Jet lag
means half six in the morning wake ups... but i'm planning to try and keep hold of the early starts and get my work day done by early afternoon when I start back up working in about a week's time.
I took Sienna and Lilli for a very chilly walk last evening. We didn't make it too too far but Sienna trooped through the leaves and was quite entertained. Lilli is filled with terror and I don't see her adjusting too too well to the climate here. Wait till she sees snow!
We're celebrating a delayed thanks giving here today as last weekend my grandfather was in the hospital and we where still in Spain. I think I"ll have to sedate the poor dog as having 16 people in the house will cause her to have a nervous breakdown... don't worry I won't actually do that to her i'm not that evil! My grandfather has requested poutine and so i am happy to oblige. It's nice that we're here to spend some time with him as he's been increasingly ill and thus we're starting to worry that these may be his last days with us. Which is fair as he's 92 but we're not quite ready to see him off yet! Instead we'll enjoy all the time we have with him.
Luca's fiesta major seemed to be a great success last night. We were so sad to not be there but the text i received at half nine Spanish time this morning confirms that it went on until the wee hours of the next day! Sounds quite righteous.
Joey and Pierre are getting married today in a small civil ceremony in Scotland. It was planned this way so both their parents could be there to witness. But I'm sad they didn't do the Tuscan adventure that they had once talked about. Maybe we can do a celebration there this summer for them!?!?! Por esto me apunto!
14.10.10
Drink the water...
"Drink the water" he tells me... it's not about the glass being half full or half empty or in my insistence that the glass is 'teetering dangerously close to the edge of the table and about to fall off'... it's all a matter of perspective and the way you chose to look at things in invariably affects their outcome. So drink it i did and i hope to continue to do so :)
we arrived safely after a long journey. who would have thought that travelling with a small child and a small dog would have not been a nightmare. It's not a new life for me I keep insisting. It's a new chapter as you can never erase the past events you can just keep moving forwards and creating new and better ones. Again... it's all about perspective. See I do listen!
Did I mention I've got 2 weeks off? Yes that is a very very nice thing after all of this. I can't remember that last time that I've felt such need for some time off!
"Drink the water" he tells me... it's not about the glass being half full or half empty or in my insistence that the glass is 'teetering dangerously close to the edge of the table and about to fall off'... it's all a matter of perspective and the way you chose to look at things in invariably affects their outcome. So drink it i did and i hope to continue to do so :)
we arrived safely after a long journey. who would have thought that travelling with a small child and a small dog would have not been a nightmare. It's not a new life for me I keep insisting. It's a new chapter as you can never erase the past events you can just keep moving forwards and creating new and better ones. Again... it's all about perspective. See I do listen!
Did I mention I've got 2 weeks off? Yes that is a very very nice thing after all of this. I can't remember that last time that I've felt such need for some time off!
10.10.10
Time is ticking swiftly
And the hours left here in bcn are nearly up. Not knowing a final destination means that my packing and shipping of things has been fragmented. Measuring and costing up the best options of what to send where and when as over-spilled throughout my house.
We popped out a little bit this afternoon so that little miss I want to destroy everything instead of helping could burn off some steam. We met up with Mele and Nico and Nacho and Chiara and Luca at JC's new bar that he's just taken over called Bar Salvador. As they've just recently opened and not many people have figured out it exists on a Sunday now whereas in it's past life it was only open during the week at lunch time... it was empty. It was a perfect substitute living room for Sienna to romp around and play with all of them before we jet off.
Chiara and mele snapped some lovely pics but here is a lovely one of miss sienna and uncle luca.
And the hours left here in bcn are nearly up. Not knowing a final destination means that my packing and shipping of things has been fragmented. Measuring and costing up the best options of what to send where and when as over-spilled throughout my house.
We popped out a little bit this afternoon so that little miss I want to destroy everything instead of helping could burn off some steam. We met up with Mele and Nico and Nacho and Chiara and Luca at JC's new bar that he's just taken over called Bar Salvador. As they've just recently opened and not many people have figured out it exists on a Sunday now whereas in it's past life it was only open during the week at lunch time... it was empty. It was a perfect substitute living room for Sienna to romp around and play with all of them before we jet off.
Chiara and mele snapped some lovely pics but here is a lovely one of miss sienna and uncle luca.
9.10.10
Too many goodbyes
are always so hard. leaving somewhere you don't want to leave is impossibly difficult but still necessary. I guess I'm firmly locking into the anger phase of this process... I don't have much choice now I've made the decisions I have. I've got to stick with them.
I've had the joy and allegria of some light in my life in the past week. In some ways I'm feeling like a teenager again and really enjoying it. I am so blessed to have so much love around me. I am indeed enjoying it, but that of course makes it even harder to leave... but all new chapters must start somewhere.
Chiarita, Millie, Moi (an update to this pic will follow in January!)
are always so hard. leaving somewhere you don't want to leave is impossibly difficult but still necessary. I guess I'm firmly locking into the anger phase of this process... I don't have much choice now I've made the decisions I have. I've got to stick with them.
I've had the joy and allegria of some light in my life in the past week. In some ways I'm feeling like a teenager again and really enjoying it. I am so blessed to have so much love around me. I am indeed enjoying it, but that of course makes it even harder to leave... but all new chapters must start somewhere.
Chiarita, Millie, Moi (an update to this pic will follow in January!)
29.9.10
Summer is defiantly on it's way out...
