Christmas : New Job, New Year, New Hope

The J-A Tree.

Well two months have slipped away and as the year comes to a close, I'm reflecting on the good, the bad and the more grey.

In October I got a job. Huzzah! And so The 9-5 Lifestyle begins and my itchy feet are tucked up in sensible work shoes. After this terrible/wonderful year it all seemed to work out okay, in the cosmic way that things seem to. Touch wood.

I worked so hard to boost my French, but in France I felt too far away from my family during a crisis period that it wasn't sustainable. Luckily (read: Thanks to a gazillion job applications) I managed to find a French-speaking role in Yorkshire. I share responsibility for our French client and can look forward to business trips to Paris. What are the chances of that, I wonder.

This year's theme: Funky Reindeer

And so my strange year of wandering comes to a close with that often-dreamt-of Family Christmas.

I'm thankful that all four of us are safe, healthy and home. 

I'm thankful for job security, a salary and annual leave. 

I'm thankful for the snow this weekend. 

I'm thankful for our shared opinion that the Weirdest Trees are the Bestest Trees. 

I'm thankful that, despite my atheism and my disdain of capitalism, my hypocrisy and childish optimism allows my to enjoy the festive period without qualms or guilt. 

I'm thankful for giving gifts that were well-received and getting presents from people who clearly understand me. 

I'm thankful for family who are friends, and friends who are family.

The Best People

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.

xoxox

A Year Ago...

A year ago today, I arrived in India.

 It was the brightest, liveliest, noisiest. A holiday of all things – cities, history, culture, mountains, hiking, cycling, beaches, swimming, boats, museums, art galleries, slums. It is full of contradictions and a place where you'll never feel like you've seen everything.

A selection of my favourite photos to mark the moment.

Jodhpur, view from Mehrangarh Fort

Ranakpur, Jain Temple

Kumbhalgarh Fort

Pushkar

The Taj Mahal at dusk

Mumbai, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

Bombay sunset

Goan beach

Madurai, Meenakshi Amman Temple

Trivandrum Ashram

Why is this place so mesmorising? Everyone recognises it but it will still blow your mind.

Can't wait until I go again...

English wine and future plans

buckets, bottles, barrels

So before I get back to my posts of Paris, I have one more from England. My sister lives in Dorking where I spent most of the holiday. A lovely little town that happens to have the largest English vineyard, Denbies, which covers 267 acres. My sister kindly gave us the tickets she couldn't use and we went for a Sparkling Wine Tour. Don't mind if I do, thanks Em.

The tour comprised of a film, a tour of backstage, a tasting and a little train ride around the grounds (with another little tasting). I have done a vineyard tour in Bordeaux before on my Erasmus year and my lasting memory was that although I understood wine and could say things like: "mmm, oaky...slightly tanic...smooth," with meaning, it didn't stick.  Only mere days later and all I could say was: "Yum, grapes"! This time I am really trying to commit it to memory. Here is what I learnt:

• The soil is similar to in the French Champagne region and therefore they make great sparkling wine.
• The slopes protect the vines from the cold Northerly wind so the grapes can grow in peace.
• The chalky geology in the area means the soil doesn't get water logged. Yay.
• The Queen's favourite is Surrey Gold.

Lovely day, lovely wine, lovely company.

This is the end of my England photos however, I will be returning. In June, I'll be starting an internship in London for a publishing house. I'm super excited to begin and can explore a whole new city - I've not spent much time in London. I'm equally sad to leave Paris. But we'll always have Paris and who knows what my next step will be post-internship, I may be back. Good things ahead. Until then, more Paris posts coming up...

Can't wait to see you again London...

Sussex: seaside, coastline, battlefield

Up to the highest height at Seven Sisters

My family holiday began in Sussex in a little village called Cowbeech. From there, we packed up our daysack and explored the local area. In traditional J-A family fashion, we sought out the historical and beautiful countryside to enjoy. The Seven Sisters are some of the chalk cliffs found at the south coast of England. Amazingly dramatic, it's a popular place for film locations (such as Joe Wright's Atonement) and it is not hard to see why. We sat and stared out, wind in our hair, clearing our minds.

Dad has still got his stone skimming down...

A little further along the coastline we headed to Pevensey. This is where William the Conqueror landed in England in 1066. The most memorised date for most British school children. Funny to look across the Channel to where I live now. The world is certainly smaller now, I can't see Monsieur Hollande invading anytime soon (thank you very kindly European Union).

The Battle of Hastings did not, surprising, happen in Hastings but in fact 7 miles away in Battle. The Battle of Battle is clearly not as catchy. We wondered which came first, the word battle or the town Battle. But worry not, I have googled and can confirm that it was the word - William the Conqueror was just really rubbing it in by building an abbey and naming it Battle Abbey. Quel idiot*. Battle is a lovely town and it has a very engaging visitor centre which really brings the battle to life and made the trip quite moving.

Battle Abbey

*I must add that whilst Bill's behaviour regarding his show-off abbey may have been questionable, I must thank him greatly. After the Norman invasion, French became the official language of the elite and English was only used in everyday use. Nowadays, more than a third of all words are derived from French. Fabulous news everyone! Even if you've never studied French, you will know around 15000 French words. This also explains why we call the animal a cow but the food is beef, since the English word was used in the farm but by the time it arrived on the king's plate, it was boeuf. Oh, la vache!

Life is strange, so let's go to England

South coast of the UK

A lovely little two week holiday popped up suddenly this April, how time flies in Paris. I had only planned for 5 days back in the UK but, such is life, I ended up staying the full 2 weeks.

Presented without comment...

While I catch up on my grammar homework and job applications, I just wanted to post a few shots from my time hanging in the old motherland.

Although I didn't actually get to go home at all, I still spent every second with my family (and one cheeky old friend who slipped in there!). But despite the strange circumstances, reconnecting with the people I love was a perfect way to spend my quinze jours.

So thank you Great Britain. God save the Queen. How cute is Prince George? Thank you and goodnight.