Winter morning confab

Four rugged-up people sit in a cobbled cafe courtyard in the inner Melbourne burbs. An outdoor gas heater struggles to have any impact. It’s possibly turned off. This area is normally bustling but today we’re the only takers. Tom has his hoodie pulled over his head - where else? Like the rest of us he’s wearing a down-puffer jacket. I’m wearing four layers plus hat and scarf. My hands are drawn up into my sleeves and I’ve zipped myself into my outer layer, determined to retain some of the warmth I’ve generated on my bleak ride to get to this chilly morning space. Our breath steams as we catch up with one another. In French. 

Who’s done what during the past week? Tom had watched Chernobyl which led onto discussion of other series. What were his thoughts on the final ep of Game Of Thrones? No spoilers, given two of us hadn’t seen it. But then again we - two women of a certain age - had both abandoned it seasons back due to its gratuitous sex.  Is there too much porn in Game Of Thrones? Je pense que oui - IMO yes. Who’s the better chanteuse? Céline Dion or Lara Fabian? General consensus that CD is cheesy; LF wins but had to confess I could only manage listening to part of one of her songs. À chacun son gout - everyone has their taste.

Amidst that and more, I pick up some idiomatic French and new vocab. C'est nul - it sucks, Le nain - the dwarf. Guess what that was in reference to. (GoT for those who've neither read nor seen that epic.)  Interesting conversation ensues re the political correctness of using that word, apart from in reference to the fairy tale, Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains - Snow White...

The foggy firmament refuses to disperse as the cold works its icy fingers through my clothes. Our 75 minute session flies to its conclusion in a tumble of rapid French talk.

I don’t rush much these days, but my weekly French conversation class is absolutely worth the wintry effortful 10.30 start. I cycle chez moi - home - up the Capital City Trail, my heart beginning to heal - another story - with a little joie de vivre.

Lovely French conversation class thanks to VoulezVouloz.