Family time

We're spending a couple of weeks in France for the moment. I've banned the word "holidays" from my vocabulary and replaced it with "family time". With two kids to entertain and discipline, meals to make and dishes and dirty clothes to take care of, there's nothing really holiday-like about the whole experience. 

I love my two boys to bits, they're bright and funny. And inquisitive and full of energy. And noisy and messy. 

Having said that, Monday mornings have a new, sweet appeal to them. Aaaah, work! Time to sit down for a coffee without hearing "Jack wants milk!". Toilets with doors that lock (no little people sitting on your lap while you go!). Phone conversations uninterrupted by cries of "Muh-meeeee!".

But for now it's time to go out on our next adventure, the pink fairies are making it difficult for me to write any more....

Finally, an update

Well, where to begin? I suppose I should explain the reason for my long absence, though it's quite easy to guess... Yep, I'm 13 weeks pregnant! I didn't want to jinx it all so wanted to avoid posting the news until the first trimester was safely behind us. As of yesterday we have visual proof that the baby is alive and well (and moving around like crazy, although I can't feel anything yet).

It still feels crazy and slightly hard to believe. Especially as we got pregnant straight away, which I wasn't expecting to happen - needless to say the father is extremely proud of himself ;). We got a positive pregnancy test on November 22nd, confirmed by a visit to the doctor and first short ultrasound on December 4th.

First ultrasound on Dec 4th, with heartbeat, 6w, 0.43 cm

Second ultrasound on Dec 19th, with heartbeat, 8w, 1.98 cm

 

Third ultrasound on January 23rd, 13w, 7.43 cm

Third ultrasound on January 23rd, in 3D, 13w

The images don't really do justice to the moving ones we saw on the screen, especially this last visit, where baby was jumping all around the place and hitting the walls with its hands, but it's amazing to see how quickly it grows. I can't believe how big it will be by the time it's ready to come out!

Weight-wise, I put on 2lbs the exact day I suppose I ovulated and/or conceived, and since then another 1lb, which is really decent. The doctor was happy with the result yesterday in any case. I'm hoping to keep weight gain down to a minimum, hopefully less than 5kg/10lbs, but we'll see how that goes once the (mild) nausea dies down and I regain my appetite!

In the meantime, we went on our trip to New Zealand, where we had an amazing time, with a big family Christmas (in the sun) and a stunning road trip round the South Island. I am so glad we escaped the snow here - though we very nearly didn't get away due to the Eurostar hell and our flights leaving from London. Luckily I was able to book us on a flight from Brussels to London as soon as I found out the trains were cancelled - a few hours later they were sold out. It looks like Eurostar will be compensating us for that now, so I'm so glad I made that decision. I'll rant about the absolutely dismal communication on their behalf some other time...

 Christmas Day in the bush with my sisters

Our hike on the Fox Glacier

Queenstown

We got back on Tuesday and I've been slowly recovering from the jetlag since then. Starting work again tomorrow, though it will be as a freelance still as I explained my situation before leaving on holiday and told them I wouldn't be signing a contract as after the birth I want to be able to work closer to home. So it's all working out the way I wanted it to on that front too :)

Week 45, 46 and 47 WI, babies and knitting

Okay, I have shamefully neglected my blog for the past 3 weeks. No idea why I wasn't inspired to post more often, as I've been reading everyone else's blogs daily.

Over the past 3 weeks I have managed to lose an astonishing 0.1 kg / 0.2 lbs.
I am definitely an underachiever on the weight loss front. I did however get a silver 7 despite this ridiculous result. That's 2.5 stone gone since I started. Not the greatest loss for almost a year, but I haven't been tracking for the past 6 weeks and I'm not putting weight back on. That's an achievement in my book.

Loss this week (well, last week actually): - 0.1 kg / - 0.2 lbs
Total loss: - 15.9 kg / - 35.1 lbs

Other news: babies. I am currently having unprotected sex for the first time in 13 years.
Yes, I've come to terms with my fears. Well, almost. But I am truly excited about the whole process and eager to make it happen. Watch this space for updates (except if you're reading this and you're related to me, then I'll tell you in person).

