Almost there.

The year is almost over! Which means I'll be leaving France soon (wooh). The countdown is on = 22 days!
It's coming back into exam season again, which doesn't really mean much other than trying to interpret scribbled notes from week one.
The last week has been pretty much like any other week. I've continued packing and taking things out I want to keep, etc.
I put my gingerbread practising skills to some good use and finally made an actual house (my first one from scratch!). The gingerbread cooked perfectly! Soft in the middle but solid enough to support itself in house form. Can't wait to eat it!

Gingerbread house

An apple cinnamon and oat dessert I made

Birthday #22

Everyone put your party hats on, today's my birthday!
And it was my healthiest one yet.
Here's how the day went down:
8:55am: Woke up and ate self-made birthday cake for breakfast.
9:00am: Skyped fam bam in Aus.
11:40am: Took my rugged up self to a chocolate store and selected some small pieces to eat over the next few days.
12:00pm: Met Hannah and Scott for lunch at a thai restaurant. Had the most amazing thai beef salad!
2:00pm: Did some shopping on the main street. Bought some blank paper and searched for a new pair of flats.
2:30pm: A DHL man delivered my package that I'd bought myself from parents birthday money. Mainly winter exercise clothes, but also a new swimming one-piece, a grey sweater, and some summer shorts. Spent a good while trying everything on lol
3:00pm: Started the long haul pack. We're shipping some stuff home on the 6th December, so I thought it best to just pack now and get it out of the way. I have accumulated more stuff than I thought, but I'm also going to have more room in my suitcase going home, which might be handy in Paris.
4:00pm: Left for pool and swam!
7:00pm: Arrived home and had left-over quiche (the greatest birthday dinner)
Plans for tonight: Watch mentalist re-runs and knit!

All-in-all a good day!

Last night, the Bordeaux crew also went to Cirque du Soleil: Alegria. It was amazing! Such cool acrobatics and performances. We'd booked the tickets back in February, so it's been a long time coming. It feels weird that it's over now!

At Cirque du Soleil (Andrew, me, Lucy, Candice, Nat,

Jason and Sarah)

Skype time!

Hannah and I after birthday lunch!

Cold.

The weather has definitely taken a turn for the freezing. All of a sudden it's back to wearing scarves, beanies and gloves outside! It's dropped back to about 8-9 degrees everyday, which makes it so much harder getting up in the morning. But, it's been easier than when I first arrived.
I've started to wear my gloves running again, and sometimes if it looks extra miserable, I'll wear a hoodie too just in case I need the hood.
Sarah leaves tomorrow, after spending 8 nights here. Last night we went out for dinner with some of the other Bordeaux girls, and then for some drinks at a bar. This morning we all spent some time at the Marché des Chartrons. Despite being a market lover and avid Bordeaux explorer, I had never been to these markets before, there as similar ones closer to my house so I've just never made the effort. These were lovely though! So much fresh seafood, and pastry, and bread, and fruit. We bought some pumpkin and squash to roast for dinner.
Christmas markets are also being set up everywhere now! It's so exciting! And Christmas lights are on every street! I can't wait for the first of December!!

OH! And I've also just submitted my major ICS assignment for the year! One more reflective essay and I've completed one degree!!!!!

At the markets

Sarah and I

Me, Nat, Lucy, Sarah and Candice

Finalities.

I've just booked my final accommodation in Paris before I fly out for home at the end of the year. I'll be staying for 3 nights! 5 minutes walk away from Notre Dame! Yay
It's only fitting that I see my second home's nation's capital last of all!

Running Race!

