I need a scrub nurse!

I'm not sure what one actually is, however after chatting with my neighbour today he casually dropped the fact that his scrub nurse had keys to his flat, I decided that it sounded pretty cool and that I too would not mind having one... perhaps if I too was an orthopetic surgeon, it would be more appropriate to have one but lets not get the little things intefere with my dreams!

The heavens have remained opened here in barca-land for the past two days so when we awoke this morning and discovered that the rain had finally stopped we bolted out of the house with all the troops to go for a walk. I don't quite think Fredu knew what was awaiting him as I took him on our two hour route. The sea was cranking out some fast breaking surf which still did not deter the ever-optimistic surfers... the beaches were filthy, it was quite sad actually as the beach looked more like a rubbish dump. I guess massive storms churn up lots of filth that humans pitch into the sea. I swear I can't understand how so many people just dump their trash on the beach and leave it... Storms like this I guess just un-earth a lot of this rubbish... sigh, I know I know I sound like a grumpy old person...

Sienna has been helping me on my latest painting... to be honest she sort of lost interest after I did the first wash of the base... but its to be expected really as she is only 3 months. Perhaps when she realises she can get her tiny little hands into the paints too, she may develop a keener interest... we shan't rush to that phase just yet.

Too many pictures to upload sort and label... use your imagination a bit in the interim :)

Visitors

A few weeks back the lovely Sean McCann's friend Grant stopped into Barca for the weekend. He's a very important person in the goverment you see thus was over on this side of the pond and decided to jet to BCN for the weekend instead of staying in the Hague. Smart cookie! He was an absolute darling and can only hope we see him again one day soon. It would be even better if he could convince Mr. Sean to come along too!

He snapped a very rare full family portrait of us all at my favorite sunny terrace. Thanks Grant!


Uz


Grant and the girlz

I got just that little bit too excited...

last night I received a txt message from the British Consulate in Madrid telling me that my new passport will arrive within 24-48h... I then checked the bank to see if they withdrew the money for the fee or simply the money for the postage... sigh... it appears that they have only charged me for postage thus its very unlikely that they have processed the wee one's passport as they would have charged me that fee as well. I am so gutted, I really thought that I had perhaps finally gotten to the point where we could book the tickets home for a visit... Now I sit and wait to see why they did not process the passport, while at the same time hoping and praying that she may have more sucess with the Canadian one which is also apparently being processed... I can't wait until this nightmare is over with!

In the interim I've been busy going to a job interview and mostly giving Sienna interesting hair styles... She's not too pleased but really can you blame her?


Yes I have enough hair for a mohawk


okay then... right mum... this is cool?

He's back!

And very tired! The 'sleeper' train he took last night arrived in BCN this morning... I think the sleep part wasn't so easy as his 'sleeping compartment' was more like a coffin as it was so cramped... poor thing he's just shattered a 12h train journey like that is certainly not for the faint of heart... Sienna is of course more than happy to show him the ropes and they're both snoozing peacefully as I type.


sleep factory!

Yesterday after making it out of the house by 10am the girls and I were off on our daily walk. Lilli of course was not too pleased but really she never is... We ran into a TV crew filming along where we were walking on our way down to the beach. The bald headed presenter with an australian accent stopped us to admire Lilli and of course Sienna who was snuggled in her papoose sleeping... he was very charming and chatty and asked us how far they were from the Cathedral... At the very same moment a couple came by with the tiniest Chihauha. I was instantly disinterested in the TV guy and diverted my attention to the tiny puppy that our dog was actually playing with! I could not believe my eyes! Lilli Martini, playing with another caninne species? The TV presented looked quite surprised at my disinterest in him... the owner of the dog kept telling me 'that guy, the one with the cameras he's famous! Very famous, he did that show about being in Vegas for 5 dollars a day!' He was absolutely star struck... It was quite funny as I have absolutely no idea who the presenter was... the dog owner obviously could not speak to him as he did not speak English... it was a wierd situation... To be honest I was too busy watching the puppies play to really care. Eventually the TV guy and his crew chipped off and wished us well. Perhaps I missed my opportunity at 15 minutes of fame... ne mind I say! I still have no clue who the supposed celeb was/is... I don't think I'll be loosing much sleep over it but I am slightly curious as to who he was?

Some of us are getting chubby

at great speeds... and Sienna is looking rather plump in the cheeks too!

We're nearing the end of our home alone adventure... and to be honest I do think it's actually starting to get a little bit easier... Don't get me wrong, I will be VERY happy to have my other half back on Monday morning!


The wee one napping peacefully after her 3rd breakfast yesterday.


