Chickens

And.. just so you know, poor ole Ems has gone spotty, chicken poxy.

Thankfully, she doesn't have a fever...

and, I guess, she'll soon have company because surely it won't be long before her brother's keeping her company.

je speak en German

Okay, so things are beginning to get a little confusing!

Jack was just perfecting his art of speaking Franglais (or Frenglish, if you prefer). You know 'je veux cake' and 'où est ma car' (I want cake and where is my car).

He was just beginning to count in the two languages 'un deux trois cinq' and, equally with the 4 missing in English 'one, two, three, five.'

He was enjoying Dora - who speaks French but has (in imaginary cartoon world) an English Dad and so who tries to teach her audience English. Like any French kid, he was enjoying shouting 'We did it' (Dora's catchphrase) and calling for 'sac à dos' ('backpack,' Dora's trusty companion).

Then we did two things.

First, I showed him a Dora DVD in English.. where Dora's Dad is Spanish. Ola! You try explaining, to a 3 year old, that 'maman' in English is 'Mum' in British English but 'Mommy' in American English and that with Dora's American accent, yes, it seems like she's calling her Mommy, Mamy.. which is French for grandmother. And so, non, Dora's Maman isn't really that old... it all got kinda messy.

So, from now on we're going to watch Dora in only French.

That is, unless I meet his demands to watch it in German.

Now, don't panic, he wouldn't understand it if it was in German but as we are living in Alsace, which is part of France, we are only 20km from the German border. What does that mean? It means half of his schooling is done in German. He has a French teacher on Mondays and Thursdays and a German teacher on Tuesdays and Fridays. It's all quite fun and he seems to be really enjoying it. As our TV receives French, German, and British stations, he often plays the 'the man speak German?' game.. and what is pretty cool is that he often 'gets the concept' when there's an English man speaking with a French voice over. He's also dead proud...

which is funny especially as I heard him counting 'eins, zwei, drei, funf' yesterday.

Apparently, 4 doesn't exist for him in any language which might just make his next birthday a little bit complicated!

Hoping your numbers are adding up, wherever you are in the world!
love n hugs,
Robyn
ps/If anyone reading this knew me at school, let me reassure you, I have NOT transformed from the awkward dunce in languages into some multi-language beast! Each day in French is still a challenge.. and Jack probably knows more German than me now. Heck, he knows how to say 'nose' in German and that's the bee's knees to me ;-)

A week in Provence

Back in August, Ben suggested that we spend a week in October in Les Omergues, Provence. His folks have their second house there - they bought the house as a near ruin 25 years ago and have spent every summer ever since renovating it. When Ben made his suggestion, I thought he was daft. 'Provence? In October? Emma will only be 3 months old. It's 7hours drive away. It'll be cold and wet (and miserable). No way.' Then he talked me into it....

and, my goodness, I'm glad he did.

We went with 2 dear friends and their 3 year old daughter and had such a lovely outdoorsy time. The weather was wonderful: 19*C/66.2F and sunny, sunny, sunny. We went for walks and talks. We roasted chestnuts by the fire. We had long lazy siestas on the porch. We watched the kids running, playing, laughing in the open air. It was just grand.

And now there are only a few weeks left until the Christmas holidays.

I like life - and I hope you do too, wherever in the world you are just now!

hugs,

Robyn

au-pair

Hello,

Do you know of anyone who would like to work as an au-pair in France for a few months, starting in April?

I have a French friend, who speaks fluent English, who is looking for an au-pair because her husband will be serving in Afganistan from April.

She has 2 adorable boys aged 5 (twins) and a baby girl... and lives in a house just down the road from me!

Just let me know if you know of anyone who might be interested...
hugs,
Robynx
ps/students, in particular, might find this a good way to spend the summer.

3 months old

Our Princess!

Cornerboys.

You should not go walking where Cornerboys lurk

Late at night in the heart of the city

The goblins wear leather as they wait in the murk

And they know neither kindness nor pity

My excellent friend Jamie Ridenhour recently produced a short film, Cornerboys, based on a long poem he wrote a few years ago.

It's ruddy excellent!!

Check it out now...

Cars, cars, cars

Okay, so I knew having a boy would involve talking about cars and guns and things. Just as I hope that having a girl will involve talking about fashion, and fun, and, well, boys.

But I didn't think it would get this crazy!

The boy has over 50 cars and knows all the important brands. He also memorises constantly which cars he's playing with, which cars are 'broken', which ones are in the garage and so on.

