Totton U3A French Language Group

At Ray & June's today and Myra in charge. Back to translating English to French from an article about the wisdom of school uniforms. This was too stretch us and it did we broke. Even the Prof found it difficult so we gave that up. Sue back from her holiday gave each of us an individual tin of pate which was nice of her. Thanks Sue.
After the break as Myra thought we had forgotten out numbers so we played Bingo.

Chez Cadnam so we never had to face the rain but were the hosts and I held the fort for Myra. A nice easy short sentence poetry by Jacques Prévert, France's most widely read poet since Victor Hugo, born in Paris in 1900.
'Paroles' (Words), his first collection of poetry, appeared late in 1945.
By the mid-1960s more than a million copies of it and other collections of his poems were in print.
Jacques Prévert died of lung cancer in 1977.
This poem, 'Breakfast', captures the sadness of a faltering relationship, where communication has ceased.

Déjeuner du matin
Il a mis le café
Dans la tasse
Il a mis le lait
Dans la tasse de café
Il a mis le sucre
Dans le café au lait
Avec la petite cuiller
Il a tourné
Il a bu le café au lait
Et il a reposé la tasse
Sans me parler
Il a allumé
Une cigarette
Il a fait des ronds
Avec la fumée
Il a mis les cendres
Dans le cendrier
Sans me parler
Sans me regarder
Il s’est levé
Il a mis
Son chapeau sur sa tête
Il a mis
Son manteau de pluie
Parce qu’il pleuvait
Et il est parti
Sous la pluie
Sans une parole
Sans me regarder
Et moi j’ai pris
Ma tête dans ma main
Et j’ai pleuré.

Geoff and Janet back from their Turkish holiday were the hosts today. Janet spoiled us with marmalade and chocoalte cakes. Only eight of us altogether due to funerals and holidays. Geoff gave us a long description in French of his time in foreign parts. With all the choice food on offer he put on several pounds around his waist. He did look suntanned compared to us sun starved stay at homes.
We then translated lastweeks English chapter into French or at least a few sentences. Mike told us in Fremch about the magic of money when just a showing of a £100 solved all the debts without being actually spent. Most weird but no more than the Bankers Ponzi schemes.

Next week ChezCadnam possibly without the prof.

Only nine of us arrived at Ray and Junes for another session of Francais. Myra brought along a tract about quacking ducks and using porches built on the sides of churches for gossip and the selling of local produce.
Then a basic lesson on how to pronounce certain vowels one elicited the analogy of a cat's rectum and another a dig in the ribs.
We do have fun.
Early finish as we were off to the Waterloo Arms for lunch