Canadutch » Family

Review: Le Jardin de Saint Adrien

Breigh — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:38:29 +0000

On the same day that my husband and I visited Salagou and Moureze with my mother-in-law, we also went to visit Le Jardin de Saint Adrien. It’s a beautiful privately owned garden that was created from the ruins of an old rock quarry. It is actually someone’s back yard! In the summer months they open it up as a public garden for people to view it, and we were there just at the right time of year.

My MIL had been there previously with some friends and really liked it, so we decided to make this our last stop for the day. I didn’t get as many photos as I would have liked, it was the hottest part of the day and the sun was blazing, but I got the most important bits.

By the time we arrived, we had run out of water and were all totally parched and warm. The plan was to visit the gardens, have a drink and a bite to eat and then head out. It didn’t go quite according to plan though.

Before we paid to get in, we double checked that they had a little café where we could get a drink, and were told that they did. So we paid and headed into the gardens. We decided that before we even bothered walking around that we’d look for the café, but when we got there all the tables had been pushed back with stacks of pizzas on them and some women were there pouring juice. My MIL asked them where we could buy drinks, and the woman pouring the juice acted like we were a total nuisance. She said that they were busy and the café wasn’t open.

Uhhh… well we were after asking that specifically before we went in, and we were all so thirsty and tired by that point that we had no patience for this at all. My MIL continued trying to talk to the lady, asking if there was any way we could even get a glass of water, and she pretty much told us to piss off. Nice! I hadn’t even seen the gardens by this point but I was already set to leave.

Thankfully, my MIL is not the type to just let something like this go. She went outside of the café and found a guy who looked like he was in charge and told him about the response we’d gotten from the lady inside. He explained to her that they were setting up for a tour group that was there to see a concert (we could see the large group of people on the other side of the gardens) and continued to tell her how it was inconvenient that we were there looking for drinks while they were starting to set up for this party.

Boy did he pick the wrong woman to mess with. My MIL then proceeded to tear a strip off him and ask how inconvenient can it be to give people who paid to enter the gardens a glass of water in that kind of heat? I mean, she really gave him a what for. Then he said if we waited until the group came around we could probably mix into the crowd and get a drink then. So basically, crash the party. I could do that!

That’s when we walked around the gardens. We were all so stunned, pissed off and warm that while we did still see the beauty in the place, a big part of it was spoiled for us. I took some photos but by the time we got part way around the garden we saw the party gathering to get their food and drinks, so we kind of motored through the rest of the place so we could go get our drinks.

When we went into the café area, they had orange juice that they were filling glasses half way with and then filling the rest with water. I don’t know if they thought the juice was too expensive or what but at that point we didn’t care, it was wet! It wasn’t nearly enough though, I put mine back with one gulp and was still dying of thirst but I just did not want to face that heinous bitch again. She was busy pouring drinks at this little table so my MIL had tried to pour herself a glass of water, and the woman literally wrenched the bottle of water out of her hands.

I wonder, did the people spend so much on this garden that they aren’t getting the return they had hoped to get? Are they THAT broke that they need to squabble over WATER?! We had even told them we’d be happy with tap water and were still told to get lost, so I’m not sure what the problem was, to be honest.

I think my MIL was more disappointed than anyone. She was so excited to show us this place, as she’d really loved it the first time she went and she knew I’d love taking photos there. We could tell that she was really angry and disappointed with how our visit had gone, but it wasn’t her fault. I’m sure that if you go on any regular afternoon when there is nothing else going on, it’s great. You can probably sit and have a drink, then comfortably stroll around the gardens, just like we had intended.

If you go when there is some sort of group there or activity going on you are screwed, because I just don’t think they are set up to handle those kinds of situations. The words “biting off more than you can chew” come to mind.

In the end, we decided we’d had enough of the place and ended up taking our empty bottles from the car and filling them up in a bathroom outside the gardens. I think it’s safe to say, I’d never make it in the desert.

