Cultured Views

The school play; Mums own theatre shop

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James’ class are making their own little film about ‘1001 Nights’ and yesterday we received the list of requirements for the little cast members. White t-shirts and towels. Pretty simple so I should be able rake up those items without any trouble. In the past my kids have been in one class production or another and at times the list of requirements left me wondering if the teachers assumed us parents had our very own theatre supplies shop in our homes. And often you never get the list until the very last minute!.

When William was 11 such a situation occurred that demonstrates just how resourceful we Mum’s have to be at times.

One morning he woke up and got ready for school as per usual; at exactly 8.am, just 20 minutes before we had to leave for school, he tells me that he needs a costume for a play his class is staging that same day. I asked him what his role in the play was. It turned out he was cast as a ‘construction worker on the Tower of Babel‘. And he had to be dressed as such.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I was not too familiar with what construction workers in those days wore; especially those who worked on the Tower of Babel. So, with panic buttons at the ready, I hunted out the old bible and did some frantic research. They actually wore what looked to be loincloths. As William was a student at a private Christian School I didn’t think they’d appreciate a half naked cast member so out came a couple of bathroom towels and an old t-shirt. I showed him how to pin them around himself, tore a couple of holes in the shirt and sent him off to school with fingers crossed.

All achieved in the space of twenty minutes. And he got full marks from the teacher.

Mum’s theatre supplies shop is ready to open!.

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Engagement rings that say ‘yes’.

Searching for the right ring to celebrate your engagement or wedding should be uncomplicated and with a great range of beautiful pieces to choose from. James Allen are professional jewellers who offer an exquisite array of fine rings set with gorgeous diamonds that any couple will love to wear for the rest of their lives.

Today’s couples are choosing to buy their rings online these days and they look for a site that is professional, easy to navigate and displays it’s products beautifully. James Allen offers you such a site. You will find excellent quality images of their diamond engagement rings and all in close-up so that you can see exactly what you are getting.  There is a good variety of settings available which you choose to suit yourself and they do the work.

An equally fine display of wedding rings come in classic or contemporary designs showing just how well James Allen knows what couple today like and look for. For those who are searching for diamonds James Allen provide well detailed descriptions of each diamond they present both outlining the quality and explaining differences, shapes and carat-weight. Information such as this is important as a diamond is an investment that you may only make once in your life.

The site provides an educational facility so the customer can make informed choices; if you thought that diamonds only came in one or two designs you will be delightfully re-educated here. I love the 3D gallery as well where the customer can see just how the ring looks when worn. Maybe you are after different pieces of jewelry? Pearl , coloured stones and sterling silver also feature at James Allen with the opportunity to design your own piece and take some inspiration from their gift ideas page.

James Allen regard their customers very highly and offer them the highest security and consumer protection. Their policies are aimed at ensuring you of the finest quality of jewelry you will ever buy with that all important after service care as well. They offer fast and secure overnight free shipping and back up their service and products with a 30 day refunds policy.  Your engagement and wedding ring is a lifetime investment so it pays to choose and purchase from a site that is not only professional in appearance and function  but in reputation as well.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Living in France - Rural vs City

When we decided to buy a home/business in France we gave much thought to what environment we wanted to live in and decided that to live in the countryside would be the way to go. After four years of rural life in France we often wonder what on earth possessed us to do such a thing. Yes, the surrounds are stunning and the locals are friendly and, well, typical country folk. The area is quiet and peaceful and apart from our neighbour down the drive there is no-one else around us for at least three km’s. But I have to admit that all this peace and quiet has it’s drawbacks.

For a start I didn’t realise just how ‘city’ I was until only one week after moving here. That’s how long it took me to start missing a bit of noise. And the shops. Somewhere to go to the cinema. Public transport.

At night it is pitch black and apart from some passing traffic it is dead silent. It is nice to sit and admire the morning scene, especially in the spring and summer, but I have found you can only take so much of doing that. The local village has it’s fete’s but they are small scale affairs where only the locals turn out; they are usually over by lunchtime. And on Sunday you find the village pretty much deserted after midday. You really can walk around and literally see no-one at all.

Hindsight can be a blessing, and a constant reminder of just how wrong you were at the start. If we were starting out again we would choose somewhere closer to a larger town or city even. Somewhere that stays awake for longer periods of time. The only way you can truly gauge whether you should buy your French home in the country or in/near the city is to rent a place for not really the summer but the winter in each. If you can tolerate three months of a biting wind and sub-zero temperatures in an environment that is pretty much hibernating until the spring then you will have a good idea of whether or not the countryside will suit you.

Or it just may discourage you altogther.

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