Well, that was exciting! Last night I was sitting at the computer in the study, and suddenly all three cats were in there too, and they were acting suspiciously. I looked down by my feet in time to see Christopher trying to eat a scorpion! So what do I do? Funnily enough my first instinct was to rescue the scorpion! I tried to push it toward the door with my slipper. Then I thought about what I was doing, and thought about the fact that it was a SCORPION, and I stomped on it. And deprived the kitten of his fun. It was about 4 cm long, so not exactly a huge monster or anything, and we've been told that Chilean scorpions aren't poisonous. But really, when it comes down to it, who's going to take the chance? Besides, I suppose not poisonous to us humans is one thing, but to a tiny kitten?
In other news, I went to the first meetup of a new knitting group today! Finally, people to sit and knit and drink coffee and eat cake with. I had a lovely morning. I've been going along to the Wednesday SnB with a bunch of antipodeans for a few weeks, but there's not a lot of knitters there, so while the company (and food) is good, it's not the same as sitting and stitching and admiring other people's work. I had a lovely morning. We're doing it again next Monday, and hopefully every Monday after! We managed to bag the comfy chairs in Starbucks, and were there for a couple of hours. I had a lovely morning.
The only problem with the Starbucks in Shopping La Dehesa (the shopping centre in question)? There's no loo in the Starbuscks, it's all the way at the other end of the mall. Who thoguht of that? I mean honestly, for a coffee shop? Nice raspberry muffins though!
Oh, have I remembered to mention that we have booked tickets home for our Winter/Summer holidays? We arrive in Edinburhg I think on 29 June, and leave on 21 July or thereabouts. We're hoping to have 10 - 14 days in Edinburgh, then the rest of the time down in Bath.
Monday 23 March 2009
Saturday 21 March 2009
Dia de la Familia
Today ESO held their annual Dia de la Familia. It's basically a big picnic/barbecue/family fun day. Bill is away at the OSF (operational support facility, is what I think that stands for) so the boys and I went alone. But we weren't alone, because we knew plenty of people there. Being part of a relatively small community in these circumstances is good, because no matter what the event, there will be a few families we know.
And we will know even more soon - I was asked to help out with the "ESO Spouses Support Team", so now I'm on the "committee" and am responsible for emailing new people before they arrive and introducing us, and inviting them along to coffee meets and stuff like that. So now I get to be the first person to meet all the new people. I like that.
Anyway, I took a few photos of the boys doing fun stuff today, and they are on their flickr page, and some new videos as well, which can be found at my youtube page.
Bill is due back on Monday evening, but we have plans to meet Jennifer and Vivi tomorrow for ice cream. And we might go out to lunch beforehand. Because otherwise we might slob around the house all day in our jammas.
Oh and in case TT doesn't get around to blogging it himself, he lost another tooth yesterday. I think that is number 5! N also has a loose tooth, his first.
Otherwise, we're all just doing away. School is happier this term, as we have more friends. I seem to be doing stuff every day. Which means that I'm not finding time for Spanish lessons. I've had 30 hours so far, but it's been almost a fortnight since my last lesson, and it's obvious...
And we will know even more soon - I was asked to help out with the "ESO Spouses Support Team", so now I'm on the "committee" and am responsible for emailing new people before they arrive and introducing us, and inviting them along to coffee meets and stuff like that. So now I get to be the first person to meet all the new people. I like that.
Anyway, I took a few photos of the boys doing fun stuff today, and they are on their flickr page, and some new videos as well, which can be found at my youtube page.
Bill is due back on Monday evening, but we have plans to meet Jennifer and Vivi tomorrow for ice cream. And we might go out to lunch beforehand. Because otherwise we might slob around the house all day in our jammas.
Oh and in case TT doesn't get around to blogging it himself, he lost another tooth yesterday. I think that is number 5! N also has a loose tooth, his first.
Otherwise, we're all just doing away. School is happier this term, as we have more friends. I seem to be doing stuff every day. Which means that I'm not finding time for Spanish lessons. I've had 30 hours so far, but it's been almost a fortnight since my last lesson, and it's obvious...
Sunday 15 February 2009
Thomas Update
Thomas updated his blog over at TFTD yesterday with lots of photos. Please go and see and leave him a few comments.
Thursday 12 February 2009
The Telephone Trumps Everything!
What is it about the telephone here? No matter what someone is doing, if their phone, or increasingly, I've noticed, Blackberry (tm) (no, I'm not envious, I'd rather have an iPhone*) rings, they stop whatever they are doing, even if they are in the middle of a sentence, and answer the phone. Then they talk away, no matter who is waiting here next to them in the actual room.
I had two medical appointments this week. During both, I had to wait while the doctor took a call. The first, at least I was just sat in a chair, but today, I was mid-examination, so lying there, half naked. You know, I really didn't appreciate the interruption. The doctor said "yes, I'm with a patient", but then he carried on talking, as if that was of no consequence. Gah.
