U N L I K E L Y- N O M A D

Clayton

2011-08-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick stop in to Clayton new York to pay our rent online overseas, to have lunch (we just decided that our tour is rather a food tour, as we all relish a meal on land once a week or so....) and to stock up on a few things.

I am in the cool of the library, on free wifi. The entire building is moving beneath me. Been on the boat too long...

I want to write more but must go and buy some grub to stock up.

Last days have been spent on in anchorage in a beautiful spot where we sanded and varnished all the topside teak, and the kids snorkeled. Delightful, the boat looks so posh now, I feel we must all especially mind our manners.

(Not sure if I like her better as a vagabond or a princess...!)

Yesterday we made a short jaunt to a rock island to snorkle. Barren except of one lone pine tree, we found this inscription in a heavy smooth piece of marble

"Paradise with one tree"

Anniversary gift from Cliff to Elizabeth, 1958.

Cool!

Mid July 2011 ”Promise”

2011-08-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

We have spent the last few days making our way down the St. Lawrence River, and two nights ago arrived at the Admiral Islands, the first “real” Thousand Islands group.

I have jotted down a few little vignettes in no particular order, that have typified our experiences, and since my internet contact is varied, instead of posting separately here it is all on one go...

Hot and Cold

The preceding nights were spent anchored at the eastern most tip of Wolf Island, in an off the beaten track place called Brakey Bay, (and yes my achey-brakey-heart is just fine...:-)). Brakey Bay, is about 16 feet deep, and just the right size for a perfect anchorage, with the shore line that perfect amalgamation of closeness/far-ness; close enough to smell the pines and see the fireflies at night (which we did!) and far enough to feel nuisance-less to the local cottagers. We experienced a night of heavy rain, which after the intense heat of the past weeks was very welcome - I have never felt so happy to don a fleecy! There are many things wonderful about Canadian summers, but one of them for me is the indescribable balance between hot and cool; hot lazy days, that cool enough in the evening for a campfire or a sweater - except living on a boat = sweater, but...fortunately no campfire.

Wordless Hush

One evening in Brakey Bay, as is our custom, Bruce and I sat chatting about the day in the cockpit, under the stars sipping a glass of wine and swatting away the odd mosquito as the boat listened silently, swaying gently in the waves. Just as we noticed a dog barking at his echo a few bays over, an entire pack of coyotes/foxes/wolves (?) erupted into song on the very near opposite shoreline. The high pitched howling voices were many as they briefly bayed, we both felt twenty perhaps; small and thin, and throaty and more mature. It lasted only a moment, as soon as it began the matriarchal howlers of the group wordlessly hushed the little ones back into the night. It was almost as though the calling of the first baying canine had been so compelling that the island pack could not resist calling back, even though they knew they should not. It was magical.

Living on Board

I just realized today that I and the children have been living on board Promise for a full month now! Amazing, it has flown past. I love it more every day. It would be easy (?) well maybe not easy, but true to my Unlikely Nomad moniker, to live on board full time.

We regularly imagine going around the world on Promise; wether we can make that a reality remains to be seen.

Water

We swim every day. Always the water is fresh and clear, a drop of water takes 400 years to pass through the system of the Great Lakes to the waiting ocean, but pass it does. Sometimes the water we swim in is deep and dark, and very, very cold, and sometimes it warmly reflects the lush weedy bottom growth that we find entangled in our anchor when we pull it up. Once I donned goggles to peer under the boat while I swam. I immediately became unnerved to the extreme by the spectacle of the boats floating bloated underbelly suspended miraculously over a great depth of murky dimness populated with rocks and weeds and goodness knows what hidden else, the sight of my bluish greenish goose flecked flesh trailing behind adding to the creepy spectral.

Method of Entry

The kids love to swim, they swim for hours every day. Sometimes they like to bob around on their two tethered large garish florescent yellow and hot pink floating rings, like over decorated misguided buoyant donuts, and some days they just love to jump in, over and over. They have perfected pencil dives and jumps in unison where they twirl in time, and even spent an afternoon bailing off the side of the boat and onto their backs, like slick death defying sky diving Skyhawks parachuting into the great beyond.

I suppose in the end, it is not swimming that has been perfected, but methods of entry into the water that have become so well practiced. A favorite to this end, is swinging from the halyards. This involves unclipping a halyard,(one of the ropes that runs from the top of the mast to pull sails up and down) and tying a large and grab worthy knot at the end, taking care that there are no rough edges to cut hands. The jumper then holds onto the halyard for dear life while taking a giant leap off the cabin top, over the lifelines, and swings way out over the water. At the precise moment of inertia, and when the audience has held thier breath for the maximum amount of time, before the halyard and dangling soon-to-be-swimmer crash back into the boat, the halyard must be let go. The now swimming swimmer plunges deeply into the drink.

Bathing

We do have a very small shower on board, tho we use it only in cases of the extreme: extreme heat or extreme smelliness! Normally we bathe in the lake, soaping up on deck, trying to be discreet as we scrub our undercarriages in full view, then plunge to rinse in the cool. There are few pleasures so wonderful as this, the soft water feeling of being squeaky clean, towelling off in the breeze and donning warm dry clothes.

Melting

2011-07-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

First week has been amazing...GREAT sailing, I am writing this from Kingston Harbor so we have covered a bit of ground.

We sailed from Cobourg Harbor last Sunday July 16th or so, and had a fantastic run right to the Murray Canal, then a great run across and up long reach, and finally another amazing downwind sail here. Fabulous.

We have been experiencing an incredible heat wave....35 degrees felt like 44 or some ridiculous thing...thankfully we could swim every other 2 minutes, which by the way was the amount of time it took to dry off it was SO hot. Kids LOVE to swim, and do so every chance they can get. (So do we!) :-)

Kept pumping the kids with water....still bl**dy hot though...

Slight losses of sense(s) of humor over kids leaving their cr*p everywhere all the time...but we are getting over it ...and they are improving. Riel in particular finds the new space somewhat disorienting.

It is a small space after all...and some children, especially 7 year old girls with medium brown hair and too long bangs like to talk...not ALL the time but almost... :-)

*Sigh*

Still sticking to my NO-DIGITAL summer plans tho...

Even tho 2 kids quietly zoned out in front of a movie sounded so good yesterday...sadly/happily the plug for the dvd player has been waylaid so we are still at 100 % non digital for the summer.

Signing off from Kingston Harbor...Thousand islands tomorrow...

"Promise"

2011-07-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

I LOVE being on this boat.

LOVE LOVE LOVE.

I love that it is all trimmed with wood, that it is a bit older, and well loved.

Less than perfect..but utterly perfect.

I love that she has little cupboards everywhere, and that she fits us just right.

I love that some days the kids like to share the teeny tiny V berth, and some days not so much.

Nomad

Every one is sleeping..

2011-07-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

Kids are drooling, and hub is snoring...

But I am having a glass of wine...

Why you might ask???

Because I just finished my last bit of course work, and my last essay of my online course.

I am DONE until September!

Wooo hoo, Lake Ontario here I come!

Nomad

Kids and sailing school....

2011-07-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

It has been pretty busy what with my course, getting caught up with friends and working at the house.

Bruce has just arrived today, it is nice to have him back.

The kids are loving sailing school which makes all of us very happy.

Lily when asked however, is not steering or trimming sails, but catching seaweed...(??) :-p

I do think it has progressed to a little more than that now, but we chalk it up to a fun experience on the water. :-)

She loves her instructor, and is having a great time with the other kids.

Riel has been learning to turn turtle, or overturn his boat, and right it in record time.

He is rather proud of himself as the first day it took him 10 minutes to right, and now he can do it in under one minute.

I think the coaches are pretty good too.

Gma and Gpa spoil them rotten, so they are all having a great time.

A Good Day....

2011-07-09T21:05:00.001-07:00

Had an amazing day today at a friend's Art Beach Festival, we volunteered there all day and the kids were amazing, helping, and having fun. I am SO proud of them, they LOVE to volunteer... So cool.

Also went to the my friend's new art gallery which is pretty impressive - left a pile of drawings and photographs.

Met an amazing woman who works in an artists collective nearby, seems quite neat and interesting.

Might go and have a look at her group's studio after our sailing in August.

Had a great swim at a friend's pool, the kids were in the pool for H.O.U.R.S....

Wrinkly, happy, hungry, tired kids are G.O.O.D kids...

Then Burger King AND Dairy Queen for supper, (just getting our years worth of junk food in 2 weeks...)

*Super Size Me* !!! *urp*

Then a Cameco sponsored movie on the beach.

2 very tired kids snoozing, time for me to hit the hay too....

Tickety Boo...

2011-06-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Finally got the water running, I am SO no mechanically inclined...

Turns out there was a section of the hose missing, and I did not notice....*ahem*

Same with the propane. A switch was off.

So moving right along.....

So with running water and propane, got the mildewy spots cleaned off and surfaces wiped down, all is now shiny clean and smells so too...

...............................................................

Kids had a pretty tough day today. What with all the goings on down below getting the water running, we had some floor boards up, and Lily stepped right into the bilge...fortunately she did not get hurt, but she sure was shocked!

Then a few minutes later she almost accidentally removed one of Riels' front teeth with a hatch cover...

OK you guys, come on over here...

Away from everything - sit down and lets do something quiet before somebody really does some damage...

Yikes!!!

NOTHING improves jet lag like a good hot shower, a good hot meal, and a nice long sleep!

Aboard Promise

2011-06-25T05:26:00.001-07:00

We had a great flight yesterday from Paris to Toronto, and are onboard PROMISE now...so far so good.

The boat is on good shape, clean and relatively well organized, and as I speak one small girl is (voluntarily!!) scrubbing the deck and one medium small boy is (voluntarily!!) washing the side of the boat.

*perfect!*

There is pretty extensive mildew at the top of the V birth, and a light dusting elsewhere, the bed pillows were completely rotted so to dispose of them (yuck!).

First order of business is to get the water running, get the propane running and get at it with hot water and bleach.

We have filled both water tanks, but the pump is blowing only air.

Also I have turned the propane on but cannot seem to get any gas to the stove.

*argh*!! We need hot water and to be able to cook would be great....

Well at least the head is functioning...and I have been able to log on...Looking on the bright side..

Fist night here we crashed amid bags and bed linens, but had a good and quiet sleep to the gentle rocking of the hull.

AHHH...LOVE that!!!

The kids were very anxious to sleep in the V berth together, which they did, even tho R is SO tall, he slept bent....

Rainy today, but both kids awoke very happy, they are very pleased to be on board.

Now to get to work!!

*Rolling up sleeves*

Growing up...

2011-06-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Riel was invited to a disco Birthday party tonight.

He had such a good time.

When I texted him to see if he was having fun, he texted me back *GO AWAY*

I guess that means he was having a good time... :-p!!

I spent some time watching the kids dance, and open presents, and I got a BIG lump in my throat.

So sweet to watch them hanging out together, running back and forth to the bathroom...

He is growing up SO fast!

The show....

2011-06-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

Well now that it is a few weeks behnd me and I have gained a little perspective, I can talk about it.

Something about being in the throws of it, that well...*meh* I don't know....just feel too compelling to be able to say anything at.

SO for those of you who do not know, I am newly a student at Parson's Paris.

Well newly and not so newly, one, I have just finished my first semester which for all intents and purposes is actually my fourth, due to transfer credits, and two, am now entering my third year of four years...(amazingly!)

Our year end show was three weeks ago, and out of 22 pieces of art work from the Fine Art department, encompassing all three years, 7 of them were mine.

I produced a short film clip that was shown.

I had 3 sculptures,

1 very large painting,

And a large drawing installation.

Weeeew hoo!

I was tired.

But very very happy.

Nomad

Pics to follow

Getting out...

2011-06-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I always figure that when you have the wherewithall to arrange to get places to do things outside of the normal mouse trail that is the normal day of activities, groceries, school, boulangerie)(!), Starbucks (there is a new one at a corner near us...more on that later) it means that you have finally arrived.

Today we took the bus to Montparnasse and saw "Where the Wild Things Are", in OV, (original version).

I think I even ran into someone I know in Starbucks the other day... this makes me very happy!!!

So I guess we have finally arrived!

Clean

2011-06-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

Water flowers,

Popcorn stuck,

Bad luck,

...

Wash linens,

Scrub floors,

Dust doors,

...

Scrub kitchen,

Strip beds,

Scrub heads.

...

Lego sucked,

Vacuum junk,

Wipe gunk,

...

Washers running,

Feeling feet,

All neat.

Unlikely Nomad '11

A turn of fortunes...

2011-06-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

THANK G*D...

Yes... it was looking pretty grim around here...

but today was GREAT!!

1) It started with an email from our realtor at home...someone might like to rent our house...

And teach music out of it...

And maybe hold recitals!!

I cannot honestly think of something I would rather see happening in our lovely old home than something like that...

I can hear the floating notes from here....

2) I got a response from one of the several too many au pairs I am wooing online,

(honestly I think it is worse than dating)

She, thankfully, seems old enough to make some sane decisions, (but not too old)

and she might actually and seriously want to come and stay with us for the next school year.

Honestly, it is stressing me out something severe...to have everything in place for school next year

except CHILDCARE...ughh!! (keep your fingers crossed that she is as sweet and sane as she seems...)

3) I got a letter from the Dean of the school (PArsons, MY school) congratulation me on my excellent academic

achievement this semester,

and informing me that I have made the DEAN'S LIST....

*extended and ridiculous happy dance and general hoo haa-ing!!*

What a good day!

Paris

2011-06-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

Beautiful, lonely, busy, empty.

Historical, difficult, trees, hobos,

Apartments, yards, beggars, streets,

Traffic, noise.

Art, culture, swimming,

Swimming..swimming...swimming.

Where am I swimming too...

ho hum.

tough day in Paris.

PARIS!!

2011-01-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

So update on our life (the good and the ugly!!) ....here it is....

WE HAVE MOVED TO PARIS!!!!

