Sincerest Apologies!

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Ok, I have probably now lost my entire readership by disobeying blog rule number one: Update regularly! So I hope you haven't all abandoned me 😊

A lot of small interesting things have happened to me recently, rather than one or two big wow type things. So I'm chiefly going to just let the photos explain what I've been up to for the past month. It has been an incredibly busy month, for various reasons, but mainly because of two major differences between my life here and my life at home. Firstly (and this may sound slightly obvious) I have a job. I have never had a proper job before. Certain things just don't occur to you before you get a proper job, such as how not only is your free time significantly reduced, but it is suddenly taken up with laundry and cooking and washing up and tidying your room and (in my case) German homework. And then the other half of your time is spent keeping up to date with the various acquaintances in your life. Which is the second major difference between my life at home - here, I have several friends who have next to no contact with each other. So whereas at home 'friend time' and 'me time' can be neatly divided into two chunks, here I find that for the first time in my life I need a diary not just to organise my working life but to squeeze the social side in, too.

That actually sums up in a slightly large nutshell why I haven't updated in so long, too, although I wasn't intending to make excuses when I started. It's also why I'm so rubbish at keeping in contact with everyone at the moment. I'll get better, I promise.

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Photos

Traudi Awards: Steierisch Wine
At an awards ceremony jointly organised by Kinderbuero and KiJa, our partner organisation, I couldn't help but notice the wine on offer.

Traudi Cake
This, somewhat alarmingly, is brioche decorated to look like Traudi, the little girl who looks quite a lot like Pippi Longstocking (but most definitely is not her! ahem) and represents the awards ceremony

My boss at Traudi Awards
Bernhard, my boss, is on the right, and Christian, who is being interviewed, is the KiJa boss. Traudi is an awards ceremony about children's rights. It's all very good, but Steffi and I still spent most of the night making a Traudi mobile.

View from the Rathous
A few nights later I was helping out at the children's mayoral elections and took the opportunity to take a photo of the Hauptplatz looking lovely.

I Just Thought Jonathan Would Like This
Only two Euros a go I think!

Mum and Dad's visit
Atop the Schlossberg, looking down at the Hauptplatz again

Mum and Dad
Looking pleases . . .

My Beautiful City
Isn't it just?

My Name!
Finally, after two months there, my name is outside my office. I have a nameplaque!
(is that how you spell plaque, or is that just how you spell the stuff on your teeth?)

The Kinderparlament Christmas Party
Children plus baking never ends neatly, this I've learned

Punsch!
I made it! It was scrummy. I will make more.

Look at the pretty
That there is Heidi, my KinderParlament colleague, possibly decorating biscuits.

Me and Tanya
Tanya is a really nice half English half Austrian who lives in my building and attempts to sort out many of my cultural misunderstandings!

Snow!
Antonio tries to clean the snow off his car

Snow!
Look at the pretty :)

Comments

[jonty]

it's niiiice! the staircase obstacle looked cool :) and the other pics are really nice too! Merry X-mas and Happy New Year!