Powwow Report for Franţa - near Toulouse (Jun 7 2008)


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Report from  Rod Darby (X)
Once again, a most enjoyable day for Jowita and me - thank you all for coming.

There were 20 ProZians in all, including Jowita and myself, and 14 guests, including Lucas, Quentin and Mathias, as last year, plus Anna-Lena and Hsing-ju’s and Lionel’s delightful children, whose names I should have written down. Among the guests, we were happy to welcome next-door-neighbour Jasper on his birthday, accompanied by his mother visiting from Holland and - for the canoeing and the final chat in the kitchen - by Sylvaine.

We had extraordinary luck with the weather. It looked like rain all day, but somehow not a single drop fell. However, the canoeists made up for that by getting very wet. The boat trip, although quite complicated to organise - was memorable, with shooting the weir at Guitalens being the highlight. I have had no report yet on the pétanque.

A major component of the day's pleasure was - as last year - Jowita's delicious food, which was all her own work, my contribution being to keep out of the kitchen.

Those of us who have been on the Toulouse powwow scene since Laure started it all in February last year were very happy to welcome Hsing-ju, Mina, Michèle, Antonia, Linda and Tom. I think I can say on behalf of everyone that we very much enjoyed meeting you and hope you will all become firm members of the "happy few" - oh, sorry, delete that reference to Henry V.



Photos from  Rod Darby (X)

Photos from  Rod Darby (X)

Photos from  Rod Darby (X)


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ProZ.com users and members who attended
: organizer : photos : report : host
Sabine Schlottky
Antonia Tabakova
Attila Piróth
Rod Darby (X)
X \"Reporter\"
Susan Schneider
Jowita Wiese
Marianne Germain
Olaf Jansen
Joanne Nebbia
Natasha Dupuy
B D Finch
Andy Piasecki
Leïla Fressy-Parvin
Tom Smith-Vaniz
X
Caroline SCOTT (X)
X
Lou SHEN
Scribae-Ling (X)
X
LindaJ
X
Mina Yekta (X)
X
 

Postings from ProZians who attended this event

Jun 10 '08  Leïla Fressy-Parvin: Thank you for a great day
It was a pleasure to meet again people we knew and to welcome the others. We really had a great time, Quentin enjoyed shooting the weir twice (thank you Rod), I guess Anna-Lena would have liked to do the same !
Jun 9 '08  Rod Darby (X): thank you too!
well, it seems we all had fun.
After having spent yesterday and today de-blocking the sink, washing up, taking down the pavilion, moving the garden furniture, carrying the rubbish down the hill and up the other side to the poubelles, and - ah, yes, after knocking over 3,000 words of rejoinder in a patent case (Rod) and 6,000 words of a freelance quiz-show anchorperson contract (Jowita) - we are feeling slightly in need of “un petit rouge” or two!
It was lovely. I guess the canoeing trip widened some horizons - mine included! It is really very satisfying when you realise that expectations have been well and truly exceeded. “Help in unexpected places”, to quote J. R. R. Tolkien, a most delightful man who was still teaching at Oxford when I was there, and who came to drink tea with us at Pusey House and read from his (then) new book of poems…
But I digress. We really enjoyed having you all here, each and every one, and we “hope some day you’ll join us” … for another AGM “sur” La Brunié!

P.S. but, in the meantime, let’s party, party, party “sur Toulouse”, hey?
P.P.S. at least we now know where Mirjana and her friend got to (and we ate your share of the food!)
P.P.P.S. please wait with the photos until I contact Jasper: he’s a great photographer and we only have 12…

