BLOOD

Earlier in the week I gave blood. Very altruistic you may think but I’m afraid I have ulterior motives. Being a vegetarian, I tend to suffer from anaemia, especially in the winter months, and so giving blood three times a year gives me an indication of my haemoglobin levels: if my blood sinks like a stone to the bottom of their tester pot, I can donate; if it floats stubbornly on the top, I feel like a reject and have to go and eat parsley and drink Guinness. I am always amazed how many people actually willingly turn up to donate their blood freely, sitting patiently until the phlebotomist calls them to insert the needle into their arm (now without anaesthetic due to cutbacks in the NHS, I presume). But then, I suppose they’re all looking forward to the best bit - the free biscuits at the end.

LIONS’ TOUR

Ho hum, the Lions suffered another defeat yesterday: they lost 21-3 to the All Blacks. Despite this being a team of Sir Clive’s best players from our IV Nations, they don’t seem to have knitted together as they ought and if the Tour is not to be a complete whitewash, they need to pull their socks up. As ever, winning the ball at lineouts seems to be a major problem. Added to this, unfortunately, there have been quite a lot of injuries (the latest casualties being Brian O’Driscoll, Richard Hill and Tom Shanklin). I think it’s been too long a season, our players need a rest before the autumn. In fact, all the northern hemisphere sides lost their games – France to the Springboks and Italy to Australia. Josh's face says it all. But bravo All Blacks!

Me helping to make Mirco's shoulder better!

MIRCO

Mirco had an operation on his shoulder last week. This injury seems to have plagued him most of last season but apparently the operation has gone well so I’m hoping the shoulder will recover fully over the summer and he will be his usual dazzling self next season. I have high expectations for him next year and hope that he’ll play at full back instead of on the wing as this is the position where he seems to be at his most skilful and dangerous. However, the most pressing question at the moment is: will Mirco be in the DIEVX DV STADE calendar this year? If he is not featured, I firmly believe that sales will not go well for Stade Francais. Go Mirco!
p.s.: if you don’t know this calendar, be warned: it’s not for the faint-hearted!

GLASTONBURY

This week-end is the Glastonbury Festival and Tristan and Richie set off early yesterday morning (about 4.00 a.m. zzzzz) so that they could find a good pitch in time for the action - you can't say they aren't keen. Richie, it has to be said, was slightly miffed when Kylie had to pull out but she did have a good reason. So best wishes to Kylie for a speedy recovery. Anyway, when I spoke to them today, they sounded rather spaced out so either the sun has got to them or else there is something weird in the air down there. Tristan was looking for something which would make his tent stand out from the crowd so that he could find it easily among the millions and he positively begged me if he could have one of my Stade Francais flags. Honestly I did not force it on him but I am very proud and will look out for it on the television!

SOLSTICE

Today is the summer solstice and I have spent the day in quite a special place. I am lucky enough to complement my herbalism studies with working at Neal's Yard Remedies, a company which encourages awareness of and responsibility for natural health. Well recently, NYR upped and moved almost all of their head office from London to Dorset and today I went to see the new 'factory'. It is quite an amazing place built with nature and environment very much in mind. There will be solar panels for the times when the sun shines (it does sometimes honestly) and on a more fundamental (and realistic) level, the rain water is channelled into flushing the toilets. Admittedly there is still some way to go before the surrounding herb garden will be flourishing, but as any good gardener knows the soil needs to be properly prepared before planting can begin. And yes the sun did shine on its longest day!

The summer solstice at Springhead Trust 

NYR head offiice in Dorset: a magical place 

Stade Francais in group hug
© www.stade.fr

THE END OF THE SEASON

Well it’s the end of the main rugby season and my favourite team, Stade Français, suffered a very hard blow the other week-end – they lost the final of the Top 16. Two weeks before this they lost the final of the H-Cup. So I’ve begun this blog to take my mind off these indigestible facts and to stop myself moping about and generally getting on everyone’s nerves.

Rugby will be a large part of this blog, not English rugby (even though I am an English girl) but French rugby and Parisian rugby in particular, and Mirco Bergamasco and his team-mates specifically, since this team is a passion for me and I am glad to be part of their big rugby family. Of course, the VI Nations will feature in the autumn when I revert to my native inclinations and sing ‘swing low sweet chariot’ (but even then there is admittedly a special fondness for Italy even when they are playing England). But for most of the time it will be my girlie ramblings about Stade Français and their accomplishments sur le terrain.

In the meantime I am also waiting patiently for the French authorities to tell me where they are going to send me to teach for the next academic year. So I’m hoping that this blog will chronicle my adventures of ‘yatje in Paris’: this being the preliminary stage, the English part.

So while I’m waiting for la rentrée, I’m studying herbalism, this is my foundation year and I’m nearing the end of it. I’ve yet to decide if this is what I really want to do as a career. I know I would eventually like to teach herbalism once I’ve amassed a great deal of knowledge about the whole materia medica and its uses and am the oracle on all things herbal. However, as this won’t be for quite some time yet, I’ve decided to dedicate myself to helping Parisians to speak English correctly. And herbalism and teaching abroad in Paris seem to combine most of my passions in one big melting pot – gardening, art, meeting new friends, red wine, literature, rugby. What more could a girl wish for?

It’s going to be three long months until the Top 16 begins again in August but never mind, there’s always the Lions Tour ;-/ and the very excellent: www.stade.fr