Though it is lovely to be here, in this incredible city of light, (and LOVE says R) - living the dream of Paris...the pastry, the coffee...the food, the wine - the first week was...well... pretty rough. Everyone was feeling so out of sorts and we were all getting so angry with each other...everyone seemed to cope really well until we all got alone together and then, all hell broke loose..well...normal I suppose. I felt I should congratulate myself that my kids feel so comfortable letting it ALL hang out with me!!! *ha* So - I am remembering, now, that we take our secure environments for granted, and we easily forget what a stabilizing influence they have on our energy. (OK everyone who has a stable environment...please...take a break and appreciate it...for me!) :-) I felt sort of validated in a twisted sort of way this week speaking to a new mom at school and she confided to me that she thought her family was going to fracture they all felt under such stress before during and just after their move.....so I am just trying not to fight these feelings, accepting and realizing that this will all pass, and it has begun already.

The kids now seem to be doing great, they are really enjoying school, and seem to be making friends, which is the most important thing. So far so good. It is a change that they are in a religious school, youngest said to me, we did "God" today Mommy...we ALL do "God" together...they are supposed to be in the multi-faith stream learning about world religion, which to us seemed like a wonderful and very unique opportunity, one which we were very very excited about.....so we will see...*hmmm*.....

The kids have to wear a uniform to school (which is navy blue) and the first day of school L decided that she hates HATES HATES!!! -navy blue...."I HATE navy blue!!!!!!! BIG MASSIVE LOUD PASSIONATE temper tantrum... kicking - screaming..WOW!! ..really bad and not like her at all. Took me completely by surprise and sort of freaked me out....now she has settled down - thank goodness, and seems to be the exact polar opposite - very excited and happy about everything. Oddly so far she has exponentially more homework than R....*hmmm* must investigate that...

R is seemingly very steady, and has had a few blow ups, but by and large seems to be doing really well. We are hoping the kids will begin the school bus next week, as it all seemed too much all at once. I ride the city bus back and forth with them for now... it comes right to our door and drops the kids right at the doorstep of the school...imagine? That has NEVER happened to me in my entire life before - and in this immense city to boot! The kids will start Tennis next week, we will keep it down to a dull roar for now and concentrate on getting settled first.

We were in a temporary apartment last week; very small, very dark and in a not so great a neighbourhood (understatement). I was annoying hub B because I called it the "JAIL" all grey, no kitchen - just a bar, no windows....kids slept in the basement...creepy...clean, modern and trendy....but CREEPY!!! Thankfully we have now moved into a better one with a nice garden; yes I schlepped 7 suitcases across Paris with a completely stunned taxi driver...I am sure he was thinking why in the world does she need ALL those bags?? (and when will I learn not to bring/have so much stuff!!!) The new temporary apartment is still small but sunnier, quieter definitely NOT so trendy...but much more suited to a family - (I feel as though I have just walked into a 1974 french film set....like "Font du Ski" too funny)...because our plans were so late we were not able to get anything better (or so Bruce tells me!)

The first day after we arrived, there was a mugging right behind us, some lady got her purse stolen...I thought the kids were going to have heart attacks right there on the spot.....it freaked them out so much! There she was, a little skinny old lady with no purse running down the street yelling "STOP....THIEF!!!! ... STOP!!!" at the top of her lungs in french - poor thing....so after that we felt pretty scared....! We are all feeling much better now, as soon as moved into a better environment, everyone relaxed right away...plus sometimes I think it is only time that is needed to help everyone feel better. My heart aches for all of my wonderful friends at "home" as that is how Hannover and the school feel for me... but we have leapt, and now.... we must forge ahead.

I am in LOVE with the lovely ever elegant Lady Eiffel. I decided today that she is a "She". "She" is breath taking, I wonder if we will tire of her? She graces our skyline. Today R and I mused if Gustave Eiffel was satisfied with her when she was finally complete, or if he wished he had done something different. I wish I knew.

We are very excited to actually get into our new apartment - only 120 sq metres but I am sure we will all fit nicely. We have explored the park next door, and have already met some new families, the area seems to be crawling with expats, which is nice, I think (?). Today I went to check out the market, which is a few streets over, and on my way found a great bio organic co-op, and good cheap stuff place, (like Aldi) for cheap stuff, and the usual french market yummy food! I have been eating on the fly for weeks....so today after discovering all this wonderful food, I ate ALL day!! I ate every comfort food I could get my hands on...chocolate, candied ginger, licorice, strawberries, fresh figs and a then a great big mess of pasta bolognaise....*burp* Guess I need to stop stress eating soon... *fattening as I sit here* ....!

We are redoing the kitchen etc in the new apartment, and so I have been so busy getting organized with that. Also figuring out what we can bring etc. It has been crazy! Tomorrow I will set up bank accounts, next week I get the keys so can organize telephone internet etc. and then I will paint the kitchen.

Me, well I am doing ok. Feeling a bit lost I suppose, but not in a bad way, in a new sort of opening-up-for-something-new kind of way, in a way I sort of like - after all. No thoughts yet for me of my school, I am so busy taking care of everyone else....but the idea of it is hovering at the back of my mind like a warm stew pot simmering on the back corner of an old wood stove. Yummy!

So goes the update. Things seem to have reached a ZENITH here...if the zenith was up or down, I am not sure, but definately seem to be trending up now. I had the obligatory spat with the agency attached to the new apartment...so things can only go up from here!

MY Life has been CRAZY!!!!

2008-05-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

YUP...We did go to Northern Germany to the EAST SEA for a long weekend which was fabulous...

YUP....We did got Turkey to ISTANBUL for a week which was even more fabulous...

YUP...I am taking an online course in painting like Orenta...and my two normal art classes during the week plus prepping for my course in London this summer...

YUP...I do have sooo many commitments with the kids at school and about 7 different volunteer things...

YUP...we do have a lovely visitor Eva Diva who has been the MOST SUBLIME of visitors and who the kids simply adore (as we do!!)

YUP WE did just have two super birthdays this week ...mine and the TLG (The Little Guy) who turned 8...won't mention how old I am...thank TONS for all the well wishing and cards and gifts....!!

YUP I do have tons of great pics and lots to say about it ALL...

I have not given up on blogging for any of you who are still stopping by ....but... BUT OH....oh my spinning head!!

Dear Children,(7 year old red head in particular)...

2008-04-23T11:13:00.001-07:00

There are SO many things in life that I want to show you,

I want to show you far off oceans and pick through the sand,

To traverse villages and paths with you tight by the hand,

To explore distant grasslands, forests and trees,

Sail into waning sunsets on ever calm green seas,

I want to talk about electricity and what makes the planet tick,

To visit every castle and look at every brick,

Scale every hilltop, and fly every kite,

Watch every star grow in the ever present night,

I want teach you good manners, and what it means to be nice,

Give you the skills, you need to be invited back thrice,

I love you both you both must know, you mean the earth to me,

So I am sure you must understand what it means to act politely...

......

So let's not waste our time on the stupid stuff..m'kay?

Love you forever,

Your Mom.

The greatest Love affair...Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

2008-04-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

The Monument to Prince Albert in Hyde Park, London, you can read about it it here...

Imagine a love affair so great that it lasts for 40 years after the death of your beloved and that you are so grieved that you will wear black for the rest of your life...you can read about it here

And that you build a monument like this one to the memory of your beloved husband...

Albert is grand and gilded, and sits very very high...he is robust and looks rather solemn and wise...

On the four corners of this immense edifice lie statuary dedicated to the four corners of the world...

Wow!!

I Promise...

2008-04-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Wherever I am, and especially at this time of year, my thoughts turn to all of you, friends and family that I love at home and ...

*Sigh* my OTHER love at home... my garden.

Grow garden grow, and I hope you don't miss me too much...I will be back, I promise...

Can't WAIT to go back!!!

2008-04-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me well, you will know who this gorgeous lady is, one of my oldest, most cherished and longtime friends, someone who grew up a stones throw from my house way out in the middle of the sticks, someone who I hung out with in high school, roomed with in college, and then lived with after that, a very dear friend, and a very special lady, we even moved out to matching jobs "Out West" (Canadian lingo for the western provinces, Alberta, to work here) for several months, we were inseparable. Someone who feels like family to me, sister's neither of us ever had, we shared it all, the good, the goofy and the god awful...lots of stories, lots of laughs and lots of tears...

She moved away to London (England that is), many years ago and married this very special man, and they are very happy and though we still speak, and visit often, she is Riel's Fairy God Mother, and a SUPER one at that...her leaving Canada left a big hole in my heart. Makes you realize how much you can appreciate someone, and miss them. (Gosh I AM sappy these days...apologies in advance, but just keeping it real). I must say though her courage at picking up and starting a new, cool life have served as an inspiration to me and I have always figured hey if Barb can do it, so can I.

Barb, you will always have a special place in my heart, and if there is EVER anything I can do for you, anywhere, anytime, you know...all you have to do is ask.

The coolest part about living where we are now though in northern Germany, and I JUST discovered this, is that we are an inexpensive and mere 50 minute flight away from one another...I LOVE that!

So last week, I decided to take Riel out of school for a couple of days, so we could go to London, and visit Barb and some family...Yes I DO love Barb, but did I ever mention how much I love London? I have images of Carnaby street in the 60's, cool British rock bands all mixed up with Gary Glitter and David Bowie with a fluffy underbelly of the Chelsea flower show, topped off by a stiff Bobby...You know what I mean?

Soooo..we saw a little of thisor I guess I should say allot of this or maybe a large of this or something like that...a little of this, including a performance by Midori, linked only in case you do now know who she is like I (Cultural Boob that I am) didn't, reviewers say she "IS" her violin, and ...I can concur...wow...music was incredible but connection with an instrument verging on bizarre...OK now I am exposing the real soft underbelly of my Cultural Boobness ...but hey...you guys will be nice to me right?) and on the way we saw a few of these, gotta love those red buses, and also saw some of this, performance art, a sampling of chairs taken from the Barbicon and set up like the seats on a 747...(like I need to see more of those...) I was looking for a section of 3 in a row so I could sleep...HA...cool no?
and then a few pics in front the the Victoria and Albert Museum
while gawking in absolute and complete astonishment and awe at the Prince Albert Monument in Hyde Park...some of the most exquisite statuary I have ever seen (next post)...and of course you HAVE to love English Gardens...

Oooh I LOVE London..Can't WAIT to go back

Young chicks learn old tricks

2008-04-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

If you're here I'm glad... (hanging head) I know it's been a really long time, so welcome back...!

In the last few weeks my mom has been here, TBG has been away in Asia and Riel and I have gone for wonderful journey to London, England, (we even played hooky from school!) but more (with lots of cool pics) about that later.

The visit with my mom was fabulous as it always is, we just hung out, did quiet stuff with the kids, and in general had a really nice visit....but the very best part is that I've brought her over to the "Blog side".....you can check it out here, and who says YOUNG CHICKS CAN'T LEARN OLDTRICKS...I must say my mom as well as being constant inspiration to me, is a living proof of this addled adage, as she is on here her about fourth, fifth, or sixth foray from one art to the other....and now she is blogging!!!! (HA!) I love it!

Currently she's insane about willow, collecting, growing, harvesting and weaving, and thanks to this current insanity we were the lucky recipients of a beautiful, large, handsome, and serviceable basket for firewood (that served as luggage on the way over the pond, smart lady) that is still perfuming my living room with the scent of freshly cut willow...thanks Mom you're amazing!!

Dear Mom,

Thank you so much for dragging yourself once again across the ocean , I know it's a long haul, I know that that oversees flight really is nasty, and I know it's hard to be away from home. We really appreciate the time and effort, all the little gifts, all the sweet things you do. We enjoyed the time you spend with us so much, the kids just love it, and so did I. Doing not a lot of anything was just super, just hanging out ...and being together.

Why is it that being a Mom makes one realize what a super Mom one already has?

Thank you for all the mothering that you have given me, I realize that all the things that I love about myself as a mother have come from you ....you are the best, and we miss you lots.

Love your daughter...

Nomad

Experiments with the Truth or If walking feels too slow you are living too fast...

2008-03-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ten years or so ago (who is counting anyway), when I was travelling in India , I got a tummy bug so bad, it was all I could do to hobble to the bathroom for the necessary, and to wobble out to the hall to pick up my plain rice and broth, all that I could stomach. Having been on the road for 8 months, staying at the most in one place for a week at a time, I was sick and tired of travelling.

I stayed holed up in that hotel room hiding and nursing myself better for more than a week. I could describe every feature of it in detail from the mustard colored carpet, the grey-white linen on the bed to the soft cool marble floor in the bath and the wet smell and sound of the never ceasing air conditioner, which I thanked my lucky stars for as it was as hot as hell. It was then, holed up in that hotel room hiding from India that I read all-in-one-go, Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography "My Story of Experiments with the Truth ", a dog eared and undoubtedly pirated copy bought from a dubious bookseller on a dusty street corner for a rupee or two.

One of the most important books I have ever read.

Gandhi presents us, by example of his daily existence, a conscious and thoughtful lifestyle that demonstrates the value of caring for ones self, by growing ones own food, weaving ones own cloth, cleaning ones own house, doing ones own laundry. A lawyer from a wealthy family living in a time where society dictated servants, Gandhi's communal and self sufficient existence sent out a clear and powerful message of change. I still remain impressed by the courage and strength of this singular man who succeeded by successfully challenging and changing the political status-quo with a massive peoples passive resistance, indeed his message is still with me.

The time and place and the powers at work reflected differently on his ideas then, than the things at work in our culture today, and but his ideas are no less relevant.

Does it seem to some of you in our day of the National Enquirer and Hollywood and Britney and consumer debt that some of us seem to be loosing our way? Floating soulless in the face of the fast material world, motivated to look outward towards images of increased social and financial status instead of inwards to our true value and sense of self? Gandhi's message of living thoughtfully and consciously, taking the time to pause for reflection and being self sufficient are all things that have always seemed to me to be things that restore our somewhat lost sense of self.

Slow down, take time to value yourself by caring for yourself and for others. What a simple and yet profoundly truthful message. Or is it?

So what is truth, is it fixed; or fluid and ever changing?
How does this or any truth connect with the context of daily reality?
Can we really have "Experiments with the Truth"?

It seems we have been having our own set of experiments in our household, as (anyone else?) seems when you are seven years old these things come into question, and it does take some thought and energy to figure out EXACTLY what the TRUTH really is.