All in all, this is a beautiful garden and it’s amazing what they have done with it. I think it’s worth seeing if you are in the area, but I wouldn’t count on them for anything and if you are there in the dead of summer like we were? – Don’t trust the people at the entrance, and bring your own drinks! Also, be sure to check their opening hours as they aren’t your usual 9-5 type of hours, it’s more like a few hours once or twice a week.

30 Days of Truth: Day 24

Breigh — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:11:54 +0000

Ugh, I’ve been dreading this one. I’m really not a big music person… there are a lot of songs I can sing along with but ask me who sings them or what they are called? Forget it…

I’m not going to do a playlist for just one person, because I’ll never come up with the songs but I’ll just give the ones that come to the top of my head at this moment and who they are for, what they make me think of and the times they take me back to in my mind. Songs that will always be special to me for whatever reason.

That will have to do.

Whenever I hear the song The Best Day by Taylor Swift I think of my mother because the feelings in the song are a lot of what I have always felt about her, and still do of course.

I still sing along with The Joker by Steve Miller and think about the amazing times I had with my friends in college. Me and the girls sang this in the car many a night on the way out to the clubs.

The Friends Theme will always make me think of Tony D (middle) and the boys. Friends was at it’s most popular during my second year in college and one night at a party I shot this photo of a few of the boys imitating the ‘Friends Walk’.

The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel will always make me laugh remembering the time myself and some friends hung out with a busker outside the library in Halifax. We were all pretty drunk and I just remember standing on the little wall doing the big “PSSSH” when it came time for the cymbals bit. I think we sang a lot of songs with him that evening, but that’s the one that has stuck in my mind. We didn’t make a dime.

For as long as I live, the song Snowbird, and any other song by Anne Murray, will make me think of my grandmother. I’ll always love Anne Murray for that reason.

Growing up with a musician there are a lot of songs that remind you of them but Splish Splash by Bobby Darin and All I Have to Do is Dream by the Everly Brothers are my ‘Dad songs”, the ones he used to sing to me most and that are always the first to my mind when I think of him. I can still remember driving in downtown North Sydney while he sang “The Dream Song”, as I called it as a child, and taught me the words.

Any song by P!NK will always have a connection for me to my friend Penny, she loves her just as much as (maybe more than) I do, and we even went to see her in concert together.

Please forgive me, the next song is Celine Dion.

This is a song that I played over and over again while I was still in Toronto back in 1999. I sang, I cried, I wailed… and I missed Xander. This was my go-to song when I needed to let it all out as I was waiting to make the move over here. It wasn’t a long wait really, but it felt like forever.

I never, ever, want to miss him that badly again. My recent trip to Canada was the longest we’ve been apart in over 12 years, and that was only three weeks. What can I say, we’re clingy. I can think of worse things to be when you’ve been married this long!

30 Days of Truth: Day 23

Breigh — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:43:18 +0000

I wish that I had been smart enough to take advantage of growing up in a house with a man who spent his entire life playing the guitar.

Music and playing the guitar are my father’s biggest passions in life. I grew up watching him playing in bands and teaching the boys in the neighbourhood to play the guitar.

He also taught my cousin Leanne, who I love even though she’s sweet and gorgeous and can sing really well.

… and is gorgeous.

… and has a gorgeous baby.

… and can play the guitar when I can’t.

I know he would have loved to teach me, and he did try once many years ago.

I was about 16 and was all “What do you mean I have to cut my nails?!”

I did agree to cut them, but then I was all like “OW, my fingertips hurt!”

That’s when he realized I was (am) a giant whineypants and gave up.

Why? WHY did I not take the time to learn this while I had the chance? People all over the world pay a lot of money to have someone teach them to play the guitar, and I had a teacher living with me for 21 years. I’m pretty sure if I knew how to play the guitar I could accompany myself and the people would recognize my talent.

Maybe when I am home next I’ll get him to teach me, it’s not like he’s gone anywhere and he is still playing and teaching the guitar.