If I take a couple away as a punishment for a minor offense, then he'll come back to me later on and say, 'I would like my Mercedes Benz van and my blue Opel car please!'

And going for a walk around town has become a car watching session. Yesterday, I made the mistake of crossing through a large parking lot. The walk turned into him running from car to car and tapping their car badges: Voltzwagon, Fiat, Ford....

I don't even like cars.

I mean I was that girl who never knew the names of cars.

AND, yes, there's an AND.

I'm also that girl who never knows what kind of car her friends drive.

Well, Jack is that boy who does. 'Look, Maman, it's Melanie/Jean-Pierre/Tata Lily.'

The end result? I'm now that Maman that can name cars and knows exactly what kind of cars her friends drive.

So, to finish up, I knew that boys would involve 'snails and puppy dog tails' but not an increase in Match Box car sales.

Want to join in the fun? Name the cars below:

It's a Volvo

It's a Rover

It's a Fiat Tipo

It's a Renault 5

It's a BMW



And Emma? Ach, she's fine.. sleeping through the night, eating well, dressing in pretty pink clothes but not yet talking about boys!

Ouf.. because if I need to learn as many boys names as I do car names then I'm in trouble ;-)

Hoping you're all well... whatever you're talking about,

Robynxxxx

Hello there,

The good news at this side is that Jack is settling into both being a big brother and going to school.

I have to say I understand why he's more motivated now to go to school - when he arrives in the morning a little girl runs forward shouting 'Jack' and reaching out her arms for a hug! A second, more dubious reason is that he's making friends. Why am I dubious? (Smile) because he came home last Friday and proudly announced that he'd played with 'le boys' and that they'd done lots of 'bêtises' (stupid things). Now, to be honest, I'm not so worried about the 'bêtises' as I am by the associated pride that he'd done such things!

Meanwhile, Emma continues to grow into a smiley and happy wee chunky monkey! She seems perfectly happy with her little life and grins away to herself, whether someone's watching or not . As she's beginning to sleep longer at night, I'm also to be found grinning to myself.. that, though, may just be the long term results of sleep deprivation!

Whether you're smiling or dreaming of sleep as you read this,
stay well.

much love,

Robynx

Eight Weeks Old!

The smiles have started....and they're infectious!

Have a happy smiley day wherever you are!

Robynx

ps/Infectious, yes, but much better for our health than 'Gripe A/H1N1 flu.' Catch them today!

French Films

When I was growing up, whenever someone mentioned French cinema I thought of dark, quite seedy, films that were full of overly heavy symbols and neurotic storylines. Arriving in France, I kept that impression and stayed away from watching such stuff. Then, over the last 7 years, I've kept up the habit of zapping away from French TV films as they seem to be full of ludicrous situations and unsympathetic characters that rush around busy-bodying in each other's lives.


When I started my maternity leave, though, a dear friend brought over a whole stack of DVDs of recent French films and tried to convince me that they were worth watching by extoling the virtues of their stories and of the worth of their actors. Not really convinced I would like them, I put them on the shelf and got on with other things.

Well, you know what, a good number of the films are simply excellent:


Two Days to Kill: A man with the quintessential happy family is watched as he accepts a birthday present from a strange woman and then returns home to his wife and children to insult and eventually leave them... so he can travel to see his estranged father, who is living in Ireland. It's a grand film I first saw over Ben's shoulder in a plane. I started the film in the middle but waited for it to loop back round again so I could see the beginning and so was ever so chuffed when my friend brought me her copy.


Dialogue with my Gardener: A painter from Paris returns to his childhood home in the country to recharge his batteries and falls into conversation with his gardener. The film is the continuation of that conversation, as they discover that there lives are interlinked and important. 'Dialogue' is by the same director as 'Two days,' Jean Becker, and so it's no surprise that having liked one I liked the other!

Want to see them? In English? Click here!

Un Secret: A jewish boy lives with his imaginary brother...and so discovers that his imaginary brother is not just a figment of his imagination but really part of his flesh and jewish blood.

Fauteuils D'orchestre: Cecile de France is the lead actress in Un Secret.. and also stars in 'Fauteuils' as a young waitress serving in a café opposite 2 theatres and 1 auction. During the films she encounters the actors and actresses, rich men and poor men who are involved in making such businesses work. Her challenge is to make her own life work... and as she weaves her own life stronger, we really get drawn into all of their lives.