The cool breezes are certainly blowing through, but the sun is still shining which is always good. Some parties have been enjoying the spoils of bribery in that if she goes to sleep without crying she is sometimes rewarded with an ice cream. The other day she requested a blue one. I had to search high and low for one but I found it! And man did she ever enjoy it! It's not for the faint hearted as apparently it comes back out the same colour too.... ewwwwwwwwwwww yea i know i know thanks for sharing...
Leave it to the every law abiding canadian's to get kicked off the beach in barcelona early on a sunday morning... a cuntish german lifeguard turfed us for having a 'dog'. I'm like??? the height of summer there are dogs swimming for goodness sake! But because we're obedient little people we left.. but i snapped some wicked photies while we where there...
Maria and Miss Lilli
Miss Sienna and a pretty butterfly (how i got this shot i'll never quite know)
So after being dejected from the beach we went to a second hand sale that Layla was selling her wares at... I snagged a 100% silk hoss dress for 5 euros! Schweeet... now i just have to decide if i'm going to keep it or ebay it and make some real moolah from it...
The cool breezes are certainly blowing through, but the sun is still shining which is always good. Some parties have been enjoying the spoils of bribery in that if she goes to sleep without crying she is sometimes rewarded with an ice cream. The other day she requested a blue one. I had to search high and low for one but I found it! And man did she ever enjoy it! It's not for the faint hearted as apparently it comes back out the same colour too.... ewwwwwwwwwwww yea i know i know thanks for sharing...
Leave it to the every law abiding canadian's to get kicked off the beach in barcelona early on a sunday morning... a cuntish german lifeguard turfed us for having a 'dog'. I'm like??? the height of summer there are dogs swimming for goodness sake! But because we're obedient little people we left.. but i snapped some wicked photies while we where there...
Maria and Miss Lilli
Miss Sienna and a pretty butterfly (how i got this shot i'll never quite know)
So after being dejected from the beach we went to a second hand sale that Layla was selling her wares at... I snagged a 100% silk hoss dress for 5 euros! Schweeet... now i just have to decide if i'm going to keep it or ebay it and make some real moolah from it...
25.9.10
Starting over...
well it needs to start somewhere. Although I fear being over exposed writing on my blog, I'll be damned to give it up after nearly 10 years of writing.
Things are winding up for wee me, Lilli Martini and I here in Barcelona. There are many a sad tale to tell about how and why and such but it makes no sense to dwell on past events. We wish certain individuals in our recent past a good riddance and while feeling sad for them have accepted to move on and avoid any further bad things.
The move is a tough one as it's always hard to leave somewhere that you are not ready to leave. But in this situation time is of the essence and the faster we're in a positive, less-stressful environment the better. Doing so however is no small task. I used to be the queen of picking up my life in an instant and flitting on to something different. However in the last 10 years my life has changed quite a lot and it's no longer just me that I have to account for. The winds are blowing in a northerly direction. But nothing is certain yet and with the way things have been going lately the final port may just be somewhere entirely different. We're trying to keep things in stride and keep the options open.
I'm blessed that my mum has been here with us for the past month and she's been a rock for me.
However we're embracing the 'living in the now' mantra and enjoy this sunny merce fesitval weekend. The last bit of Spanish culture before we depart. Wish us luck!
well it needs to start somewhere. Although I fear being over exposed writing on my blog, I'll be damned to give it up after nearly 10 years of writing.
Things are winding up for wee me, Lilli Martini and I here in Barcelona. There are many a sad tale to tell about how and why and such but it makes no sense to dwell on past events. We wish certain individuals in our recent past a good riddance and while feeling sad for them have accepted to move on and avoid any further bad things.
The move is a tough one as it's always hard to leave somewhere that you are not ready to leave. But in this situation time is of the essence and the faster we're in a positive, less-stressful environment the better. Doing so however is no small task. I used to be the queen of picking up my life in an instant and flitting on to something different. However in the last 10 years my life has changed quite a lot and it's no longer just me that I have to account for. The winds are blowing in a northerly direction. But nothing is certain yet and with the way things have been going lately the final port may just be somewhere entirely different. We're trying to keep things in stride and keep the options open.
I'm blessed that my mum has been here with us for the past month and she's been a rock for me.
However we're embracing the 'living in the now' mantra and enjoy this sunny merce fesitval weekend. The last bit of Spanish culture before we depart. Wish us luck!
15.8.10
Where am I?
Asked my ever loyal ATG... a bit here there and everywhere. Rough times for me mean a complete stop to writing... I'm praying that I'm about to come out the other side now... but the light at the end of the tunnel could very well be a train... lets wait and see. So in the interim I"ll do my best to muster up some pics from summer fun that has been had so far. So many visitors there has not been a dull moment...
Miss Sienna and Miss Lilli whooped it up today at the fiesta major de Gracia. They entered the pet competition and won! They beat out the competition and came home with fun prizes for Lilli including enough food to keep her fed for about 4 months... she's glaring at me from the other side of the bed as she was none too pleased to have to a) leave the house b) have sienna walk her and c) go up on stage in front a crowd of people. The dog bowl they gave her as a prize as well is a good size for a bed so hey, we're greatful!
The entry (Sienna wasn't even a tiny bit shy) Lilli made sure to look terrified.
Cute puppy that was up for adoption
no, no matter how cute you look up at me with those 'can we have this puppy eyes' the answer is sadly, no.
And the girls step up to claim their 'smallest dog prize'
Kudos to me for managing to do it all in Catalan... I didn't say anything I left that up to Sienna but I had to follow the instructions... nerve wrecking!