Then again, I’d have to cut my nails, so uhhh… maybe I’ll just learn to play the harmonica instead. Anyone know how to play that?

Come to think of it, I did play a mean triangle in elementary school. I could probably pick that up again…

30 Days of Truth: Day 20

Breigh — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:27:38 +0000

This one is pretty simple, I think both are fine if used responsibly. By drugs I mean weed, not heroin or cocaine or any of the stronger drugs. If I had to choose the lesser of the two evils it would definitely be weed.

I think the marijuana issue is blown way out of proportion and that the leaders in North America could learn something from how the Netherlands deals with it. The fact that there are people all over North America and other countries around the world in prison for using weed, well, it’s preposterous! The ‘gateway drug’ thing is bullshit and people need to chill the hell out. That’s my opinion.

There are a lot more deaths, accidents and abuses that take place when people misuse alcohol than when people smoke weed. Your health suffers a lot more with alcohol and I don’t recall ever hearing of someone being poisoned by smoking weed or having to have their stomach pumped.

A lot may think that I’ve just been brainwashed from living here, but I prefer to think of it as being enlightened.

I’ll never forget the first time I went to France with my husband and his brother to visit the family. We were all sitting in the living room watching a movie when my brother in law pulled out a joint and lit up. I sat with a shocked look on my face looking from one family member to the next, waiting for someone react. All I got was a shrug and a smile from my husband… that’s when I realized how little people care about it here. He smoked his joint, relaxed and we all had a good evening. No biggie. No blowouts… no over reactions.

As for alcohol, it’s tricky because I think it’s more difficult for people to moderate themselves in a lot of situations. It’s also extremely dangerous for the younger people in countries like Canada and the US where it’s been made a forbidden fruit for teenagers.

I have seen teenagers here in the Netherlands at 16 and 17 years old, sitting in a pub having a beer and chatting. I’ve seen teenagers having a drink of wine with their families and I’ve seen them buying beer at the movie theaters and supermarkets. It’s not forbidden to them, there is no reason for them to sneak around and they learn to be responsible about it at a younger age.

Now, one might think that our streets are full of drunken teenagers but that’s not the case at all.

I DID however, see many drunken teenagers in the streets in Canada. Why? Because they had nowhere else to go!

I WAS a drunken teenager roaming the streets in Canada, so I should know.

You know were I drank with my friends as a teenager? Behind the mall, in clearings in the woods, in parks or in friend’s houses when their parents were out for the evening. All of these scenarios lead to us just roaming the streets trying to have a good time. We weren’t allowed into bars, our parents wouldn’t dream of letting us drink under their noses and that made it forbidden, and we were allll over it. We were kids and when you are a kid and are told you aren’t allowed to have something people older than you are having, you’ll find a way.

I’m sure some of the parents of friends from high school are reading this and thinking they were right about me, that I really was a wild teenager who was a bad influence on their kid. I think the time has come for you all to know the truth…

Your kid was doing the SAME damn thing… we ALL were.

When I think of some of the dangerous situations we could have gotten ourselves into, and at sometimes DID get ourselves into, it’s a wonder I made it to see my 20’s. Seriously…

It’s time for people to take a long hard look at the world and what they are sending their children out into. If I am ever lucky enough to have children, I will be making sure that the topics of drugs and alcohol are addressed in an open and realistic manner. I don’t ever want to be the parent that leaves my child in a dangerous situation because they are too afraid to call me.

I think the only thing that saved me was my parents. They weren’t stupid and while they didn’t know exactly what was going on, and certainly never made out like it was OK for me to drink before I was legally allowed, they were aware of the world they were living in. They made sure that I knew that they were aware that teenagers are drinking, that I’d be going to parties and that I could ALWAYS call them if I found myself in a difficult situation. If someone was in trouble, if someone was drinking and driving, no matter what, I could trust them and call them if I needed them… and I did. I called them to pick me up when a friend stubbornly refused to hand over their keys and wanted to drive me home, I called them to pick us up when my friend had far far too much to drink and was scary sick, and I called them plenty of other times when I needed them. They were always there, without fail. Sure, I got a lecture or two and maybe even shouted at a few times, but they were THERE.

