials, and my lexicon of chemical names is large and still growing. What a learning curve! Today, as on all Fridays, we covered naturals, including two animalics- castoreum and civet. Very interesting, although somewhat revolting. Actually I like the smell of castoreum; heavy sweet oily animalic inner bark of a birch tree in Spring. It’s the thought of killing the beaver for this scent that is horrible.
Speaking of Spring, I saw buds unfurling on the tips of a fig tree the other day revealing fresh green perfect baby leaves. A most perfect time of year…………..
By the way, happy belated Women’s Day- hier Mars 8th 🙂
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