Regensburg

It took us a while to get ourselves into Regensburg, a midaevil  walled city.  I trusted my GPS and we drove in a two car convoy through the pedestrian streets as we corkscrewed our way to the hotel.  It appears that my GPS was spot on.  I now trust my Garmin handheld (I don't trust it in Doha).

Our first day here was all about walking - as usual for us.  We spent some time in an old Christmas market in the walls of a midaevil castle.  In the afternoon we walked the streets pushing a sleeping Teagan and crossed the Danube.

Christmas markets and Regensburg

One cannot come to Germany, or any European country for that matter, without eating and spending One's way through the Kriskindlmarkt.

Munich

In usual fashion, Ross enjoys the brown juice with his willing mate. Meanwhile I suffer through shopping and while slowly sipping though my mulled wine.  But by far the best bit of our time in Munich has been meeting up with Edward and devoting all focus and energy in the Deutches Museum.  Both children had to be hauled away.

 

Off on our Christmas holiday

I am so happy to be on holiday.  The time away from Doha makes all the difference.  Best of all I have Ross to talk to all day and Teagan to appreciate when she is appreciable! 

We left Doha airport on a typical crowded day. Queues were ordered but the lines didn't matter; silver class, fast bag drop, who cares? It takes about 60 mins to check-in and flights are delayed but we all get there and the new airport will be finished all in good time!

We spent our first full day shopping.  The kid has grown out of her winter clothes and was in a bit of a disparate situation.  Santa's profits needed to be boosted and Ross just had to have more clothes for work.  Now I trust that our big shopping is complete....thank goodness for the big Willy Platz shopping mall, the Lego store, C&A and Hirmer the biggest men's department store in the world (I have been told and is somewhat believable).

I must now add that One should not be so confident to drive from the Munich airport into central Munich without a map or a GPS that you don't know how to operate in the dark.  Our 30 minute journey turned into 90 minutes.

P.S see if you can spot Zinny, she has decided to stow away on our trip.

This time we were serious.....

I don't know how many times my madam has started wanting to do some craft work (sewing or knitting) and then given up before she has really got too far into her project.  This past Tuesday night was different, we went to a new level.

Previously, madam has just played with stitches on the sewing machine but this time she actually made something.  Okay, yes, it was not too long until bed-time but hey, just perfect for manipulating me - I could not say NO.

Step 1: choosing fabrics.
Step 2: measuring and making a pattern.
Step 3: cutting out.
Step 4: sewing.
Step 5: showing.

Choosing the fabrics that I want to use

Cutting out the outer following the ruler measurements we made.

Cutting out my lining very very carefully with Mum's big scissors.

Adding the ribbon using bright blue thread.

See my new reading folder for school!

Gardens and Bikes...

Last weekend I was having a chat with a friend of mine from Invercargill, New Zealand.  To those that do not know the city of Invercargill, it is quite special, truly New Zealand and pretty much at the bottom of the country.  Gorgeous gardens, great shopping, very very friendly people and they serve up really really good food.  Anyway, she was asking about Doha and I was trying to describe some of the gardens to her.  This post is for Val.  Some of the gardens in our compound and the bikes that are so important to its life-blood.

18 months into my retirement...

I am 18 months into my chosen retirement and I am only just beginning to feel like I am getting myself and the household organised enough.  Organisation is key as there is just too much to fit into the day - whoever said that there is not a lot to do?!!!  Who is scared of retirement because they would not know what to do?  Definitely not me!

My two largest time commitments are with Teagan's school and the Girl Guiding association.  It was only just last night that I realised that on a Thursday (including travel and some preparation), four and a half hours disappears with Guiding!  A Wednesday is little better with school reading (including kid pick-up etc).  But what value and last night I had a little Rainbow (same as Pippins) and little Beaver cooking their dinner over a charcoal fire - bliss!

I have also managed to increase my labour requirements in the home for two main reasons: (1)  I will not have a house cleaner as I am not working and (2)  I keep our food to "low processed".  Essentially keeping our "lives more simple".  In the mornings I pack a breakfast for Teagan, morning snack for her, lunch for her and a lunch for Ross.  The contents of which are mostly all home made (jam included). Last week Teagan complained about her lunch as it was not normal.  I enquired as to what "normal" is and it seems that it is the food that you buy at the shops and it comes in packets.  We then let her buy herself a "packet" treat last week - it was thrown out as she didn't like it!!


And of course there is always the finance which at times explodes my greying hair.  A couple of weeks ago I was struggling to co-ordinate the three properties we have and the repairs/maintenance for all, I could have nearly repainted the brick house and rebricked the plaster house.  But thankfully I had a small reward as I spent time following a Comcom investigation into some dubious marketing by Carter Holt Harvey (one of our properties having some of the mislabelled timber in the roof).  Thankfully those that had contributed and followed we had a small but not insignificant payout.  Having the time to work on this does pay true dividends.

A final benefit of being home based is the energy that can be put into efficiency.  This efficiency comes in many forms.  My current best is the iPhone 4s that I have sourced via the USA costing a mere fraction of the cost of the same phone ex. Europe or Qatar.  But by far the best is the home.  The three of us get to be together and right now our favourite time is the weekend evenings by the charcoal fire with Teagan sound asleep on the swinging couch as we read over the coals - is that not true bliss!