Dear Son,

First....I wish you were old enough to read Gandhi.

I love you SO very much and I am watching you try to figure out how much to tell the truth and how much you can get away with 'fudge'. Even though you don't realize it you have a very odd expression in the very back of your eyes and around your mouth when you are "eating fudge'... so just like my Mom told me, and I will tell you, and you will tell your kids...here are some simple rules to help with the truth...

1)Your Mom always KNOWS when there is 'fudge' around...

2)Contrary to Gandhi the context of our family is not in flux and the TRUTH is not so very fluid.

3)The TRUTH is simply the truth, it IS ONLY ONE THING, it does not change depending on who is hearing it, and it certainly will not change no matter how much you want it to.

4)If you tell a lie you will get into double the trouble than if you tell us the truth.

5)When you ALWAYS tell the truth people feel like they can trust you, no one ever disbelieves you, you will be seen as a good honest person, someone to be relied upon... and that just feels good.

6)Telling the truth is simple, you will never get caught, and you never have to try to remember where you left the "fudge"....trust me it is much easier...

7)I will do the very best job I can to help you learn this very simple but ever so important TRUTH about life... because I love you...more than anything.

8)And because contrary to popular opinion...I REALLY don't like "fudge"...

Love you forever, Your Mom.

Beyond Amazing...

2008-03-25T14:33:00.001-07:00

...I have been spending every night, AND ever single moment that I have with VINCENT...I can't stop thinking about him...and shhh... TBG does not even mind, (He is pretty open about things like that) ... You can too, if you check him out here...

As soon as I found out a few weeks ago that almost all of the letters written by Vincent Van Gogh to his utterly devoted younger brother Theo had been preserved and were available to read, I could think of little else. Three volumes of intimate letters full of the detail of his life and the development of his artistic talent from nothing to the genius of his later years, a collection of letters guarded and treasured by his family and left unpublished until his fame was established and his life and work better understood, a collection of letters spanning 13 years or so and covering his travels all over Europe, what a treasure.

Can you tell I am feeling a little obsessed?

Not only is his story a good and particularly interesting one, but as social commentary of the day, it is also of particular interest to me as the chronicle of a developing artist. In the beinning Van Gogh is essentially is self taught and he speaks at length about the deveolpment of his ideas and his techniques ...so far it has been amazing and I must confess I am having difficulty putting it down... (I am sure you are all yawning by now...)

The Van Gogh Museum itself was beyond fabulous, with over 200 original works it was even better than I could have ever expected... the paintings are larger than life and there are no words to describe the beauty of the colors in their luminescence.

It was heaven, the kids, having read all of our books together, were completely aware of what we were looking at and were reverent (well almost reverent...LOL), and spent about an hour drawing while we were there...they are SO cool those two kids...

Here are some of my favorites ...

*Sigh*...Are they not just gorgeous? (Feeling SO inspired...)

*I want to paint JUST like that...*

You can check out more of his work here...

And did I mention that that the canals were divine...?

2008-03-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

If you click on the collage you can see the photos larger...*just sayin...*

It was very cool to wander amongst them with the kids, and we even took the obligatory canal cruise, which though touristy and tacky was pretty super, since it provides you with a pretty unique view, not only of all the cool architecture, but under the bridges with their centuries old moorings, and along side all manner of funky and traditional houseboats...

Now THAT would be a neat way to live...

*Hmmmm*

!!?!!

Did I mention that we saw lots of bikes...

2008-03-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

BUT... my VERY favorite would have to be this one...

Shhhh...Don't tell Mathilde...

It was Fabulous...sigh

2008-03-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Just a few impressions to give you a sense of our week in Amsterdam...croissants and Dutch hot chocolate beside the flower market...um mm yum...

Stately sculpture canal side...
Dramatic skies over canals and windy blustery weather with blinding gaps of sunshine, and splashes of rain about every 20 minutes or so...but never enough to be a true bother...just enough for us to be always with our umbrellas...
Bicycles....
And even more bicycles...
Canals everywhere...simply wonderful...we fell in love with her...Lady Amsterdam that is...
Walking and exploring hand in hand...

*Hmmm*...super

Well just to get your buds ready for more...tomorrow...

Ixtradam...Ampstradam

2008-03-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

Well I hope by the time we get back the kids can say it properly...

I won't promise anything, but I hope to write lots and show you all our fab photos when we get back!!

(I will say hello to Van Gogh for you!)

See you next week (next Friday or the weekend!)

Pack...*Ugh*...Pack...*Ugh*

Blog...

:-) *Sigh*

A Letter to LILY...

2008-03-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Lily,

You were home sick with me today, and we had a very quiet day.
You had a hotspot on your cheek and a very runny nose.

It was nice even though you slept right through the afternoon and I had to miss a friends birthday lunch. More important you sleep right?

Have I told you lately how much I love you and how sweet you are even when you have a drippy nose? You are such a good and co-operative kid, and you are SO industrious. You even wore your hat inside all day today and your slippers since you are not feeling well. Today while I was working on this drawing, you left your "Petite Ours" video to check in with me, just to chat. So Sweet.

While you were with me we decided you could try my charcoals too,

....and you loved how BLACK they "colour".

...You found that fascinating.

You also found it very interesting what happened to your hands and face...

Ha....VERY interesting!

Hope you feel better soon Lily!!

Love and kisses,
Your Mom XOX

On a completely unrealted topic...

2008-03-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hmmm....

Ok I have heard of the Veggie tales, which are SUPER, if you have kids and love silly songs and goofy vegetable computer animated cartoon characters singing jazzy music, with a bit of a good christian twist...

But my MOM just turned me on to this...the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra....and you can even hear them here...

Apparently they MAKE THEIR INSTRUMENTS OUT OF VEGETABLES...before the show, and then...THEY MAKE SOUP FOR THE AUDIENCE AND ORCHESTRA after the show....

*Freaky* !!!

Oh BOY.... we HAVE to see them....!!

A very special trip, a very special place and a very special person...

2008-03-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Ahh... I LOVE it...

*Sigh*

Kicked back at the end of the day...all is quiet, the kids are fed, homework, extra french lesson and piano practice is done, lunches are made for tomorrow, breakfast organized, and the kids are all tucked in their beds with warm hearts (hot water bottles shaped like hearts... so very sweet) tucked in between their tender little feet. Now it is time for a little bit of ME time, to catch up with you all and AHHHHH.....do a little writing and posting.

*What a pleasure*

Hi there, how was your day anyhow? I sure hope it was super and...have I said lately how very nice it is to see you here? Thanks SO much for dropping by...

On the weekend I spent endless hours searching for this ...so we could really have an authentic experience, and today I spent an hour downtown buying tickets for this...

(High speed Deutsche Bahn Train) (Gosh we LOVE that...!)

Because over the Easter break we hope to go here ...

(Amsterdam)

So we can pay a visit to this...

(A very special museum dedicated to a very special person)

So we can learn lots more about this very special person...

(Vincent Van Gogh)

And where we will be soooo privileged to see lots of these

(Paintings chronicling Van Gogh's life like this one of his bedroom at Arles in the south of France)

We have already bought and are reading 3 of these

(Books for kids about Van Gogh)...

...and we are SO EXCITED!!!

Looking on the bright side of life...

2008-03-02T12:44:00.000-08:00

I am reading this book right now, "How We Choose to be Happy" a book that challenges much of the unconscious modus operandi by which we conduct our lives. So far the main premise of the book is that we are in complete control, and that happiness is a conscious choice.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not miserable right now or in dire need of happiness, I think I have my fair share, it is just that as normal, I am interested in the human condition, and if it is going to make life EVEN rosier, hey, why not?

And then there is a 21 day no complaint campaign, you can read all about it here, I am not sure I could do it... but is this a Happiness revolution going on here or what?

Now I do not know about you, but is it just me or are 7 year old boys really grumpy? Is it just the age, is it just the kid...or is it me, or is it just a universal truth?

So with all this self empowering happiness talk going on, I decided to take things into my own hands, and this morning when the whining reached a certain decibel level (forgetting about certain expletives contained therein) I began to whistle a certain tune...

Some things in life are bad, They can really make you mad

Other things just make you swear and curse.

When you're chewing on life's gristle, Don't grumble, give a whistle

And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the light side of life...

If life seems jolly rotten, There's something you've forgotten,

And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.

When you're feeling in the dumps, Don't be silly chumps,

Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

And...always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the light side of life...

For life is quite absurd, And death's the final word

You must always face the curtain with a bow.

Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin, Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.

So always look on the bright side of death, Just before you draw your terminal breath

Life's a piece of shit, when you look at it, Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.

You'll see it's all a show, keep 'em laughing as you go,

Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

And always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the right side of life...

Always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the bright side of life...

View it here... I just love it, and maybe not such bad advice after all eh?

*Whistling*...Always look on the bright side of life...

So now I have 2 little kids singing over and over again at the top of their lungs..

Life's a piece of SH*T, when you look at it..

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE!!!

*Well... looking on the bright side it is better than whining no?*

Second utter/absolute favorite MOMENT-OF-THE-DAY

2008-02-25T09:59:00.000-08:00

HEADING UP THE SLOPES TO TEAR APART SOME SNOW WITH TBG...HIM ON HIS BOARD AND ME ON MY GIRLIE-SKIIS...

(HE LOOKS PRETTY COOL DOESN'T HE!)

THE ONLY THING MISSING IS THE SOUND TRACK OF US BOTH SCREAMING WEEEEEHHHHOOOOOO!!...ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM...

UTMOST FAVORITE moment-of-the-day

2008-02-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

The Villa we rented, it turns out, was a little outside of town.

Hmmm... we were a little worried...out of town, no car, little kids and skiing gear...

Google earth is so very cool and of course we DID Google it before going, to see..OK exactly where ARE we going....and exactly how far out of town will we be...so we were able to confirm that Ferienhaus Hinterholzer lay about 1 km from the village and the ski hill. Ok on an adult agenda that sits just fine but with 2 little kids, 4 little sets of (tired) legs and skis ...hmmm...could be disastrous...

What we could not see on Google earth was that the villa flanked a beautiful, calm and peaceful valley, with a pristine steepled village on one side and a breathtaking slab of rocky Alp jutting up on the other, and rolling toboggan hills on the third. Although a km or so from the slope what we also couldn't see on Google earth was the sweet honey perfect length of meticulously groomed wide wide cross country ski and alpine walking trail, covered with firmly packed soft *crunchy* pristine snow, perfect for walking and even better for this...

Yep...pulling little kids on sleds.
Unbeknownst to us we could rent them with our skis, and rent them we did...too cool.

We arose everyday an hour earlier in order to make the 40 minute walk to the hill with the kids in tow. I am not sure if it was...

...the perfect mountain stillness ...

...or the spotless glistening snow,

...the snowflakes so large and perfect they sparkled and blinded like like diamonds,

....the glorious sunshine and clear, clear blue sky EVERY DAY,

...the absolute and complete satisfaction of the children at being towed in unison by their GPA and Daddy, ...just the simple glorious mountain air,

...or being surrounded by incredibly majestic snow capped peaks of rocky Alp the entire way

...or the fact that we had GPA with us the whole time and we ALL were SO happy about that...

that seared this part of our journey indelibly in my brain, as the my UTMOST FAVORITE moment-of-the-day ....or not.

But it sure did...

More to come tomorrow...

Austria; In the beginning

2008-02-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

The morning after we arrived found us bathed in bright sunlight in a large expanse of snowy valley surrounded by the Austrian Alps. Just beautiful and amazingly balmy and warm at between plus 5 and 10 degrees C all week. This is the view from our window.

The apartment in the villa we had rented proved to be most satisfactory and an excellent value at 640 E per week. Check out the rental site her at Abritel where you can find tons of super villa rentals all over Europe (You too can be an "Unlikely Nomad"!) We walked the several hundred metres to the ski hill and got the kids and ourselves all kitted out for our first foray into skiing in Austria... and the kids first foray into skiing...period! Things proved to be a bit wobbly at first but ...

With the help of GPA

....and Daddy (hey, I was driving the camera!) , and ...after a few wipe outs (Riel claimed at one point to have had to dig snow out of his nostrils) and with great enthusiasm ...both kids were zooming in no time! The local "Bobo" park or ski school for kids ran 10 to 3:30 with a break for lunch which mean that with Lily comfortable skiing in the mornings I could head up the mountain with TBG for a little adult skiing. What a treat!! I would have to say the conditions were simply super. Perfect!

...More to come tomorrow!

Who are you?

2008-02-22T13:01:00.001-08:00

I LOVE looking at this map...it makes me wonder who you all are way off in the far reaching corners of the world...if you feel like it...who are you? If you click on the globe map on the sidebar and then click "Map with smaller clusters" you will be able to see approximate viewer locations...too cool...

:-)

The beginning of the Journey, Austria here we come!

2008-02-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

The train station, one of the cool HABA games-in-a-tin we play on the road, Riel and TBG peering back at us from in betwixt their seats, the oh-my-goodness-are-we-really-going-that-fast train speed of the super efficient German train service, slogging bags...thank goodness for strong 7 year olds...looking at the scenery change and rush by (our favourite thing about taking the train) and LOOK...Guess who we discovered at the Munich train station!!! And finally arriving a mountain from our destination...

Weeewww hoooo!!!!

PS..Is this collage not THE coolest thing...if you click on the collage the it will enlarge so you can get a better look!

Coff

2008-02-20T10:39:00.001-08:00

We had a fab time, it was so great to see Gpa.

I know I promised pics... but I am so sorry sick...

*Coff coff*... *HACK* ...sniffle snork...*

Gosh I make an awful sick person...

*BLOOOOOW*

Ughhhh. Catch ya soon...I will deliver I promise...

*Achoooo...*

Ski Naked...

2008-02-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

I hope I will be doing this next week, (OMG who am I kidding!!!)...and no...that is not me in the picture...Egads would that not be SOOooooo cold? Brr I get goose bumps thinking of it...and well YEAH I AM kidding...

* I would NEVER wear a maroon bikini like that...that color looks atrocious on me...*

*ahem*

I hope a scene that looks like this will be the one that greets us.