But, I'd best stop now... as Jack's awakening from his siesta and Emma smells suspicious....
Hoping whatever films you're watching, you're enjoying them!

love n hugs,
Robyn
ps/If I have time, I'll come back and tell you about Avril, Detrompez Vous, and La Môme!

Seven Weeks

After a little more than seven weeks as a 'real family,' things are still going well... but when people ask 'are you doing okay with a baby that cries and stays awake at night?' my first reaction is 'Emma's fine.. it's Jack that's doing all the crying!'

Yep, in reality, Emma is still very gentle and easy while Jack is worn out by all the changes.

Things at school are going better (now that he's completed the grand total of 4 mornings) but it's tiring for him. He has both a French and a German teacher, with classes in French one morning and then in German the next morning. I asked him yesterday what language Petra, his Greman teacher, spoke. He looked confused for a moment and then smiled: ja. His way, I guess, of expressing the idea that she says things differently. There are, of course, Arabic kids in the class and so he'll hear their langauge as well... and then this morning I realised that one of the cartoons he was watching was trying to teach him how to say 'Dinasaur' in Chinese. Given that he still thinks most dinasaurs are crocodiles, I think we've still a long road of us.....

Hoping that whatever language you do or don't speak, you're doing well!

hugs,

Robynxxx

Six Weeks Old Today!

Here's our little monkey growing into a big monkey.

She was born weighing 2.8kgs (6.17lbs) but now wieghs 4.2kgs (9.2lbs) and she has grown from 47cms to become 52cms long.

Such dramatic changes are very reassuring for me, as there is just more of her to handle and less of her to break. I have to say, though, that she's being a very 'easy baby' so far as she continues to eat and sleep and generally be happy about her little life. Ask her how she feels and she'll say 'heureux,' *which means happy in French.* And me how I feel, and I'll say much the same as she hasn't yet given us one real moment of concern and we haven't yet walked the floor boards at night to help her to sleep.

As, no doubt, that will change... I plan to celebrate the moment and not to worry about the future (tears and worries and nightly floorboard walking).

And so, whereever you are, I hope you are celebrating the moment and not worrying about the future!

much love,

Robynxxx

* Okay, so she more likely say 'urrrr' but one can imagine that she's saying 'heureux'

**Though, of course, we really need to teach her to say 'heureuse' which is the feminine form of the word! That'll come later... much later!

Je n'aime pas l'école!

Jack started 'maternelle' yesterday, the French equivalent of preschool. Here he is with his school bag and labelled clothes. Here he is before he sat down on the classroom floor crying, 'I want to go home. Don't leave Mum. I want to go home.' That while all the other children were playing happily. Here he is before he tugged at my heartstrings, making me want to pick him up and make everything alright. Here he is, happy, before Ben and I and Emma left him and went home.

And Emma? Yes, okay that was THE mistake, I thought it would be cute for us all to go to the school together. It wasn't cute: it was torture for Jack who, I think, felt he was being abandoned so that rest of us could go home and be together without him.

Today was Jack's second day at school. Ben took him along while I stayed at home with Emma. They arrived earlier than yesterday so there were fewer kids in the classroom and so Jack was less intimidated. And Ben reassured him that I would come and pick him up, without Emma, at the end of the session. Which I did...so that he and I could go eat chocolate icecream together. Walking home with me he told me peacefully about how he'd played and sung and danced. Ouf.

Seems like he might like school, afterall.

Hello there!

Just another daft photo to make you smile :-)

A little more than a month old..

Thankfully, Jack seems to be coming out of his 'NO, no, no' phase and into a moment when being beside Emma seems to interest him more. Now, he'll press her belly button, touch her hair, bring her toys...and that's a relief as it was sad for us to see him so sad. What does Emma say about it all: urrrr. Yep, she's started squeaking (she's hiccuping and urrring as I type) and she remains a very calm and gentle baby. The only time she really cries is meal times. Her meal times? No, our meal times, as she seems to have a special sensor that tells her the instant that we sit down to eat! That means we either eat with the 'symphony of Emma in Major' in the background or in rotation (Ben goes first and then me). For the rest of the time, though, she is really quiet and'funny' (Jack just said to me 'Emma is funny'). She's definitely good to have around...

..especially in Jack moments.

Jack moments? Yes, like earlier today when he called through to me proudly 'I painted the wall.'

And, yep, indeed, he had 'painted' the wall.. with a small blue pencil.. leaving a scribble of blue lines where once there was only white.

A good dose of severe words and a few minutes later, both he and I were painting.. at the kitchen table with paper and real paints. In his 'franglais/ Frenglish' he told me that it wasn't good to paint on the walls.

