Maximum temperature -4 degrees? Bah oui.

Yes, the title to this post does not lie. According to BBC weather, the maximum temperature where I am today has been -4 degress celcius. In other words...very bloody cold! Bugt apparently the maximum tomorrow will be 0 degrees, so things are looking up right?

I woke up to considerably more snow this morning. But it would appear that snow days don't exist in french schools. Britain would have shut up shops days ago, merely at the threat of the fluffy white stuff. But not the french. We struggle on. I haven't fallen over again though since my first slip incident, thank god.

I only had to go into school for one lesson today, which only 3 students turned up for. All of whom had already experienced the lesson I had planned. This is becoming somewhat of a pattern! So I kept them for only half an hour, and they insisted they wanted to do the same lesson again. Very bizarre children!

I have only ventured out once since this. I went to the commonwealth war cemetery which is literally about 2 mins away from my road. I wanted to lay my poppy cross (which for one reason or another I didn't have a chance to do during the commeration) and also though it might make for some snowy photos. I realise that's a bit morbid and not exactly a 'pretty snow scene' but I thought it would be interesting. Well...it was even colder than it was this afternoon!

I have decided this weekend I am going to buy a new coat. I also think coats are horrendously expensive and always seem very thin for the money you're paying for them (unless you buy one of these seemingly popular ugly shiney padded things that french woman favour). However, I need a coat which buttons up all the way and I have my eye on a paddington-esque design in Lille, so I think I may bite the bullet and part with some cash! I also need proper gloves, as mine don't have any fingers.

You will all be ecstatic to learn that I managed to buy a replacement bulb for my lamp yesterday. It was even cheap. As opposed to the 10 euro price tag for which I have been choosign to live in semi-darkness instead! Aaaand in even more exciting news...my landlady turned on the central heating yesterday! Woohoo I may perhaps no longer freeze in my appartment. (I'm still not sure why it took until december, with snow and -5 temperatures for her to make this decision!).

Tomorrow (Friday = no teaching) we are probably going to check out Bethune's Christmas market. They even have an outdoor ice skating rink to offer. Tres exciting! Hopefully it won't be actively snowing. I also need to write an article (in english, thank god) this wekend for my school's newletter about my time/experience in France. I can only assume they would like me to censor my honesty to some extent?

That's all for now.
A demain!
xxx