I have just realised that I really don't post enough pictures on my blog. I will try and start posting more! (including the Venice pictures!)
I'm doing ok as far as not accessing Facebook. But I did have to get DH to have a look at my step sisters pictures today to see if there was a weight and birthday for her youngest son as I'm nearly finished his cross stitch! Pictures to follow!
Only 12 more days till I can go back to my beloved Facebook! So Sad I know!
BTW, Zachary has got a funny rash on his bum which seems to have spread a bit down his legs and one or two dots on his tummy and neck...Chicken Pox? Who knows, but he's just as happy as ever. He's at nursery at the moment and I've not got a call to say to pick him up. I'll see what they say at 5:30!
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Happy St Paddy's Day!
Zachary sporting his Irish shirt from Uncle Graham and Aunty Sandra and his Irish socks from Uncle Geoff and Aunty Susan. Smiley was wearing Green today as well but didn't want his picture taken. Moose is the only Paddy among us so Happy St. Patricks Day Moose!
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Venice - The LONG version!
This weekend we went to Venice. It was nice to get away and finally see a place that has been on my top 10 for years. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting. I know I didn't imagine it like the movies as we all know movies are never a good representation of reality.
It was cold, very very cold! I guess I imagined it warm(ish) like spring where we could sit outside and sip a cup of coffee. Also. I knew there were canals...but there were hundreds of them not to mention the bridges to go over! I wasn't hugely impressed on Friday when we arrived but by Monday when the weather was a wee bit warmer and the sun was shining and I knew where I was going, it was starting to grow on me.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and took a coach from the airport to the bus station in Venice. From there we took the Vaporetto (water bus) to a stop instructed by the agency for the apartment we were renting. Unfortunately we missed the stop as we were too slow getting off and had to get off on the next stop and wait for another boat going in the other direction. Eventually we got to our tiny flat (but very recently updated) and dumped our stuff before going to the supermarket to get some supplies (milk, breakfast stuff, beer, wine and of course nappies!). Both Smiley and I found the people SO rude. The shop was very small and people would push by and not hold doors and that was for me, with a pushchair with Zachary in it. On Monday morning Smiley confessed to me that he thought "What a dump!" on our first day there.
We managed to walk to a main "road" Strada Nuvoa or something like that and had dinner. It was...interesting! Starters, First course, Second course, desert...REALLY???? We all had a meatball which was scrummy and then had just one course and no dessert. I had the house wine every where we had dinner and it was SO good. none of the harsh/bitter crap you get here.
The next day we met Laura (our friend that came with us!) at San Marco Piazza (St. Marks Square). She got up nice and early but with little man we were a lot more restricted on our coming and goings. We left and got the Vapporetto right round to the square. It took 45 minutes and we were about an hour later than we had planned meeting Laura. Fortunately, or unfortunately the tour she desperately wanted to go on was fully booked till Monday so we weren't really late in the end! We did the typical wandering around a museum and went through the bridge of sighs. It was nice to get a bit of history...but unless you're into all that, it gets a bit boring. Next we went up the bell tower to have a look but this trip wasn't well planned as we arrived at the top about 1:55pm and the bells chime every hour! OPPPS! Poor Zachary and his little ears! Fortunately it doesn't seem to have damaged his hearing. Next we went on the number 2 Vaporetto up the Grand Canal. Forget going on a gondola, go on the water bus, it won't bankrupt you! It was along the Grand Canal that you can start to see the charm of Venice. After that we wandered around and got lost and had a coffee and a crepe (which Zachary loved with the yummy Nutella in the middle!) and got told where we were. "Erm, excuse me, do you mind showing us where we are on this map please" The man was very nice and smiled and said of course. I wasn't even on the right page! It's very easy to get lost in Venice unless you follow the flow of people! Dinner was at an out of the way pizzeria and Smiley had a massive beer. I'm sure it was a litre! The staff were very nice and even suggested a lovely pizza for me. For desert we had Tiramisu which I've once before and I didn't like it much. I was convinced to try it again and it was SO Good! That and a coffee and we were set to head out in the cold again.