Auntie Jo jo was one of many visitors and she spoiled wee sienna rotten...
Dave and Lisa and her beautiful kiddies stopped by too and Sienna had a blast chasing after them trying to keep up!
And then there was the 5 minutes peace and the cost saving girlie congregation on my terrace to do mani pedis with Chiara and Millie
And other than that... well too many things but we're spinning round and round. Lets just hope we stop at the right place!
and watch out to make sure we don't get ourselves into trouble
and give everyone including dada lots of hugs
and of course keep busy... and keep chins up and try my best to start writing again... that may help?
Asked my ever loyal ATG... a bit here there and everywhere. Rough times for me mean a complete stop to writing... I'm praying that I'm about to come out the other side now... but the light at the end of the tunnel could very well be a train... lets wait and see. So in the interim I"ll do my best to muster up some pics from summer fun that has been had so far. So many visitors there has not been a dull moment...
Miss Sienna and Miss Lilli whooped it up today at the fiesta major de Gracia. They entered the pet competition and won! They beat out the competition and came home with fun prizes for Lilli including enough food to keep her fed for about 4 months... she's glaring at me from the other side of the bed as she was none too pleased to have to a) leave the house b) have sienna walk her and c) go up on stage in front a crowd of people. The dog bowl they gave her as a prize as well is a good size for a bed so hey, we're greatful!
The entry (Sienna wasn't even a tiny bit shy) Lilli made sure to look terrified.
Cute puppy that was up for adoption
no, no matter how cute you look up at me with those 'can we have this puppy eyes' the answer is sadly, no.
And the girls step up to claim their 'smallest dog prize'
Kudos to me for managing to do it all in Catalan... I didn't say anything I left that up to Sienna but I had to follow the instructions... nerve wrecking!
Auntie Jo jo was one of many visitors and she spoiled wee sienna rotten...
Dave and Lisa and her beautiful kiddies stopped by too and Sienna had a blast chasing after them trying to keep up!
And then there was the 5 minutes peace and the cost saving girlie congregation on my terrace to do mani pedis with Chiara and Millie
And other than that... well too many things but we're spinning round and round. Lets just hope we stop at the right place!
and watch out to make sure we don't get ourselves into trouble
and give everyone including dada lots of hugs
and of course keep busy... and keep chins up and try my best to start writing again... that may help?
21.6.10
Going Down
For a minute last week I really actually thought I was having a nervous breakdown. Things have been pretty darn stressful here at work and the pressure is quite high. Couple that with trying to have family life that actually includes me participating, makes it stressful without even a hint of exaggeration.
I was zipping to a production meeting after having sat through 2h of back to back client calls. I jumped into the lift with my laptop in arms and punched the 5th floor. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath and repeated to myself the ‘we just make websites’ mantra to try and bring things down a little bit. Just as I did I felt like I drifted off for a minute. During that time I had the distinct feeling that I was going down… since I work below the 5th floor going down was not quite what I was expecting … The other strange thing was that I had actually been in the lift for way longer than needed but the doors had not opened yet. When I looked at the floor I was on on the little lcd panel it said -3 . I burst out laughing as I couldn’t quite believe that I had lost my marbles in the lift at work. There is no -3 in my office so clearly I was losing my mind. How odd I thought to myself. I really never thought that It would come to me having a nervous breakdown in the lift at work. I couldn’t help but feel this as what else could possibly explain this detachment from reality? Just then the doors opened. There is a woman standing there who says to me in rapid fire Spanish. Oh sorry I guess I pressed the button to call the lift just before you entered that’s probably why you ended up down here. I must have looked like I had seen a ghost as she sort of raised an eyebrow to me and was like… are you okay? I just gave her a smile and assured her I was simply not expecting to be heading downwards when I was on the way up. So low and behold out building has underground parking. It’s access via a key that you turn on the panel but not a button thus why I had never seen it before. The lady flitted out on the ground floor and I slowly made my way back up up up till I finally reached the 5th floor. My nervous breakdown was thus gladly just a misunderstanding… or perhaps a good warning to me to slow down as really, do I want to lose my marbles in a lift? Lord knows in what state they would have discovered me. I’m thinking more along the line of me frozen in the lift with a slack jaw with a funny squishy kind of like “I don’t quite get this” look on my face…
Ahh saritah…
On the other hand there is this really brilliant exhibit on in one of my favorite galleries on Montcada. We went to the opening of "Pedro Garcia Villegas’ new show called politically incorrect. I adore his decoupage art it’s truly amazing the portraits he creates using old French magazines. I fell so in love with his work a while back but didn’t know who he was. I saw them setting up the show earlier in the week and popped in and was delighted to meet the man himself. His opening was a huge success and nearly all the pieces were sold just a few hours in! One German doctor bought 6 of them! This lovely Italian lady bought the Frida that I loved. But I did however not leave empty handed. Fredu bought me the printed book of the show so at least I would have a tiny piece of the work and still stay true to our very frugal budget. However at 1700 euros being the top price for some of the pieces it was a really good deal if you’ve got that kind of dosh. If you’re in town check it out you won’t be disappointed.
The beautiful piece that i really liked from Pedro's show
For a minute last week I really actually thought I was having a nervous breakdown. Things have been pretty darn stressful here at work and the pressure is quite high. Couple that with trying to have family life that actually includes me participating, makes it stressful without even a hint of exaggeration.
