Writer’s Block

Tonight I attended my first writing lesson at evening class. It required every fibre of my concentration (!) just as well I have nothing demanding lined up for tomorrow. We each had to write about a character and read out our best efforts in front of the group. Nerve-racking or what! I was really doing well concentrating on what the other class members were reading when a very familiar storyline emerged. One of the stories was about a Mother taking her very sick child to the Doctor with a fever overwhelmed with anxiety about the survival of her child. At this point, I was contemplating stuffing my fingers in my ears but felt that this could be misinterpreted… Still, I know that I ‘ll get things out of this course but would prefer not to be reminded of anything.

Still, I had a successful days shopping. I spent hundreds of pounds (true!) on a ………………………………….hearing aid. I am currently wearing the NHS one style suits all variety and am now digital. Apparently it is better that I wear one in each ear to get surround sound, perhaps I would like to do that. Perhaps not! Although my hearing has remained static for the last couple of years, I am more aware that I am missing out on things (like conversation…) One of the funniest misunderstandings was when I was talking to a former boss, a HR Manager. He was adamant, he said, that he would “crack down on latex in the office” . You can imagine what my poor little overworked imagination made of this. Believe me, if there was latex in the office I would have spotted it. I gave him a bit of a bemused smile and let him continue. What he actually said was lateness! Shame, it would have been a unique corporate uniform! I take delivery of my “appareil acoustique” in a couple of weeks following our next jaunt en France. I really hope that this will make a significant difference to the quality of hearing that I have.

Going back to France will hopefully loosen up my sluggish command of the French language. Some great occasions when English would not do:

Explaining to the Tunisian technician in our hotel that my travel iron had fused all the lights (it was on the wrong setting, but I couldn’t explain that!!)

Kevin and I got locked in a castle and I had to explain that we were the only ones in the castle. Eventually my damsel In distress limited vocabulary saved the day.

Interestingly enough in Tunisia, none of the european women would be served at a bar. Only when I asserted myself in French were we successful.

When we were last in France one of the walks that we did we came across a Goatswoman herding her flock. No problem, but unfortunately we had a little four legged friend who seemed to have adopted us during our walk and I wasn’t sure how s/he would react to the goats. Did look very interesting. I had to explain that it wasn’t our dog…