So, I guess to sum it up, I think that drugs and alcohol can be scary if misused and that it’s the responsibility of our society and the parents to be realistic and open with their teenagers about it, rather than burying their heads in the sand and send their children out into the world uninformed.

Rom’s Frogsmoker Mug

Breigh — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:17:14 +0000

As you’ve seen from previous posts, part of my plan of attack for this past Christmas was to make as many homemade gifts as possible. When my friend Barbara asked if I wanted to paint ceramics with her and some other friends I was all over it, because it gave me another opportunity to make something for someone.

I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out what to make for my father in law, as I’d made the Christmas Stars Throw for him and Jenny as a combined gift, but I wanted to get something small for each of them as well. When the ceramic idea came up I knew exactly what I was going to make.

Well no, not really… I couldn’t decide between two things, a mug or an ashtray. He loves his coffee and his cigars so I knew either one would get used, but seeing as he really only smokes outside and uses mostly covered ashtrays to protect from the wind. I went for a mug!

I know, my ceramic painting skills are fantastic, aren’t they? This actually took me frigging ages and it still came out sort of looking like a preschooler did it. Still though, it was a gift with a personal touch and it’s not exactly like you can find things with Frogsmoker on them in the shops. I knew he’d like it regardless!

You see, he also writes a blog called Frogsmoke, where he discusses all sorts of things about the French. He is Frogsmoker. He and Jenny have lived in the south of France for years now and from what I can tell from our visits, and his blog, the French provide a lot of subject matter for a blog like his! He has another blog as well, Bouguereau Remastered which has some pretty comical examples of photoshopped paintings by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. I’d never heard of him before seeing my FIL’s blog, but I get a big kick out of the photoshopped paintings.

Of course I made sure to put his name and the year on it so he doesn’t forget. Not that he’ll forget his name, from what I can tell he’s still many many years away from that… but it’s always nice to see your name on something, isn’t it? Plus, you’re probably less likely to find the name Romke on a mug than you are Frogsmoker! Unless you are shopping in Friesland, perhaps.

Oh, and I know you are all in awe of my mad artistic skillz but please, don’t flood me with emails. I’m afraid I won’t be taking orders. I know it’s disappointing, but you’ll have to get over it. You can always paint your own mug, or pretty much anything else ceramic that you’d want, here!

Rom & Jen’s Christmas Stars Throw

Breigh — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:00:45 +0000

After finally finishing my mother in law’s Haruni shawl while I was in Canada I was ready to get started on my next project. It was timed quite well as the project I had in mind called for yarn that I’d have to buy in Canada, so my mom and I hopped in the car and set off to get my supplies. She liked the project too and got yarn to make the same thing for my sister for Christmas.

The project was Red Heart’s Christmas Stars Throw which I made for my father-in-law and his wife. I started it in October in Canada and finished it almost two weeks before Christmas. It took longer than I expected because of my unexpected surgery and a few other things that had come up that distracted me.

It started by making the diamond pieces that make up the stars. They weren’t difficult, just time consuming and it took a while to get them all done.

Once I had all the diamond pieces made, over 180 of them, it was time to start putting them together. This is where things started to get difficult.

The pattern says to start from the top right hand corner of the blanket when putting the pieces together. This turned out to be confusing and frustrating. It wasn’t so bad in the beginning but once the blanket started getting a bit bigger, it was hard to tell where I was. There turned out to be more than one five-sided star that needed to be taken apart and fixed, and a few swear words to go along with it.