MMMmmmm... I see raclette and fondue and lots of red wine in my future...
Austria here we come...!

The kids will both be skiing for the first time ...can't wait it will be SO fun... so check back in next after next week-sure to be some good pics!!

and SHHHH!!!!...

Don't tell anyone but Grandpa Canada is flying over tonight to meet us in Munich tomorrow at the train station to spend the week with us ...and the kids don't know!!

Watch out...*barrelling down slope*... Hang TEN!!

*Ooops is that surfing??*

Hannover's Ghost

2008-02-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

I know... I know ...I am SOOO long overdue to post it is silly...

This week I had a little bit of time on my hands...

*What you say!? Time on your hands and you were not writing to/for US!!...*

*Sheesh*

I know and I AM so sorry, well what with getting back into the swing of things and Little Miss Lily was home sick with me for a week thought she seems to be on the mend...for now anyway and runny nose not withstanding...

I am long overdue to show you all a little bit of Hannover and as I was saying I had a little time on my hands so I took the (new) camera into town and snapped a few...

I felt like a bit of a ghost wandering around the old town, as I often do when looking at centuries old architecture...wondering who has trodden the same paths...on which errands, and to meet whom...to pick up which food to cook late on which steaming pots, to visit which milleners and dress or shoe makers and to titter about which gossip...

I think I even looked a bit like a ghost...*Have a look*...

So after dropping the kids off at school I wandered downtown and had a little treat, a coffee here,

and then meandered through the old town area

past the Market Church... here...

...And then really for the first time since we have arrived, I kind of meandered a bit, mapless which, since I am SO directionally challenged, is always a bit nerve wracking (and I suppose since I am so Nomadic a little astounding that I have not actually gotten pemanently lost...) anyway I digress....

The old buildings are beautiful, sort of remind me of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and border on kind of a Glaswegian style of architecture...guess we are not really ALL that far from Scotland after all. So then I meandered down a few allies, discovered a very old church... and town square... that I had so far completely missed, I always love unexpected discoveries...

In this photo of the town sqaure you may notice some very modern sculpture in the thick of all this medieval architecture. Hannover is just sort of like that, due to the extensive damage sustained during the war large sections of it have been rebuilt and there is more modern sculpture here than in any other place I have ever visited...sort of cool...

Thinking I needed to get back to the school soon to pick up the kids I doubled back and ...... and wound my way along the river.

As I turned the corner to back track, the sky put on a particularly dramatic show of gusty clouds back lit with brilliant sun which allowed me to get these two great shots, one of a bronze stature the soldier and his horse, an homage presumably to the first world war and the second shot ... ...of the river Leine.

Not bad huh!!

Think back to Mid December...Christmas cookies...and then some...

2008-01-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

We are a little Goo-Goo in the Gaa-Gaa over here about Christmas cookies and I have to say of all the the years of Christmas cooky-ing I have ever done in my life this year topped them all.

First we did a "Cookie-Factory" with Riel's class, myself and some other parents assisted the grade 2 class in baking well over 150 dozen cookies to sell in a cookie booth at the schools annual Christmas celebration. The children raised over 250Euros!

Then we did a gingerbread cookie event in Lily's class and the kids all made gigantic gingerbread shapes decorated with raisins. Another very fun and very concentrated cookie event.

THEN we did several gingerbread events at our home with various family and friends including a gingerbread house with Gma and Gpa at Xmas which was DE-LISH-US I might add (I am such a sucker for anything that involves flour, butter sugar and CANDY) Gosh and I wonder where my kids get it from...

And last but not least, we did painted shortbreads ...well, just because we needed to make MORE cookies and since you all know that I am sort of subtle like that and I like everything to be kinda understated and also because I saw them over at Pioneer Woman Cooks and well she is pretty much one of my heroes theses days...

So we started off with mixing the egg yolk paints, and I love to use cupcake tins for theses sort of ~~(messy)~~ projects, keep all the goo in one place you understand...
We already had the dough made up, so just softened it for a few secs in the M-wave, and then got painting...it all looks pretty serious...not to mention WAY fun... And not too mention way COLORFUL!!! I particularly love the purple and green angel from where-I-know-not...The troops sampling the booty!! Way to go kids!!
Yumm!!! Yep another uber-successful Christmas cookie year!!

Preparing for Christmas; Buche Noel with Riel in 3 languages!

2008-01-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

This is what we are aiming for...we made it last year check it out here...and it sure was YUMMY!!! So ...lets see what we end up with...
First we separate the eggs, you know separating eggs is a pretty ~~(yucky)~~ delicate affair if you think about it. So after a little trial and error we got the job done.
Then to measure all the dry ingredients, with a scale and in grams since the recipe is European,
ooh la la...

Then we prepare the pans to bake the genoise (the cakey layer that will be the roll, like in a jelly roll ) for the buche. The we put down backpapiere (German); waxed paper (English); papier de cuisson (French) (we are multi cultural here these days) to make the genoise easy to remove from the baking sheet.
Once we have the genoise cooked we remove it from the waxed paper and then roll it while still warm in a tea towel, let it cool a bit to take a rolled shape, then brush it with a sugar syrup.

Then we layer it with the yummy filling mixture, cream, white chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries...slice it up a bit and arrange it to look log-like and cover it with a yummy white chocolate icing applied to look like bark...really!!!

Delish!!

The finished result and the happy and VERY TALENTED chef!!! Good work Riel!

Bon Appetit!!

Guten Appetite!!

Dig in Everyone!!

Some images of the relief work sculpted on the great doors entering into the Kolner Dome

2008-01-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Still catching up...A gift to us all and a visit to the Kolner Dome...

2008-01-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

Finally the day had arrived for us to depart on our tour of the wine region of the Moselle valley in the south Eastern end of Germany, a few hundred kms for our home near Hannover. On route we planned to spend a few days in Cologne (Koln) to explore the Roman museum there and to pay a visit to the famous Kolner Dome.

Situated on the banks of the Rhine river the Dome it is known for its beauty and also as the largest and most impressive cathedral in Europe. At one point in time it was the tallest building in the world. We stayed about 9 kms down river and we could almost see it from there! Having had an unforgettable experience exploring the Duomo in Milan we were most excited to finally get to see the Dome. Check out the city today here.

Cologne, which means "colony", has been an important city since its founding in approximately 50 AD. Two-hundred-fifty years later, as the capital of the Roman province of Germania, "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", as the city was then known, had a population of 300,000 - about one-third its present size. In Medieval times the city flourished as a center of transportation, trade, education - and religion. An important centre for trade and commerce in the 20th century also meant that it was a target of the allies during the war. It is astonishing that it was not destroyed...

A post air raid photograph.

Finally we arrived in the centre ready to see the dome. The approach up the steps towards the Dome.

We admire the ornate exterior with its soaring Gothic columns and detailed tracery and statuary...

...and as we move inside we felt dwarfed and awed by its towering columns...and hushed interior...

and its soaring vaulted ceiling...as well as the massive pipe organ...

*Boy we feel small*...

*And LOUD* ...

*ShhhhhHHH!!*

Lily and her Dad lighting a candle and having a moment of quiet reflection while leaving a donation for someone less fortunate.

After visiting the treasury stories under the cathedral floor, which among other gilded treasures contain the remains of the three Magi of Christmas story fame, read about it here, and having our minds completely blown away by all of that, we trudged some 500 odd steps up the ~~(claustrophobic)~~ tiny tiny spiral turret en route to the roof... *puff...puff...puff...*

...to peek in at the bell tower halfway up for a breather and to look at the immense bell, the largest free swinging church bell in the world weighing in at a hefty 24,000 kg. One can get an idea of the size by the figure to the right of the photo as well as the gentleman doing maintenance above the bell. The bell was smooth and thick cool brass, and we could not help but wonder about it's sound and fervently hope it was not due to ring anytime in the too near future, as well ponder its manufacture in the day when every scrap of metal would have been melted and forged in a wood or coal fire. We could also not help but speculate as to the degree of engineering involved in its installation hundreds of feet above the church below. Wow.

The kids made it ALL the way up, it was quite a feat, and though we all (read I...) felt a little ~~(panickstricken)~~ vertigo especially as the last little bit involved ascending a rather rickety wrought iron staircase suspended up middle up the final windswept turret some ~~(several kilometers)~~ 100 metres up in the air....(almost as bad as the "dining naked in the high school cafeteria dream") *Shudder*... but we all made it....

Riel enjoying the view...

Needless to say the view was spectacular, and made the climb well worth the effort though the degree of the graffiti was a little astonishing. Seems folks port up their own little bottle of white- out all the way up those stairs to leave their mark on the centuries old hand carved stones.

A gorgeous view of the Rhine river and some of the town far far below.

What an amazing gift for us all.

Some catching up to do...Our trip to Koln (Cologne)

2008-01-03T09:02:00.001-08:00

The Beauty of a GPS or global positioning system is that where ever you are, you actually KNOW where you are...so if you see something interesting off in the distance, you can actually identify it, find it and get to it!! So as we were making our way the 500 or so odd kms. to Cologne we saw this, way way off in the distance granted in this photo it is about 100 years ago, but astonishingly it still did look pretty much like this...

So we took this path, on such a gorgeous afternoon and walked way, way, WAY up, until my legs were thanking my behind for sitting down and finally taking a load off when we arrived at the top!!
This enormous monument is called Kaiser Wilhelm Denkmal which is also known as the Ports Westfalica marking the border of Westfalia. You can read more about it here.

Schneekonigan"

2007-12-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to see "Schneekonigin" or the Snow Queen, and of course being the cultural boob that I am I was completely unsure of what exactly we were going to see .

*Will it be a play??*

*Will it be theater??*

*Will it be opera???*

I had no idea...turns out the Snow Queen is a ballet.

The story goes something like this; A young girl has a playmate with whom she cavorts and plays through the seasons until the ice queen snatches away the young boys heart and carries him off... far far off, up to the frozen north . The young girl plaintively searches everywhere for her playmate all the while dancing through spring, through summer, and then through fall . Her journey causes her to cross paths with common village folk harvesting in the fields,and entire troupe of gold digging dwarfs, a troll, a flock of ravens or vultures (we were not quite sure) and a royal court including a gilded King and his queen. Finally she is reunited with her long lost playmate, she overcomes the icy queen with her sweetness, rapidly melts her playmates iced over heart and they dance off into the distance.

I must describe to you the opening scene with the ice queen. It was quite magical.

The stage is dark when suddenly the images of snowflakes begin to fall slowly at first and then furiously-flying and flurrying projected onto the frosty front silk screen separating the dancers from the audience. The stage is dark except for the whirling snow, and silent except for a low and threatening roll of drums.

The screen slides silently up and the lights intensify to reveal a bright and shining pillar in the center of the stage. The pillar is very very tall and swathed in mounds of glittering shining silk which is wrapped and spun around and around in a great spiral down from the magnificent head and shoulders of the regal Snow Queen. As the drums increase her gown shimmers and the flecked shards of green ice and silvery blue snowflakes painted there flutter in the air.

The Snow Queen cuts a statuesque and imposing figure with silver tumbling waist length hair, she is enveloped in a sea of underwater green light and her arms are writhing in satiny green gloves. Slowly the fabric at the feet of the ice queen begins to stir and the ice fairies who hidden there begin to emerge swathed in white. The fairies with glittering tulle skirts and sparkling crowns slowly begin to move their twinkling feet and softly sway the snowflakes that rest lightly at the tips of their silver wands as they begin to swirl and twirl at the feet of the ice queen. The music increases and the fairies continue their dance spinning and twirling the great frosted silk skirt of the Snow Queen until it is a frothing and billowing pool of cold spinning silk...,

As we slowly let out our pent up breath the show begins... *sigh*

The moment Lily laid her sweet 4 year old eyes on those ballerinas she turned reverently to me with her great big brown eyes reflecting the lustre of the Snow Queen and the fairies on the stage and said breathlessly to me...

*Mommy...I will be a Ballerina when I grow up big...okay Mommy??*

*Sweet!*

Emerging from the shortbread vortex...

2007-12-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

We are slowly beginning to emerge from the shortbread vortex, the shortbread vortex inter-galactically mixed with gingerbread, and Christmas pudding, with lemon sauce and Hagen Daaz ice cream...and Baily's and Cointreau , and turkey and ham with honey glaze and torteire and Buche Noel and chocolate-mixed-with-chili-peppers-and-mango, and chocolate cake shaped like a Christmas tree, and chocolate Santa's and ...

Ooooh my achin' tummy...

*Bulge*

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween.

School activities… school activities… school activities… school activities…
Pick kids up…drop them off……
School activities…
Pick kids up…drop them off…
Shop!
Pick kids up…drop them off…
Shop!
Pick kids up…drop them off…
Sew…Sew…Sew…
Pick kids up…drop them off…
Shop!!
Pick kids up…drop them off…
Bake… bake…Sew…
Pick kids up…drop them off…
Shop… wrap… wrap… cart… cart…
Pick kids up…drop them off…
Breathe…Breathe…OMG almost done…
Pick kids up…drop them off…
Cook… Cook… Cook…*ooh ma achin’ back*…
Pick kids up…drop them off…

Attend the Nussnacker (that is Nutcracker in German)

Silence….

*Music begins*

And now it is Christmas Eve… I almost can’t believe I made it.That

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse,

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

The candles were lit, the fire was stoked, our bellies are full of delicious tortiere, Grand fathers recipe, and now the children are tucked snugly into their beds.

Grandma and Grandpa have arrived on Wednesday, and we’ve had a lovely visit. It is wonderful to have him here for all of us... but especially for the children.

We are So Lucky!!

So now all that is left to do is wait for Santa Claus and enjoy!!

Happy holidays everyone, I wish you all much peace and love and happiness!

See you in 2008!!

Once there was a "Little Red Boat"....

2007-11-13T04:40:00.001-08:00

Riel and his Dad have been working very hard at a new project...

The happy kid(s)...

Off we go!!!

Hmmm.... REALLY gotta concentrate...

zoom...

And ZOOOOMMMMM...!!!

I know I promised some pics

2007-10-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

I know I have been promising some pics of our area for some time now, and here are a few.