Sunday the plan was to walk to the Jewish Ghetto and then take the Vaporetto to Murano and the Burano. This was the coldest day. It was every so windy and it made it so very, very cold. I found Murano boring, lots of glass shops and I was so cold I just couldn't warm up. After some lunch we got back on the water bus and headed to Burano which I loved. The wind seemed to calm down and the buildings are painted such lovely bright colours. It also seemed in better upkeep than Venice and also cleaner, this could be because of the bright colours, or the size of the island (it is tiny!) or possibly because there was just less traffic (foot traffic of course!). We stopped for a hot chocolate and a biscuit and Zachary thoroughly enjoyed dunking his biscuit in my hot chocolate! Back in Venice we wandered around the streets a bit and even though we were trying to get lost we got trapped in the throng of people heading to and from St Marks Square. We had dinner just off the square and I settled with the "Menu Turisto" but it was very nice and again the wine was Delicious! The Waiters adored Zachary and gave him a little toy and loved watching him run around. This of course is the benefit of eating earlier is that little man can run around without being a nuisance to other patrons. After dinner we headed back to the Square to take some night shots. There were much less people around and it was really quite nice. Zachary started to get in a strop and we quickly rushed back to our flat...it took about 45 minutes to get back what with all the lifting the push chair up and down the stairs to get over the bridges. I still have bruises on the back of my leg from where the pushchair kept banging against it going up the stairs!
Monday Morning we had to be out of the flat by 11am so we got up and went for a little walk down to Rialto bridge. Smiley and I hadn't bought hardly any souvenirs yet so we spent about 2 hours wandering and purchasing our goods. We had a bit of time and let Zachary out to walk. He's really starting to get to the age where he would rather walk than be in his pushchair, not all the time mind, but some of the time.
In the end, regardless of the cold and the masses of stairs and the lack of changing facilities (I got really, really good at changing Zachary on my lap while squatting against a wall to steady myself!) and the old rude Italians (the rude ones always seemed to be old...I'm not just being ageist), we had a lovely time.
It was quite the experience taking Zachary with us as we had yet to go on a city break since he arrived. Usually we walk loads and loads and see everything we possibly can in a very short time and we weren't sure on how well Zachary would do. He really seemed to enjoy himself. We invested in a harness for him (something I said I would never do!) and let him wander around. He loved chasing the birds in St. Marks Square but I felt very secure knowing he was less than a foot away from us at all times and couldn't get lost in a crowd of people. Birds and Boats, something Venice has plenty of were Zachary's favourite items on our trip, not to mention the Gelato!
I don't think I'd want to visit Venice in the summer as we did get the slightest hint of rotting seaweed/algae a couple of times and the heat would just make it so much worse. Not to mention hoards of people and more birds which tend to rip into the rubbish bags and spread the rubbish all over the streets. Perhaps the beginning April would have been a better choice, but hey, ho.
Venice...I've been, I can cross it off my list and I'm very, very glad for that.
(short version with pictures to follow)
It was cold, very very cold! I guess I imagined it warm(ish) like spring where we could sit outside and sip a cup of coffee. Also. I knew there were canals...but there were hundreds of them not to mention the bridges to go over! I wasn't hugely impressed on Friday when we arrived but by Monday when the weather was a wee bit warmer and the sun was shining and I knew where I was going, it was starting to grow on me.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and took a coach from the airport to the bus station in Venice. From there we took the Vaporetto (water bus) to a stop instructed by the agency for the apartment we were renting. Unfortunately we missed the stop as we were too slow getting off and had to get off on the next stop and wait for another boat going in the other direction. Eventually we got to our tiny flat (but very recently updated) and dumped our stuff before going to the supermarket to get some supplies (milk, breakfast stuff, beer, wine and of course nappies!). Both Smiley and I found the people SO rude. The shop was very small and people would push by and not hold doors and that was for me, with a pushchair with Zachary in it. On Monday morning Smiley confessed to me that he thought "What a dump!" on our first day there.
We managed to walk to a main "road" Strada Nuvoa or something like that and had dinner. It was...interesting! Starters, First course, Second course, desert...REALLY???? We all had a meatball which was scrummy and then had just one course and no dessert. I had the house wine every where we had dinner and it was SO good. none of the harsh/bitter crap you get here.