I agreed.. while thinking 'but it is good to hang out with Ben, Jack and now Emma'

I hope you're having fun hanging out.. where ever you are in the world :-)

love n hugs,

Robynxxx

Almost One Month Old!

Here's Emma checking out the world, safe in her Papa's arms !

Just to make you smile...

In the midst of all this summer heat (the temperature regularly rises above 35° at the moment), we've passed the 3 week mark and all is well. Emma is a funny wee thing that pulls at our heart strings and makes us smile all the time. Jack's doing much better but still does have meltdowns from time to time ('No, no, no, je n'aime pas' - 'No, no, no, I don't like it' he'll cry, stromping his little feet and beating his fists). Thankfully, Ben's around fulltime now and so the boys can go for bike rides, walks in the forest, and work on their project: building new shelves in Emma's room. Jack also now only has two weeks until he starts school...and I reckon that's one projct that'll keep us all busy for a good time to come!

Hoping you're all well and that all your projects are going well,

hugs,

Robynx

15 days

Okay, so we have a normal baby afterall. One that doesn't systematically 'do' her nights but instead sometimes sleeps for 5 hours and sometimes sleeps for an hour and a half. I thought I'd given birth to a miracle baby. It's not the case but I'll love her all the same!

The really good news is she's doing just grand and when she opens her eyes and looks around she's the funniest of wee things :-)

And so the days keep ticking by... and the shock of being a 'two kid' mum is beginning to hit (How will I ever manage to go shopping again? Not glamourous shopping but basic shopping. With TWO kids. Will I ever be able to shower on a regular basis again? As soon as Jack gets up, Emma starts to open her eyes and so I'm busy until lunchtime? I look and smell terrible but, as Ben's at work at the moment and Emma and Jack clearly don't care...well, you know, there are better things I can do with my time!).

I reckon it'll take some getting used to! At least, Jack's on fine form - he's just told me the washing machine has finished because it's just finished making a noise). I guess that's my cue to get on with other things.

But, I hope wherever you are that this wee message finds you safe and well (and cleaner than me!).

Hugs,

Robynxxxx

Suddenly nine days have gone by already...

Hello again,

Good news: we're surviving!

Reason: (at least for me), Emma sleeps, wait for it, between midnight and at least 7am each night. I don't know why and I don't know how long such generous sleeping habits will last, but I don't need to know the reason to be happy about things. Just hope for me that it continues for at least a little bit longer.

Here's Emma with her brother Jack. He's been doing pretty well since her arrival - helping to change nappies, bringing her toys, cuddling her - but, all the same, the green-eyed monster has bitten deep and we've already seen our fair share of tantrums and tears. All we can do is explain that, at least, Emma doesn't want to play with his toy cars because the lad has become a car fanatic - not only citing ALL the Peugeot, Citroen, Audi, and Voltzwagen cars he sees on the road but also playing non stop with his own collection of matchbox cars (Ben found a good deal whereby we got 30 second hand matchbox cars for a really small amount of money. Jack loves them and is constantly, and I mean constantly parking them, cleaning them, and organising massive car crashes).

And then, here's Emma - the star of the show.. and all quite happy about life and what it contains so far for her (food, sleep, and clean nappies).

Hoping you're all well,

Robynxxx

Emma Cnockaert

Just the shortest of little messages to announce the biggest and the bestest of news:

Emma Cnockaert was born, gently and beautifully, on Tuesday 28 July 2009 at 9.37am.

We brought her home last night and now our family of four is complete.

More later, once things calm down... if they ever calm down again!

much much love,

Robynxxx

The Waiting Game

Hello there,

I just wanted to let you know that we are still playing the waiting game as our baby girl continues to tumble and dance in my tummy but doesn't seem ready yet to make an appearance... she's not officially due until August 1st but I'm so impatient about getting to meet her that it already feels like she's overdue!!!

Thankfully, her big brother Jack is there to keep Ben and I amused as we count the hours and days. Here he is, first having just drunk some homemade yoghurt and then playing with an abricot.

Are we sure we want another one as crazy as him?

YES!!!

love n hugs,

Robynxxx

And the boy?

Jack? He's doing as grand as ever!

Here he is wearing his Papa's new hat.

Ben's new hat?

Yes, he lost his old one a couple of weeks ago on the way to the train station. Jack and I went for a walk to try and find it but without success. So, when I got Ben his new hat yesterday, Jack looked at me and asked if Papa was going to lose his hat again. I was too busy laughing to reply!

