Marie's Web Log

Today is gotcha day. It's been two years (!!!) since that fateful day when we rode the lift (elevator) to the meeting room on the top floor of the hotel in hot and sticky Changsha and (in Ian's words) they put that little screaming bundle into our arms. That little bundle is now our wonderful daughter Amelia, the opinionated, chatty, music-loving, soon-to-be-three-year-old.

Wow, those first few months were tough. I remember them like it was yesterday. Lots of crying, especially at night. Very little sleeping (for baby or parents). Lots of arguing (for parents). What a nightmare. We've had some tough times since, as well, especially last winter when she was going through her bad tantrum stage. But we love her absolutely dearly.

Sometimes people ask if we'd like a second one. No, I don't think so. Not only could I not go through all that again, but I've never really wanted more than one. Best to quit while you're ahead.

Tomorrow is Amelia's official adoption day - the day we signed the papers at the county government office to make it all official. I've made a rather sorry looking little cake (don't ask!) and we're planning to have a little ceremony with three candles, one for us, one for her, and one for her birth parents. And maybe some Chinese food.

Sunday is the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Festival of the Mid-Autumn Moon. It happens on the 15th day of the eighth moon in the Chinese calendar. It's a festival of thanksgiving and a time for reuniting with family and friends; a bit like the Canadian or American Thanksgiving. So let me send our warmest love and greetings to you all, our dear friends and family.

Yesterday we went to (yes) the pub and the beach. We haven't done that for ages, honest. The pub we went to is called The Turf Hotel because it's situated at the Turf Locks on Exeter canal, where it joins the estuary. It's a beautiful spot, not least because you can't get to it by car. You can drive so far and then walk, or you can cycle, or you can take a ferry. Very peaceful. Then we drove down to Dawlish Warren beach just for an hour or so, so Amelia could play in the sand.

Last weekend we visited the nearby Powderham Castle. The only way you can see the inside is on a guided tour, which I'm usually not too keen on, but this one was quite sweet. My favourite part was the mirror they could crank open and closed to cover a window over a fireplace. And the fact that they have 14,000 books. (Mark, you'd be in heaven. A lot of them looked very old. They were behind wire screens.)

We wandered the grounds afterward and came across a Mulberry tree. Neither Ian nor I (nor Amelia, as far as we know!) had ever seen one before. The fruit looked a bit like an oversized raspberry. There was a sign saying we were welcome to pick them, but to be careful not to track the juice inside. And they are extremely messy - bite into one and you instantly have bright red juice running down your arm. I didn't like the taste - a bit sour, like gooseberries.

We bumped into one of the daughters of the current Earl of Devon, who lives with his wife in the castle. (Not to be confused with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, who live in Derbyshire.) The daughter lives in the "stable house" on the estate with her four young daughters, and she was out picking berries with them. You could tell she was posh because she was wearing dirty jeans, a rumpled sweatshirt, and rubber boots.

Ian handed in his dissertation on Monday. He won't get his mark until November. No, we don't know what we're doing next.

Posted by marie at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Feeling very autumnal here - many trees turning yellow or brown, many leaves on the ground. Actually, it was like that even in August. Maybe because spring came early, autumn will come early too? Still quite warm, but with cool mornings and evenings.

What lovely, lovely weather we've had this summer. It's raining hard tonight, but that's been a rare thing. Maybe another reason why it all looks so dry. Even though we went to the seaside a few times and made little trips to some National Trust properties and another garden we're members of called Bicton Gardens, I still feel we didn't take enough advantage of the summer. I guess that's natural, with signs of autumn drawing in.

On Wednesday afternoon we drove down to Sidmouth, about a half-hour drive. We went there once before, I think in early spring. It's another spectacular setting with towering red cliffs and a pebble beach. This time the tide was out, which had exposed some long sandy stretches, so we rolled up our trousers and ventured out on to the hard sand, buggy (stroller) and all. There were children laughing and playing, dogs joyfully chasing sticks or balls tossed by their owners, people climbing among the rocks looking for marine life. We sat for a bit, then walked back and climbed the hill to have tea and scones in what's called the clock tower, but looks like a small castle on top of the cliffs.

Yesterday was Amelia's first day back at day care. She clung to my legs a bit when I took her up, but she didn't cry and Louise (the leader of the unit she's in) said she had a good day. They seemed to have a lot of new toys, including a toy cash register, shopping carts and grocery items. Amelia's really into toy money right now. And there are going to be two other little girls in her group this term, which will make a nice change.

Ian has finished his dissertation. This last week was taken up with another round of editing and last-minute changes. He's going to hand it in on Monday. And that's that. Please don't ask what happens next, or I'm liable to lapse into hysterical laughter. Which means I don't know.

Posted by marie at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here we are, back in the U.K. We flew out of Halifax last Saturday night. Amelia confounded my expectations and fell asleep before we even took off. The flight crew were doing the safety routine and I looked over at her and she was slumped in her seat. She slept through that take-off, the landing in St. John's, the half-hour it took them to tidy up the plane and take on more passengers, and the second take-off.

I was dreading the trip home, but it actually felt very short. (Maybe because Amelia was asleep.) The flight from Newfoundland was barely more than four hours!! That has to be the shortest trans-atlantic crossing I've ever done, and I've done a few. As we took off, the captain came on and said, "It's a beautiful night for an airplane ride." And he was right.

Mum and Dad generously gave up their time - not to mention petrol and hotel money - to drive us over to Halifax. We stayed in a Comfort in in Dartmouth, but we were lucky to get anywhere at that time of year. On Sunday we popped in to the nearby Micmac mall to do some last minute shopping at Gap Kids, then headed down to the Historic Properties area of Halifax for a lunch, which turned out to be brunch because that's what the place we went to was serving.

Then on to the Public Gardens park to meet up with Kenda and Mike and the kids. Mike had luckily recovered from stomach flu, and we were able to have an enjoyable few hours with them, though I was still sad as we originally were supposed to have two days together. It was great to see Rachel (who's 3) and Amelia talking to each other. And Owen is a cute little tyke.

I've been a bit depressed since coming back, though the weather has been lovely here. I miss my friends and family. It was wonderful for Amelia to see more of my Mum and Dad - she keeps mentioning Granny and Grandad. I wish we could be closer to my sister and her husband, who are expecting a baby in February. I guess you can't have everything you want.

Everything is still up in the air here. Ian is madly trying to finish his dissertation so he can hand it in next week.

Below are a couple of photos from my Mum. I got my film back today, so will try to post those photos soon. Kenda, don't forget to send yours!

Disco lobster - Historic Properties, Halifax.

Halifax airport, Aug. 27, 2005. They've fixed it up a bit.

Posted by marie at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)