The kids Grandparents were here last week and we took them to see this castle. It is very pretty with a wonderfully restored interior, and pretty grounds.

Here we are at the interior gate in the courtyard.

This is a lovely old windmill very near to our house, it is gorgeous and completely fabricated out of wood which has been faded to a soft silver grey by the centuries of northern German rains.

I love the shape of it with its peaked slate cap, and was surprised to see that there are many similar to this around where we live.

I always associated windmills with Holland...No?

An ok start?

Bach and Sushi...Date night with Riel

2007-10-20T11:52:00.001-07:00

Riel has a great friend at school who shares lots of his interests. His parents share our philosophy of exposing their kids to lots of interesting and stimulating stuff, much like we do.

Dee , Sam's mom suggested we take the two boys into Hannover to a Bach concert in a beautiful old church, and I suggested we go for sushi before hand...so there it was ...Bach and Sushi...

We decided to take the train into town , more fun that way especially since we can walk the several blocks from our house to the train station, and it was a lovely balmy day.

The kids and I love the bright red colour of the train as it snakes its way through the green country side. We proceeded inside and took our seats, the commuter trains are super plush and very clean.

I love it. An image of the hills and farm land near where we live, we have lots of windmills around us though I see I did not capture them in this shot...they are so cool, and I love how many of them there are here.

Why don't we have them at home?

Riel on a stair case in the Hauptbanhoff (Main train station) at the centre of Hannover, posing with the girl holding the chocolate bar...

And the boys all giddy and excited out side the church before the concert... (Imagine??!!)

The concert was wonderful. Though we were expecting the emotional and petulant strains of a centuries old great pipe organ we were treated instead to the wafting melodies of a children's choir singing funerary music...We were enchanted none the less...

Niki Saint Phalle

2007-10-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

In Hannover we have more sculpture than you can shake a stick at. There are sculptures EVERYWHERE. Some of it I get... and some of it I do not.

Nonetheless all very interesting and thought provoking, and refreshing I find that the city of Hannover has invested so much in supporting sculpture artists. There is an wonderful installation in the centre of town called "Die Nanas" created by Niki Saint Phalle, and here it is...

I love the form of these figures, the colour and the movement as well as the exuberant femininity of them. Nikki celebrates the female form in a fabulous way. Apparently she went on to design and execute another series of female figures dubbed the "Skinnies"

In the largest and most prestigious formal garden in Hannover, the Herrenhausen Gardens (translated to Men's House Garden incidentally) Gardens Nikki has created a sculpture grotto in the interior of a traditional stone 17th century garden building. Entering the Grotto is truly an otherworldly experience, as the artists vision completely envelopes you with shimmering light. The interior is paved with multi textured mirrors and dotted with more colorful figures...She plays with light and incorporates reflections of exterior landscape features. You can find some background information here about her here is her biography, and also a great site about a sculpture garden in Italy called the Tarot garden.

At the The Sprengel Museum (Hannover's museum of modern art) she has built a fibre glass Nana that is hollow and as a shelter and very accessible structure for kids and adults to experience. The kids loved it as not only could they go in and out of it, touch it and be right up close to it but the thing echos. Truly cool.

Way too cool....

Maitrand Bertrand

2007-09-21T03:50:00.000-07:00

This is Maitrand Bertrand.

He is an egg timer, and as you can see... we only have 5 Minutes left!!!

He is one version of all the very cool and funky kitchen gadgets that can be had here in Germany. He and I decided to get busy yesterday.

Ever since I was really small and living on our farm in southwestern Ontario I have wonderful memories of my mother making preservers in our kitchen with her stainless steel pots with their bake-a-lite handles and all the produce from our garden. I have always wanted to do this and even thought I love to cook and bake all kinds of food I always thought the prospect of "canning" seemed a little to daunting to even try...

Here in Germany we have several apple trees, and a white, black and red current bush that were loaded with fruit this fall ...so I figured I had to give it a try.

Here is a pot of red currants bubbling merrily away. In another pot I have the jars boiling, and I have some delicious apple juice waiting in the wings to be turned into apple jelly.

I France we had the delight of sampling a fruit jelly infused

with Rosemary and Thyme, which is delicious with fowl, pork or Foie Gras

so I was determined to give it a try. Fresh herbs from the garden...

Once the jelly had passed the freezer test,

(jells on a freezer cold plate)

I poured the jelly into the bottles in which I had previously placed sprigs of herbs.

Then I re steamed the jars to be sure they were sterile,

Maitrand Bertrand surveys the results...Looks pretty good no??

*salivating*

Lily's 1st Bike!!

2007-09-20T04:49:00.000-07:00

Hey!!! What is this!!!!

Whoa, just a little wobbly! Hang on Dad!!

Oops, a little spill...gee it does not look this hard...Awww I'm OK tho!!

Look at me GOOoooooo!!!

A Big Girls Birthday!!!

2007-09-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

I will take a little break from the Sweden photos which I will try to get more up loaded for you, but in the mean time we have celebrated Little Miss Lily's 4th Birthday ...*sigh* time flies.

We made her chocolate cake together since as even she will tell you ...She is "CRAZY" for chocolate...

She got pretty covered helping me sift and mix everything together...and had fun watching the mixer...fingers out though...and did a VERY thorough job greasing and flouring the pans in preparation for the batter.

After we had baked it I sliced it in preparation to ice.... Then a certain someone got to sample a tidbit of the trimmed off parts with some icing...yum. We iced the layers and ...oops dropped sumpin' on the floor Mommy....

Then we iced the sides, and got to choose which candies we wanted to decorate with....oooh, the REALLY fun part.... carefully placed them on the top, wiped hands clean and TA DAAAA!!!
The finished product...not bad for someone who is just 4 huh!!!

Yummy cake!!! After that we opened presents, and with the help of a new friend for Lily, "Tina Prima" (Ballerina).

Hmmmm...birthday cake SURE is good...

Tina Ballerina had ALOT to say for someone constucted out of some polar fleece and fluff, and even Ballerinas can suck their thumbs too y'know...

A big kiss for the birthday girl and then...phew...busy day....ZZZzzzzzzzz.....

Happy 4th Birthday Little Miss Lily!!! We love you!!!

More rock art

2007-07-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

These are some more examples of the rock art we found at various Bronze and Iron age sites on the South West coast of Sweden. Imagine over 3ooo years ago...we were so captivated by them, and found them to be so beautiful.

Several ships...

A deer or elk surrounded by dogs and sleds...

Some scholars suggest that the figure of a boat being carried by a single figure is symbolic of the spiritual journey of the soul to the after life. Riel was fascinated. WE had the site entirely to ourselves and since the art is so prolific, it is not covered and as you can see from the photo very accessible.

This one was a little more confusing and difficult to decipher but still so interesting...the carvings themselves were typically not coloured but have been painted for clarity and ease of viewing. In their original form they may have been coloured though usually are found in a watershed or sheet of runoff, and facing the sun, at the level of the sea at that time.

The round holes called Faery holes or cup holes were filled with fat as offerings early on to the gods and later on, up until early this century to the faeries of the woods...
My personal favorite... 7 children ; 4 boys (if you look closely...) and 3 girls playing ball with a "big"person...
Wow.

Ship Stones

2007-07-08T14:52:00.001-07:00

A viking burial site, we saw it as we drove by and had to stop, it looked so mysterious off in the distance. Upon closer examination, we found a series of rolling hummocks, not unlike Moguls.

We strolled around soaking up the air of the place.

The next day we went to a viking grave, the graves set up in a curious pattern like a ship, they call them Ship Stones...

The granite slabs were immense and we marvelled at their size and shape.
and wondered how many men it would have taken to position them like that...and how many were buried there...

Magic...

2007-07-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today we continued to wind our way northward along the east coast of Sweden almost to the Norwegian border to a small seaside community called Tanumshede, famous for it‘s proliferation of prehistoric 3000-5000 year old rock carvings. Even at these northern latitudes we found the weather, though a little wet and volatile, to be astonishingly warm with temperatures in the mid to low 20’s. The landscape and vegetation remind us very much of our own Canadian shield except with more dramatic variations in elevation, and since every one speaks almost flawless English, we are feeling quite at home.

As the GPS guided us expertly around bays, inlets and small fishing villages that characterize this coastal area, we chattered about what more exciting things we might discover on our days journey. We have enjoyed immensely the exploration we have done so far and have been fascinated to learn about Viking history and legend and are very excited to explore further.

Today sure was our lucky day.

The archaeological guide greeted us at the Vitlyke museum in Tanumshede with a blue-bristled long-handled broom and a slim black tube. Our group sped after him in his museum-mobile in a 4 car convoy across farmers fields, down little country lanes and then stopped abruptly in the middle of the brush. We all piled out and followed him on foot around several corners before entering a heavily carpeted evergreen forest, lush with ferns and fragrant with rich decay of centuries of fallen pine needles.

As we forged a path over the carpeted forest floor and through the light underbrush the guide began to explain that the Tanum plain is well known for it’s prolific Viking and bronze age burial sites that dot the country side as well as the 1000’s of bronze age rock carvings. Dial Viking civilization from 500-1500 AD back, around a 1000 years to be more precise, to 300-1800 BC you have early Scandinavian culture of the Bronze Age, where weavers, farmers, shepherds, fishermen and goatherds who lived a remarkably sophisticated lifestyle populated the area. At the time of the Bronze Age, the sea was 50 feet higher than it is today, so any rock carvings lie at least that high above the current sea level…

We began to climb.

We threaded our way along a ridge and began to descend through the forest and by two large mounds, burial mounds we were told, easily distinguished as being distinctly different than the surrounding topography.

We reached an open plateau with large expanses of granite smoothed by migrating glaciers. The guide set down the slim black tube and after locating areas where runoff water greased the rock he began to sweep away the debris from the trees above.

Slowly from underneath the grime of the decaying pine needles figures began to take shape, etched in the stone.

Warriors dancing with spears, children playing ball, multitudes of boats of varying sizes, animals, figures in mating rituals, men in chariots.

We were all completely spellbound.

Then he produced a large sheet of paper from his slim black tube and proceeded to position it over some of the more striking images and after securing it in place with some tape, he began to skim the surface with a sheet of carbon paper wrapped over the flat of his hand.
This is what happened next…

The figures began to appear on the rubbing with amazing clarity as the carbon focused their outlines. They changed from soft grey shapes hiding under the veil of granite to the dancing and menacing figures they were intended to be, performing their 3000 year old ceremonies on the paper right in front of us. The spell deepened, then he invited Riel to continue with the rubbing;

Riel reverently accepted the task.

As he continued the rubbing more figures began to appear and solidify, as if by magic, and the guide began to tell us stories about the figures and to describe to us the scene beside the rocks where we were, life, celebration, worship and death, to fill in the fuzzy details with gently lapping seawater replacing the coniferous forest in the valley in front if us, as far as we could see.

As he fixed the carbon on the rubbing with grass, it all became clear to us, the buzz of the conversations, the chink and sweep of the stone carvers as they worked in the watershed, the ceremonies, the hunts, the games and the mourning…

Life and death 3000 years ago…

Magic.

Water color

2007-07-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we traveled north up the west coast through Goteborg and visited a museum with the only surviving Viking ship in Sweden, then continued north along the coast to with the intent of visiting Tanumshade tomorrow, a site with prehistoric rock carvings. In our path along the fjords, islands and seaside lay a village called Skarhaven and it’s resident water color museum. Perfect.

When we were in Barcelona a few months ago my friend Oreneta and I and all of our collective children wandered across an artist supply shop. In it they were selling some very nifty watercolor sets that we were both quite taken with. In a small plastic packet not much larger than a decent billfold could be had a 24 or 48 color palette, a mixing tray and a paint brush. Just enough stuff to produce a bona fide watercolor painting; and something you can pack along in your pocket or purse.

Cool.

I must admit I was quite smitten, and even though I did not purchase anything at the time I did find one in Dijon before we left. When the kids sit down to do a craft I sometimes pull it out in between loads of laundry and trying to figure out what to cook for dinner and do a little doodling. So far I have produced a couple of decent portraits of them at work…seemed the most obvious and now I am thinking of trying to reproduce some of my favorite photos.
As soon as the kids saw the too cool packaging and had a chance to watch what I was doing they too were keen to give it a go, so I purchased Riel a bona fide set of watercolor paints, portable in a handy tin as well, with it’s own paint mixing tray, and brush. He loves it and has already produced some great paintings. He enjoys the variety of color and quickly becomes immersed in his work. Lily has started with watercolor pencils and enjoys painting the pictures she has already colored in with her pencils.

I have for some time, as some of you may know, been harboring a desire to paint and since the idea of painting in oil seems so intimidating this seemed like the most logical way to get my feet wet. The water color museum provided the perfect segue to explore the medium further both for myself and the kids.

The ultra modern museum building and attached award winning restaurant perched on the edge of a bay was encased in glass, with immense windows on every side exposing a series of elevated walkways which served to anchor the museum to surrounding mounds of weather worn rocks. Clinging to the rock some 100 feet away from the museum were several pods studios, for visiting and studying artists.

We had a fabulous lunch and savored the view and then spent some time clambering around the rocks admiring the sea before exploring the museum.

Heaven.

VIKINGS!!!!

2007-07-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

We made our way off the Ferry after a very relaxing 5 hours and found a great campsite right on the beach to spend the night. The moon was full and the breeze warm, it was great.
The next day…

Viking Festival….weew hoo!!

The village is called Skanor, with those two funny little dots above the O making it sound like I am not sure what, and then to the Foteviking Village where local enthusiasts have completely reconstructed and ancient Viking settlement.

A family enjoying the June sunshine…

A person can join this community of Vikings and come to live in the village for a week and learn all about the ways and lives of the Vikings. This last week was a Viking convention of sorts gathering Vikings enthusiasts from all over the Baltic area. Their festivities extended into the weekend with a Viking market attended by all sorts of very colorful, bearded, tressed and decorated folk. There was no shortage of interesting things to look at.

