Slowing down time

It is a strange thing how time can appear to go very slowly and then, suddenly, the weeks speed by. That is exactly how the last month has been for us.

To begin with, each day was a real challenge - finding our way around the town, struggling with speaking French and trying to understand how everything works here. Time went slowly and every day was memorable.

At some point we must have reached a level of proficiency and confidence where most aspects of everyday life were not a struggle. Then days merge into others, with special trips or events the highlights that shine out from the humdrum.

In some ways it is quite nice that each day is no longer a struggle, but I would like to slow time down a little, otherwise our year will be over too soon.

We have had two nice trips in the past month - to the American Film Festival in Deauville and to Bayeux - and we've had some nice visits from family and friends.

We have also both had a nasty cold that has lingered for a week or two and has caused the postponement of another couple of trips out.

With Becky starting her university course next week, we will be settling into more of a routine. This will be good for getting things done, but does threaten to speed up time. Once we have Becky's timetable, we can spot times for day trips, evenings out and times to meet up with new friends.

Regular half terms are definitely being reserved for trips away - Paris and possibly a trip to the south at the end of October.

After our 12 weeks of 'acclimatisation' our adventure is really about to start now, so we need to use what we've learned so far to make sure the experience doesn't fly past too quickly.