Mercredi 04.10.06 Rain, Rain, Go away…
It’s 5,00 and I’ve been awake for the past hour with the noise of the rain outside. It’s torrential and unremitting. I’m glad to have the day off where I can lie in bed and do as I please but I can’t help feeling a bit sorry for Nicola who has to weather the wild wetness; though as the day progresses I find myself more housebound than I had planned to be. I eventually rouse myself and put on the TV for some mid-morning motivation. I opt to have my petit déjeuner with bats and cats rather than bugs and slugs as Batman is on TV. There’s plenty of snap, crackle and pop all around as Batman and Cat Woman battle it out while I munch on my Rice Crispies. A lot of thought obviously went into naming the episode as it is titled ‘Le chat et la chauve-souris’ which translates into ‘The cat and the bat’; people get paid for that you know! I can’t really give out about the mind-numbing banality of the title or the predictable plot as it entertains me way past my cereal, toast and tea…
I spend the rest of the morning cooped-up in the sitting-room, typing away and listening to the traditional Irish music CD that I brought for my students. Eventually I realise that the decibel levels from outside have plunged remarkably and in no time at all I’m outside soaking up rays instead of rain. Of course the heat soon has me beat and by the time I’ve read through the instructions for my new tin whistle there are more than sweet notes coming off me.
Nicola returns around lunchtime and although it’s time to be fed again neither of us feel much like eating. The afternoon flows by. I eventually plump for some pizza action while Nicola tries an assortment of her gluten free crackers and expensive wheat-free bread. I don’t even get a bite of the special bread as every morsel counts – literally. At €6.40 the mini-pan costs almost €1 a slice. She’ll definitely have to earn her bread in Martinique with expensive taste like that!
Daveed texts us to tell us that he has settled into his accommodation near Schoelcher. He’s living on campus at the IUFM where he’s teaching English to trainee primary teachers and language tutors. Gethin also contacts us. He sounds a bit lonely but he is staying with a nice family in Ducos who are involving him in their lives. We invite him to come to Trois-Ilets on Sunday but he tells us that his hosts plan to bring him out that evening; probably to see their Gran…
It’s almost 16,00 by the time the showers stop. Just like Incey Wincey Spider insects all start to reappear. It’s crazy to see Rice Crispies and beetles getting carted off by ants. When God was deciding on the lifespan of insects the beetle beasties must have pulled the short straw as they only live for one day. So whereas we previously thought they were acting dead we now know they are dead.
With the day nearly over it’s time to venture out. We decide to ramble down the road for a walk. There’s a ramshackle shop along the route the bus takes and we discover it’s closer than we thought, and more dingy too. Nicola buys an out-of-date bottle of Coke and I resist getting a 2 litre of Cidre Douce. We’re greeted by many new faces and some curious glances. The damn road is so steep that I find myself walking with my head tilted back and my bum tucked in. Some speed-demons in their Twingo’s and Vectra’s pass by and it’s not long before we’re considering thumbing back home. However, the thought of a cold shower followed by warm tea gets us going again and it’s not long before I’m in bed contemplating my next visit to the cider cabin down the road…
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