We even saw kid Vikings…

The market took place in the village, in amongst the huts of the settlement looking southward towards the sea off a cliff and the distant coast of Germany, with the villagers and visitors mingling together gossiping and bartering over their wares, very much I would imagine, the way it would have been a millennia ago. The market folk were all dressed in authentic costume made of homespun naturally dyed cloth with felted pointed hats, hand woven brightly colored woolen trim and dirty bare feet or laced up thongs. We saw metal workers who had forged intricate replicas of cloak pins in silver and bronze, chain mail, helmets, swords and daggers of every description, seamstresses, potters and wood workers hawking their wares.

An armorer repairing his suit of armor before donning it and inviting archers to shower him with arrows at virtually point blank range…

A sword fighting demonstration at which very real and seemingly dangerous blows were exchanged…

(*Authors note; The big guy in the white probably stood twice the size of the young lady in the red and yellow, but she whupped him by being lighter and smarter on her feet…l!!!)

Then we wandered over to a battle re-enactment and were most impressed with the warriors preparing for battle…
TBG-“Gee I think I have “Viking-envy“!!

Ready…Charge!!!
Amidst much carnal bellowing and thumping of swords on shields they did charge, much to the consternation of the children who just were not quite sure what EXACTLY was happening…
What a fun day!!!

The first leg...

2007-07-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

All of last week I spent getting organized to go. We needed to sort out and organize all of our paperwork for the car, register it in the new town in which we live, get new license plates, get the caravan certified, licensed and insured…all in German.

No matter where one goes red tape is a pain at best and Germany is no exception. It took me an entire week of running around to accomplish all of this and I kept having to remind myself that it is JUST as difficult in our own country. By and large we have found the locals to be more than kind, more than helpful and everything is done with a smile and more than a little good humor.

So VERY nice.

Bathing suits…check
Art pads…check
Food…check
Viking books…check
Guide books and maps…check…
Ferry tickets check…
Passports check…
Off we go!!!

The first leg of our journey took us 3 hours overland north from Hannover towards the sea and a little town called Rostock, indicated by the orange arrow at the BOTTOM the map. At Rostock we planned to catch a ferry which would carry us across the sea to the south coast of Sweden and a port town called Trellebourg, the orange arrow at the TOP of the map, where we would begin our journey through Sweden.

We spun along the autobahn passing rolling hills, rows of large red tipped windmills marching along and the occasional immense half timbered farmhouses while Porches and Audis zoomed past us at unnerving speeds. With the aid of our maps, the GPS system and by staying tucked tightly in the right lane we reached the Scandlines ferry terminal without incident.

We arrived early in time to line up and then have lunch in the caravan where the kids could do some activities and play a bit. Suddenly we realized that we needed to board the ferry shortly and scrambled to pack ourselves up, as the ferry had already docked and was ready to receive passengers.

We initially mistook the ferry for a building it was so gi-normous!!!

Into the belly we go…whoa!!!

For a 125E ticket for the entire family, car and living room on wheels included, we found the ferry to be quite posh with a decent restaurant, a casino, and a play place. With a deep rumble and a shudder that startled all of us, we were off, winding our way slowly out of the harbor pushing a wave of hungry seagulls in front.

As we passed through the harbor the ferry made the cars sitting on the wharf next to us look like dinky toys, it was so large and we were so high up. We had fun watching all the interesting industrial stuff that shipyards are made of pass by; loading cranes like salivating praying mantii poised to disembowel fully loaded logging barges, chew into gigantic windmill bits lying immobile side by side, and a digest a crowd of brightly colored marker buoys awaiting placement in the water like a bunch of frightened dwarfs.

During the crossing we had some stormy weather which afforded this photograph of the sky over the Dover-like coast of Denmark.

The kids enjoyed some popsicles, and we settled in to enjoy the first leg of our journey!!

Can't Wait!!

2007-06-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Off to Sweden!!!

2 weeks of exploring, photography, cool things with the kids (we plan to study Vikings), laying back and just plain old checking it out.

I have 5 objectives for our trip

1)Write everyday, (and hopefully post depending on Internet access)

2)Paint everyday,

3)Spend HOURS talking to TBG (since I don't see him much these days...)

4)Work on a scrapbook with Riel

5)Do lots of fun things with my kids...

So...let's see how we do ... Stay Tuned!!

Just a little Horn Tooting....

2007-06-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Behold our two fine young graduates!!!

I must say I AM most impressed with my kids, despite all the adversities that lay ahead of them they have managed to develop nice relationships with friends at school, they fell comfortable and at ease with the teachers, and got great report cards!!

Riel had his last day in Grade 1 today and did very well. We are SO proud of him, he has really made a big effort and it shows. With all of the challenges in front of him to learn the ropes in a new school, pick up the course material, adjust to the new schedule, and cope with a new set of kids, their cliques and a different set of cultural and social norms he has come through it all with grace and dignity. It has not been easy to switch the children in the middle of the school year and our main objective in the last three months has been to get everyone settled before we picked up any extra curricular activities, or language lessons. Next fall to start back with an instrument, continuation of French and a sport.

Here he is with his teacher. Bravo Riel!!

Lily had her last day of Pre Kindergarten today as well, and she too has adapted with amazing ease. She was able to part from me right at the very beginning with almost no difficulty, and really seems to enjoy her time at school. Her class performed 6 songs for us at the end of the morning today, one in particular in 4 languages; English, German, Swedish and French!!!

Here she is!! Congratulations and Bravo too Lily!!!

Summer days...

2007-06-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

The weather has been really changeable, one day hot and 30 degrees and then the next cold and sweatery, but this morning we awoke to bright sunshine and gorgeous blue skies. The garden has filled in nicely and we are enjoying it immensely.

The kids and I took Mathilde down town for an ice cream after supper. She was quite happy.

So were they!!

Spagettini Carbonara

2007-06-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Add all the ingredients, and SCRAPE out the bowl... Mix it all up REALLY well...
Add a little ground pepper...

Serve...
And enjoy!!!!
Mmmmmmm!!!

Mathilde...

2007-06-19T04:50:00.000-07:00

Oh joy oh bliss, I HAVE A NEW GERMAN FRIEND….!!!

I am SO tickled!!!

Her name is Mathilde, she a little bit older than I and a little bit greyer and more sedate than I, German now but with old English roots, she is robust in an earthy kind of way. She LOVES to travel and loves the outdoors as I do, dare I dream… have I found a fellow nomad?

We met in our small village around the time of my birthday, though I have not really seen much of her since, she is a local. I can’t WAIT to get to know her a little bit better, as she is very keen to explore the country side together.

I think about her alot, I keep wondering when we will next get to get together to go and do something fun.

If Mathilde weren’t a girl I would even say I am harbouring a little bit of a crush!!…

*Blush*

I just got back from a little jaunt to the village with her, down the brick lane, over and along the millstream, by the hollyhocks and past the Kloister to stop in by the market to pick up some local peaches and strawberries warm and fragrant with the June sun. She is really fun to be with, very easy going and we loitered over a coffee in the gentle breeze and then made our way back down the lane with some good hearty organic bread for lunch. She is quiet in a very thoughtful sort of way, and I feel as though she thinks much like I do.

I asked her if I could post a photo of her on my blog since we are getting along SO famously and being the good natured soul that she is she was delighted….
All my friends at home and in the blogaspere...Meet Mathilde…

Why you should never leave the kids home alone with dad!

2007-06-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

An early morning start to make sure we did not miss feeding time at DinoPark.

Just stand there and let me get a nice picture for G'ma and G'Pa

Everyone SMILE.....

Don"t worry, everything will be OK...just don't make any sudden moves Lily !!

Dad took us to DinoPark today...no lunch, no sunscreen, no drinks, dirty clothes, no snacks and no toilet breaks......NO MOM!

NAW!

Just playin' a little joke !!! We had a great time !!

Fruhlingsfest or SPRING FLING...

2007-06-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

The children's school has a fundraiser every year, called Fruhlingsfest or SPRING FLING.

There are games for the children, lots of interesting different foods and a silent auction.

The kids had a fabulous time bouncing in the bouncy castle, and as I watched them I could not help but think that this scene reminded me of my youth but only about 10 years later I think maybe with the "Clash" playing in the background...

They rode horses, we were impressed that they were both so brave...

and Riel worked in one of the food booths...the "CANDY" stand. Here I think he is receiving a little on the job training. He was so proud to be able to give candy out to the other children. Note the hat made especially for the occasion....

Lily had fun riding the train.

Riel got suited up to try his hand or shall we say tummy at some Sumo.

Ready....Steady...

SUMOooooo!!!!!

OOOOOOooooohhhh!!!!

Back by popular request...

2007-05-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

This is one of my FAVOURITE cake recipe, it is one I began to bake with my Mom when I was little, and it is the one I made for our going away party from Dijon.

It is delicious, and especially good layered with lemon curd and iced with butter crème icing.
This recipe will make a decent sized cake but I often double it and then do a big and little one to freeze to use later.
Here goes…

Bonnie Butter Cake
Heat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in the middle.
Prepare baking pans- rub with butter and the flour the interior, set aside.
Mix until white and creamy
2/3 cup of butter
1 ¼ cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla.
Measure into a large bowl and set aside
2 ¼ cups of all purpose flour OR 3 cups of cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
Measure and set aside
1 ¼ cups of milk
Add the flour and milk alternately to the butter mixture in 1/3rds and mix each addition until it is blended, then mix on medium high speed until it is smooth and velvety looking.
Pour into cake pans until 2/3rds full and bake until a pick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake bounces back when pressed…(Hey!!! I bounce back when I am pressed!!!) anywhere from 30-50 minutes depending on pans and oven. Let cool on rack then wrap tightly in a bag still in the pan and freeze.

Butter crème icing.
Separate
8 large eggs whites (reserve yolks for lemon curd).
Place in a heat proof bowl or top of larger double boiler and add
2 ½ cups of sugar
Heat and stir until mixture measures 170degrees F, remove from heat and mix well on high speed until the mixture is white and fluffy and stands in peaks, it will more then double in volume.
Fold in a lump at a time and mix until smooth and glossy.
3 cups of butter
¼ teaspoon of salt
The mixture will deflate a little after mixing in the better, reserve in fridge and beat again just before using. (This is also fabulous of you want to add cocoa, or white or dark chocolate (just melted) and can be also tinted with food coloring or flavoured with vanilla, almond etc.

Lemon Curd
Place in a sauce pan and cook on low heat while whisking until boiling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
16 egg yolks
2 cups of sugar
Zest of 4 lemons
1 cup of lemon juice
Remove from heat and add
1 ¼ cups of butter
¼ teaspoon salt
Sieve and discard solids, cool with plastic wrap covering to prevent a skin and reserve. The curd can be frozen for several weeks and thawed when ready to use.

TA DAAAA!!!!

The assembly.
Remove the frozen cakes from freezer and run pan under warm water to remove cake, let thaw only slightly. Slice into layers with a serrated knife, running the knife all the way around the cakes to mark you cutting lines, and then cut in about 1-2” all the way around,. Then slowly and carefully slice the rest of the way. If the cake breaks it can be used any way as the icing and curd act like glue. (I try to do several layers around ½ thick) The slicing process and icing process is greatly aided if you have a very thin sturdy plate or piece of metal to use to move the slices around which prevents the layers breaking. The bottom of a cheese cake tin or tart pan is ideal. Stack up the layers in their proper order and brush off the crumbs with a soft brush.
Lay down the first layer and spread lemon curd between and so on to the top. Wipe off excess. Then spread a 1st coat of icing to smooth the cake. Let it sit for a minute and then apply the last coat. I use a long straight spatula and run it under hot water to smooth it at the end which gives the cake a nice smooth finish. The cake can be frozen and taken out 12 hours before serving and can be decorated or garnished with fresh flowers.
Delicious!!!

Happy Birthday to MEEEEE!!!!

Settle

2007-05-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

The children are settling into a modicum of routine, and I am all for it. With all the upheaval and newness they are adapting really well but it is easy to forget that it is not only the adults who feel like fish out of water or (wasser Ha!, can you believe it - GERMAN!!!!!) but the kids too and in one sense perhaps we are better equiped to deal with the transition than they as they seem to feel their way through it while we can at least intellectualize our own adjustment.

On the whole everyone seems to be doing pretty good though there has been alot more yelling around here than there has been for a while and Lily for all her sweetness seems to be going through a bit of a bellowing stage...oooh my tender eardrums...seems I need to improve my ignoring skills.

Riel has been making noises about having a few boys over for play dates and even though we are nearer to the summer break I think it would be good for him to forge some alliances, now to muster up the time and the energy. We had a playdate with a friend from school tonight who is halfway between the two kids ages and in the end it all worked out ok with the three of them playing together but there was some struggling for a while about who plays with whom. And of course it is ALL very serious. I remember that though....

So finally I am turning my consciousness outside of the house and to our area and have started to look at the maps and guide books to figure out what is near and what we would like to see and explore. Seems there is lots to see so must get down to it and start planning. At the moment we hope to take the caravan to Scandanavia this summer for a few weeks but need to do some more research...We will make the pilgrimage back to Dijon this weekend to pick up the caravan...(figures our first road trip and it is back to France...). Not that I am done unpacking mind you but am at an impasse being both bored and fed up with it, so I will just make the rest of it invisible for a while to catch up with a bit of my life.

*Ahhhh..* Shedding the moving garb and pulling on those comfy NOMAD boots...

*BIG SMILE*

Lily

2007-05-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Lily did all these all by herself, she looks pretty proud of herself no?

Little Miss Lily was invited to a birthday party...so pretty!!

On the way to the party, she said to me a little pensively....

Mom, when we arrive at the party can you...leave?

*Sheesh* already?

Veggy Tales ...A New garden

2007-04-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hmmm the site...gee this looks good...?

Lift the tiles, the DECONSTRUCTION...always TBG's favorite part...

Plant some seeds early with Gma, Thanks for the help Gma!!!

Now to get down to the real thing...the planting ...

The finished product....not bad ..No?

A New Garden

2007-04-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Garden in Germany

Recycling the German way

2007-04-19T02:45:00.000-07:00

Paper, all types even tissue goes into a small clear bag.

Plastic in a small clear bag.

Compost all organic matter.

Some glass and plastic bottles must be returned at the store at which they were bought. Others, mainly big brand names like Coke and Sprite may be returned at any grocery store.Coke and Setc, apparently packaging can be returned to the vendor as well but I have yet to figure that out.