In other news, I can understand a lot of what the chemo suite nurses are saying now. Shame I let on about that!
*oops, how did that slip out?
I had two medical appointments this week. During both, I had to wait while the doctor took a call. The first, at least I was just sat in a chair, but today, I was mid-examination, so lying there, half naked. You know, I really didn't appreciate the interruption. The doctor said "yes, I'm with a patient", but then he carried on talking, as if that was of no consequence. Gah.
In other news, I can understand a lot of what the chemo suite nurses are saying now. Shame I let on about that!
*oops, how did that slip out?
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Birthday Parties
I really must get Thomas to post about his birthday party, at which we drank punch out of a washing up bowl, and ate popcorn out of a rubbish bin.
It was a postponed party, because many of his friends were away in January around his birthday, but I think everyone had fun, and hey, it meant that Thomas's birthday lasted 3 weeks. can't beat that.
afterwards, we went to A's house for *his* birthday party. It was a long, tiring, but fun day. I took about one photo, using TT's camera, so tomorrow my mission is to get him to post it on his own blog.
Bill gets home (still seems strange, sometimes, referring to here as home!) tomorrow night, after the boys go to bed probably. We've missed him.
It was a postponed party, because many of his friends were away in January around his birthday, but I think everyone had fun, and hey, it meant that Thomas's birthday lasted 3 weeks. can't beat that.
afterwards, we went to A's house for *his* birthday party. It was a long, tiring, but fun day. I took about one photo, using TT's camera, so tomorrow my mission is to get him to post it on his own blog.
Bill gets home (still seems strange, sometimes, referring to here as home!) tomorrow night, after the boys go to bed probably. We've missed him.
Thursday 5 February 2009
Just our luck!
Not that I'm complaining about the wall to wall sunshine or anything, but trust us to miss out on the first real winter for years.
Every winter I'd be heard to bemoan the fact that there was only a piddling amount of snow. In fact last winter there wasn't any, and the year before, it snowed, a little bit, one Friday lunchtime as school was getting out. It had more or less stopped when we got home.
Bill and the boys made a very small snowman two winters ago. That's all we had snow for. If I recall, they had to use snow from the front garden as well as the back.
And now, we're thinking about all our friends having snowball fights, and building snowmen, and we're not there.
I can't even complain that it's too hot here, becasue while it's hot, it doesn't get above 33, so it's not unbearable, just perfect for getting in the pool. But it's February! And I'm not used to this yet - I still feel like winter.
We need to book our travel for July. And find somewhere to stay in Edinburgh & Bath. No home of our own to rely on for a few years.
In other news, the gatitos have settled in well. Quirk is giving us serious cold shoulder treatment, because we brought these two noisy playful things into her calm, sofa-bound existence.
Oma and Grandad were here for 3 weeks. We didn't actually do much, just hung out and enjoyed the sun. We did a little touristing, spent a day at the beach. Next year we might get a little more adventurous.
The boys go back to school a week on Monday. Thomas's belated birthday party is this Saturday - his friends are coming over for a swim, a scavenger hunt, then pizza and cake. Bill is away up at the site, so he's missing a birthay party for the first time. We need to take photos.
In fact, this blog is serioulsy lacking in photos, isn't it? I'd better do something about that. Thomas got a camera for his birthday, and he'll be updating his own blog at TFTD2001 when I remind him!
Tomorrow feels like the first day in weeks that we haven't had something to get up for in the morning, we need to buy school shoes, and a few supplies for Saturday's party, and that's it, until some friends come over in the afternoon. No alarms to set. But we do need to get into practice for school going back. Eek!
Every winter I'd be heard to bemoan the fact that there was only a piddling amount of snow. In fact last winter there wasn't any, and the year before, it snowed, a little bit, one Friday lunchtime as school was getting out. It had more or less stopped when we got home.
Bill and the boys made a very small snowman two winters ago. That's all we had snow for. If I recall, they had to use snow from the front garden as well as the back.
And now, we're thinking about all our friends having snowball fights, and building snowmen, and we're not there.
I can't even complain that it's too hot here, becasue while it's hot, it doesn't get above 33, so it's not unbearable, just perfect for getting in the pool. But it's February! And I'm not used to this yet - I still feel like winter.
We need to book our travel for July. And find somewhere to stay in Edinburgh & Bath. No home of our own to rely on for a few years.
In other news, the gatitos have settled in well. Quirk is giving us serious cold shoulder treatment, because we brought these two noisy playful things into her calm, sofa-bound existence.
Oma and Grandad were here for 3 weeks. We didn't actually do much, just hung out and enjoyed the sun. We did a little touristing, spent a day at the beach. Next year we might get a little more adventurous.
