Non-Lockdown Lockdown Extended

And schools will be closed for the first time since they re-opened last May. The entire country joins the first 16 + 3 departments that were already in this semi-lockdown. The same rules continue with a limit of 10km for being out and about, with higher distance limits for accepted reasons (medical, work, etc). Telecommuting is still strongly encouraged. 

What changes now is that all schools will be distance learning starting Monday, for a week. Then, instead of normal staggered 2-week spring breaks that happen in three zones over a period of four weeks, the entire country will have two weeks of spring break at the same time. Elementary schools will go back April 26th, and middle schools and high schools will stay in distance learning one more week and go back May 3rd. 

Vaccination is going slowly due to supply issues in Europe, so it seems that mid-June is the earliest we can hope to be vaccinated. 

The good news is that the local pool opened the outdoor pool this week, and swimming is allowed. So the boys are finally able to start swimming again. And with Benjamin at home for the next month, he'll be able to swim every day instead of being stuck in class until 5:30 pm every other week.

School News

Benjamin is in 10th grade this year, called seconde in French because starting in 6th grade, they count down to the end (terminale) instead of counting up like we do in the US. 

With the recent educational reforms, students can choose to continue general high school, or to pursue more specific disciplines, which most often would lead to a trade or an associates' degree after high school.

At this point, they also have to choose three "specialties" for next year (première), and one extra in case one of the first three doesn't work out. They continue with two of those into senior year (terminale), with a test before the end of junior year on the one they'll be dropping. 

There are thirteen options for these specialty classes, but not all of them are offered in all high schools:

• Arts (visual arts, circus arts, art history, music, dance, audiovisual cinema or theater)
• Physical education, sports practices and culture
• Literature, languages and culture of antiquity (Latin or Greek)
• Foreign or regional languages, literature and culture
• Humanities, literature and philosophy
• History-geography, geopolitics and political science
• Economic and social sciences
• Math
• Physics and chemistry
• Digital and computer sciences
• Engineering sciences
• Life and earth science
• Biology-ecology (in agricultural high schools)
  

Benjamin plans to continue with general high school, and chose math, physics and chemistry, and English as his three specialties, with life and earth science as an alternate choice. Each of these three classes will take up four hours a week in his schedule, and senior year, the two that remain will be six hours a week. 

If the school doesn't think a student is likely to succeed with the classes he's chosen or they have concerns, they may suggest other alternatives. Some students change high schools at the end of sophomore year to pursue a specific program.

The school has informed us they are "favorable" to his continuing general education and "very favorable" for all of his choices.  The school and we will sign off definitively on his choices at the end of the school year.

Leftovers from the Garden

 We've had nice weather lately, so we've been starting to get out in the yard. I've been pulling out stinging nettles, for one thing. 

A few years ago we planted Jerusalem artichokes for the pretty flowers. But the roots go a little crazy and they're pushing up some of our bricks behind the house, so I thought it was time to try to dig them out and repair the damage. 

I thought there might be two or three left down there.

Yeah - not just two or three!

Frédéric made them into soup for us today. Delicious!

New Project

 With a new lockdown comes the need for a new project, so here is mine:

The yarn is easier to work with than I thought at first - once I realized I have to crochet by feel and not try to see the stitches! It also helped once I realized it was a British pattern and "double crochet" meant "single crochet."

Non-Lockdown Lockdown #3

After 55 days last year at this time, and a semi-lockdown from October 28 to December 1st, we're now entering lockdown #3. Or non-lockdown. We're not supposed to call it lockdown anymore because people get stressed out and depressed, so now we call it "stricter measures," which apply in 16 departments where the pandemic is the worst at the moment, including ours:

The stricter measures last for the next four weeks, and are hard to understand - schools are open, but high schools are split in half, with students attending in-person every other week - as Benjamin has been doing since mid-November already, so no change for him there. Preschools, elementary schools, and middle schools are still open as normal, with children ages 6 and up wearing masks.

This time, the first pass came out with fifteen allowable reasons to be out (compared to six during the first lockdown last year) and varying distances - 10 km for some reasons, 30 km for others, no limit for others. No more time limits, compared to the hour for physical activity during lockdown #1. 

People complained that this pass and these rules were confusing, so the government promptly created a new pass, this time with twelve reasons... but we don't need a pass if we go out within 10 km of our homes, between 6 am and 7 pm. In that case, we only need proof of where we live (ID card, driver's license, bill with our name on it...). None of us are sure it is any less confusing than the original.

Some types of stores are closed, like clothing stores or toy stores, but others remain open - grocery stores, bookstores, florists, chocolate shops! 

Current allowable reasons to be out are:

Within 10 km:

• Physical activity

Within one's own department, or up to 30 km in another department if you live near a border:

• Shopping
• Taking children to school
• Going to the library or church
• Administrative procedures

Without distance limits:

• Going to work, teaching, or working for the public good
• Healthcare
• Family reasons: helping vulnerable or elderly family members, or childcare
• Reasons related to being handicapped or helping a handicapped person
• Judicial or administrative convocation
• Moving
• Going to a train station or airport

These measures are in effect for four weeks. 

Fortunately, we are 8.2 km from Noah's middle school and 9.3 from Benjamin's high school, so no pass needed to take them or pick them up.

Sleepy Doggy

Gala is worn out from all that traveling!

 

Double Birthday

Noah got two cakes this year. We took advantage of being in Normandy with the family to celebrate early. It was a covid birthday party, which meant cake was before dinner so Frédéric's mom could get home before (...or not too long after...) the 6 pm curfew, and we wore masks.

Noah waved out his candles so he wouldn't get germs on the cake

Cake at home with us tonight

 

Normandie

We're stuck in France, but at least we're not stuck at home, or even in our own department. So we took a few days during the boys' winter break and went to Normandy to see the family.

We took a very short walk on the beach -

Because it was pretty, but freezing!

Gala really enjoyed the beach!

Noah

Benjamin

We also visited a house, thinking of buying a fixer-upper as a vacation home, but it turned out to need more fixing and upping than we originally thought, so we won't be pursuing that idea.