Not sure if this is related to the previous bit of information, but I've started knitting again.

This is the result so far. It's a scarf. The first 10 rows represent the time it took me to remember I needed to alternate front stitch and back stitch. I'm thinking of it as my practice piece, that way it will exceed any expectations I have of it.

I am already wondering whether I will have enough wool to finish it though and am trying to imagine what else I could use it as if I run short before it's a decent length.

Other than that, the past 3 weeks have been pretty uneventful. I have given up alcohol and haven't had a drink in 17 days. An absolute record. I have decided not to drink at all during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so I still have a year or so to go, but I'm trying not to think about that.

Oh and our trip to New Zealand is now planned out and booked. 7 weeks to go till we leave!! I am really looking forward to it - I'll be spending Christmas with my mum and sisters for the first time in 21 years, how crazy is that? And it will be summer over there, yay!

Time to get some work done, hope you're all having a good week.

Anniversary weekend in Prague

We got back last night from our fabulous 4 day anniversary weekend in Prague.
What an amazing city! The first day we walked around, I didn't know where to look, there were so many beautiful, ornate houses in every street in the old town!

We fully enjoyed every minute of our trip and I would love to go back and discover some more.... 4 days just isn't enough!

The first day was beautiful and sunny, 30°C, and we spent the day walking around the old town, starting at Charles bridge, before taking a boat trip on the Vltava river, then lunch at a cheap and cheerful vegan place (Country Life). In the afternoon we went up the tower of the Old Town Hall and walked around some more.

Around 6 p.m. it started raining and we took refuge in a lovely little pub (Le Corsaire), had a couple of beers and a light salad for dinner, before heading back to our hotel after the rain cleared.

A statue on Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge seen from the river

Us at the top of the Old Town Hall

View from the top of the Old Town Hall

On Charles bridge at dusk

The thunder storm and rain picked up again during the night and the next day it was still raining heavily, so we took refuge in the museum of modern art, housed in the impressive Veletržní Palace.

It took us over 3 hours to walk through the whole 6 floors of this massive museum, so after that we were ready for lunch, which we took at nearby La Crêperie. A yummy spinach pancake and carrot cake later, and still facing torrential rain, we decided to head to a shopping center in town for some window shopping.

Later on, the rain had calmed down, so we made our way to the Municipal building for a drink in its wonderful Art Nouveau café, then walked around some more, stopping at Nike and G-Star so Bart could spend some cash ;-). Dinner was at Thaï restaurant Orange Moon, another lovely place recommended by our Rough Guide.

The impressive interior of Veletržní Palace - 6 floors of modern art

Some modern art

Having fun in the rain

The Art Nouveau café of the Municipal house

On the third day - our anniversary! - we finally made our way up to Prague Castle and wandered through its impressive interior - actually a very long courtyart surrounded by a number of completely mismatched buildings. A local vineyard on the path back into town offered a welcome excuse for a break and a nice glass of wine.

Back in town we had lunch on the waterfront at restaurant Hergetova Cihelna before visiting nearby Kafka museum - a depressing account of his life, made even more dismal by the installations in the exhibition... coming out into the sunshine, I was just happy to be alive and feel the sun on my face!

We wandered through a park to the Kampa museum (more modern art) but opted for a nice relaxing drink on the waterfront terrace instead of another museum visit :-)

At 7 we headed off towards the next bridge up and, spotting the dancing house, made a quick detour to take a look at it before heading down river again to the pier where the Jazz boat was awaiting. I had booked us a table for dinner and live jazz music during a 2.5 hour river cruise and it was absolutely perfect! We bought the jazz group's CD and got the musicians to sign it for us as a nice souvenir. We arrived back at the hotel at midnight, exhausted but happy...

Enjoying a glass of wine with a view

A curious statue by artist David Cerny in front of the Kafka Museum - the men spell out Czech poems with their pee...

