Maladie

Not too much to say for today, not going to lie! The illness that has been haunting my steps these past few days decided to pop up with a big 'Hello!' This meant the only time I ventured outside was for lunch with Julien at the port in the sun. Oh, and this is Julien, in a suit because he was on his lunch break, not his usual attire for the sunshine!

It was surprising just how many people were at the port, but then again I'm not terribly certain why I was surprised...it was a sunny day, it was lunchtime, there were benches. No, scratch that, I wasn't surprised by the number of people out! It is Normandy after all. It seems as if the Normans and the English are not so different after all...I think because we share similar climates as soon is there is a hope of sun, everyone leaps into action and runs outside. The only difference of course being that the French wear more black.

After lunch I went home and slept for around twenty hours or so. I told you I hadn't done much interesting today! Everyone has this stupid illness in one various form or another, but all with similar symptoms. I seem to have been blessed with the extreme fatigue one, lucky me in my second-to-last week in my French home! At least I'm still functioning on some level or another though, which is nice. Why is it that we always seem to get ill when it is a beautiful sunny day too?

So, as this is quite a boring post, I found another quote from Talk to the Snail by Stephen Clarke on the wonders of French pronunciation:-

A short guide to pronouncing those difficult French sounds: The open 'ou', as in bouche or beaucoup: imagine you are a chimpanzee with an unpeeled banana between your lips. Hold your mouth in that position and say 'oo'. Note: you don't have to scratch your armpits as you do this. The closed 'u', as in rue: imagine you are holding a cheap French cigarette between your lips. Push your top lip out until the cigarette is pointing vertically downwards and the tobacco is falling out of the end. Say 'oo'. It should sound almost like a short 'i' sound, as in 'hit'. It might help to get the pronunciation right if you squint as though the evil-smelling smoke is getting in your eyes. The 'an' and 'en' sounds, as in quand: imagine you have just been told the price of the café au kit you ordered on the Champs Eh/sees. Your jaw hangs open. You grunt in pain. Say the English word 'on' in this position, without pronouncing the 'n'. The 'on' sound, as in ban-, you go to kiss a French man or woman on the lips, but you're afraid that tongues might get involved and you don't want that (yet). So you purse your lips but keep them firm. Again, say the English word 'on' in this position, without pronouncing the 'n'. The guttural 'r', as in Sacrrrré Coeurrr. imagine you are outside a French boulangerie, drooling at a superb fresh raspberry tart. Your mouth is suddenly full of saliva, and fortunately you are alone in the street so it is safe to spit in the gutter. Hawk it all up. As the saliva gathers underneath your tongue, you are saying the French 'r'. If you can hawk loudly enough, you are ready to become a French folk singer.