The next day we met Laura (our friend that came with us!) at San Marco Piazza (St. Marks Square). She got up nice and early but with little man we were a lot more restricted on our coming and goings. We left and got the Vapporetto right round to the square. It took 45 minutes and we were about an hour later than we had planned meeting Laura. Fortunately, or unfortunately the tour she desperately wanted to go on was fully booked till Monday so we weren't really late in the end! We did the typical wandering around a museum and went through the bridge of sighs. It was nice to get a bit of history...but unless you're into all that, it gets a bit boring. Next we went up the bell tower to have a look but this trip wasn't well planned as we arrived at the top about 1:55pm and the bells chime every hour! OPPPS! Poor Zachary and his little ears! Fortunately it doesn't seem to have damaged his hearing. Next we went on the number 2 Vaporetto up the Grand Canal. Forget going on a gondola, go on the water bus, it won't bankrupt you! It was along the Grand Canal that you can start to see the charm of Venice. After that we wandered around and got lost and had a coffee and a crepe (which Zachary loved with the yummy Nutella in the middle!) and got told where we were. "Erm, excuse me, do you mind showing us where we are on this map please" The man was very nice and smiled and said of course. I wasn't even on the right page! It's very easy to get lost in Venice unless you follow the flow of people! Dinner was at an out of the way pizzeria and Smiley had a massive beer. I'm sure it was a litre! The staff were very nice and even suggested a lovely pizza for me. For desert we had Tiramisu which I've once before and I didn't like it much. I was convinced to try it again and it was SO Good! That and a coffee and we were set to head out in the cold again.
Sunday the plan was to walk to the Jewish Ghetto and then take the Vaporetto to Murano and the Burano. This was the coldest day. It was every so windy and it made it so very, very cold. I found Murano boring, lots of glass shops and I was so cold I just couldn't warm up. After some lunch we got back on the water bus and headed to Burano which I loved. The wind seemed to calm down and the buildings are painted such lovely bright colours. It also seemed in better upkeep than Venice and also cleaner, this could be because of the bright colours, or the size of the island (it is tiny!) or possibly because there was just less traffic (foot traffic of course!). We stopped for a hot chocolate and a biscuit and Zachary thoroughly enjoyed dunking his biscuit in my hot chocolate! Back in Venice we wandered around the streets a bit and even though we were trying to get lost we got trapped in the throng of people heading to and from St Marks Square. We had dinner just off the square and I settled with the "Menu Turisto" but it was very nice and again the wine was Delicious! The Waiters adored Zachary and gave him a little toy and loved watching him run around. This of course is the benefit of eating earlier is that little man can run around without being a nuisance to other patrons. After dinner we headed back to the Square to take some night shots. There were much less people around and it was really quite nice. Zachary started to get in a strop and we quickly rushed back to our flat...it took about 45 minutes to get back what with all the lifting the push chair up and down the stairs to get over the bridges. I still have bruises on the back of my leg from where the pushchair kept banging against it going up the stairs!
Monday Morning we had to be out of the flat by 11am so we got up and went for a little walk down to Rialto bridge. Smiley and I hadn't bought hardly any souvenirs yet so we spent about 2 hours wandering and purchasing our goods. We had a bit of time and let Zachary out to walk. He's really starting to get to the age where he would rather walk than be in his pushchair, not all the time mind, but some of the time.
In the end, regardless of the cold and the masses of stairs and the lack of changing facilities (I got really, really good at changing Zachary on my lap while squatting against a wall to steady myself!) and the old rude Italians (the rude ones always seemed to be old...I'm not just being ageist), we had a lovely time.
It was quite the experience taking Zachary with us as we had yet to go on a city break since he arrived. Usually we walk loads and loads and see everything we possibly can in a very short time and we weren't sure on how well Zachary would do. He really seemed to enjoy himself. We invested in a harness for him (something I said I would never do!) and let him wander around. He loved chasing the birds in St. Marks Square but I felt very secure knowing he was less than a foot away from us at all times and couldn't get lost in a crowd of people. Birds and Boats, something Venice has plenty of were Zachary's favourite items on our trip, not to mention the Gelato!
I don't think I'd want to visit Venice in the summer as we did get the slightest hint of rotting seaweed/algae a couple of times and the heat would just make it so much worse. Not to mention hoards of people and more birds which tend to rip into the rubbish bags and spread the rubbish all over the streets. Perhaps the beginning April would have been a better choice, but hey, ho.
Venice...I've been, I can cross it off my list and I'm very, very glad for that.
(short version with pictures to follow)
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Go Canada Go...Part 2!
So turns out the BBC did show the whole game. Well done girls on the gold!