The dancing house

View of the river from the jazz boat

Live jazz with the Frantisek Uhlir Team

Monday arrived fast and we barely had time to pack our bags, put them in a locker at the station, have a quick - but very filling - Czech lunch and make one last museum visit before it was time to head to the airport. As we couldn't agree on which museum we wanted to see, I opted for a visit to the Mucha museum (I love his work), while Bart went to the museum of Communism (one depressing museum on this trip was enough for me!).
Also, a final visit to the local Adidas store means I am now the happy owner of the Adidas originals I had been looking for.

One of Mucha's beautiful drawings

Back in Brussels and it's Bart's birthday today (37!) as well as being a national holiday, so we're relaxing at home with no special plans.

A weekend in Bristol

Just got back from a really nice weekend away with Anne. We went to Bristol by train (first class, hehehe) and spent 3 days there.

Friday was quite rainy but we got lots of walking done, visited the Clifton Suspension Bridge and spent a few hours at Bristol Zoo... I just love the animals :)
Then had a gorgeous dinner at a random Greek restaurant. If you're in Bristol, check it out, their food is divine: Entelia.

Saturday was gorgeous and we took the train to Bath for the day and completely milked our 2 for 1 sightseeing bus tour tickets. The tour guides on the busses were so nice and gave us lots of interesting info we wouldn't have had otherwise. I treated myself to fish & chips for lunch, but got the healthy-ish option of cajun grilled salmon instead of fish in batter, which was yummy. I of course absolutely adore chips with malt vinegar, so no healthier option there, ahum!

Saturday night, after relaxing back at the hotel for a few hours, we went out to The Shed for drinks on the the terrace overlooking the river Avon, followed by a really nice dinner. I had the Scottish smoked salmon
followed by a thaï green vegetable curry. Yummy :)


Today we took day passes for the ferries and went up and down the river all day, stopping off at the SS Great Britain, the one thing I absolutely wanted to see. It was really, really worth it, absolutely amazing! I love maritime history, especially stories about ocean liners, so I was in heaven. The museum and the ship are beautifully presented and there is just so much to see and read about... and of course the ship itself is the highlight of the tour. I am completely awestruck by how well it has been restored and how amazingly the interior has been reconstructed to give us a glimpse at how it must have been in those days. I even got quite emotional walking through the 3rd class quarters. This is a picture of the engine room:

I wonder if any of my ancestors immigrated to New Zealand on that ship, as there were quite a few Armstrongs listed in the passenger records. I will ask my mum next time I speak to her... Also, the whole visit to Bristol was a bit of a pilgrimage for me as it is where my mum went to university, so it was really strange discovering the city and imagining her living there all those years ago (well, about 40!).

We finished off the day with a nice late lunch on a sunny terrace overlooking the water and I actually got a bit of a sunburn. So now after this really nice weekend I'm back in London for the last 3 days of my trip and wondering what to do with the time I have left as the course is over and I don't have any other obligations... I think I'll try and get a ticket for Priscilla Queen of the Desert or Mamma Mia and maybe go to Tate Modern. Fill up on culture before heading back to Brussels ;)

Weekend in Bruges

I'm just back from a lovely romantic weekend in Bruges, without doubt the prettiest town in Belgium, and thought I'd share some pictures.

We arrived yesterday afternoon and went for a long walk in the town, through the shopping streets, before relaxing in front of an open fire in a local pub with a nice Belgian beer.

We had a really yummy dinner then headed back to the hotel to enjoy our "junior suite" :)

Today after breakfast we headed back into town and took a boat ride on the canals that run all through the town centre. It still amazes me how the houses can stay standing after hundreds of years of wear and tear from the canal waters.

Bruges really is a beautiful place to visit, even on a cold day like today... the houses are all so quaint and every corner you turn offers a post-card shot.

I'm going to London, baby!

So I just got off the phone from my interview with the teaching school I applied to in London, and the interview went well and the woman I spoke to said she would be happy to offer me a place on the course!