I was zipping to a production meeting after having sat through 2h of back to back client calls. I jumped into the lift with my laptop in arms and punched the 5th floor. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath and repeated to myself the ‘we just make websites’ mantra to try and bring things down a little bit. Just as I did I felt like I drifted off for a minute. During that time I had the distinct feeling that I was going down… since I work below the 5th floor going down was not quite what I was expecting … The other strange thing was that I had actually been in the lift for way longer than needed but the doors had not opened yet. When I looked at the floor I was on on the little lcd panel it said -3 . I burst out laughing as I couldn’t quite believe that I had lost my marbles in the lift at work. There is no -3 in my office so clearly I was losing my mind. How odd I thought to myself. I really never thought that It would come to me having a nervous breakdown in the lift at work. I couldn’t help but feel this as what else could possibly explain this detachment from reality? Just then the doors opened. There is a woman standing there who says to me in rapid fire Spanish. Oh sorry I guess I pressed the button to call the lift just before you entered that’s probably why you ended up down here. I must have looked like I had seen a ghost as she sort of raised an eyebrow to me and was like… are you okay? I just gave her a smile and assured her I was simply not expecting to be heading downwards when I was on the way up. So low and behold out building has underground parking. It’s access via a key that you turn on the panel but not a button thus why I had never seen it before. The lady flitted out on the ground floor and I slowly made my way back up up up till I finally reached the 5th floor. My nervous breakdown was thus gladly just a misunderstanding… or perhaps a good warning to me to slow down as really, do I want to lose my marbles in a lift? Lord knows in what state they would have discovered me. I’m thinking more along the line of me frozen in the lift with a slack jaw with a funny squishy kind of like “I don’t quite get this” look on my face…
Ahh saritah…
On the other hand there is this really brilliant exhibit on in one of my favorite galleries on Montcada. We went to the opening of "Pedro Garcia Villegas’ new show called politically incorrect. I adore his decoupage art it’s truly amazing the portraits he creates using old French magazines. I fell so in love with his work a while back but didn’t know who he was. I saw them setting up the show earlier in the week and popped in and was delighted to meet the man himself. His opening was a huge success and nearly all the pieces were sold just a few hours in! One German doctor bought 6 of them! This lovely Italian lady bought the Frida that I loved. But I did however not leave empty handed. Fredu bought me the printed book of the show so at least I would have a tiny piece of the work and still stay true to our very frugal budget. However at 1700 euros being the top price for some of the pieces it was a really good deal if you’ve got that kind of dosh. If you’re in town check it out you won’t be disappointed.
The beautiful piece that i really liked from Pedro's show
11.6.10
It's all been a bit much
Dany and Andrea eloped to NYC and got married on Brooklyn Bridge. Lukie and Helena's wedding was an absolute delight... Joey's baby bump is glorious and so nearly ready to make her way into this crazy world of ours.
We're flat hunting like mad again but still not much joy on the horizon. The prices also seem to be inching up again thus it's just really a matter of time before it's all crazy crazy prices again.
Work has been very challenging. Staff issues have made this promotion very difficult. I just want to do things well but don't seem to have time for anything as there are so many issues flapping around like a chicken on fire that even working till half two in the morning doesn't seem to help. I can but remind myself as my zen master boss would say... we only make websites, we don't cure cancer.
In the lead up to the big wedding i managed to crank out a painting as a gift for the lovely couple. I wish i had more time for it but it's not bad... not my best work but not bad....
Titled Helena...
Is it actually summer? with all the rain I thought i was confused? More sleep may help!
Dany and Andrea eloped to NYC and got married on Brooklyn Bridge. Lukie and Helena's wedding was an absolute delight... Joey's baby bump is glorious and so nearly ready to make her way into this crazy world of ours.
We're flat hunting like mad again but still not much joy on the horizon. The prices also seem to be inching up again thus it's just really a matter of time before it's all crazy crazy prices again.
Work has been very challenging. Staff issues have made this promotion very difficult. I just want to do things well but don't seem to have time for anything as there are so many issues flapping around like a chicken on fire that even working till half two in the morning doesn't seem to help. I can but remind myself as my zen master boss would say... we only make websites, we don't cure cancer.
In the lead up to the big wedding i managed to crank out a painting as a gift for the lovely couple. I wish i had more time for it but it's not bad... not my best work but not bad....
Titled Helena...
Is it actually summer? with all the rain I thought i was confused? More sleep may help!
30.5.10
The other night
I was having supper with the lovely Vero after my haircut with her at Le Petit Salon. While we were waiting for our meals to arrive we saw out the window of the restaurant a father arriving home (late as it was at least half 10 by then) the child was about the same age as Sienna and was crying most likely because it should have been in bed hours earlier. As the father struggled to open the entrance door to the flat and struggled with the pram to get it through vero and I looked at each other with a knowing nod as in.. yep I've been there... two seconds later a small barking dog bounded up and joined the father and child. At that instance we broke out laughing in the spirit of 'oh my god you've made some similar choices to me buddy' Small dog... 2 year old. It was bitter sweet but nice in knowing that we are in no way an island and that a lot of other people have made similar choices and share similar difficulties :)
The hair cut will take a while for me to become accustomed to... but such is the case whenever you change anything. Should be quite good for the "summer just back from the beach look".
