I’m a part-time writer and full-time slave to my two small daughters. Originally from Joburg, South Africa, I’m currently living in a little village in Switzerland.
I spend my free time each day making lists of things I’ll probably never get around to doing (have the car cleaned; vacuum under the bed) and putting the finishing touches to my second novel.
Hi Robyn
I saw your request on FB.
I’ll follow you. Does that mean you have the map, the matches and the cheese sandwich?
Brendan
I have the map, I have the matches, and the cheese is Swiss!
I had a solid, really solid belly laugh while reading your article “Fantasy Families” when I got to the phrase “I gently shape their table manners as we make conversation and bond deeply over good food.” Yup, that rings a bell – our family’s version of bonding deeply over meals used to involve parental inquisitioning on the state of homework or college applications, and our offspring testing out how many complex questions could be answered with a simple shrug or “Dunno”, “Someone”, “Maybe.” Thanks for the article and the guffaw !!! Next time you’re in Lausanne, let’s swap margarine ad stories.
Hello! Thanks for your message & sorry it’s taken me so long to reply. I’ve only just worked out how to do it! My children haven’t stopped talking since February, so I actually wish they’d just give me a shrug or a ‘dunno’ every now and then.
I hope you’re still enjoying the column and I’d love to swap margarine ad stories sometime.
I discovered your witty articles in Le News and could not resist following your blog, as I miss the South African sense of humor…
Thanks for the message, Christiane. I hope you’re still enjoying the column.
I laughed so much reading your articles!! they are wonderful and really lifted my spirits. I have often wondered where Aurelia gets her behavior from and now I can safely say that it must be from Jessie!! xxx
Glad you like the articles, Vanessa. These little girls … they keep us entertained, don’t they?
Really enjoyed reading your article(Baby Steps) in Le News, and want to welcome a fellow South African to the Geneva Area – hope we get to read more of your humor soon.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you’re enjoying the articles. I’ll try to update the blog a bit more regularly, so if you don’t catch the column in Le News, I’ll have the articles up here the following week.
Friend Nina recommended your blog – I love it – have been through so many of those situations, only wish it had been with the same humour. I will have to stop reading your posts on the (London) Tube, though – was laughing so often, fellow passengers were giving me odd and frankly disapproving looks!
Hi Mairi. Thanks for the message & I’m thrilled that you laughed out loud. That’s a huge compliment! I don’t actually go through those situations with any humour at all, to be honest. I can only laugh about them long (long, long) after the fact!
Re your article “Language thermidor” in Le News, 9-22 October 2014.
After 13 years of teaching Englisch, German, Swiss German and Dutch to adults, I tend to agree with some of my colleagues that “full immersion” is inferior to the old-fashioned structured textbook method of the times before “Berlitz” and their copycatters. The immersion method is the way babies and children learn, but it’s illusionary to believe adults could have the same experience, 24/24 7/7, in 20 or 50 language class sessions. Today’s immersion teaching is inefficient, when teachers don’t stray from the official method. The student’s progress significantly benefits from using the faculties that adults have to learn the grammar rules using translations and explanations in a languge they already understand.
Hi Robyn
Just a quick note to say thank you! I’ve just finished your book, and enjoyed it thoroughly; such fun! 😀