Any other non-recyclable glass can be deposited at a “green white or brown bin” to be picked up by the city.

Other actual bona fide “Garbage” (and now I am not even sure what that is anymore) is placed into a very small (about the size of our typical grocery bag) and expensive to buy (12E for a roll of about 10) garbage bag and left curbside.

We are down to one teeny tiny bag of actual “garbage” a week and I am told that even this is sorted through by recyclers.

*blinded by the light look*

First bits and bites...

2007-04-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Germany…First Impressions….

Green… so very Green. Half timbered…lots of SMILING people,

New favorite food obsession…sour cherries, everywhere… YUM.

Beer and lots of it, plus de-alcoholized for the just-a-half-beerers like me…(give me a glass of good wine…now THAT’S another story…)

Great grainy bread, and lots of yummy new yoghurt types to try.

LOT’S of cardboard boxe…no wait that is just at our house…

Beautiful windmills, very old ones and very Large white new ones.

A fabulous breeze that sweeps down the mountain next door that blows right through the house...

We met a helpful local soul in the grocery store today who had done a student exchange in Mississippi and was most anxious to practice his English, how very funny to hear a German y’alling me and the kids about juice boxes. LOL

More amazing high end cars than you can shake a stick mostly BMW’s, Mercedes lots of nice Audi’s and VW’s too…, and more bicycles than you can shake a stick at too...

First sounds at our new house…sheep bleating at 6 o’clock (coming in from pasture for supper maybe?) cloister bells ringing at 7:30 A.M, 9 A.M and noon plus 6 P.M…marking the work day…(how nice!!) and the tinkle of our fountain…soothing just like at home, and NO sounds at night AT ALL ‘cept the crickets. Bliss.

The kids had their first day of school today and it went so well I had to drag then away at the end of the day. Riel was very excited to introduce me to a few of his teachers at the end of the day and Lily managed to chat up a few of the teachers in the other kindergarten classes. I packed them up a special lunch so at least that would be familiar to them, and I must confess even though I knew I need not have worried, I did a bit. Had a bit of a scare too could not get the GPS to work on the way back to retrieve them at the end of the day and had images of my weeping children waiting forlornly for me. The sense of direction that always fails me in shopping malls served me just fine in open air however and I found the school in good time after all. Phew.

Home and "Home"

2007-04-15T02:37:00.000-07:00

While were in Canada the kids went to our local Montessori school for a week, and had a great time with out good friend who is the super gifted directrice there. The school is a dream, set in the heart of the hills with a horse farm on one side, and a forest and stream on the other. They and I love it and I hope it is where they will go when we return to Canada.

I was able to cram some quality time in with my good friends as well, a great dinner out with Trisha and another with friends from our old mothers group as well as some great visits. One thing I LOVE about our community at home in Canada is that we can just drop over for coffee. Speaking of coffee I could not resist a trip through drive through and a Tim Horton’s maple dip donut and a large-decaf-double-double (everyday…*blush*). Did I mention that I LOVE drive through? All in all though it was pretty great, pretty hectic and pretty tiring but really good to be back home.

My mom flew back with us and we had a smooth journey back to Germany or “home”. The day we arrived we were able to view the house and indeed it was finished and met our expectations in every way. While my Mom spent 3 days in our hotel room with the kids (bless her heart though she started to look a bit frazzled towards the end...), the movers and all our stuff arrived. The movers, who reminded me of a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the happy but bumbling 7 Dwarfs, spent two days traipsing boxes into our house then the unpacking and sorting began. I always hate this part as it seems that we have an overwhelming amount of stuff and that it will never ever fit, so consequently I spent about 36 hours cursing our North American appetite for possessions and alternately sulking as I was sure our new house was too small to fit everything (again). I become what an only be described as irascible and then begin to fantasize about my back packing days, when all I had I could carry on my back. The tension wanes however when everything starts to get tucked away and miraculously.
We decided to go all out and get it all done right away so have spent a spent the last week up until 2 A.M almost every night unpacking and assembling new IKEA stuff but have finally....

Run out of steam…

The last day in Dijon

2007-03-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

As the train sped towards Paris, by the green fields, rolling hills and old limestone farmhouses I wistfully admired the profound beauty of the French country side for the millionth time, while the children slept, Lily’s slumbering form on the seat beside me warm and comfortable under my scarf. I even dozed too, sneaking a peek now and then at Riel looking flushed and drooling under my trench while he slept on the seat across. We had stayed up until all hours celebrating and then…*grunt* finishing packing and everyone was bone tired. Even though we are not the ones actually filling the boxes, this event of moving house is still a monumental task of organization and preparation as we have been sorting and pitching for months…

So why so much stuff I ask myself…? Huh.

The movers arrived this morning at 8 A.M and the kids were still warm and sleepily tucked into their little beds. Our son was up in about two seconds with visions of MOVING TRUCKS in his head. He was sure he would be able to give the “boys” a hand and was intensely disappointed when we tried to explain why this might not be SO practical…

It was sort of surreal in fact wandering around Dijon today before we left thinking to ourselves ”Hmmm….homeless for a little while…feels sort of funny…Gee I sure hope the house is ready in Germany when we are…”

And knowing that we might be back in Dijon or we just might not…

We treated ourselves to the great breakfast of the Dijonnais, Pain Chocolat (Chocolate Croissants) and Chocolat Chaud (Hot Chocolate) at our favorite spots, mainly since we had gotten ejected out of the house so early even though it was blustery and cold. The kids spent their last few hours at regularly scheduled art and music classes while I wandered around appreciating the beauty of Dijon through fresh eyes wondering to myself why when we know we will soon loose something does it so suddenly increases in value?...

Note to self: File under lessons learned for future use.

More of Spain...

2007-03-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Strolling the streets of Barcelona...

The Goudi's Church Sagrada Familial under construction

A section of the ceiling of the cathedral...

The Tapas bar where we had a FEAST...*burp*

Journey to Spain

2007-03-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

The first evening we arrived after over-nighting on the sleeping car (couchette) from Dijon to the Spanish border, replete with double bunks, individual reading lights that can be switched on and off, on and off, ON AND OFF…many many times before Mommy or Daddy yell, upper and lower lime green sleeping bag jobbies and individual freshen up kits which included exactly one wipe, 2 breath mints and ear plugs (like that’s going to do it???) I guess if everyone smells REALLY bad the earplugs could be used in other orifices or sensory organs as well… The kids were great, but REALLY excited and once all the prerequisite giggling had died down to a dull roar, we settled into a comfortable sleep, lulled by the timeless sound and motion of the train.

We woke in the morning true to French form, without showering, (ok…so that is SO VERY tongue in cheek) and our with our first thoughts being of BREAKFAST. Visions of steaming mugs of hot coco, yogurt and chocolate croissants danced in our heads and when we enquired of the red faced stubbly sleep encrusted steward, who by the way looked as thought he had had something entirely different to DRINK for breakfast, in which direction exactly could we find the dining car he looked at us with a bemused expression and replied…Nada…

As in NO…meaning none…like as in NO FOOD AT ALL??? (just to be sure)???

Rats. (Did I say one of the best things about traveling is the FOOD!!)

We managed to scrounge some oranges and juice from the night before to appease the masses and arrived after a breathtaking journey in between the rocks and the sea of the Costa Brava. The wind swept Mediterranean lay on the left and the snow capped peaks of the Pyrenees on the right. As we travelled further south the heavy veil of misty Dijon grey lightened like a watercolor to clear brilliant blue and the architecture transformed from the austere ivory limestone of Provence to more ornate colorful Spanish stucco punctuated with white trim and dusty olive, palm, and citrus trees.

Once we arrived the cab went up and up and up...to the hills.

Train journey to Spain... 150 Euros
Watching the moon rise over the Med... Priceless...

Ballon Rouge

2007-03-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

There is an international theatre festival that runs in Dijon for the two weeks of school vacation in February, called A PAS CONTE, and today we went to a play called “Ballon Rouge”. It was one of the most interesting, most amazing pieces of children’s theatre I have ever seen.

The curtain opens to a completely black stage and a man enters with a lap version of an accordion, doubtless some historical folk instrument. He begins to play softly and the machine shudders and wheezes audibly between stanzas. The music has the wafting romance of gypsy song but there is an added hint of melodrama of old talkies and their silver screen. As he plays a light from above illuminates a small red ball on an otherwise empty stage, suspended in the air above a black table, on which rest two slender oblong strips of foam, one blue and one white. To the scores of the music the oblongs of foam are skillfully animated by invisible puppeteers who soundlessly and with only the red ball, tell a story of two people who meet, fall in love and have a child. The child frolics and plays, and then hides. The parents become despondent, and melancholy. In the end the child is found and all is well in Foamville. The story is so eloquently told and the music so expressive the performers had the audience howling with laughter one moment and holding their collective breath in anticipation the next. Even the really wee wee ones seemed to completely comprehend exactly what was going on.

At the end of the show the only thing left on the stage was the small red ball…which disappears and is replaced by a larger ball, and so on and so on until the red ball left is IMMENSE, well over 15 feet in size, puffy, huge, bouncy and shiny. The ball is launched into the audience and is rolled around collectively by eager children whose hands hold it high and pass it to each other over their heads as if they are jubilantly passing the winning goal scorer at a final match.

The end.

It was FABULOUS!!!

Still high on Paris...and the Louvres...

2007-03-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

Wow!!!
More Wow...and this is the view from Napoleon's apartment...bedroom to be more exact...
Gorgeous.

Of course, to Lily the most interesting thing is the geometric shapes in the marble floor...so typical that they process information based on the current frame of reference...

We ARE feeling all inspired and did some printmaking yesterday, and today we made an apple tart together...

Gosh I LOVE doing cool things with my kids!!

2007-02-28T02:44:00.000-08:00

We just got back from the weekend in Paris with the kids.

It was awesome because TBG was able to fly to join us so we all got to be feeling like a family. On Saturday I went to do my Cordon Bleu course for the day and TBG took the kids to three museums…(I was impressed…NO?) I think they had a pretty good time.

Then on Sunday we wandered around the Louvres for several hours and had a great visit.
The museum itself is so amazing and it was so uplifting to see such timeless works of art.
Even the kids were awe struck at the potency of some of the classical paintings.

I had lots of fun with the camera and took some interesting shots.

The kids soak it up like sponges. One of the more interesting exhibits is a medieval castle excavated in the central court where the glass pyramid now sits. The 20 foot high foundations are exposed and we were able to walk amongst them via the path of the old moat, and were even able to look at some of the ancient detritus pitched into it by the kitchen scullery. (Why is garbage such an endless source of fascination for kids) The evolvement of the site the Louvres sits on is illustrated by a series of models and the kids had an interesting time analyzing how it has changed and developed over the last 500 years.

Mona Lisa, The crowning of Josephine, all the amazing sculpture and Napolean III’s original apartments are still there and intact.

Dinner with Napoleon anyone?

WOW.

Poivrons

2007-02-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

Riel today when we were eating lunch…

"Hey Mom, Didja ever notice when green peppers are cooked they are yummy…But…"

*thoughtful silence*

"But when they aren’t they taste kinda ...MEAN??"

2007-02-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

Rrrrrrollerrrrrrrr....

The Day has Finally arrived...

For those if you who may not already know this Riel has enrolled in a roller blade class with his school, as an extra curricular activity. Riel was very enthusiastic right from the get go and has been doing what they call “Roller” (with a big rolled French “R” at the beginning and the end). His coach is a nice young guy named Emilien and as far as I can see Emilien does not “Roller” on water yet, but he sure must be pretty close to it.

Several weeks ago there was “Un Competition” which due to extenuating circumstances Riel was not able to participate in. This delay only served to heighten the anticipation of the next “Competition” several weeks off, and indeed it did come to parallel an event of equal significance such as a birthday or even Christmas…

Mom…
Yes Honey?
How may days till my race?
Ummm…*consult calendar* uhh…5 weeks honey…
Several hours pass… and then
Uuuh…Mom?

Let’s just say that Riel was REALLY looking forward to it, especially since he now has his own very new spanky pair of roller blades an Xmas gift from his G’ma and G’pa B…

So the Big Day Finally arrives…I am flying in from Chicago and TBG has to leave on a 3:30 train out that same afternoon , so we are desperately trying to get it together so Riel can actually participate. The transit gods are smiling on me and I arrive just in time in Paris to catch the last train to Dijon possible before the race.

Riel suits up

The Racer Ready to Go

Pensive thoughts pre race and maybe a strategy brewing??

The Line up

Ready Steady…

Go!!

GoGo…. GOOooo!!!

Phew…I’m pooped now!!! Great Race Riel!!!!

Fidgety Lily has found it difficult to SIT STILL so instead has found Mom’s lipgloss and toe separators for a pedicure…

Creative endeavor for the day

2007-02-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

The fact that we know we will soon be leaving Dijon has made me feel suddenly a little attached and nostalgic...figures...huh!!!

LML and I took a walk today to see a film and I took some photos on the way back.

This is the alley we normally take to the historic central area of Dijon. Our path winds its way in and out of ruelles (allies) mostly cobbled and mostly pedestrian, always lovely and quiet and always lots to look at. This particular alley leads past the famous owl carved on the side of Notre Dame, not visible but just to the left. It was vandalized some years ago and is now video monitored 24 hours a day.
The owl, which as legend or history has it, was gently stroked by Napoleon on his way past and which is rumoured to give the modern stroker great luck as well.

Lily was cavorting around the front of the church while I was trying to photograph the gargoyles suspended on the front. Notice how all the sculpture at the top of the arch ways has been chipped off by angry peasants during the french revolution.

The rows of gargoyles are fantastically tortured looking creatures, maimed and looking in great agony, and there are many more than I was able to capture in this shot. I can only imagine the energy and effort put into the design and creation of these frightening images, undoubtedly the average souls reward in hell for errant deeds.

This is the main square in Dijon, Francois Rude with its bronze statue and fountain and the ever turning carousel.

Lily hamming it up on the way home.

Scientific Eye Candy

2007-02-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

Lily and I had some business in Paris on Friday, so we took the train in early and decided to stay and make a day of it.