I was having supper with the lovely Vero after my haircut with her at Le Petit Salon. While we were waiting for our meals to arrive we saw out the window of the restaurant a father arriving home (late as it was at least half 10 by then) the child was about the same age as Sienna and was crying most likely because it should have been in bed hours earlier. As the father struggled to open the entrance door to the flat and struggled with the pram to get it through vero and I looked at each other with a knowing nod as in.. yep I've been there... two seconds later a small barking dog bounded up and joined the father and child. At that instance we broke out laughing in the spirit of 'oh my god you've made some similar choices to me buddy' Small dog... 2 year old. It was bitter sweet but nice in knowing that we are in no way an island and that a lot of other people have made similar choices and share similar difficulties :)
The hair cut will take a while for me to become accustomed to... but such is the case whenever you change anything. Should be quite good for the "summer just back from the beach look".
16.5.10
Chillaxing at the Beach
After a rainy and somewhat tumultuous week at our flat in bcn with mum, sister and her two wee ones we´ve arrived at a place we rented 2h south of Barcelona. It´s early yet for full on beach action but the sun is hot and we´re working on our tans. Mum surely did chose a great place this year. Too bad the lady has it booked out for the rest of the summer as I would love to come back here for a week when it´s hotter. It´s so nice to be reminded that life exists outside of work and although I have awoken a few times in the middle of the night with a fright that I´d forgotten to mention something in my handover to my colleague... I quickly remember that it´s all good and that I´m on holidays...
so many pictures to sort through... we´ll get there!
After a rainy and somewhat tumultuous week at our flat in bcn with mum, sister and her two wee ones we´ve arrived at a place we rented 2h south of Barcelona. It´s early yet for full on beach action but the sun is hot and we´re working on our tans. Mum surely did chose a great place this year. Too bad the lady has it booked out for the rest of the summer as I would love to come back here for a week when it´s hotter. It´s so nice to be reminded that life exists outside of work and although I have awoken a few times in the middle of the night with a fright that I´d forgotten to mention something in my handover to my colleague... I quickly remember that it´s all good and that I´m on holidays...
so many pictures to sort through... we´ll get there!
8.5.10
I can believe it...
But the ash cloud has decided to interfere with mu mum and sister's fights to Spain... We were so anxiously awaiting their arrival tomorrow morning. Air space is closed and it's not looking likely. It's quite the pain as they're flying a charter so it could mean days off their holiday. I'm half contemplating going back to work next week and just waiting until they do arrive to take my holidays....
We had a lovely visit with miss Siobhan last week. Although it rained incessantly while she was here we still made the most of it. Her dad and step mum were here visiting as they were ending a transatlantic cruise here.
Fredu and Sio had a ball taking tons of pics. there are som really lovely ones here... enjoy!
Auntie Sio and Sienna on her scooter!
my lovely neighbor zeus
Baby body count... they're sleeping.
Olive?
Look it's not raining for like 5 seconds... quick get mama's shades on!
aww dada and lilli
But the ash cloud has decided to interfere with mu mum and sister's fights to Spain... We were so anxiously awaiting their arrival tomorrow morning. Air space is closed and it's not looking likely. It's quite the pain as they're flying a charter so it could mean days off their holiday. I'm half contemplating going back to work next week and just waiting until they do arrive to take my holidays....
We had a lovely visit with miss Siobhan last week. Although it rained incessantly while she was here we still made the most of it. Her dad and step mum were here visiting as they were ending a transatlantic cruise here.
Fredu and Sio had a ball taking tons of pics. there are som really lovely ones here... enjoy!
Auntie Sio and Sienna on her scooter!
my lovely neighbor zeus
Baby body count... they're sleeping.
Olive?
Look it's not raining for like 5 seconds... quick get mama's shades on!
aww dada and lilli
25.4.10
The cat came back...
Well in this case it was the carrito... or in english the pram. I dont know how or why or even how to begin to write about it. But after a 2 week hiatus the pram has returned. Well it wasnt quite returned moreso it was abandoned outside a shop down the street and around the corner. The lovely ladies who work there saw it there abandoned and pulled it inside and kept in in their storage area until last week when Alfredo came in they asked him if he had lost his pram... he assumed that they had heard about it as this neighbourhood is fairly small and everyone knows when something happens... but it wasn´t that... it was that they had it! Its in perfect contidion, with siennas school batita and all the toys and rain cover that were in the storage area beneath the seat. Its so strange and so unexplicable it´s left us feeling a bit out of sorts. We are of course greatful but can´t for the life of us figure out what type of person would do that... and if they stole it then felt remorse why wouldn´t they just bring it back to where they got it from in the first place? These questions of course will never be answered... but for now we've put a lock back on it and will soon just bring the thing upstairs... too much stress... but quite difficult when you´ve got to get it up 120 steps to our house...
A monster cold has taken over and forced my working like mad crazyness to a halt this weekend. I did muster up as much effort as possible to go to my first football match ever this weekend. Wow what an experience. Great seats indeed. Thank you grand fromage from work for bestowing them to me. I´m not great in crowds and never quite understood the massive swell of football fans who attended matches... now I do. I can but say that the only way I can describe it is like being at the worlds busiest airport with a heaving crowd of people with absolutely no manners. We had VIP tickets which made it pleasant before the match and at half time but the walk from the area to the seats we were pushed and jostled... it was a bit much for me. Well the one thing that can be said is that although I was indeed thankful for having the experience, I don´t think I´ll be returning again in hurry. Watching a match or two during the world cup once every 4 year on tele is much much more enjoyable.