Hoping she’d learn from my frustration, I advised my mother to put hers together differently, making the stars first and then putting the larger pieces together. It seemed to take her less time and caused her a lot less grief, so the pattern instructions could really do with some changing. I don’t think there is any real purpose for them saying to put them together in that specific order.

She did say it was still a pain to assemble, but not as bad as it would have been trying to do it piece by piece from the top corner as I had done.

I think doing the border was probably the easiest and most enjoyable part of the whole thing. That was probably because I started seeing the finished product. That’s the best part of any craft project, I think. No matter how much you pull your hair out while making something, it’s ALWAYS worth it, especially if it’s a gift.

I was really pleased with the finished product and was glad that I went with more everyday colors than the full on Christmas red and green like the pattern called for.

Oh, but the assmeply aside, ya know the most frustrating part of the whole thing? The fact that it didn’t get to them in time!

During my recovery from surgery, I worked day and night getting the blanket done so we had enough time to get it sent out before Christmas. It was going to France so we figured a week to ten days would give us enough time. It was mailed out on December 17th and arrived in France on December 21st. Sounds good, right?

WRONG!

It arrived alright, at a drop off point in a village 25 minutes away from my in laws. Even that wouldn’t be so bad if someone had bothered to let them know it was there, which they didn’t. So their Christmas present sat in a tobacconist over the Christmas holiday. Nice.

When it hadn’t arrived by Christmas, my husband looked it up and saw that it had been dropped there on the 21st. There was collective swearing among us all at that moment. So now my FIL and going to put in a complaint on his end, as we will do on ours.

Oh well, they did end up getting it eventually and that’s all that matters… and that they liked it, that helped too.

Mare Nostrum Aquarium – Montpellier, France

Breigh — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:27:56 +0000

While we were in the south of France in the summer we got together with Xander’s brother in Montpellier to see his new house and visit the Mare Nostrum Aquarium. I’d seen some info on the aquarium online and really wanted to check it out, so he offered to come along and spend the day with us.

I also wanted to get some photos while I was in there, but have you ever seen how much fish move around? Is it really too much to ask that they stop and pose now and then? I don’t think so.

Don’t be fooled, this guy didn’t pose, I was just quick enough to catch him on his way by.

One of my favorite parts was the ship simulator. You walk into what looks like the body of a ship and into the wheel room which moves up and down as though it was actually on the sea. You can turn the wheel and flick the buttons, which the kids who were in there really enjoyed. There is a real front of a boat with a giant screen in the background which displays the scene you are supposedly sailing in.

After a few minutes the boat starts rocking as it heads into a storm. The waves get bigger and splash over the front of the boat, the window wipers start and you honestly feel like you are on a ship that is about to go down. It gives you just a small taste of what it must really be like.

Honestly, I felt like I was on my very own episode of Deadliest Catch, only I looked and couldn’t seem to find Captain Sig anywhere!

Another favorite part of mine was this area towards the end with bleacher style seating where you could look into a huge aquarium full of loads of different kinds of fish. There were screens with information on all the different fish, as well as earphones with information in different languages.

There were also sharks. Big sharks, which seemed to always look like they were coming for me. It’s something about those rays of light coming through the water making them glow that reminded me of every scary shark show I’ve ever seen.

DAH NUH… DAH NUH… DAH NUH….

This little girl didn’t seem scared though, she loved when the shark came up close to her. It probably isn’t as pleasant for the shark though, you just know he was dying to take a bite out of her.

If you are ever in Montpellier, it’s worth making a trip to Mare Nostrum. Not just because it’s a nice aquarium, but also because it’s in a really fabulous area. There is a huge mall, restaurants, a planetarium, ice rink, restaurants and loads of other attractions. It’s definitely worth checking out! I plan on visiting again next time I am in the area, as it was so hot the last time that all we could think of was getting out of the heat. We left the aquarium, had a bite to eat and then made tracks for the car. Seriously, it was so hot that a lot of the restaurants had MIST machines on the terrace to keep people cool. True story!

