To the two intrepid tourists Wow--now I am all caught up on your journal! Most amusing. I see there is no shortage of animals for your comfort and delight...and the locals seem more than hospitable. Odd to think of you as earlybirds... perhaps it's explained by that down-under reversal effect. Hmmm. Anyhoo, the sunset photo put me in mind of your mom's day gift and our little send-off...the flame-colored scarf with all the pleats (still haven't figured out how to fold the thing away but love wearing it)--we drove home from SF that evening alongside a molten orb sinking into the ocean mist... Meanwhile the workaday frenzy continues, and Tonyo madly rebuilds his boules complex in time for celebration on the Fourth. Keep those stories coming, wish we were there! Love, Mom
Everything? Donuts, sushi, wine, sheep... what more could you ask for... oh wait... they have wiskey too?
peace out. er or in... whatever they do there.
Petanque is cool For youse guys looking for local color, Boules rules down NZ way. Put your-selves to the test! You won't regret it to roll a few. Great Blog whats next ( Dad shaved his beard and got ten years younger)
Napier a delight! Loved this one out on the farm............and all the wineducation!
THanks for the tidbits.........but don't rush to write! Just enjoy and be in the experience!
xoxox
Blogging Be Damned! Not Really.. Just want to let you both know that I have really been enjoying your blogging. You are both great writers and storytellers and it is always a joy to read your commentary..HOWEVER, I want you both to know that I think it is alot to ask of yourselves to spend the great deal of time it must be taking you to do the blogging, thus taking away from your travel experience. I commend you for taking the time as I know you both will be able to look back on your blogging in the future and relive these moments in time. When I did my daily journal whilst we were down under, I was just trying to get a few things down on a daily basis just for the purpose of being able to remind myself of some of the activities and people and places we experienced. It didn't detract too much from the experience, but, oh my, the wonderful great lengths you two have been going to to "blog it out" has been tremendous! So, don't beat yourselves up about it. Crikey!!
Thanks for sharing! All's well here....just sent Jay off Tuesday for Istanbul and if you have read the spactaco forum, you will see that he has arrived safe and sound.
Take care, you two. Looking forward to hearing great stories on your return as well!
Love, Seal
in the middle of a "holiday" Hi there!
Walking - eating - music - that´s a good start on the trip! NZ probably still is under the spell of UK culture - and that does not include good food. So - I´m looking forward to read more about your explorations.
We are in the middle of a "holiday" - Thursday is Ascension day and thus a "holy"-day - like Sunday. Many people then get - or take - the Friday off - and you have a four-day-weekend. The weather is OK - we were out yesterday fixing the garden - to find it incredibly dry!!! We have to start watering, the raspberry-bushes are going yellow! Right now the clouds are coming in, we hope for rain. We probably could do with a full-week of rain, instead they are talking about summer weather coming in from the southeast. My! And everything is so early this year - we have had warm weather for a long time....
Besides garden we continue on our discussion about the pool and the kitchen and ... takes a lot of energy. And I doubt that we will come to any decisions about the pool this summer. It isn´t only one thing but a series of things, we might have to redo our whole outdoor area as we are worried that the foundation/ground has shifted. If so ... we need to redo our kitchen - and our bathroom - and the front entrance (as we have to dig up all the water-and sewer-lines) But - decision is almost made - we will stay here! In spite of all the future cost. It is too beatiful a place to move.
To celebrate our birthdays we decided to buy the Alhambra-game. I found it on Amazone-UK but I couldn´t buy it through them. They probably can´t send it to Sweden as there seems not be exist a sales agreement - so we had to turn to Norway and buy it. The transport cost was more than the price of the game, or at least the reserved amount of money. It will be delivered soon. Cool!
I giggled a little as I was reading a full-page article in our daily newspaper about the introduction and enjoyment of belly-dancing here in Stockholm. They have imported - or at least contracted - teachers from the middle-eastern countries, one of them being a man, and it seems to be the latest "in-thing"! "It is good for your health and you don´t have to be superslim, a little flip-flop of belly-rings are totally OK!" Love it! With their superlative comments there would be space for you, Juni, as a teacher....
Days go on fast, I have been to a very interesting conference on Disability Research in Gothenburg where I met at lot of people from the UK. They are part of what is called Disability Studies - a concoction of people who themselves are disabled. There was a very cute guy from London who tagged on to me - he had been a "naughty boy" and quit school early on. Tried to become a chef, but .... now he is doing his doctorate studies ... a discourse analysis on what really is said - or implied - about health care and disabled. I guess I was safe enough for him - enjoying the"naughty-ness". He had a friend or companion or whatever who was doing research on hate-crimes towards disabled people, something I hadn´t registered before. That is in UK, we are probably just not wanting to see it here in Sweden yet, but ..... Anyway - this guy was a bit reluctant to my presence and to his naughty boy circling around me - until the very last minute when we started singing "let´s call the whole thing off...." etc. Then I raised my status and became a "Darling". That´s what music does to you.
David is off buying flowers for the evening performance in "his" chambermusic series. He was re-elected president on that committe the other night and is still 100% in to it. I have to get back to putting together an Program of Interest-political directions for the Epilepsy Foundation here. It is my last work on that scene - I think. Then - two more trips to Gothenburg before summer vacation....
Lots of love to you both and have fun.
Hugs from David
Christina
Dang! Even after the exchange rate that's still US$14.60, for a veggie burrito. Maybe you should open a Taqueria! Tortillas, rice and beans can't cost that much there...
If they can charge $20 for a burrito, can you imagine how much money we would make if we had our family open up a restaurant there...one billlionnn dollas!!!
Janet Planet
non-member comment
To the two intrepid tourists
Wow--now I am all caught up on your journal! Most amusing. I see there is no shortage of animals for your comfort and delight...and the locals seem more than hospitable. Odd to think of you as earlybirds... perhaps it's explained by that down-under reversal effect. Hmmm. Anyhoo, the sunset photo put me in mind of your mom's day gift and our little send-off...the flame-colored scarf with all the pleats (still haven't figured out how to fold the thing away but love wearing it)--we drove home from SF that evening alongside a molten orb sinking into the ocean mist... Meanwhile the workaday frenzy continues, and Tonyo madly rebuilds his boules complex in time for celebration on the Fourth. Keep those stories coming, wish we were there! Love, Mom