The Yorstons

Child Labour

Alexandra writes:

"As you can see, Sauveterre is all about is child-labour !

Well..., really we asked to clean the car !

Sauveterre is actually about having fun and learning French.

Every Wednesday we have a full or half day excursion.

My favorite excursion so far was caving - see www.sauveterre.net "Photos 53" through to "Photos 57"

Yesterday, Wed 24 Jun 2009, we walked in the Pyrénées with a French school.

I have decided (mainly because of my parents' nagging) to make the most of my last eleven days here (not really just because of my parents' nagging).

And, yes, I most definitely recommend Sauveterre to you !"

Benedict plays some Tennis

Benedict managed to play 5 hours of tennis today.

11 matches - 10 Singles and one Doubles.

He won all eleven.

And then wandered off to sing in the Chapel Choir.

Busy Day...

Alexandra is Homesick

Alexandra is teaching English in France

This is to remind Alexandra of Home !

Alexandra has gone away...

...to the Chateaux de Sauveterre, in the South of France.

A couple of hours north of Toulouse.

She'll be there all summer until July.

Tough life...

The Yorstons at Radley at Easter

A Play on Words in Seven Acts [1]

Censors’ note on sex and marriage. There are still just the four of us. Despite at least one of us being Catholic. And we’re still pretty much a nuclear family. Despite at least one of us being an ex-member of CND.

This limits the following storylines in ways that don’t really affect the writers of East Enders, or Bleak House [2]. For which we apologise. Whole heartedly. We promise to take more notice of the Pope next time. If there is a next time. What with the international slowdown [3] and all that. And age [4].

Of course, letters like this only come around once every couple of years & generally they reach you in the afternoon post - just as you slide into the long dark teatime of the soul. Wearied by daytime television & political sleaze, you find yourself reading round-robin letters from vague & distant friends whose understanding of taste long slipped behind the twin evils of pride and a keyboard. Well, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a Christmas letter. And it isn’t. So this isn’t. So read on...

Family Life - March 2009

Photos Photos here

Ian at CERN

Ian is at CERN. Visiting the LHC and chasing anti-particles or somesuch (see image at right for an example of "somesuch").

You can read a great account of this sort of thing in Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. The film is due for release in May 2009, staring Tom Hanks, which should raise the profile of CERN/Science/Particle Physics somewhat.

Sadly the book is pretty much devoid of any Good Science, but there you have it: you study English, you finish up ignorant...

Actually you can learn an awful lot just by watching the LHC Rap on YouTube. Make sure you read/learn/inwardly digest the words. There'll be a test later.

Choristers !

More Photos here. Good grief...

Summer 2008

Photos here.

Benedict has a prang

Benedict split his forehead whilst playing on rails/fencing at the local Aeromodelism display.

The cut was only a 1 cm long cut, but full skin thickness. Blood everywhere. Benedict was crying but was basically OK - well, he was until he took his hand away. Then he screamed at the sight of all the blood. In practice it was a very clean cut/split and very easy to close. Fortunately lots of people had came rushing - including medics + first aid. So the wound was soon cleaned and had steristrips applied.

All well.

But meanwhile Ian fainted (out cold apparently) and Alexandra was sick.

Thankfully, GrandPa Stewart remained calm throughout.

Eventually we were all well enough to leave the aeromodelism and return home. Apparently we don't need to go to hospital.

Benedict is now right as rain. But we've stopped him running around etc and made him sit quietly listening to Harry Potter and Stephen Fry...

Ian is now recovered (but it took a while). Tea and the calm of Rochemenault is slowly working its magic.

Nostalgia for Ian: Ludgrove and Wellington

Photos here

Wimbledon - Here I come....

Egypt

Lots of our Egypt photos are now here

Day 4. Aswan. Unfinished Obelisk & Aswan High Dam.

After a morning relaxing by the pool, a select group braved the intense heat to visit a nearby quarry where lay the Unfinished Obelisk. Incredible to realize that it was being quarried by hand - with only wood and rocks to help. Once it cracked it was abandoned where it lay.

We then drove across the Aswan Low Dam - built by the British 1899-1902 to control the flooding of the Nile.

We stopped at the Aswan High Dam - built 1960-1970 to supply hydroelectric power. It resulted in the formation of Lake Nasser & 24 major monuments were moved to avoid the rising water levels.

Aswan. Meal with Nubian Family

Cairo to Aswan - sleeper train.

We took the overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan.

Day 3. Pyramids of Giza. Camels and Papyrus.

We visited the Pyramids of Giza and went inside the Second Pyramid to visit Cephren's burial chamber - quite a challenge as one clambered down a narrow passage, bent double, while coping with the extremely high temperature & humidity.

We then rode camels round the pyramids to see the Sphinx. Temperature 40 in the shade, but there was no shade...

The children both bought paintings after a demonstration on how to prepare papyrus. Alexandra had her name written on in Arabic.

Day 2. Citadel & Cairo Museum.

Our first day of exploring. We had to contend with the Cairo traffic, the heat & a guide called Russia! The Citadel of Salah al-Din was our first experience of Egyptian history - a fortified complex with several mosques.

Lunch was served on board a Nile Cruiser.

Then we explored the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. We looked at Mummies where we met Ramses II, and the Tutankhamen gallery where we saw the boy-king's funerary mask among other numerous treasures.