Hi everybody!
Which means Grainges and Grainges. Can't believe it's been around half a year... on this post that is, actually, I can.
Thought I'd just write one quickly here, assuming in the morning I'd have oodles of time now it's already seven after 2 play-dates and numerous happenings, soon Makoto is due home from diving exam ( yup a real winter activity ) and dinner is due so better get on with things.
FIRST of all thanks to Vesna and Ian AND Lara for all the Xmas prezzies, arrived one by one over the last 4 days, I think that they are all here and are waiting in the shoe cupboard anticipated by many. AND the one from Amazon; I know what it is but that you SOOOO much he's going to love it, my when I looked at all the postage it just really is too much, it costs HUge amounts to send from there. Very very sorry for the trouble and thank you so much, Nea is going to go berserk with Ponies galore and all prewrapped as well!!! In any case pics will be the thing.
I guess it is already Christmas eve over there, lots of stuff going on and all jolly.
It's gloomy, that is it's cheery inside but the weather is, we had to cancel the whole snow trip ( figured that losing 159 dollars on the cancellation was better than spending 900 to be in the rain in a hotel in the middle of nowhere) cause of the rain.
Here today is exactly the 10th day that it's been raining SOLID; I mean been chucking it down in buckets. Never seen anything like it. Roads have turned from splashes into rivulets into rivers and finally by now only atolls of occasional cement occasionally poke their heads out. Not much fun in LA where virtually everything is planned outside and even Leo who has been nagging for rain complains " YOu know I7ve really had enough of rain, now I know how lucky we are".
I was looking for a good turkey or goose to bake for the 25th but it seems ( didn't really notice last year) that in the US poultry is used up for Thanksgiving and they have massive hams everywhere, each one bigger than the rest, puhhh they might as well just smoke half a pig and throw them at you.
Somehow ham to me is easter and .. but I guess I could give it a try, when in Rome and all that.
Although I try and spend their energy levels at certain venues the two of them are like bombs ready to explode, I almost shitted myself with fright
when I was crawling out of bed at 6 30 and groping my way to the toilet when suddenly the two of them jumped out from behind a silent door in the dark; Leo with half a light sabre, a piece of some spy equipment he had made out to be a gun, shield and a mask, while Nea was outfitted in lighting up spy goggles (the ones from you last year Vens, they have been WELL used) and
a long sword and a stick; Nea screaming on the top of her voice " Get her now, it's the BAD GUY, DESTROY" (It's amazing what 3 year olds will pick up with an older brother) and Leo screaming and thrashing "Be careful she's dangerous and will KILL YOu STAND BACK and follow my moves officer!" (whatever that was)
.. SO you can imagine the rest of the day. He's really good though playing with Nea and although they have word fights occasionally they'll generally play together for quite a while. If she was just a tad more relenting it'd be easier. She's had a stuffed mountain cat we got in Okinawa an age ago that she called ( don't ask) Pakikomanya, during the rain and at last some free hours Leo started making
"Pakikomanya" books, and has been - publishing- (I buy them from him for 25 cents) one daily,
the recent best were "Pakikomanya's Christmas" and " Trouble for Pakikomanya" , " Pakikomanya and the incredible machine" and is just working on apparently "Pakikomanya goes on the train for the first time". Excellent stuff, Nea loves them and he gives them to her, she carries them around everywhere and he is forced to read them to her time, and time again.
Xmas tree of course up, it's quite nice inside actually and all the Gingerbread houses and palaver have been done. At least school is up, which is a relief, the last 10 days were excruciating. It's quite pleasant NOT to have to hurry up out of bed and do all the lunches and rush around here and there,
quite frankly except the every day things I7ve been rather taking it easy the past 4 days and actually lazing down a few times on the sofa watching a movie or two with the kids ( this hardly ever happens). usually I dismiss TV in a " Yeah yeah WOW that's great mmmh mhh right OK now it's time to go " sort of manner. Not a bad thing I guess, rain, once in a while.
I had masses of small happenings and things to report but somehow, it's all been lost of course. THe problem of not writing every day ( or even once a month) things get lost into the forever unknown and booze oblivion after 9pm. I really don't know how you do it V. The Xmas party as in pics before in MF was great, Leo and Nea were in centre of attention behaving VERY well and being at the same time entertaining as well, Makoto was quite beaming with everyone saying " There they are there are the Hirose kids! DId you see them?" Quite made one chuffed. Looking bleak all around Foreign Ministry wise as usual though, everything was much much downscale than even last year and even the lady of the house looked as if she needed a good dentist and some rest and food, not to mention the bingo presents. Of which we got none as usual ( no matter but I always am most disappointed, I feel they owe us so much) Leo was already envisioning is Bingo Card to be the winner of the Wii.
Then all the other Xmas parties came and went, thank the lord, but the most disappointing was a certain Saturday when they were supposed to have the whole CUlver city square in snow playtime for kids ( this is a yearly thing) and it was canceled due to rain. They had been looking forward to that.
Some new whisperings of certain colleagues moving here and there ( in Mako's work I mean ) and although nothing offered per se I have a strong sinking feeling that next time we might be STRONGLY forced towards Bosnia, and although not as bad as some places, very much too close to home if you get my mean for my liking and all together a bad venue school wise. Hmm. Of course none of it at all even said but you know, one has people who know people and generally things get around. Perhaps something will change but in those places there are precious few people and it's rather pathetic. THings might be worse though, and of course money wise it wouldn't be too bard. Well, we can but wait and see. Though, looking at the situation with Leo's next year inter-district school permits,
95 percent is that he won't be able to continue at this place anyway, which would mean putting him somewhere else, getting used to and then moving after a couple of months so in one way, I hope the relief will come soon, around summer I guess. Perhaps a tad later. By that time if we don't Nea should start school of some sort as well and putting in and taking out would just be wasting some 2000 dollars for the enrollment.
So much for completely unknown things and moody thinking. ALl in all waiting for Xmas to be over and get back to life, Yuki kun (Mako's nephew) is coming along on the 6th and we just closed our eyes and prayed to alah for mercy when we got what he wanted to go to; a Lakers Cleveland game. SHUCKS. We got seats equivalent to sitting on the floor in the bus but you should see the ones at the front (probably the Beyonce and Jack Nicholson lot) I mean that is 2 rows back actually, 2-3000 bucks a pop. Lovely. Absolutely ridiculous.
I love that you guys are going camping! I7d love to go, not to mention Leo. Husband is ALWAYS hankering me to get a tent and go camping ( Poor bugger never done it in his life!) and I look at him sideways and say "YOU?! You who goes crazy after not having a shower for 5 hours and wears flip flops out in the back yard? You who agitatingly scratches one mosquito bite for 7 days? You must be joking " and after thinking hard he says well, we could always use it in the house...What a joke. Absolutely too accommodated to city life, that one, doesn't even know how to light a dratted fire and I remember him looking admiringly at me lighting a barb in the earlier days.Not that I ever mind being admired for something, there isn't a lot. But I always so much want to
I think I'm going to get a good one here and do it sometime anyway, as long as Nea is just a tad bigger. THe tents these days are so spectacular! I wouldn't mind living in one of those. NO sorry, that was overdone.
Uuups better go. I hope I could get you all for a while tomorrow for Xmas, depending on where you are, I7m sure the kids and I very much want to say hi! And thank you Woofie and Whale always for the comments and kind words and lovely things as usual.
Lots and lots and lots of love for Christmas and kisses and hugs, ALL round and a HUGE one to Non! l