Well in this case it was the carrito... or in english the pram. I dont know how or why or even how to begin to write about it. But after a 2 week hiatus the pram has returned. Well it wasnt quite returned moreso it was abandoned outside a shop down the street and around the corner. The lovely ladies who work there saw it there abandoned and pulled it inside and kept in in their storage area until last week when Alfredo came in they asked him if he had lost his pram... he assumed that they had heard about it as this neighbourhood is fairly small and everyone knows when something happens... but it wasn´t that... it was that they had it! Its in perfect contidion, with siennas school batita and all the toys and rain cover that were in the storage area beneath the seat. Its so strange and so unexplicable it´s left us feeling a bit out of sorts. We are of course greatful but can´t for the life of us figure out what type of person would do that... and if they stole it then felt remorse why wouldn´t they just bring it back to where they got it from in the first place? These questions of course will never be answered... but for now we've put a lock back on it and will soon just bring the thing upstairs... too much stress... but quite difficult when you´ve got to get it up 120 steps to our house...
A monster cold has taken over and forced my working like mad crazyness to a halt this weekend. I did muster up as much effort as possible to go to my first football match ever this weekend. Wow what an experience. Great seats indeed. Thank you grand fromage from work for bestowing them to me. I´m not great in crowds and never quite understood the massive swell of football fans who attended matches... now I do. I can but say that the only way I can describe it is like being at the worlds busiest airport with a heaving crowd of people with absolutely no manners. We had VIP tickets which made it pleasant before the match and at half time but the walk from the area to the seats we were pushed and jostled... it was a bit much for me. Well the one thing that can be said is that although I was indeed thankful for having the experience, I don´t think I´ll be returning again in hurry. Watching a match or two during the world cup once every 4 year on tele is much much more enjoyable.
19.4.10
The torrential rain...
Decided to start just as I was about to step out from the gym with wee miss who's hair I had just carefully dried. Murphy's law some would say... Just my luck is more like what I was thinking... but we didn't melt as although my sugar consumption is often high... i'm not made of the stuff.
I get these funny flashbacks when I teach Sienna how to swim. I spend so many years of my adolescent life teaching hundreds of kids how to swim when I worked at the local pool as a swimming instructor and lifeguard. I think I can do it on auto pilot. Flutter board in hand I go through all the same lessons that for some reason I've not forgotten. Luckily she's fearless and hates wearing water wings... combined with her stubbornness surely means she'll be swimming on her own in no time. We were indeed fortunate to have a swimming pool in our backgarden for most of our lives until I turned 12 and we moved to the new house. I guess living 10 minutes from the sea is pretty cool too but not quite the same when you're trying to learn. Good thing the new gym just opened near my house. I swear, nothing melts away the stress of a crazy day faster than seeing wee miss float on her back with arms and legs out like a starfish while singing twinkle twinkle little star. I'm hoping she sleeps well tonight as a result!
Decided to start just as I was about to step out from the gym with wee miss who's hair I had just carefully dried. Murphy's law some would say... Just my luck is more like what I was thinking... but we didn't melt as although my sugar consumption is often high... i'm not made of the stuff.
I get these funny flashbacks when I teach Sienna how to swim. I spend so many years of my adolescent life teaching hundreds of kids how to swim when I worked at the local pool as a swimming instructor and lifeguard. I think I can do it on auto pilot. Flutter board in hand I go through all the same lessons that for some reason I've not forgotten. Luckily she's fearless and hates wearing water wings... combined with her stubbornness surely means she'll be swimming on her own in no time. We were indeed fortunate to have a swimming pool in our backgarden for most of our lives until I turned 12 and we moved to the new house. I guess living 10 minutes from the sea is pretty cool too but not quite the same when you're trying to learn. Good thing the new gym just opened near my house. I swear, nothing melts away the stress of a crazy day faster than seeing wee miss float on her back with arms and legs out like a starfish while singing twinkle twinkle little star. I'm hoping she sleeps well tonight as a result!
18.4.10
As with everything in life...
You´ve got to keep moving... It´s been hard to get past the anger and frustration of being robbed not once but twice in the span of two weeks. My work load these days is not helping in that Im working betweek 10 to 12h a day minimum is not helping... and things just seem to pile up and up and the stress is really opressive. Luckily some suprise arrivals have helped keep me trucking along.
The lovely miss Siobhan is arriving at the begining of may for a visit. Her father is going to be here from Canada for a cruise so he´s helped her with the pennies required to travel from the west coast of France to here. I´ve not seen her in nearly 4 years now which is just silly as her and I spent so many of our summers together when she was living in Portugal. I´m so excited for her to meet sienna and lilli and fredu.
Then a week or so later mum and sis and her brood will arrive for a two week sejour. This is the best as I´ve got the time booked off from work and albeit early it will be my summer holiday. It´s going to be a very tight squeeze getting all of them to fit in our tiny abode but it will be so so nice to have them here we will overcome it.
On our way to a bbq at a friend´s house in poble nou yesterday we spotted these cute little solar powered flowers in the window of one of the chinese shops. They were a bargain at 2euros each so we bought 3. They do help cheer things up. I think I may just bring one into the office.
so cute!
enjoy the full action of the ktich solar dancing flower in this video.
and if that doesn´t lighten things... miss sienna sporting uncle luca´s moto helmet just may...
You´ve got to keep moving... It´s been hard to get past the anger and frustration of being robbed not once but twice in the span of two weeks. My work load these days is not helping in that Im working betweek 10 to 12h a day minimum is not helping... and things just seem to pile up and up and the stress is really opressive. Luckily some suprise arrivals have helped keep me trucking along.
