First Day of a New School Year

I've been at home the last little while, not feeling as frisky as I normally do, and this is why it continues to be quiet on my blog.


Having said this, it is important that I blog a little bit for my family back in The New Country, keeping them updated with what has been happening in my children's lives.


Yesterday was the first day of a new school year for my son. Yesterday he began second grade.... and couldn't wait to get going. I should have let him sleep in 15 minutes longer than I did. He was itching to get out of the door.


[First of all - a warning the the pictures are not as great as they usually are. My hands are not as steady as they normally are, and my brain is not as focussed as it usually is]


Here he is eating breakfast, yougurt and musli:


And suddenly he said to me: I need to have blue hair today. It's the first day of school!


Fair enough - we put some blue in his hair.


And then I forgot to turn off the flash:

And after I thought I had turned off the flash, it turned out I did not push the proper button hard enough:

But there's no time to take new pictures as my son has really important things to do today.

Like putting on shoes that won't cooperate.

Okay - he's ready to go and will stand still long enought to let me take a picture.

And I forget to turn off the flash.

Ahhh... I'm giving up on taking proper pictures now. Now I just want to sit on the couch and relax before my daughter wakes up.

My son checks his bag one more time.

Okay Mom, no more pictures. I'm ready to go.

And off he runs without a hug and kiss. (Which is okay because I definitely should not be kissing him too much right now).

And I run to the kitchen window before he disappears for the next 6 hours.

It's very quiet in the house right now....

One Cozy Morning.....

The women in my family wake up early. It's always been this way, as far as I can remember. Even when attending parties and being up to the early hours of the night, I still don't sleep to later than 8.30 am.


This has continued into my holiday this year. Less than a week into my holiday and I have not managed to sleep later than 6.30 yet. But I'm working on it.


In the meantime, I had a very nice surprise yesterday morning. I was up and water was boiling to make coffee. And I thought I would take a picture or two of the water outside of where we are.





The water was perfectly peaceful, only interrupted by small circles made by feeding fish. It was so quiet...... with the exception of a little bit of insect activity. It didn't even appear that the birds were awake yet.


And then I heard a little giggle. I turned around and saw a flash of pink disappear around the corner and back into the kitchen.


I wish I could have reacted fast enough to get a picture of that. But as said, it was early and there was no caffine in my bloodstream yet.


So I too snuck back in the kitchen and found my favorite girl waiting for me with a big smile on her face. I made the two of us breakfast.

She was hungry! But while eating we had, for the first time since maybe Easter, a really good conversation - just her and I.

We spoke about Canada, about fishing, and swimming and sinking to the bottom of the ocean. She mentioned a dream she had a week or so ago, and I told her of a nightmare I had when I was little, that seems silly now. Even she thought so.

We spoke about the cartoons that we might be watching if we were home, and how neither of us really missed them.

And then she says: Take a picture of us together, Mom.

Well, my hair was not washed, and neither was my face. But this was here and I, right? So here is the picture, which she at least really liked:

And then it's time for posing.....

And Voguing.....

(with chocolate not yet washed off....)

And time to hang on the swing......

And prove that she can climb up all by herself.

Back.......

And forth.......

And then suddenly she's forgotten all about her mother and life opens up with all its possibilities....