Getting Ready to Go...

Well, the baby's pink clothes are drying in the bathroom and my bag for the hospital is sitting in the hall waiting for me, and so now I guess it's only a question of time.

A question of how much time? Officially she's due on August 1st 2009 but, as nobody was able to reach her by telephone to tell her, I'm not sure she'll know to come on the exact date.

And so, really, anytime in the next two to three weeks would be good!

I went to visit the hospital yesterday and I have my last meeting with my doctor this Tuesday and so things are wrapping themselves up... but very calmly because everything is going so well. Sure, I'm sleepy but for the rest everything is trundling along as planned and when I feel her turning and shifting and stretching inside of me she feels ever so healthy and ready to join in this game called life!

And, heck with such a pretty bag and such pink pink clothes, who can blame her?

Let's move it, move it!

I was busy dreaming this morning when I heard Jack calling to me through the dream. I ignored him for a while and then awoke to hear him say 'Maman, I wake up. You come?' Stumbling through to his room (okay, so it was already 8h30 but stumbling was all I could manage), imagine my surprise when, coming through the door, I walked straight into his bed. 'J-a-c-k, how did you do that?' 'j'avance' (I move forward). How? 'mur' (with the wall). I don't really think he used the wall, I think he put his feet on the floor and pushed until he could push no more! Oddly, he hadn't realised he could now use the big bed to get out.. but as soon as I suggested it he was out of his bed in a moment.

Hmm, I think he'll soon be out of his 'little bed' and into his 'big bed,' don't you?

ps/obviously, the littler bed is meant to be in the top right hand corner of the room/photo.. not in the middle, darn it!

Ode to Benoit

I just wanted to give a shout out to my Benoit, for he has been and continues to be a wonderful companion throughout this odd journey called life. More specifically, I just wanted to let you know how excellent he's been about not only pushing through all the apartment's renovations but also redecorating the living room and bedroom. In the last few months, he's been painting walls and puting up shelves, and spending time thinking about how he can best improve our living space. And now our wee girl is only 7 weeks away from arriving (she's turning about in my tummy as I write), we're really about ready to welcome her into her home. Once Ben's finished the next stage of redecorating - which involves repainting our bedroom and installing a walk-in closet - I'll post pictures to remind you of just how dramatically we've transformed our apartment. For the moment, though, let this picture of Ben and Jack also herald their relationship.. for, goodness, that's one worth celebrating too.

Cooking up Trouble!

With only one month left with his Nanny (as he'll stop when I start my maternity leave) and with the word 'l'école' entering his vocabulary (he'll start preschool in September and follow a bilingual French-German education..), our wee boy's world is very soon about to change...

And, not least, because his sister is now due to make an appearance in about 2 and a half month's time. For the moment, she's just a vague idea for him but pretty soon we'll begin organising her new bedroom.. and talking about how Jack will become a BIG brother. For my part, I can't wait to see how he will be with her and to see them together because I really feel now is a good time for him (and Ben and myself) to grow into the next chapter of our lives together :-)

Hoping you are all well and enjoying the changes in your own lives,

love n hugs,

Robyn

words, words, words...

A while ago I read René Barjavel's 'Le nuit de temps' (or 'The Ice People') and really enjoyed it. However, while in Scotland at Christmas I tried to buy a copy and was unsuccessful. None of the bookshops I tried stocked Barjavel, even though he is recognised as one of the greatest science fiction writers of recent times. Returning to France, a colleague suggested one reason why Barjavel wasn't in print in the UK: He had plagairised the idea for 'Le nuit de temps' from the Australian author Erle Cox who wrote 'The Golden Dome' (or the 'Le Sphère d'or). I'm now in the midst of reading Cox's book and it's really interesting to see how Barjavel really does seem to have adapted Cox's ideas to fit his own book...

And why am I telling you about all this? Well, cos both books are good to read and second because the central subject of both books is a woman who is awakened after thousands of years of 'sleep' in an underground dome. The men who wake their sleeping princess in both books are charged with the task of teaching her modern English (or French) and are surprised by the speed at which she learns and applies her new language.

And so I arrive at the reason I'm telling you all this.. for it is one thing to read in books about how fictional creatures learn and apply language seemingly overnight and quite another to see how Jack's use of language has flourished over the last few weeks. It really is miraculous, having now spent 2.5years with him, to hear him begin to express himself as a little boy. Of course, Jack's learning process is as slow and as decadent as any other little boy or girl's processs but, because I'm experiencing it for the first time, it seems just incredible (and, darn it, not least because I've now spent the last 6 years struggling to pick up and apply French in a coherant manner!).