The lovely miss Siobhan is arriving at the begining of may for a visit. Her father is going to be here from Canada for a cruise so he´s helped her with the pennies required to travel from the west coast of France to here. I´ve not seen her in nearly 4 years now which is just silly as her and I spent so many of our summers together when she was living in Portugal. I´m so excited for her to meet sienna and lilli and fredu.
Then a week or so later mum and sis and her brood will arrive for a two week sejour. This is the best as I´ve got the time booked off from work and albeit early it will be my summer holiday. It´s going to be a very tight squeeze getting all of them to fit in our tiny abode but it will be so so nice to have them here we will overcome it.
On our way to a bbq at a friend´s house in poble nou yesterday we spotted these cute little solar powered flowers in the window of one of the chinese shops. They were a bargain at 2euros each so we bought 3. They do help cheer things up. I think I may just bring one into the office.
so cute!
enjoy the full action of the ktich solar dancing flower in this video.
and if that doesn´t lighten things... miss sienna sporting uncle luca´s moto helmet just may...
12.4.10
Sometimes life leads you to where you need to be going...
However in this case i think it´s becoming clearer to us that that would be out of this neighbourhood. Some lovely person stole our child´s pram from the entrance way of our flat. It was not just sitting there of course. It was behind a locked door. But seeing as the delighful owner of the building has refused to get the front door properly fixed, it does not shut properly unless you really tug on it. So some nice kind soul decided it was a good idea to steal our sole means of transport. Words simply cannot describe how heartbroken I felt. I felt sad for the person who stole it... i felt sad for the world we live in that makes stealing a pram to (re-sell for cash I would assume). Just the week before someone stole Alfredo´s iphone right out of his hand while he was talking to me. I could hear the robbers take it... run away with in then i could hear the person whom they passed it to havea relaxed chat with his friends in arabic. Such a pleasant place to live don´t you think... desperate times have fallen upon this city. Petty crime is rife and we´ve been hit pretty hard in the past couple days. we´ve not got much and damn it... now we have even less. I really feel like we´re letting the wee one down by continuing to live here. However one thing keeping me here for now is that I´ve recently been given a promotion... so it´s not really the ideal time to pick up and leave. Good thing really as after all this craziness it would be a very inviting idea.
I know i know it´s just material things but it´s the loss of confidence the loss of feeling of security. I really think some majorly postive flat hunting energy would be appreciated so we can get the hell out of this jungle.
So barcelona and the street urchins that are slowly taking over it... can go and stuff it where the sun don´t shine because I´m not full of much love for either of you these days.
However in this case i think it´s becoming clearer to us that that would be out of this neighbourhood. Some lovely person stole our child´s pram from the entrance way of our flat. It was not just sitting there of course. It was behind a locked door. But seeing as the delighful owner of the building has refused to get the front door properly fixed, it does not shut properly unless you really tug on it. So some nice kind soul decided it was a good idea to steal our sole means of transport. Words simply cannot describe how heartbroken I felt. I felt sad for the person who stole it... i felt sad for the world we live in that makes stealing a pram to (re-sell for cash I would assume). Just the week before someone stole Alfredo´s iphone right out of his hand while he was talking to me. I could hear the robbers take it... run away with in then i could hear the person whom they passed it to havea relaxed chat with his friends in arabic. Such a pleasant place to live don´t you think... desperate times have fallen upon this city. Petty crime is rife and we´ve been hit pretty hard in the past couple days. we´ve not got much and damn it... now we have even less. I really feel like we´re letting the wee one down by continuing to live here. However one thing keeping me here for now is that I´ve recently been given a promotion... so it´s not really the ideal time to pick up and leave. Good thing really as after all this craziness it would be a very inviting idea.
I know i know it´s just material things but it´s the loss of confidence the loss of feeling of security. I really think some majorly postive flat hunting energy would be appreciated so we can get the hell out of this jungle.
So barcelona and the street urchins that are slowly taking over it... can go and stuff it where the sun don´t shine because I´m not full of much love for either of you these days.
23.3.10
I wasn't too sure if it was humanly possible...
to work more than 17h overtime this weekend to get this important site live... and still have the energy to go to my birthday party... but it turned out that it was... The last 4h of overtime were put in on Sunday after only returning home from said party at 4am... it was a struggle to say the least... but yea we partied like it was my birthday... didn't drink bacardi like it was my birthday but we did have cava! I'm blessed to have fab friends... ironic dancing photographic proof photo? Yup here you have it...
Double chins (care of middle age) and ironic dancing of course...
Not quite sure how much more I can give to work this week... this crazy weekend working and then again last night and tonight are leaving me high and dry energy-wise... good thing the new gym in my hood opens on the 1st. It was a bit sad today as I resigned from my gym of 5 years... one of the first, I live in Barcelona things I did when I first moved here... even before getting my social security number. But today I resigned and will give this new one, closer to my house one... a chance... and if by August I hate it I can always toss it in and join my old gym again as they have a free joining around then every year...
On a totally un-related issue... is it normal that one's dog runs and hides when you try and take her for a walk... I think we got a human in a dog suit when we bought her... wonder if I still have the receipt? I jest... I'm sure it's something that we're doing wrong but I cant' quite seem to find an episode of the dog whisperer that addresses this. Even food motivation hardly works... Help Lilli Cesar... come to Barcelona and help us figure out how to be better doggie owners please!
to work more than 17h overtime this weekend to get this important site live... and still have the energy to go to my birthday party... but it turned out that it was... The last 4h of overtime were put in on Sunday after only returning home from said party at 4am... it was a struggle to say the least... but yea we partied like it was my birthday... didn't drink bacardi like it was my birthday but we did have cava! I'm blessed to have fab friends... ironic dancing photographic proof photo? Yup here you have it...
