London

Recently I went to London with my Dad. We went from the 10th to the 14th of May. On the Friday at lunch we left by bus to the airport. We flew from Lyon to Gatwick (a London airport). We took the train to shepherds bush. We went for dinner at a pub. I had shepherd pie.


The next morning we went to the Tower of London. The tower was crowded. We saw the Crowns of the kings and queens. We also saw the ravens of the tower. In the afternoon we went to the Petrie Museum. At the Petrie Museum I learnt how to write my name in hieroglyphic. I played a bit with a reproduction of an Egyptian instrument. After I made some papyrus paper. The Petrie museum was my favourite part of London because we made things In the evening we went to see a play called “Public Enemy”.

On Sunday morning we went to the service at Westminster Abbey. In the late afternoon we went on the London Eye. In the evening we went to an Italian restaurant. I ate pasta with pesto and a panacotta.

On Monday morning we went to the Churchill museum and war cabinet. I found it interesting because everything is as it was in Churchill's time. At lunch we had fish and chips. In the afternoon we saw the Parliament in action. In the House of Commons the same M.P. spoke for a long time about health care. Later we went to tea at the Goring Hotel. The tea was humongous and there were many cakes and sandwiches. I had strawberry and mango tea.

Early on Tuesday we left for Grenoble. In the afternoon I went to school.          

Ben's Seventh Birthday Party

This weekend we finally celebrated Ben's seventh birthday. The party was organized around a lego theme - starting with the cake which was shaped as lego bricks.

Lego Birthday Cake

Guessing the Lego Bricks

The party started with a scavenger hunt. The clues started in the mailbox and the two teams (spiderman and batman) had to follow clues and collect lego bricks. One of the challenges was to guess the number of lego bricks in a glass jar.

Opening a Layer of the Parcel

Part of the hunt included a game of 'Pass the Parcel'. Each layer of the parcel included a challenge. One of the challenges was standing in a line from youngest to oldest and another was to find the sum of all the boy's ages (51!).

Standing from Youngest to Oldest

Relaxation During Pass the Parcel

After all the games, the boys had worked up an appetite. Here they are having their snack. Surprisingly we had to cut extra carrots because the carrot sticks were almost as popular as the potato chips....

The Birthday Cake Arrives

Getting Ready to Blow Out the Candles (Part I)

Getting Ready to Blow Out the Candles (Part II)

Now the Candles are Out

Hopefully everybody had fun! Now we need to plan Zoe's birthday (only 4 months after the fact!)

Our new house

We just moved into our new house. I will describe it to you. 

I'll start with the garden : a section of the garden is covered with tiles including a patio in the back of the house. Around the edges of the garden and the trees there is fake grass that is green. There are five pine trees and some small bushes. In the garden, there is a small cabin where my brother and I store our toys. In the corner of the garden, there is a deck and on the deck there is a small pool. 


Along one side of the garden there is the garage and work shop. The garage door opens onto rue Des Fleurs and on the other side connects to the work shop. The work shop has many cupboards  and an old work bench. The work shop as a door opening towards the veranda. In the middle of the veranda there is a metal table and the top is covered with mosaic.

The kitchen feels small and cluttered because of the four doors. In the middle, there is a marble table. In one corner, there is the oven. In an other, there is the sink and in the last one there is a counter. The kitchen has a door to the veranda, one to the office, one to my parents room and one to the dining room. In the kitchen there is a skylight.

In my parents room there are many closets on one wall. The office has the door to the basement and a door to my parents bathroom. Before the office was an entrance, but the door has been turned in to a wall. The basement is small, humid and there are metal shelves along one wall. My parents bathroom is pretty small and in it there is a shower, a brand new washing machine, a toilet with little flowers on the seat and a wooden counter.

The dining room and living room are combined even though  they are separated by a step and a fake wooden beam. In the living room there is a red sectional couch and a fire place. In the dining room there is a table with a metallic frame and a glass top. There is a big buffet in a corner. In an other corner there is the stairs to the second floor.

In my next article I will describe the second floor and the attic.









                                                  Zoë

Korea

Recently North Korea has declared war to South Korea.

Korea is on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has borders with China and Russia. In the South, Japan is the closest country across the sea of Japan. The population of Korea is 73.000.000 people. In South Korea there are big companies like Samsung, Hyundai and LG. In Korea they speak Korean.

After the second world war, Korea was split into two states: North Korea and South Korea. Seoul is the capital of South Korea and Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea. The South Korean flag is white with a red and blue ying and yong.The North Korean flag is red with blue stripes and a red star.