The boys go back to school a week on Monday. Thomas's belated birthday party is this Saturday - his friends are coming over for a swim, a scavenger hunt, then pizza and cake. Bill is away up at the site, so he's missing a birthay party for the first time. We need to take photos.
In fact, this blog is serioulsy lacking in photos, isn't it? I'd better do something about that. Thomas got a camera for his birthday, and he'll be updating his own blog at TFTD2001 when I remind him!
Tomorrow feels like the first day in weeks that we haven't had something to get up for in the morning, we need to buy school shoes, and a few supplies for Saturday's party, and that's it, until some friends come over in the afternoon. No alarms to set. But we do need to get into practice for school going back. Eek!
Sunday 11 January 2009
You know what's different about driving here?
They don't hold a grudge.
The thing about the driving here - it's not that bad. Or maybe it is, but I more or less learned to drive in Washington DC, which supposedly had the third worst traffic in the US, so maybe 20 year old experiences are coming to the fore. They even use their indicators (just not in the direction they are intending to go).
So. They like their horns here. If it takes you a split second to move off from a red light, they honk. But you know how when you *know* you've done something stupid (like when I wrong laned myself at two consecutive intersections on the way home the other day), and you get honked at? At home, you get honked at, your adrenalin goes through the roof, the other driver's does too, so when you catch up with them at the next light, they are practically climbing out their window and at the very least gesturing in extremely angry tones.
Here? No matter how many times they have leaned on their horn or for how long, by the time you catch them up, they are just going about their merry way. But I'm not. They have totally forgotten it happened. But I haven't. My blood pressure is still through the roof, and I'm expecting some serious road rage on their part. And it's not there.
It's really rather deflating, if the truth be told.
The thing about the driving here - it's not that bad. Or maybe it is, but I more or less learned to drive in Washington DC, which supposedly had the third worst traffic in the US, so maybe 20 year old experiences are coming to the fore. They even use their indicators (just not in the direction they are intending to go).
So. They like their horns here. If it takes you a split second to move off from a red light, they honk. But you know how when you *know* you've done something stupid (like when I wrong laned myself at two consecutive intersections on the way home the other day), and you get honked at? At home, you get honked at, your adrenalin goes through the roof, the other driver's does too, so when you catch up with them at the next light, they are practically climbing out their window and at the very least gesturing in extremely angry tones.
Here? No matter how many times they have leaned on their horn or for how long, by the time you catch them up, they are just going about their merry way. But I'm not. They have totally forgotten it happened. But I haven't. My blood pressure is still through the roof, and I'm expecting some serious road rage on their part. And it's not there.
It's really rather deflating, if the truth be told.
What makes my gringa-ness so obvious?
I think I've figured it out. Well, besides my floundering spanish and trying to communicate by hand-gestures, that is?
I take off my sunglasses when I go indoors.
I take off my sunglasses when I go indoors.
Saturday 10 January 2009
Gatitos!
We went to an animal shelter today, and have agreed to adopt two kittens! Yay! Kittenz!!
We are going to bring them home on Wednesday. Which just happens to be Thomas's birthday.
The kittens are probably litter mates, but they are rescue cats, so we can't be sure. They are about 8 weeks old, one male tabby, one female black.
Yay! Kittens!
We are going to bring them home on Wednesday. Which just happens to be Thomas's birthday.
The kittens are probably litter mates, but they are rescue cats, so we can't be sure. They are about 8 weeks old, one male tabby, one female black.
Yay! Kittens!
Thursday 1 January 2009
Merry Christmas , we got the car and happy new year!! By thomas.
hi guys,
well i sure hope you had fun tracking st. Nick!The only areas i did not see were from North America to Hawaii.
and we also got the new car on the 24th of December, like an early Christmas present.
Happy New Year! We didn't hear the fireworks, becasue we didn't get to stay up until midnight. But we stayed up until your midnight, which wasn't very fair becasue it was only 9 o'clock over here.
The car's really really cool because I can have the fan in my seat, and my brother's or my mum's and my dad's, and we can plug in the ipod as well.
It's only 14 days until my birthday! My Oma and Grandad are coming over the day before my birthday.
Please leave me some comments!
well i sure hope you had fun tracking st. Nick!The only areas i did not see were from North America to Hawaii.
and we also got the new car on the 24th of December, like an early Christmas present.
Happy New Year! We didn't hear the fireworks, becasue we didn't get to stay up until midnight. But we stayed up until your midnight, which wasn't very fair becasue it was only 9 o'clock over here.
The car's really really cool because I can have the fan in my seat, and my brother's or my mum's and my dad's, and we can plug in the ipod as well.
It's only 14 days until my birthday! My Oma and Grandad are coming over the day before my birthday.
Please leave me some comments!
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