This one is a bit blurry but you can see more full on squoogyness! Double chins, just like mum!

So she's 3 months old now and 5,78 kilos and a whopping 58cm... she's nearly doubled her birthweight and grown nearly 10cm in length. I guess that's what all the napping and eating will get you! The picture above shows her in her new wee (but acutually too big for her hat) having a hat here is kind of a staple as the sun is almost always out and its pretty strong.

We shall mostly be sporting our very best party dresses tonight as we are going to stop in to help auntie vero celebrate her 40th! We won't be staying out late though... we simply must keep up with our beauty sleep!

I know I'm getting ahead of myself...

But while speaking to mum yesterday we discussed how that there are so many tempting naughty things for me in Canada as there are so many prepared foods... Here you've pretty much got to make most things from scratch which is MUCH healthier... however every time I go home I inevitably indluge in every junkie incarnation possible... not so good for the waist line... I swear I can pack on 10lbs in the span of a few weeks there... lord help me if I ever moved back... I would be a right porker!!!

However with this in mind I am mostly looking forward to taking fredu to these most luxurious establishments...

Licks burgers (ahh nature burger and guk sauce!)

Taco bell!

Si yo quiero taco bell!!! Mi bariga non pero... dar egual.

I have miraculously...

Made it to day eight on my own here in baby central... this is a great acomplishment as there have been moments where I seriously thought I would fall asleep on my feet. I had one of those episodes yesterday as sleep deprevation started to take hold. I luckily manged to ring my mum who chatted with me to keep me awake... Luckily not long after, the wee one finally fell asleep and I quickly followed suit.

The job search has commenced and I'm hoping that something interesting will pop up... or of course there is always the lotto that my mum plans on winning this Friday!?!?!?

Miss Chiara is off today on her coffee date with a new 'friend' the date happens to be taking place in Amsterdam... we are liking the sound of this suitor. I hope she has a wonderful time!

We have a holiday here in Barcelona and most of Spain today... most people are taking tomorrow off as well as a bridge day and thus enjoying a very long weekend. I will however be joining suit as I'm counting down the four more sleeps until Fredu returns from the deep south... I tell you, sometimes abscence can most definately make the heart grow fonder!

Until then, walkies it shall be... I can see Lilli hiding from me already... time to gather the troops and head out!

The fantabulous Ana...

Came by last Saturday to hang out with the girls and I. We lunched and then went for one of my long walkies. We of course had to stop and have some icecream... at which point we shot some photos with her fab little camera. I have a sneaking suspicion that she may have been quite generous to me in the photoshop re-touching side of things but hey... she's the graphic designer after all!


I swear I am not that tanned... Ana start explaining!?!?!


Ana and Lilli looking most prestigous!

Today I am mostly being greatful

For the beautiful sunshine we had as well as for my fabulous neighbour who very graciously signed Sienna's passport pictures for us. He is a doctor you see and the Canadian embassy would only accept someone with a medical degree... either that or it would have had to have beeen the mayor!?!? Of course I know the mayor personally for the last 2 years!?!? The British embassy were not so fussy as to who signed that picture... but we aim to please no?

The sunshine did a good job today of roasting up the remaining people who did not turn lobster red the day before... I swear you would think that these people who fly in here for the weekend would know better... sun screen does not seem to be a well recognised concept for most northern Europeans... Sigh... I was covered under hat and slathered in sun screen and I think I still got a touch of colour regardless...

I'm just finishing up day 4 of holding down the fort on my own as Fredu is off down south for another 7 days working... All I can say is that I have a great amount of respect to single mothers or anyone out there minding a small baby on their own... it's a heck of a lot of work and let me tell you, not made much easier by an almost 3 month old child who has decided to live up to her name 'wonderchild 17' by starting to cut her teeth early! We're back to waking up at 3 and at 6... it's been hairy and exhausing. Mind you, I still have had enough fight to pack up the crew and do a 2h walk with both Sienna and Lilli every day.... so yes, yea me!

The job search has re-commenced as it turns out that it will be unlikely that my services at the budgening danish porn empire will be needed very much or if at all in the coming months... Pretty disapointing really as i think it was honestly the first job I really have ever enjoyed. Ah well perhaps they will have something come up again in the future and I can return to work with them... I just hope I can find something that doesn't drive me mad... (ie. avoid agency work). I keep my mind open and am trying not to panic... instead I am staying very quiet to see if I can hear what the fates are whispering to me about my future... shhh!

'You may all be dead, but you should not be discouraged... '


That bit of advice is taken from one of the closing lines of the movie 'Scoop' written by Woody Allen. I'm not a big fan of his films but I thought that line particularily charming....