Today...I've watched the Canadian Men win gold against the States on Men's Speed Skating Team Pursuit and Anderson stole the Gold from the Austrians in the Snowboarding Parallel Giant Slalom. Right now I'm just waiting for the Men's 4 man bobsled to start in 5 minutes! Canada is 0.45 behind the USA in Silver position...fingers crossed another steal!
In Canada and the States the USA are at the top of the medals table because over all, they have the most medals (currently 35). Here, the BBC have listed the rankings based on the number of gold medals. Currently Canada have 12 and the USA have 8. It is SO nice to see Canada at the top of the medals table!
HERE is the link in case you fancy having a little look and basking in the glory of being at the very top of the Medals Table.
We still have a number of Medals that we're in the running for so 12 may increase. Apparently 13 is the most gold medals one before at a winter Olympics. Could we meet or even better, beat it!
I have really loved keeping up with the Olympics and cheering on my Country(ies). I will be sad to see them over tomorrow but at least I will be able to get some sleep!
Go Canada Go!
Today...I've watched the Canadian Men win gold against the States on Men's Speed Skating Team Pursuit and Anderson stole the Gold from the Austrians in the Snowboarding Parallel Giant Slalom. Right now I'm just waiting for the Men's 4 man bobsled to start in 5 minutes! Canada is 0.45 behind the USA in Silver position...fingers crossed another steal!
In Canada and the States the USA are at the top of the medals table because over all, they have the most medals (currently 35). Here, the BBC have listed the rankings based on the number of gold medals. Currently Canada have 12 and the USA have 8. It is SO nice to see Canada at the top of the medals table!
HERE is the link in case you fancy having a little look and basking in the glory of being at the very top of the Medals Table.
We still have a number of Medals that we're in the running for so 12 may increase. Apparently 13 is the most gold medals one before at a winter Olympics. Could we meet or even better, beat it!
I have really loved keeping up with the Olympics and cheering on my Country(ies). I will be sad to see them over tomorrow but at least I will be able to get some sleep!
Go Canada Go!
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Go Canada Go!
It's been a bit difficult to keep up with the Winter Olympics this time due to the 8 hour difference. Obviously I'm mainly interested in the Canadian progress especially as these games are on home soil. However, living in England, the BBC are focusing on the Brits out there, and so they should.
Tonight is the Woman's Ice Hockey Final and we've stayed up to watch it. It turns out that the BBC is only showing the first Period! ARRRRRRGGGG! They're then going on to show nearly 2 hours of Men's curling, and the Brits are no longer involved, and it won't be live as they're already in End 7! This of course makes me very sad. I would love to stay up and watch the whole game but it doesn't seem to be on the cards for us.
Well, regardless I will enjoy what I can and am wearing my Canadian Spirit with Pride.
GO CANADA GO!
Tonight is the Woman's Ice Hockey Final and we've stayed up to watch it. It turns out that the BBC is only showing the first Period! ARRRRRRGGGG! They're then going on to show nearly 2 hours of Men's curling, and the Brits are no longer involved, and it won't be live as they're already in End 7! This of course makes me very sad. I would love to stay up and watch the whole game but it doesn't seem to be on the cards for us.
Well, regardless I will enjoy what I can and am wearing my Canadian Spirit with Pride.
GO CANADA GO!
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Drunk Ramblings
So last night I went out with the girlies, nothing special, just a group of us hanging out chatting, drinking wine and having some nibbles. Since getting pregnant and having Zachary I have cut down my alcohol intake, for obvious reasons, so this has made me a very cheap drunk. I didn't run down the street in my undies or anything like that but I always find I tend to get over excited and agree to all sorts of things when I've been drinking.
For instance, 4 years ago we were in Prague for my Brother-in-law's 40th birthday. We were having dinner with Brother-in-law #2 and his fiancee talking about their wedding, due to take place 3 weeks later. Susan had mentioned that she hadn't picked the music yet for the ceremony and in the end I volunteered to play Trumpet Voluntary for her entrance. I hadn't played in 7 years! What was I thinking! but I pulled it off...but it could have been a great big mess!
So last night I think I agreed to going skydiving with Sandra, going away with 5 other girlies to Budapest sometime this year and I'm sure that wasn't the end of it.
Today I'm suffering a bit, just tired mainly but that could also be due to not getting home till 3am and then proceeding to wake up Smiley and Zachary. Fortunately Zachary slept till 9:30 this morning but no chance of a nap for me as Zachary had his nap while we were out today.