The current leader of north Korea is Kim Jong-II. North korea is a dictatorship .The same family has controled North Korea since the second world war. Recently, North Korea has done many nuclear tests. They have sent a rocket into orbit. Last Friday, North Korea declared war on South Korea. It is believed North Korea can hit the tip of Alaska with its missiles. The countries that are threatened are Japan, the U.S. and South Korea. North Korea is allied with China and Russia.

Our reporter in South Korea says people are very calm about the situation. I hope there will be a peaceful solution.

Zoë

Giant Panda

The Giant Panda lives in the mountain ranges of China.There are few Pandas left so they are in the endangered species list. Only 1950 wild Pandas are left because people destruct the forests where Pandas live. 

An adult Panda measures 1.2 meters to 1.8 meters hight. Male Pandas weigh up to 160 kg, females only weigh from 75 to 125 kg. When  Pandas are born they weighs only 100 to 200 grams. Babies stay with their mother till they are 2 years old. 

In the wild Pandas live up to 20 years old but in zoos Pandas live up to 30 years old. The record is Ming Ming : when she died she was 34 years old. 

Pandas eat mostly bamboo but can eat small quantities of meat and eggs. Pandas are classified as carnivorous animals. Pandas can eat up to 40 meals a day.  

Now you know why we should protect Pandas.

Zoë

PS: Which animal should I write a text on next ?

Dinner party

I did a quizz in which I had to invite 3 people (live or dead) for dinner. I chose to invite Célestine my cousin, a person born in Antartica and Charlemagne, a French emperor.

Why did I invite those three people ? 

• I invited the person born in Antartica because I would love to know how life in Artatica is.  
• I invited Charlemagne because he was known as the "Empereur à la barbe fleurie" and I would like to see the flowers in his beard. 
• I invited my cousin because I am always happy to see her. 

Now it is your turn. Who would you invite to a dinner party ? 

Zoë

Prehistorical Interview Questions

I have decided to interview the man (or woman) who invented fire. I have prepared 10 questions. If you ever meet that person, please let me know. 

Here are the questions :

1. What is your name ?  
2. Do you understand what I am saying ? 
3. Have you taught other tribes about fire ? 
4. Which wood do you burn, and which wood burns best ?
5. Did you ever burn yourself ?
6. Do you hunt or do other people hunt for you ? 
7. Do you cook with fire, if yes, what is your favorite recipe ? 
8. Which meat tastes best, and how long do you cook it ? 
9. Can you control how cooked the meat is ? 
10. What are the other uses of fire apart from cooking ?  

Zoë

changing

Changing your habits is a good thing. It is easy to do. You can repaint your walls or move your furniture around. You can also change your computer screen backround.You can move but that is more complicated.

That is why we are going to change the lay out of the blog.

Let me now what you think of the new version

How to get extra presents and cake

You can get an extra birthday celebration every 1000 days! I discovered that I am 4012 days old . To find out how many days old you are, multiply 365 by your age, add one for each leap year since you were born, and add the number of days since your last birthday.

 how many days old are you ?

Zoë

ps: I can calculate it if you tell me how old you are and when your birthday is.                 

Crocodile torture

Crocodiles are tortured!!!!! I learnt quite a bit about crocodiles yesterday evening.We were talking about the 15000 crocodiles that escaped last week

Crocodile farmers keep a crocodile till he is four years old in a one square meter cage. After he needs 2 square meters. 

Crocodiles lay 50 eggs yearly. Crocodiles are raised for their skin and meat and even perfume. Crocodile skin is a cross of snake skin and turtle shell.I do not like crocodile skin. 


Do you like crocodiles? Do you own a crocodile purse?


                                                           zoë

Avion

Dans l'avion en attendant la fin du défilé aérien... Partir un 14 juillet de Paris n'est pas forcément une bonne idée.

Bouchons

Adrian ne résiste pas aux bouchons, c'est bien connu.




Surtout si bien rangés dans une boite de chocolats !

Virée serrurerie à Lugdunum

Aujourd'hui nous avons enfin été à Lyon, faire un petit coucou à Nick fraichement débarqué de l'avion et qui partait faire une virée de vélo en Bourgogne avec Adrian.

Et hop, nous voilà partis ... au milieu des ruines romaines







Et nous avons appris comment les romains avaient fait la table de Claudius. Comme un goût de vacances italiennes ... sans le gelato.

Concours !

Chers lecteurs du blog,

Voici notre grand concours de printemps. Hier, lors de notre promenade citadine nous avons découvert cet ouvrage, de renommée mondiale, internationale, planétaire, que dis-je inter sidérale !

La première

La première boule de glace de la saison est toujours délicieuse! Fraise et citron.