The kids learnt French

Location Not managed to get out of bed yet | Mood Lonely and miserable | Date 21 July 2006
Filed in:
Author (full name): 
Franny Armstrong
Location: 
Not managed to get out of bed yet
Mood: 
Lonely and miserable
Soundtrack: 
Back to the Morrissey song: "the heart feels free, the heart feels free"
Ailments: 
Missing The Boy
Date: 
21 July 2006
Current crisis: 
Crude crumbling
Current silver lining: 
The kids learnt French

Endless problems caused primarily, I think, by this crazy idea of making six documentaries in six countries at the same time. With a crew of two.

All our stories are running away with us. Jeh is in the UK at an airshow, but we only found out via the news, so we missed filming his big press conference this morning - he's buying 10 more planes. Shit. That would've been a good scene for the ever-expanding angle.

Al is getting stressed at us filming on the rig. Think he might be thinking of backing out.

Layefa is impossible to get hold of and we need to convince her to delay her medical college interview till we can get out there (think she appreciates how important it is to us, as she keeps mentioning specific jeans and trainers she needs us to bring).

Looks like Piers is going to lose his windfarm application.

And I dreamt last night that Fernand and my cat got run over and killed by the same car. Have always had literal dreams.

It's proving extremely difficult to not just keep up with the logistics of so many complicated lives, but also maintain all the relationships.

But then Piers called to say that our footage of the racetrack (we sent him a DVD) had really cheered him up - reminded him that other people are working on the same problem, that his possibly losing fight has not been in vain. Even better, he put his son on the phone (aged 8) who said "Bonjour, je m'appelle Arthur, j'ai huit ans". We bought the kids learn-French books in preparation for their scene with Fernand in the Alps in September - and they've only gone ahead and done their side of the bargain. The thought that the family has been sitting round the kitchen table learning French while we've been tearing around the world filming crazy things, is curiously moving. Something about everyone doing their bit towards a common goal.