If I am there in the summer and you happen to be there at the same time, come say hello! I’ll be the one laying on the ice at the rink!

Mom’s 60th Birthday Afghan

Breigh — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:02:23 +0000

In the spring of last year I had been talking to my mother about knitting, and we were sharing photos of things we liked. She saw a photo of an afghan on Flickr that she really liked and I noticed that the lady was nice enough to link to the pattern! I immediately set out to try to find some yarn that I could make it with!

It was a bit difficult as I hadn’t really bothered with specific types of yarn before, I’d just buy some and make something. This was special though, I had to get it just right! I found a great shop in a beautiful little village just south of here called De Schapekop where the ladies were incredibly helpful.

They helped me find the perfect yarn for this project! It’s called Drops Muskat and came in a wide variety of colors, which gave me a lot of options. I chose to go really colorful and bright, as the colors just made me feel happy and I hoped it’d do the same for mom.

The beginning of the process was making hundreds of these little circles. I made multiple sets of every possible color combination using the seven colors I had chosen. This got somewhat monotonous after a while but it wasn’t difficult, just time consuming.

I used a long knitting needle to hold them as I didn’t want them all over the place. I knew myself better than to think I wouldn’t end up losing one or two along the way.

This also made it easier for me when it came time to rearrange them, as I was sure that I had all of the colors where I needed them. I almost drove myself insane trying to make sure that the colors weren’t clustering too much!

Once I had the colors in the order I wanted them, they’d go back on the stick to wait to be assembled with the white yarn. This is when it really started to look like something!

The more the blanket started coming together, the more I loved it. I worked on it on and off from April – September 2010. This blanket really was a pleasure to make and I may even make one for myself at some point.

It was all totally worth it too, especially when I was in Canada and got to watch my mother open it! I was hopping in my seat waiting for her to get to my present. Which somehow got saved for last, so by the time she did open it I was practically squealing!

It lives here now, in my mother’s living room. Hopefully it will help keep her warm on some of the cold winter evenings and she will think of me! I was thinking of her every minute while I was working on it.

Love you mom!! xoxo

By the way, if you like this afghan or just enjoy crocheting with really vibrant happy colors, make sure to check out Attic 24, she has a lot of really awesome projects! I’ll definitely be making more of her stuff in the future.

Christmas Gift Project – Haruni Shawl

Breigh — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 07:39:31 +0000

Yay, I can finally blog about one of my Christmas gift projects! Remember the Mystery Project? My mother in law phoned us today to let us know that her package had arrived in France (whew! I was getting worried!) and she had opened it already. Tsk tsk, naughty! That means I can blog about it now!

I made her a Haruni Shawl, which I can safely say is the most difficult thing I have knitted to date. It required massive amounts of concentration and a lot of time. I even took it to Canada with me to complete because I was so afraid I wouldn’t finish it in time to begin my next project.

I chose a really soft Alpaca wool from Drops, it was so lovely to work with. I can’t wait to make something with this wool again! I loved the color and my husband and I were sure that it would look beautiful on my mother in law.

Starting out it really didn’t look like much of anything. I was knitting and paying strict attention to the pattern because I was so terrified to make a mistake. The process for making the shawl is knitting it, then soaking it in lukewarm water, and stretching it out to make the shape. Before stretching it out it’s really difficult to see if the pattern is forming properly, which rattled my nerves something fierce!

There were a lot of stitches involved, towards the end there were over 500 and I had to count each and every one again and again because I was so afraid I missed one or added another along the way. Part way through I went and bought some stitch markers and that made life much easier. I still counted obsessively but I was a little more confident while doing so.

I wish I’d taken more photos during the process but I was so busy working on it and trying to get it done that I just didn’t think of it.

While I was in Canada I took advantage of the space in my mother’s house and used the rug on her dining room floor to stretch and pin the shawl. I also had her to help me, which made it a little easier. I could have done it on my own but it helped to have my mother there to tell me it really does look the way it should.

