13.49.a - Face to Face yet Otherworldly
How many times do we need to be reminded of the value of face to face time? Today I share a personal note about my time spent in a superb otherworldly place with my family. There is no paywall today.
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BOOK CLUB EVENT REMINDER
Face to Face yet otherworldly
Thank you for your support.
Bonjour,
I’m Judy, the Fondatrice of MyFrenchlife.org. And le Bulletin is our weekly newsletter. Today I’ve written you a note about the joys of the time I spent with the UK arm of my family. Please drop me a note to say hi and tell me your story info [at] MyFrenchLife [dot] org - I would like to meet you.
Merci
Judy MacMahon
PS: If you’re enjoying this ‘le Bulletin’ please consider upgrading your subscription to provide support. Merci. Judy -9.12.23
1. BOOK CLUB EVENT Monday/Tuesday Are you in?
Bonjour, I hope that you are well and ready for a fun discussion.
If you're still reading this award-winning French book (in English or French) that's ok please still attend, as it is a fascinating book. And if you need a little push to get through the middle, let me say: "The ending is fabulous!" Judy
You’ll need a ZOOM LINK to attend - no link no access, unfortunately.
Now, Find your timezone - Which event suits you? (2 Events across 9 timezones)
EVENT #1 - Judy MacMahon to facilitate
UK (Scotland) - GMT - Monday 11 December 9am
France - CET - Monday 11 December 10am
South Africa - SAST - Monday 11 December 11am
Australia
- AEDT - Melbourne - Monday 11 December 8pm
- AEST - Brisbane - Monday 11 December 7pm
EVENT #2 - Keith Van Sickle will facilitate & Judy to co-ordinate
USA & Canada
- PST - Monday 11 December 4pm
- MST - Monday 11 December 5pm
- CST - Monday 11 December 6pm - (not the time previously advised)
- EST - Monday 11 December 7pm
Australia
- AEDT - Melbourne - Tuesday 12 December 11am
- AEST - Brisbane - Tuesday 12 December 10am
HOW TO RSVP: you’re not too late
If you’d like to join us, tell me in the comments, then here is the RSVP form to complete asap: https://bit.ly/3uIQQjo And we’ll send you the event ZOOM LINK.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you.
2. Face to Face yet otherworldly
We live in a world that every day is becoming more filled with enabling technology and I celebrate the positive changes in our lives as a result. How would I have coped with so many, long pandemic lockdowns without the benefits of escapes into the virtual world?
Recently, I’ve been reminded of this as I’ve had such beautiful enriching face-to-face experiences. I shared with you that I headed to the UK to visit my elder daughter and her family. Whilst we speak most weeks on Facetime or the like, I had not seen them face-to-face since the 2020 Pandemic. They moved out of inner NW London at the end of 2019 to start a new chapter in their lives in the countryside. I had not had the opportunity to visit until this year. But I had not visited them for almost 8 years! Far too long!
I requested that my visit be lowkey, meaning not a touristic one, instead, I wanted to lead their daily lives beside them, day in, day out, and that’s what I did.
When I arrived, there were many deep hugs and when I left there were many tears.
I spent my visit leading an idyllic life, and even more so as I was a guest and not ‘working’. I was in the bosom of my family, enjoying their life and I was in a ‘magic’ place making indelible memories.
I was in an ‘otherworldly’ place, a place where many, many well-known films are made due to its otherworldliness. I was in a tiny village on the edge of the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire, one of only two remaining royal forests in England. Think of films such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, Merlin, Dr Who, Atlantis and many more.
I arrived for their one-week half-term holiday, so we had full days and nights walking, playing, laughing, and sharing before school started again.
I spent weeks, doing the daily school drop-off and pick-up – a four-minute walk from home, a special daily ritual with my second granddaughter of (almost) 8 years.
By my elder granddaughter (11 ½ years) I was shown how to pick the last of the fruit in the orchard, which were super, super, huge apples hanging far beyond the reach of the tallest fruit picker – my granddaughter was throwing other apples and knocking those unreachable apples to the soft grassy ground.
The world’s largest apple crumble resulted from that episode of fun and games.
There was much more baking & meal preparation with both granddaughters, walking the dog, (Murphy) by myself & with the girls, in the farmer’s fields, the park, and the churchyards & cemeteries dating back to 1066 and the Magna Carta.
All the while chatting about the little things in life, and the girls playing ‘Pooh sticks’ wherever we found a stream with a little bridge. I also indulged in superb walks in the huge 20,475-acre Forest of Dean, true forest-bathing.
There was tree-climbing, skate-board lessons, private drumming & piano concerts, film nights, wonderful mealtimes, and much laughter together, and about each other, especially about the difference in our accents and I can’t forget the storytelling. All of this happened at home, a house built in c1840.
Then, there were frequent trips to watch the girls’ swimming lessons (and progress) and football games, the latter of which were often in the cold pouring rain and muddy conditions. There were more trips to visit other families in the hills and valleys, and numerous spectacular natural scenic sights to be seen.
I also spent special time with my elder daughter and son-in-law; special meals, chatting, and just hanging out together.
It was such a wonderful enriching experience, and now we all have these amazingly beautiful memories of sharing our lives. I’ve always felt that life is about sharing the simple things. Nothing can replace time spent face-to-face.
3. Thank you so much… for your support
I thank you for your support and for paying for a subscription. It is very supportive and motivating, I’m very grateful. Please drop me a line at any time, even just to say “bonjour”. I’ll be here to answer you :)
Un grand merci
Á bientôt
Judy MacMahon
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Very sweet. I enjoyed reading. Tyyy