eh ben, paraît que tout le monde s’est amusé, putain con quoi ?
Après avoir passé hier et aujourd’hui à déboucher l’évier, faire la vaisselle, démonter le pavillon, bouger les meubles du jardin, porter les déchets en bas et en haut de l’autre côté vers les « rubbish bins » et – ah, oui, abattre 3.000 mots de réponse du défendeur dans un procès de brevet (Rod) et 6,000 mots de contrat pour une présentrice free-lance de quiz-show (Jowita) – nous avons tout petit besoin d’un « little red » ou deux.
C’était merveilleux. Ça fait vraiment du bien de constater que les attentes ont été carrément dépassées. « Aide dans des endroits où l’on ne l’attend pas » qu’aurait dit J. R. R. Tolkien, homme adorable qui a encore enseigné à Oxford quand j’étais là, et qui est venu boire du thé avec nous à Pusey House, et qui a lu dans son (à cette époque nouveau) livre de poèmes…
Mais j’ai tendance à faire une digression … Cela nous a fait vraiment un grand plaisir de vous accueillir ici, chacun(e) de vous, et nous « espérons que vous allez un jour nous rejoindre » … pour encore une « Assemblée Générale Annuelle » sur La Brunié.

PS mais en attendant, on va fêter, fêter, fêter sur Toulouse, putain con quoi ?
PPS tout au moins nous savons maintenant que sont devenus Mirjana et son ami (et nous avons mangé votre part de l’alimentation !)
PPPS veuillez attendre avec les photos que je joins Jasper : il est un photographe merveilleux et nous n’avons que 12…
Jun 9 '08  B D Finch: Merci!
A big thank you to Rod and Jowita. Sorry we arrived late. Having scrambled out of the Egout - oops, sorry: Agout, we came back to the pouring rain and it's currently raining so hard it's not even separate raindrops. But, the memory of canoeing started getting a rosy glow as soon as I got into the shower. It was nice to see everyone and I might see a couple of you again at the SFT meeting.

Thinking about having an autumn powwow in Foix with a walk in the hills to return the hospitality, so wax your walking boots.
Jun 9 '08  Mirjana Loncar: Désolé
Bonjour,
malheureusement le jour du powwow ma voiture a tombé en panne. Donc, je n'ai pu pas venir. But I hope I'll be able to make it to a powwow later in the year!
Jun 9 '08  Lou SHEN: Merci!
Merci beaucoup à Rod et à Jowita d'avoir organisé cette fantastique rencontre. Nous avons passé une très bonne journée grâce à tout le monde. Le repa était impeccable...je ne peux pas imaginer le travail derrier! J'espère vous revoir très bientôt.
Jun 9 '08  Mina Yekta (X): Thank you!
A big thank you to Rod, Jowita and everyone else for their helpful advice! I really enjoyed meeting everyone and yes, I agree that the food was delicious. Hoping to see you all at the next powwow!
Jun 9 '08  Andy Piasecki: danke schon herr wasserbootfuhrer
Thanks to Rod and everybody for such an enjoyable Saturday. Only peer pressure got me to overcome sheer coweirdice and shoot the rapids - not naturally being an aquatic sort of person. I look forward to the next event.
Andy Piasecki
Jun 9 '08  Antonia Tabakova: Merci beaucoup Rod et Jowita !
C'était un grand plaisir pour Peter et moi de faire votre connaissane ainsi que de rencontrer tant de personnes intéressantes et sympathiques et ceci grâce à vous !
Merci pour votre accueil chaleureux !

J'espère que la prochaine fois il fera meilleur pour faire du canoë.

Looking forward to it !
Jun 9 '08  Susan Schneider: Many thanks!
As ever, a real treat to see everyone again, meet new faces and enjoy Jowita's wonderful food. Many thanks Rod and Jowita for hosting the "AGM" again in beautiful La Brunié!
Jun 9 '08  Attila Piróth: Thank you, Rod and Jowita
It was a great Saturday afternoon, Marie-Laure enjoyed it very much, too. (She asked me whether you were planning horseback riding for next year.) Glad to have met some of last year\'s participants and new colleagues. And the food was delicious, thank you, Jowita!
Jun 9 '08  Sabine Schlottky: Thank you very much!
Thank you, Jowita and Rod, for this lovely meeting with lots of interesting and nice people and excellent catering. I enjoyed the canoe trip a lot, and Anna-Lena keeps asking me when we'll go on the next one... Although she still is a bit cross that I didn't let her shoot the weir!
Jun 9 '08  Marianne Germain: What a nice afternoon!
A big thank you to Rod and Jowita for organising this pow wow again. I had a great time, laughed a lot, managed to catch up with people I know and meet new ones and the food was delicious. So what more can one ask for? (Sunshine, who cares...)