Yeah, I’m needy like that.

As I started stretching it out and pinning it, I saw the pattern starting to take shape, which was a huge relief. It was like the moment of truth after a month of working hardcore to get this done.

This is the final product! YAY! I was so proud of myself when I had it all stretched out and saw that I actually did do it right! Wahoo! The color is different in this photo because I had to use the flash, the first two photos are a better representation of the lovely purple color.

When my MIL phoned this morning she said she loved it and was wearing it around all day yesterday. I was tickled right down to my toes! This was such a big project for me and was such a learning experience, it makes me really happy that she likes it and will wear it.

Even though it was difficult, I really enjoyed making this shawl. I think it’s something I would definitely do again, either this patterns or others like it. Especially in the alpaca wool, that stuff is awesome.

Merry Christmas, Nicole! I’m so glad you like it! xoxo

Randomy Randomness

Breigh — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:14:44 +0000

A photo I took of my dad at work when I was home in Canada. Got lucky that he was cutting the hair of a good family friend while I was there, AND wearing the t-shirt I’d brought home for him! If only I could have gotten him to stop talking for two seconds so I could get the photo. If you ever wonder where I get my gift of gab… there you have it.

I’m a little out of it at the moment but I feel like writing so I’m going to have one of those blurb moments where I just go on about whatever is on my mind.

I’m a little worried about my dad, even though my mother keeps telling me not to be. I’m not worried in that OMG He’s gonna die!! kind of way, rather just concerned because his heart troubles continue and now he needs to have a defibrillator put in his chest in January. It is put in the same as a pacemaker would be, only rather than keeping the rhythm like a pacemaker, the defibrillator will give him a jolt to start his heart in case it stops. I know it’s not as scary as it sounds but he’s my dad and any operation will worry me to some extent, especially since I don’t fully trust my mom not to try to make it sound less serious than it is. She lies with love.

I am dying to start decorating for Christmas but every year I promise myself that I will wait until December 1st. Will I make it this year? I’m not sure. I have a lot on my mind at the moment and it would definitely make for a good distraction. Plus, it’s already the 24th and there’s only 30 days in this month anyway. It’s practically the first already!

When I was in Canada I got lucky and saw a bald eagle in a tree in someone’s garden. I did not, however, see a moose that I could get a photo of. After watching like a hawk as we drove the trails, I saw one on the side of the highway on the way to the airport to come back to Holland. I swore, a lot.

I am in the middle of a big issue with my gallbladder. If you are friends with me on Facebook you’ve seen me bitching and moaning about it a lot lately. After almost three years of being told I have acid reflux, I had an ultrasound done that found that I have stones in my gallbladder with a small one in a bile duct. I had 10 hours of pain one day while I was in Canada and was taken to the hospital by ambulance on Monday, where they told me my gallbladder needed to be removed but since I don’t have a fever or infection, that it can wait. I’ve had attacks since but they’ve given me painkillers. Now I am trying to get it sorted as I want it out ASAP. There are some other medical procedures I need to have done in January and I want this taken care of first.

After loads of test drives and visits to car dealerships we have finally decided on what our new lease car will be. For months we hummed and hawed over whether we were going to go with the Toyota Prius or the New Opel Astra Turbo, which is what we have as a loaner at the moment, and love it. In the end we liked them both the same and decided it would come down to the money. We were fairly certain that the Prius would come out more expensive, but that turned out to not be the case. By the time we got what we wanted (built in GPS, etc) on the Astra, it turned out that the model of the Prius that we wanted was actually cheaper AND had more included in the package.

Xander enjoyed driving them both quite a lot, but since he’s at a client that is a bit further away and is constantly getting stuck in traffic, the automatic gearshift in the Prius was looking more and more attractive. We liked the look of them both, but also liked that the Prius had the little extras like the video parking assist in the back, the HUD (Heads Up Display) and other bits and bobs that made it unique and fun.