Early to bed for me, (right around 10 is early!) and then up at 6 to go for a run! We'll see! I won't be getting up at 1 to watch the hockey though as it will just make me so tired for the rest of the week and I have far too much driving to do. Guess I'll have to watch the highlights on bbc iPlayer tomorrow!
As for Lent...so far so good, not been on facebook at all. Did have a report from darling hubby that Krista and Sipili have had their second baby! Congrats guys!
For instance, 4 years ago we were in Prague for my Brother-in-law's 40th birthday. We were having dinner with Brother-in-law #2 and his fiancee talking about their wedding, due to take place 3 weeks later. Susan had mentioned that she hadn't picked the music yet for the ceremony and in the end I volunteered to play Trumpet Voluntary for her entrance. I hadn't played in 7 years! What was I thinking! but I pulled it off...but it could have been a great big mess!
So last night I think I agreed to going skydiving with Sandra, going away with 5 other girlies to Budapest sometime this year and I'm sure that wasn't the end of it.
Today I'm suffering a bit, just tired mainly but that could also be due to not getting home till 3am and then proceeding to wake up Smiley and Zachary. Fortunately Zachary slept till 9:30 this morning but no chance of a nap for me as Zachary had his nap while we were out today.
Early to bed for me, (right around 10 is early!) and then up at 6 to go for a run! We'll see! I won't be getting up at 1 to watch the hockey though as it will just make me so tired for the rest of the week and I have far too much driving to do. Guess I'll have to watch the highlights on bbc iPlayer tomorrow!
As for Lent...so far so good, not been on facebook at all. Did have a report from darling hubby that Krista and Sipili have had their second baby! Congrats guys!
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Lent
So it's lent again...and I've done something BIG! Well, it's big for me. Usually I give up something like Chocolate or Alcohol or sugar. This year I didn't want to do that for the following reasons.
1) Chocolate - I don't actually eat that much of it so giving it up for 40 days wouldn't be that big of a deal...I wanted something that would be truly difficult for me.
2) Crisps/Savoury Snacks - Same thing with Chocolate, I don't always have them and giving them up would make me just want them more.
3) Alcohol - This would be a bit more difficult because we're going to Venice in March and not drinking on holiday isn't any fun...Plus...I don't drink every weekend or anything like...This one was an option.
4) Swearing - Yup, that's right, I have a potty mouth! I work in IT and the majority of my co-workers are men and they all have potty mouths so it's easy to pick up...plus I do A LOT of driving and can be a bit aggressive sometimes...So figured this would be a good one and even thought about having a swear jar.
But they guys at work helped me decide...None of these really felt inspiring so I had mentioned that I had posted on facebook for ideas and they all decided right then and there that I should give up facebook for Lent...So I have.
This will be very difficult for me. Usually in the evening I sit on the sofa and watch TV and check facebook. I love keeping up with what everyone else is doing. I guess this way I will have more time for other things. Tonight I did 10 minutes on the elliptical trainer and I'm blogging...something I haven't done in ages!
I'm quite looking forward to shaking up my routine a bit but sad that I will miss the daily events of all my friends.
1) Chocolate - I don't actually eat that much of it so giving it up for 40 days wouldn't be that big of a deal...I wanted something that would be truly difficult for me.
2) Crisps/Savoury Snacks - Same thing with Chocolate, I don't always have them and giving them up would make me just want them more.
3) Alcohol - This would be a bit more difficult because we're going to Venice in March and not drinking on holiday isn't any fun...Plus...I don't drink every weekend or anything like...This one was an option.
4) Swearing - Yup, that's right, I have a potty mouth! I work in IT and the majority of my co-workers are men and they all have potty mouths so it's easy to pick up...plus I do A LOT of driving and can be a bit aggressive sometimes...So figured this would be a good one and even thought about having a swear jar.
But they guys at work helped me decide...None of these really felt inspiring so I had mentioned that I had posted on facebook for ideas and they all decided right then and there that I should give up facebook for Lent...So I have.
This will be very difficult for me. Usually in the evening I sit on the sofa and watch TV and check facebook. I love keeping up with what everyone else is doing. I guess this way I will have more time for other things. Tonight I did 10 minutes on the elliptical trainer and I'm blogging...something I haven't done in ages!
I'm quite looking forward to shaking up my routine a bit but sad that I will miss the daily events of all my friends.
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