We went to the Cite des Sciences, Paris’s ENOURMOUS science centre, cited in what used to be the cities old slaughterhouse lands.

It is an enormous structure (7 hectares) about 14 acres and on 4 levels, flanked by a reflective Geo-dome theatre and criss-crossed by futuristic pathways that seem suspended in air.

Its industrial architecture is reminiscent of the Pompidou museum but it has a more urban ultra modern feel, and it is situated in an equally large park peppered with more activities for families and children than we had time to explore.

We lunched

We watched movies

And we explored.

It was great to just hang out and have some quality time with little miss Lily.

The museum itself explores traditional areas of science but also has some interesting galleries devoted to images which in turn are linked to an exhibition all about light, as well as a fascinating exhibit devoted to extraterrestrial life. According to several prominent scientists, the immense size of our universe and the sheer number of planets that possess the building blocks of life indicates that extraterrestrial life is most probable.

I LOVE that.

Two alternative intergalactic worlds have been constructed in a virtual reality animation with postulations regarding climate, and local flora and fauna. The animation is projected from the ceiling onto an immense waist height platform which we could move around and touch the images to manipulate the display. Very cool; scientific eye candy. We, needless to say, were there for quite a while.

Plus Lily got to say hi to her FAVORITE guy…(besides her Daddy that is)….E.T.

Finally

2007-02-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

The children have been accepted at the International School of Hannover Region after MUCH telephoning and more than a little wrangling on my part.
Because of course anyone who knows me knows I give up after the first try and I am NOT AT ALL PUSHY…

*ahem*

It seems that though our kids academic status did not pose a problem, the school was pretty much chock a block full to capacity…which did not bode to well. The program at the International School is quite rich as compared to most other local schools. The children will study Music, Art, have Phys Ed, (anyone over there griping about your kids education realize that YOU HAVE IT GOOD) and another language. They do something cool called “Unit Study” which essentially is take one subject and learn everything about it applying all areas of study. I liked the idea. I must confess the school at first glance was a little too glossy for me as I tend to prefer things a little bit more basic with a bit more of a mixed bag regarding the student body. But hey even though it is my life’s quest; it’s never perfect!!!

There is also a Montessori School in Hannover and the kids were able to go there as well, but the only draw back to that was that the school is only in German, as well as the fact that the school is VERY small and VERY new. From a stimulation and sensory perspective it would have been the perfect place for Lily, but for Riel?? We had to ask ourselves how much we wanted Riel to struggle to play catch up in German when we knew it is not likely a language he will continue to use.

So in the end after much angst…since we never REALLY felt like we had enough information to make a good decision and since one never really knows how the kids will fit in we decided that the more robust curriculum in a more established school in English might be the best bet, for now and even though we love the tenents of Montessori.

My little compromise for myself (and the kids) is to try to get my hands on some Montessori Method books and try to do some of the sensorial work at home.

I feel a great sense of relief at having made that decision as pretty much the rest of our life in Germany hinges on the geographic location of the school since Hannover is a bit gridlocked and G*d forbid we end up in the wrong spot. So now we can make some decisions regarding housing. We will rent as we have been doing in Dijon, as buying is a difficult proposition not knowing the area or the real estate market well enough not to get caught.

We have seen lots of houses and apartments, and I must confess it is a bit discouraging (like everywhere else I guess) first the process of understanding what is available for what money and where. There is a little too much burgundy tile and icky 70’s shag around for my liking…

I will be glad to know when we will actually box up and go and where we will all be laying our heads. Finally.

More Stars

2007-01-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

I few months ago we decided (that would be unilaterally ME) that we needed to implement some sort of system to allow for discussion and encouragement of the tasks that we face around here on a daily basis.

So we implemented the "Star" system. You can check it out on a previous post here.

It has been fabulously successful and I must confess my kids have mastered most of the things on the list so well, with all the positive reinforcement, we have pretty much outgrown it. My kids have been bugging me to revamp the list of things that can be done well to earn stars because they loved it so much. One or two stars get rewarded for each thing during the day done well and can be traded up for all sorts of good things.

Both the kids and I loved the fact that at the end of the day we got to connect in a really nice way. I loved the fact that no matter how cruddy the day had been I was able to help them end on a good note and give some positive feedback about all the stuff well done. It provided a great opportunity for us all to feel as though we were making some progress mastering the things that typically had become sore spots.

Riel and I sat down and chatted about what else we could add to the list in a more general way and this is what we came up with going forward.

I think it looks pretty good.

I am looking forward to talking to them about some of these topics in a concrete way.

Star List #2

CONSIDERATION= Showing kindness and thinking of others
Unsolicited act of kindness like sharing
Showing empathy by comforting
Letting other’s go first
Helping others

RESPECT= Showing others we value them
Listening attentively by focusing our attention
Letting others know we hear and understand with eye contact
Letting others know we hear and understand by responding
Letting others do the things they need to do by giving space

Dignity=Letting other’s know we value ourselves
Talking about our feelings
Making sure we use appropriate words to be understood
Keeping a positive attitude
Not arguing

Manners=Showing we respect others by using polite behaviour
Saying please and thank you
Using cutlery properly
Allowing others to speak
Keeping our elbows off the table

Responsibility=Taking care of ourselves
Getting up on our own, Getting dressed on our own, Making our own beds
Figuring out what we need and asking for what we need
After an activity putting what we used, the things away
Organizing our things for the next activity-thinking ahead
Taking care of our own stuff

BEING PART OF THE TEAM=helping out
Making a meal
Helping with a meal
Cleaning a bathroom
Setting the table
Clearing the table
Offering to help

Aren't you glad you don't live at our house!!!

Good to be Home...

2007-01-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

I am here this weekend after all...what with a combination of Lily being sick again , a snowstorm and being just plain pooped from house hunting non stop...it just seemed just too good to cancel my ticket and stay at home. So I did.

On my way home from Hanover on Tuesday, Dijon and the area experienced an uncharacteristic snowfall...which typically brings the city to a standstill.

The train home from Paris took 5 hours instead of 1 1/2 due to the snow which was a little exasperating especially since I ran out of book after an hour or so. So instead of arriving home at 9 ish the train pulled in at midnight.

Dijon was shrouded in a beautiful cloak of midnight light and a lacy haze of snow, and the streets were so greasy with ice and snow and the line up for cabs was at least an hour long, so I decided to bundle up and walk. I always LOVE being out in crazy inclement weather, usually because I am the only one out there. It was hard going in the unploughed streets dragging my bag through the thick snow but I could not resist stopping to take some photos.

The Palais Des Ducs de Bourgogne shrouded in snow.

When I arrived Home TBG had a nice cosy fire to curl up by and a warm drink....Ahhhh...good to be home.

2007-01-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

Today at dinner we had a lovely pork shoulder cooked with herbs and steeped in it's own juices.

It was DELICIOUS.

Even better since it had been cooked by TBG. Gosh I LOVE that...

Riel as of late has taken quite an interest in the affairs of the kitchen.

The dialogue went something like this...

Me:Honey that is SO yummy...how ever did you cook it?

TBG: Mmmm... (mouth full) Don't remember... (he never does...)

Me: I mean what did you put in it... It is SO good...(sipping wine)

Riel : (listening intently...)

TBG with a full mouth: Can of beer....

Riel (chimes in quickly with a very quizzical look on his face):

BUT DAD...How do you get a Camembert in there...??

!! LOL

Time to leave France...No??

Trying to get a profile photo posted...

2007-01-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

Spring Flowers

2007-01-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

Oooh... the daffodils have just broken the surface here...I heard them go POP!!! out.

Here is a craft we did yesterday in honor of the flowers to come...

I LOVE spring...

Scone?

2007-01-16T05:35:00.000-08:00

Lily is going through what shall we say is a "Sensitive" food period...it has been going on for a while now and ooooh, as patient as I am, I am beginning to loose it...the patience that is.

It usually starts out as some quiet whining, then escalates to something a bit louder and more difficult to ignore. About midway through the meal after she has succeeded in garnering everyone at the tables attention she starts telling me that she is "full" even though she has eaten almost nothing on her plate and is still carrying around the "before-dinner-when-I-was-still-grumpy-and-hungry-look" on her face. I have tried ignoring it, I know it is stage that WILL PASS...but arghh!!

Today after exactly the same routine and with her plate (on which there was origionally only a teeny tiny portion) still more than half full I decided to let it go and ...well, not worry about it. When I offered her a tiny piece of freshly baked scone she immediately gobbled it up, promptly asked for another with Jam.

!!!

I am loathe to admit that I am being manipulated by my children as I prefer to think of it as them expressing their needs in a child's way...(any way they can and who can blame them) but I must confess I think I am being dangled a bit and ...and well... I guess she got me, (right where she wants me) again...

The Big Day!!

2007-01-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

Hey!!

Look what happened when Santa came down the chimney!!!

Evidence!!!!

Whoa!!! (as heard from upstairs while we are still snoozing upstairs...)

Look at ALL this stuff!!

(I promised myself I would keep it down to a dull roar..but as usual it always seems to get away from me...)

Lily opening up a gift with enclosed Barbie doll clothes from Mommie's old things...

made for me by MY mom...

(we won't even go into how long ago THAT was...)

Preparation for the big day

2007-01-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

Doing a little last minute shopping at the Dijon markets for the big feed...*er*... um meal

Food is pretty important here like at home...extra hours...

My favourite veggie stall...

Figures afer 2 1/2 years of coming almost every week...

They finally figured out we are regulars and offered me a discount card...

Kiddie cake...

The night before Christmas...

2007-01-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

I know it is a little after the fact...better late than never...no?

The children preparing Santa and the reindeer's snack...

let's see, some apple and carrots and....

I guess there will be some cookies and a touch of milk.

Oh yeah, classic,

there is the milk, cookies and a nicely peeled carrot.

Reading Santa is coming to town... It looks pretty intense no?

HEY!!!! ....

Who's that?

Skating

2006-12-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

The kidlets skating at the open air rink just a few hundred metres from our house.

Lily's first time on skates. She started out with cheese cutters and one of thise kiddie-contraptions that helps them stand up. One moment when we were not watching she decided to skate across the rink to get another one that she liked the looks of a bit better...

HEY!!....I thought you couldn't skate...(you three year old you!)as she zoomed around...!!

Riel is like Crash Charley, lots of speed and copious enthusiasm but no abilty to stop. He goes all out and then just slams into the boards to stop himslef...

Whatever works for ya!!

Christmas in France with the children

2006-12-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

A trip to Strasbourg to the christmas market was lots of fun, here the children watch the Giant Manege Noel, while we wandered the city's different Marche de Noel which sold anything for kids candy to decorations to regional foods to crafts.

Strasbourg in close to the border of Gwermany, is about a 3 hour drive from Dijon, and is famous for its Christmas Markets.

Then as it darkened we wandered the streets searching for the perfect gifts, admiring the lights, sipping hot mulled wine and looking for a little nibble.
It was Magical.

One of the Markets we visited was a Romanian craft market and we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of some regional dancers with enourmous bells tied around waists singing and parading around. Lily was not too sure of them...

This is a shot of the Christmas Train in Dijon, as we also have a Marche de Noel here.

Buche Noel

2006-12-21T15:41:00.000-08:00

WE are just buzzing with Christmas preparations over here I tell you. I am teaching Riel to cook and we made a Buche Noel together last week, even did chocolate leaves...

check it out,

It was Yummy!!!

5 Euro Baby

2006-12-21T15:31:00.000-08:00

Whew...sorry it has been sooo long...

So the tooth finally came out, only took about a week, and happened a bit by accident.

During roller-blading class at school he fell face first onto a jump and guess what...yep...it fell out right then and there. I think the poor child was a little traumatized by the abruptness of it all...Good news is the tooth was found and the tooth fairy paid up a whole 5 Euros for that baby.

Like Beth said the first one is worth more and I think I can go with that.

Our little guy is growing up!!

U N L I K E L Y- N O M A D

Clayton

Mid July 2011 ”Promise”

*Melting*

"Promise"

Every one is sleeping..

Kids and sailing school....

A Good Day....

Tickety Boo...

Aboard Promise

Growing up...

The show....

Getting out...

Clean

A turn of fortunes...

Paris

PARIS!!

MY Life has been CRAZY!!!!

Dear Children,(7 year old red head in particular)...

The greatest Love affair...Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

I Promise...

Can't WAIT to go back!!!

Young chicks learn old tricks

Experiments with the Truth or If walking feels too slow you are living too fast...

Beyond Amazing...

And did I mention that that the canals were divine...?

Did I mention that we saw lots of bikes...

It was Fabulous...*sigh*

Ixtradam...Ampstradam

A Letter to LILY...

On a completely unrealted topic...

A very special trip, a very special place and a very special person...

Looking on the bright side of life...

Second utter/absolute favorite MOMENT-OF-THE-DAY

UTMOST FAVORITE moment-of-the-day

Austria; In the beginning

Who are you?

The beginning of the Journey, Austria here we come!

*Coff*

Ski Naked...

Hannover's Ghost

Think back to Mid December...Christmas cookies...and then some...

Preparing for Christmas; Buche Noel with Riel in 3 languages!

Some images of the relief work sculpted on the great doors entering into the Kolner Dome

Still catching up...A gift to us all and a visit to the Kolner Dome...

Some catching up to do...Our trip to Koln (Cologne)

Schneekonigan"

Emerging from the shortbread vortex...

Merry Christmas!!

Once there was a "Little Red Boat"....

I know I promised some pics

Bach and Sushi...Date night with Riel

Niki Saint Phalle

Maitrand Bertrand

Lily's 1st Bike!!

A Big Girls Birthday!!!

More rock art

Ship Stones

Magic...

Water color

VIKINGS!!!!

The first leg...

Can't Wait!!

Just a little Horn Tooting....

Summer days...

Spagettini Carbonara

Mathilde...

Why you should never leave the kids home alone with dad!

Fruhlingsfest or SPRING FLING...

Back by popular request...

Settle

Lily

Veggy Tales ...A New garden

A New Garden

Recycling the German way

First bits and bites...

Home and "Home"

The last day in Dijon

More of Spain...

Journey to Spain

Melting

It was Fabulous...sigh

Coff