Double chins (care of middle age) and ironic dancing of course...
Not quite sure how much more I can give to work this week... this crazy weekend working and then again last night and tonight are leaving me high and dry energy-wise... good thing the new gym in my hood opens on the 1st. It was a bit sad today as I resigned from my gym of 5 years... one of the first, I live in Barcelona things I did when I first moved here... even before getting my social security number. But today I resigned and will give this new one, closer to my house one... a chance... and if by August I hate it I can always toss it in and join my old gym again as they have a free joining around then every year...
On a totally un-related issue... is it normal that one's dog runs and hides when you try and take her for a walk... I think we got a human in a dog suit when we bought her... wonder if I still have the receipt? I jest... I'm sure it's something that we're doing wrong but I cant' quite seem to find an episode of the dog whisperer that addresses this. Even food motivation hardly works... Help Lilli Cesar... come to Barcelona and help us figure out how to be better doggie owners please!
18.3.10
There are about 30 Pink Balloons...
although I wish there were 99 and they were red so I could humm that song... but alas they are pink and plentiful and of course remnants of Sienna and Alfredo's Balloon madness that they unleashed upon the flat last night... knowing how insanely small our place is, you can only image how much extra chaos it adds to the ambiance if you will...
Working late and on weekends has returned... and it should be quite a challenge seeing that Fredu has arranged a big party for Saturday to celebrate my birthday... there are two major things holding it back, first the fact that the invites aren't ready yet and second... if all our friends are there it will be impossible to get any of them to mind the wee one... thus Fredu will have no choice but to stay home :( The next challenge will be me getting up on Sunday to complete the work that I need to do to deliver this website to a client by Monday... anyone have a magic wand?
although I wish there were 99 and they were red so I could humm that song... but alas they are pink and plentiful and of course remnants of Sienna and Alfredo's Balloon madness that they unleashed upon the flat last night... knowing how insanely small our place is, you can only image how much extra chaos it adds to the ambiance if you will...
Working late and on weekends has returned... and it should be quite a challenge seeing that Fredu has arranged a big party for Saturday to celebrate my birthday... there are two major things holding it back, first the fact that the invites aren't ready yet and second... if all our friends are there it will be impossible to get any of them to mind the wee one... thus Fredu will have no choice but to stay home :( The next challenge will be me getting up on Sunday to complete the work that I need to do to deliver this website to a client by Monday... anyone have a magic wand?
The annual time has now passed
And with my birthday having been yesterday I’ve got to make the annual blog change of my age in the left hand column… it’s getting harder and I’m dangerously close to opting for the 30 something tag rather than the real age… okay okay one more year… I’ll change it to 34 now *sigh* it’s all just so surreal as when I started this blog I was 25!!!
I had a lovely day yesterday with fabulous friends and had greetings from everyone which always makes me warm and tingly!
Spring or the concept thereof, of spring has returned to BCN and it’s to be 18 today which is nice. Not long now and mum and sis and her brood will be jetting over to see us. May is of course still a way off but I need to have that goal to get me through another work week.
And with my birthday having been yesterday I’ve got to make the annual blog change of my age in the left hand column… it’s getting harder and I’m dangerously close to opting for the 30 something tag rather than the real age… okay okay one more year… I’ll change it to 34 now *sigh* it’s all just so surreal as when I started this blog I was 25!!!
I had a lovely day yesterday with fabulous friends and had greetings from everyone which always makes me warm and tingly!
Spring or the concept thereof, of spring has returned to BCN and it’s to be 18 today which is nice. Not long now and mum and sis and her brood will be jetting over to see us. May is of course still a way off but I need to have that goal to get me through another work week.
14.3.10
It's my birthday soon...
Well in just a few days to be precise. But it's the wee one who got a fabulous pressie yesterday. A year earlier than the reccomended age but you know it's just 'reccommended'...
We were busy scooting with her down the beach yesterday. It didn't take long to get the balance going and within a week or so i'm sure she'll be scooting along with us runnig behind, but until then we'll mostly be working on tightening that tricky side-butt muscle as we help her balance while moving along. Who knew!?! Seasoned expert miss Wendy added in a nice long yoga strap on the handle bar so you can help steer and pull... don't worry mum we're going to get her a wee helmet too.
The sun has finally returned to Barcelona but not quite the warmpth...
Tomorrow marks Fredu and I's 6th anniversary. So much time gone by so quickly. Miss millie has offered to mind the wee one so we can go out and do something to celebrate... must cook up something! Any ideas???
Well in just a few days to be precise. But it's the wee one who got a fabulous pressie yesterday. A year earlier than the reccomended age but you know it's just 'reccommended'...
We were busy scooting with her down the beach yesterday. It didn't take long to get the balance going and within a week or so i'm sure she'll be scooting along with us runnig behind, but until then we'll mostly be working on tightening that tricky side-butt muscle as we help her balance while moving along. Who knew!?! Seasoned expert miss Wendy added in a nice long yoga strap on the handle bar so you can help steer and pull... don't worry mum we're going to get her a wee helmet too.
The sun has finally returned to Barcelona but not quite the warmpth...
Tomorrow marks Fredu and I's 6th anniversary. So much time gone by so quickly. Miss millie has offered to mind the wee one so we can go out and do something to celebrate... must cook up something! Any ideas???
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