I do realise they're probably not all that picky about who they take on... I mean, they hold something like 50 courses a year, with 20 students per course, so they're obviously not super selective, but still, I'm really chuffed to know I can do it.

Just need to sort out the details now, but this means I should be going to London in March for about 5 weeks :)

It's a strange feeling actually, knowing that my routine world is going to be disrupted like that... I'm a creature of habit really, and going to live somewhere else for a month is quite exciting and a bit scary to be honest.

I am really looking forward to spending time in London, as I have been there on several occasions but have never gotten to know it as more than just a tourist. And I've got quite a few friends there, so no doubt I'll have a busy social life too!

Training, doubt and procrastination (again)

Yesterday I was thinking about a recruitment ad I saw for freelance English teachers at a language school and noticed they mentioned requiring a TEFL certificate. So I decided to look into how to obtain one and found a course in London which looks really interesting. It's a 1 month course and with the pound so low, works out quite cheap compared to other similar courses.

I'm thinking: if I can get a job giving trainings in English via one of the language schools in Brussels - a subject I obviously have an advantage in, it being my mother tongue - I can build up experience in training and move on to give other subjects that interest me maybe a bit more (the "personal development" subjects, like conflict management, assertive communication, etc).

So I took the plunge and sent off an application for the course. There's a 30 minute phone interview and if I'm accepted, hopefully I can get on the course that starts in March!!

Which also means I get to live in London for a month! I've got quite a few friends living there and one of them has already offered me a place to stay during the course, and I'm frankly quite excited about the whole idea :)

Bart on the other hand was a bit sceptical and put quite a damper on the whole project last night, saying he didn't see why I was taking a course in something that wasn't what I wanted to give trainings in initially. I don't know if he was being really short-sighted or acting like that because he's afraid of me going off for a month, but it made me second-guess myself for a moment and I hate that. It reminded me so much of my father, always destroying all my projects and making me feel inept and incapable of deciding anything for myself.

I also realised that it was no wonder I had such a hard time deciding what I wanted in life, after living for so long with someone who always decided everything for me and made sure I never got to choose my own path.

I actually found an interesting article on the website of Psychology Today, linking my father's attitude with my current tendency to procrastinate. It says: "Procrastinators are made not born. Procrastination is (...) one response to an authoritarian parenting style. Having a harsh, controlling father keeps children from developing the ability to regulate themselves, from internalizing their own intentions and then learning to act on them. Procrastination can even be a form of rebellion, one of the few forms available under such circumstances."

Anyway, I explained all this to Bart and I think we've sorted it out. Now to hear back from the school and see if I can get accepted... and we'll take it from there.

Sunday at the beach

Yesterday I was whining to Bart that we never went out and did anything at the weekend, so today we drove to the seaside for a long - and freezing - walk on the beach.


I tried to take some pics whenever we came across anything interesting, but the cold wind pushed us along pretty quickly and after 45 minutes we retreated for a yummy lunch before walking around in the shopping streets - incredibly busy as it's the first weekend of winter sales...



Home now, trying to get warm with a big mug of tea, and happy we got out of the house and had such a nice day.

Just like that, three months flew by

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I last posted something.
I literally put my quest for the perfect career / life on hold while I was busying myself with wedding plans... which was more than worth it, as we had the most amazing day!


Now it's back to the real world, and back to waking up in the middle of the night with my jaws clenched tight, dreaming I'm late for meetings even at the weekend, 10-hour days with no toilet breaks or lunch pauses... and wondering: what the hell am I doing it for?

The plan wasn't much of a plan, I just started walking...

I've decided on a course, just going to their presentation day on September 9th to make sure, and I've even asked my boss if I could take time of work for it, after all it is related to my job and my objectives for this year. No answer yet, though (duh!).

But my weight is up and my morale is down, and after spending a blitz weekend in Provence (20 hours driving for 48 hours on location, must be the worst ratio yet...), I am convinced there has to be another way to enjoy this life. One that involves listening to crickets when you wake up in the morning, taking a walk with the dog on a road with no cars - and hardly any houses - and a dip in the pool every afternoon. Not to mention time to read, and taking most of your meals on the terrace in the sun.