So, I finally ran my first official run on Monday. What a great way to spend a public holiday. God must have wanted to encourage me more, so he stopped it from raining just for the few hours surrounding the race. I left the house pretty early to pick up my race number (545), and just generally scope out everyone else. I hadn't expected so many people! There were about 2000 running altogether. I'm pretty sure we were all present and chilling like an hour before it even started. And we all got free shirts! I was pretty happy with how I paced myself. I didn't slack off on any km, so it felt pretty good. Overall, my 'official time' was 00:54:34, and my 'real time' was 00:53:54. I came 1364 overall, and 97/257 of all senior females running (yeah that's right, only 257 senior females out of like 2000! Running really isn't a female thing here in France, nor is exercise of any kind really). So I finished - it was exciting running through those massive blow up sign things, and was given some sort of energy drink, mars bars and some muesli. Yum!
I headed home to have a shower and get stuck into some UTS work. My 5000 final research assignment is due in a week. I'm looking at whether the French law no.2004-228 introduced in 2004 banning the wearing of religious garments in public schools is an impediment of the right to free expression of religion. It's interesting, just tedious.
I've also got a friend staying with me at the moment. Sarah, who's perpetually travelling haha, is staying for about a week. My first guest! Other than mum...

Free shirts all round!

After the race

Some practice gingerbread baking for a Christmas

gingerbread house in a few weeks

Choc chip and oat slice - so yum

Running, Doctors and Old Ladies.

Week 8 of semester two at uni has been done and dusted. Only 6 weeks to go! 

The last week has been quite eventful (in an uneventful kind of way...). 

I've been needing new running shoes for a while now. Surviving on 3 year old ones for the last 10 months of running was kind of ok, until it became rainy season again, and I discovered holes in the bottom of my runners. Not big gaping holes (I couldn't even find them), but I knew they were there based on my sock soakage at the end of a run. I was going to hold off until I got home, and then surprise myself at Christmas with a new pair, but as it has rained everyday for the last week, and me running out of dry socks to run in, I thought it was best I sussed out what was available, and then bought a colourful pair!

I've also signed up for my first race! Racing makes me queasy and uneasy and really nervous, which is why I haven't raced more this year. But this race is on my regular running turf, and I thought I should probably get one in before I come home. So, next public holiday Monday, I'll be number 545 for the 10km run Bridge to Bridge on Bordeaux quays. It's forecasted to rain, so it's probably a good thing I bought those new shoes too!

Another reason I've avoided running competitively this year is because France requires you to have a medical certificate signed and stamped by a doctor saying you're fit enough to do whatever physical activity for however long for any type of athletic competition. Being ironically lazy, I never wanted to go to the doctor, so never had a medical certificate to participate. But, I've booked myself in for an appointment tomorrow lunch time - just after my swim so I'm in peak condition haha. Once that's over and done, I'll only need to pick up my race number and all is well!

Apparently French old ladies llooovvvveee to knit. When I was buying my new shoes, I walked past my regular wool store and noticed they're having a liquidation sale 50% off EVERYTHING! It was only about a week ago I was thinking it would be fun to knit another garment, but wool in France is too expensive. This was like a sign... I'm supposed to be a knitwear designer. The store was closed that day, so I decided to be up and in the store as soon as it opened the next day to avoid midday crowds. Oh Amelia, so very wrong of you. I forgot old people are the champions at getting up early... The store opened at 10am, I was there at 10:05am, and could barely move... I was the last one allowed the store before the doors were shut and a line started out the front. If there had have been music and flashing lights, you could have mistaken it for a nightclub. Except I was the youngest in there by about 40 years... I only bought 12 balls of wool, and I'm pretty sure I bought the least of them all. Most ladies had at least 50 balls on them. The woman behind me had 100 (and just my luck, she was the talkative one who counted and recounted her balls every 5 minutes). It look me an hour and a half waiting in line to pay - seriously, I did actually wait that long. When I left, the line outside the door was at least 10 metres long. Again, nightclub. And, it was raining. Old people are so hardcore in France. I went home and sifted through my many stored knitting patterns, and then just settled on youtube videos of how to make my own. Hands in the air for couture knitting! 

Experimenting with knits

New shoes!

Sweet potato pies!