Marie's Web Log

For my clamouring fans - er, fan - here's a new entry. The reason I haven't done many lately is that often the only time I have to do it is at the end of the day, and it comes down to writing a blog entry and doing my 500 words towards my novel(ha!). I'm afraid the novel has to take precedence.

Gong xi fa cai, by the way. Wishing you good luck and prosperity in the Chinese Year of the Dog, which starts today.

We had the children over for our Mandarin language playgroup this morning, so I put up a few decorations for Chinese New Year, including a red lantern, and we gave the children "hong bao" - red envelopes with chocolate money in. It's supposed to be real money, but the chocolate kind tastes better.

Here's a photo of our playgroup taken just before Christmas:

Amelia still has a cold. I have conjunctivitis again. Ian isn't feeling well. It's this bloody unhealthy country - not cold enough to kill the germs. Though it has been quite cold lately - around 0 Celsius.

All for now

Posted by marie at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hee hee... just kidding. I don't look this good. The swimsuit (or as Amelia would say, "swimsoup") is quite similar, though the stripes down the side of mine are blue. My cap is blue, too. Makes a lovely mark on my forehead.

Thanks Dale, by the way. I can always depend on you for some unwarranted ego boosting. It did occur to me after I posted my last entry that I am, strictly speaking, biologically old enough to be a grandmother.

We drove up to Bristol yesterday. It's a larger city about an hour's drive north of here. Population of about 300,000 or 400,000 I think. We went to the City Museum and Art Gallery, which is in quite a spectacular building. I had a quick look round the paintings while Ian took Amelia through the Natural History part. (Nice thing about many British museums - the ones run by local councils, anyway - is they're free.) We had lunch there, then set off (walking) to find a Chinese supermarket we'd read about. We got a bit lost, so ended up going the roundabout way. Amelia has been suffering from a cold and by the time we got to the supermarket she was at the end of her tether, so poor Ian had to take her back to the car while I shopped. Got a few things for Chinese New Year. I'll describe them more another time. We're having the Mandarin playgroup at our house this coming Sunday, which is Chinese New Year's Day, and then the week after we're having a small party, also in honour of the new year. (Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally last for 15 days. And no, Dale, that doesn't mean 15 days of drinking!)

It has been about 25 years since Ian had been to Bristol. (I'd never been.) He thought it had changed for the better. Like many British cities, its waterfront and quay area has been fixed up, and the outdoor cafes give it a continental European air. It was nice to see a bit more diversity in the people, too. And the shopping looked good. (Mum, we might be making a trip up when you come!)

Amelia is going through the infamous Y stage. No, not "Y," "Why!" As in, "What are you doing Mummy?" "I'm changing a lightbulb." "Why?" It's cute but irritating at the same time (a bit like children in general. :-)) My favourite response is, "That's a good question," which she has now started to repeat back to me.

Posted by marie at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

... happened on the way to Amelia's nursery. Well, actually at Amelia's nursery. I went to pick her up one day last week, and when I walked in two older children (around 4, maybe) were at the table near the door. (Additional information: earlier in the day, I had been moaning to Ian about how I hated getting older and looking middle-aged.) Anyway, the little girl said to me, "Are you Amelia's mummy?" and before I could answer, the little boy said, "Are you Amelia's granny?" At which point I picked him up by his little lapels and snarled, "Listen, sonny, do I look old enough to be a granny?" No, of course I didn't. He was wearing a t-shirt, for starters. No lapels. And I'm sure to a 4-year-old, anyone over 15 looks old enough to be a granny. But still.

I guess I'll be sticking to this spot for now. If I decide to change at some later point, I"ll let you all know.

What else? I went swimming last week, for the first time in ages. I mean proper, wear a one-piece, not-especially-flattering swimsuit, goggles and swimcap and do lengths of a full-size pool swimming, not the larking about, dilly dallying in someone's pool or at the beach kind. Larking about - how's that for a quaint expression? The swimming felt good. I used to go a lot way back when I was at university, but haven't been for ages. I was inspired to go because when I take Amelia for her swimming class in the learner pool, the deeper pool is always full of zen-looking swimmers. This is at the leisure centre where I do the other exercise classes, but the pool area is the best part of the building. Enclosed by glass on three sides, with a very high ceiling.

I've downloaded Skype, though I don't have a headphone yet. If that means something to you, let me know what your Skype name is, so I can add you to my list.

Still mild here. In answer to your question, Lynda, we don't have forsythia in our garden but I have seen a bit of bloom on that growing elsewhere. My crocuses look ready to open very soon. I quite like the January they have down here in the south west - it's not especially rainy or cold. More like spring than winter. Something nice to look forward to after Christmas, instead of four months of snow.

And on that smug note...

Posted by marie at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The new format you all see, and the one I originally saw, are apparently not the same. Most of you probably saw this version (blue on either margin, and light blue across the top), whereas I saw a horrible version in only black text on white and everything squished up against the left margin. (If any of you are still seeing that version, please let me know.)

Apparently it was something to do with lost style sheets and the Safari web browser. I still don't like this layout as much as I did the previous one, but that could just be my resistance to change!

Posted by marie at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Technical changes beyond my control. Not my choice. Just in case you were wondering.

Posted by marie at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Choosing the tree.

Mum, I have hard copies to send you.

Making sugar cookies.

End result.

Christmas scene.

Opening stocking.

Amelia on the beach, Christmas day.

Us.

With Ian's family, Boxing Day.

Posted by marie at 04:27 PM | Permalink

Just a quick note. Hadn't realised I hadn't posted for a while until my friend Dale pointed it out. I have some photos from Christmas that I promise to post soon - just have to upload them, rename the files so they don't clash with any other ones already there, etc.

Hope you all had a good New Year's Eve. We did nothing. I fell asleep in Amelia's room at 11 (she'd been crying) and was woken up at midnight by the sound of fireworks, so I got up and when across to our room where you get a good view of any being set off down along the river. There were some nice ones. Then I went back to bed.

More soon.

Posted by marie at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)