So even though we really love the Astra we are driving at the moment, we did end up choosing the Prius. With the 14% tax we got more bang for our buck with this car over the Astra which was 20%.

Oh, and after our last car and our current rental both being borrrrriinnnng silver, we decided to go with something a little more fun – Barcelona RED baby!! We are also getting it with a solar roof/sunroof, pretty sweet. Unfortunately, it won’t be with us until around March, so we will get to spend some more time with our lovely Astra in the meantime.

Today I bought a pair of pants at the thrift shop across the street because they were cheap and they fit. They are also a smaller size than I have worn yet, FIVE sizes smaller than what I was wearing at my top weight. At €7,50 I was taking them no matter what they looked like, because I could GET.THEM.ON. and was so chuffed with myself. Even though my husband told me they make my ass look funny and when I asked what he meant by funny, he said flat. After years of an ass that left a room two minutes after the rest of me did, I certainly wasn’t deterred from buying them. I will take flat any day.

As a celebratory gift to myself for losing 80 lbs, I bought a pair of boots. Boots with heels. Not overly high or skinny scary heals, but high enough thick and equally scary (if you are me) heels. In an effort to embrace my girlie side, I decided it’s time I started wearing something other than sneakers and (don’t judge) crocs. I’m not sure if this is just a phase, but I’m giving it a go. I wore them to walk the dogs, and I wore them to the car dealerships today. I only felt like I was going to twist my ankle once or twice and I didn’t either time, so I’m taking that as a good sign. I do wonder if I will ever get used to the clomping sound as I walk. I’m definitely not going to sneak up on anyone wearing those bastards.

The boots only go up above my ankles and I sort of hate that because my legs are still too fat for higher ones. Even when I was thinner (I was never actually thin, just not so fat), I couldn’t wear them because I had big calves. Mark my words, one day there will be a post of my feet in tall boots. MARK MY WORDS.

Of course, by that time they will be out of style, but at least I’ll get them on sale.

I’m still trying to make this as much of a homemade Christmas as possible but not having felt so well over the last while has really put a dent in my ‘work schedule’. Some things probably aren’t going to get done so I will have to buy a few gifts. It’s not too bad though as I have managed to make a fair few.

I’ve been cutting back drastically on my time on MSN Messenger and other internet stuff. Except Facebook, I seem to spend even more time on Facebook now that I’m not chatting. I’ll have to work on that, but it’s probably because that’s where most people contact me now. When I was in Canada I enjoyed just being out and about and LIVING without feeling so tied to the internet, I really wanted to continue that when I got home. It also helped that they upgraded MSN Messenger and made me hate it. It’s the beginning of what will be a slow process of weaning myself off the internet, but I know I’ll be better for it in the end. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going anti-internet, I’m still a big geek… I just am tired of worrying about not being available to people or like I’m going to be out of the loop or something. I get so much more done when I limited my time on MSN or the internet in general. SOOO MUCH MORE. I need to try to keep getting more stuff done, which means always trying to spend less of my time online.

While I was in Canada I bought plastic weatherproofing for the windows in our flat. I probably moaned about it a number of times on this blog, but we have HUGE windows with only single glazing and some pretty big aquariums. In the winter we get a lot of problems with draughts and condensation. A friend told me to try this stuff that you stick on the window frame and shrink with a hairdryer, and so far it seems to be working! Our windows still fog up a bit in the middle but not like they used to. We’ve (knock wood) not had any waterfalls off our windowsill so far this year. Should save a bit of my sanity and some money too since we won’t be trying to compensate with the heat all winter.

I’m thinking of changing my 101 List to something by another name. Maybe a Tammy-Do list? Get it? Like a honey-do list only… whatever. I keep coming up with things I want to add, but then it won’t be a 101 list anymore. It’ll be a 102 list, or a 134 list and that just doesn’t have the same ring to it. So I need to change it so I can add tons of more crap I want to do at some point. Any ideas?

Ok, I’m done.

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