Here are some examples of new Jack talk:

Yesterday morning he called from his bed 'Maman, tu-es là?'
'Oui, Jack'
'Je veux sortir'
'Je veux changer couche: peepee dans couche'
'je veux manger'
'Maman, tu viens?'
(Maman, are you there? I want to get out; I want to change the nappy: there's peepee in the nappy; I want to eat; Maman, are you coming?').

He know says 'je t'aime' (I love you)... particularly when he's just got something he wanted ;-)

Recently, his Papy JC explained the he was 'français' and that I wasn't. Even though Jack hadn't appeared to be listening, he later looked at JC and asked 'Français?' and then checked with each of us. When I said I was 'Scottish' he seemed puzzled but accepting that the others were French but I wasn't.

Similarly, his Mamy Annette told him something was 'rouge.' When he said, 'No, red' she (obviously as she's French) repeated 'rouge'...to which he replied 'c'est le même' ('it's the same'). So, it may be that our wee lad is beginning to grasp what this whole dual language thing is about!!

Last week, Ben and I took Jack out for a bike ride along the cycle path in the evening sunshine. The walk was really pleasant and ended with us standing by the river by the bakery. 'Tata Lily là-bas,' (the nanany, over there). Jack said pointing in the direction of TL's house. 'Jack école là-bas' he than said pointing generally in the direction of his future school. 'And where's Jack's home?' I asked. Turning around, he pointed at the apartment: là-bas. This game has now developed to include all sorts of places, including the swimming pool and his cousins' house.

Oddly, yesterday, while I was changing him on his table, he looked at the zigzags in the curtains and said 'M, N, M, N'. I couldn't say he was wrong as, indeed, the shapes resembled Ms and Ns. Then, this morning, we glued his name J-A-C-K to his bedroom door. He now gets a silly delight from repeating J, K, A C...and, to tell you the truth, we get a silly delight listening to him.

And so I hope, wherever you are and whatever words and letters are filling your head, that you are well and that your reality often feels as strange and as marvelous as fiction.

Easter Egg Hunt

While we were in the Alps, Jack enjoyed the fun of a real Easter Egg hunt with his two cousins, Antoine and Charlotte. As well as scoring loads of chocolate, he received a hand-made elephant pillow from his Aunt Juliette. I tell you, he's a lucky lad!

In other good news, My tummy keeps getting bigger as I approach the 6 month mark of the pregnancy. My last doctor's visit was funny:

'How are you,' he asked.

'Fine, thank you,' I replied.

He checked and I was fine.

'See you next month,' he said.

'Yes,' I said, and we both agreed with smiles that this pregnancy seems to be going well, thank you very much!

Ouf!

love n hugs,

Robyn

The Alps

Hello,

This is just a quick message to say that we spent a wonderful Easter weekend in the Alps with my sister-in-law Juliette and her family. We only had four days but what a breath of fresh air as we were able to pass most of our time outdoors, basking in the sunshine and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

How much does your shopping cost?

Recently, I decided to compare the prices of 5 simple products in 2 of my local supermarkets... and the results are quite dramatic.

Butter - 250g
Shop A = 1.99
Shop B = 0.99
Difference = 1.00

Olive Oil - 1 litre
Shop A = 6.75
Shop B = 5.99
Difference = 0.76

Milk - 1 litre
Shop A = 0.75
Shop B = 0.60
Difference after 10 litres = 1.50

Muesli - 750g
Shop A = 3.69
Shop B = 1.69
Difference = 2.00

Rice - 1kg
Shop A = 1.25
Shop B = 3.10
Difference = 1.85

So, the difference in price for just these 5 items is 7.11 euros.
That's an average of 1.42 per item.

So, here's the question: do you have the time to also find out the cost of these 5 items in your supermarket? You can transfer the prices to euros here. Then, copy my shopping list into the 'Comments' section and add your 'Supermarket America' or 'Supermarket Scotland.'

If you do have the time, it would be interesting to see the results..

Hoping you're all well,
Robyn
ps/Just in case you're wondering - no, there's no dramatic difference in the quality of the products. Each product is the supermarket's 'own brand.' Afterwards, if you would like to do a real comparison (eg: brand to brand/kellogg's cornflakes to kellogg's cornflakes) just let me know :-)