J'ai rougi un peu

Got a little sunburnt today, but not massively bad...and you know what? After so many months of winter, cold and rain, je m'en fous.

Important words for sun:-
- Sunbathe - se faire bronzer
- Tanned - bronzé
- Reddened - rougi
- Sunburn - coup de soleil

Organisational morning followed by a rather busy afternoon which was of course followed by a rather busy evening. With the glorious sunshine on offer, Mathieu and I decided to find a café that was in the sun, and Bar La Rhumba seemed the perfect spot! Hilariously funny when you accidently colour match your clothes to someone elses, even more funny when you're in France and everyone else is wearing black! Lovely chilled out afternoon, where a Diet Coke turned into an oh-well-it's-sunny-and-there-is-nothing-better-than-an-ice-cold-beer-when-it-is-sunny beer. I think the majority of us know the brilliant feeling of that first sip of cold beer on a sunny day, inexplicable. And yes, with my famous "peau anglaise", I did get a little red around the shoulders (and literally just my shoulders) but cheers everyone for noticing! I swear I saw French people redder than me...

My evening was spent at Caroline and Sylvère's with Kendra and of course baby Zoé. Tonight was also my first taste of proper sushi. And by proper sushi, I mean the stuff that has cooked fish in the middle (I'm not that brave, texturephobe me has a little issue with the slimy nature of raw fish!), and you know what? Not bad. Not what I was expecting, and not bad for it. Whenever it is the four of us (and baby Zoé) we always end up giggling uncontrollably, and the few beers we had (not Caroline as it was Sylvère's turn, and obviously not Zoé) definitely helped things along the way! Really, genuinely love spending time with these guys, and Zoé is definitely one of the most chilled out babies I've ever seen. Maybe it is because she is French?

After a lovely meal and even better company, Kendra and I headed out into the centre-ville (after a rendition of Kung-Fu Fighting at the tram stop, scaring some bewildered French onlookers), to celebrate the legalisation of Gay Marriage in France with everyone. Flags flew, beers were drunk, and everyone was very happy. A few drinks with Simon after ended a lovely evening.

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.