How can anyone choose for the crappy, grey, stressful city alternative? Not that I don't like the view from our apartment - or the apartment itself, which still impresses me - but outside of this bubble, everything seems to be either too much or too little to really feel happy.

I have to remind myself every day that I own my life - at least the 16 hours a day I'm not paid to be working. Not easy when the work is piling up and you're used to being the solver off all problems. Leaving my computer at work in the evening and at weekends has not been an easy resolution to stick to, but I will. For the sake of my own sanity.

And, one day, I will resign. And that will be the end of that.

Copenhagen for 2

Tuesday June 3rd we left Oslo after breakfast for our 1 p.m. flight to Copenhagen.

Our hotel, Hotel Absalon, was again just a street away from the train station on Istegade and, despite my apprehensions, really quite decent.
We checked in and headed straight back out for an early dinner before the KISS concert that had brought us here.

500 meters down the street we sat down at the terrace of Det Gule Hus, recommended by our Rough Guide. The food - burger for Bart and grilled salmon for me - was absolutely divine, and half the price of a restaurant, and the beer was 3 times cheaper than Oslo, a nice change, but probably not surprising in the land of Carlsberg and Tuborg.


From there we walked to the Forum, the venue for the evening. Doors were already open and so we opted for a place on the balcony, giving us a great view on the stage.



After the concert, we headed off in search of a bar for a couple of drinks and a huge bowl of popcorn, then back to the hotel.

Wednesday we just couldn't get out of bed, so ended up only setting off around 1 p.m.
We stopped for brunch at the Hard Rock Café, on the other side of the station, which was hugely disappointing, although the terrace was great for people watching, and the couple sitting behind us looked strangely like my mother and her husband.


Starting from the central Radhuspladsen, we headed off along the main shopping street and shopped for a couple of hours before sitting down for a cool beer on Hojbro Plads.



Dinner was at Sticks N Sushi on Istegade, one of the three branches of this modern sushi restaurant in Copenhagen. The food was absolutely delicious, the wine - a New Zealand Marlborough - so good, especially after a week drinking beer and the whole atmosphere was really cool.

Thursday was another difficult start, and after missing the hotel breakfast we had a late brunch back at Det Gule Hus. Also really yummy and worth every kroner :)


June 5th is a national holiday in Denmark, so all the shops were closed and probably quite a few of the museums, so we headed down to the waterfront and boarded a taxi boat for a tour of the city. DFDS operates a couple of guided tour boats, but they also have 3 unguided tours with a hop on-hop off system. A day ticket for those boats costs around 6 euro and you can take as many boats as you want. So we boarded our first boat at Fisketorvet, at the South end of the city, and basically boat hopped for the rest of the day, going through the canals of the center, up and down Nyhavn, out to Trekroner lighthouse and around Christianshavn, soaking up the sun at the same time.



We ended the day with a meal on the terrace of Cap Horn restaurant on Nyhavn, listening to a jazz live band, then headed back for a drink near our hotel on Holmtorvet, also the scene of a live concert that evening.

Friday our flight wasn't until 8 p.m., so we had a full day left. We got up - relatively - early and had breakfast at the hotel, then headed out to Radhuspladsen where we decided to check out the Bodies exhibition. After seeing Korperwelten in London, it was much less impressive and even a bit disappointing (a lot less shocking, too), but nevertheless very interesting and quite informative.

Then we hit the shopping streets again, then found a really picturesque square full of terraces to have lunch. Lunch was at Huks Fluks and was very enjoyable, even though we were invaded by a busload of Icelandic old-aged tourists and had to share our table with a couple of old ladies who didn't speak a word of English.


Our last stop was the park Rosenborg Have for a lie in the sun, knowing it was raining and cold in Belgium where we would be heading a few hours later.

Oslo highlights

We were in Oslo for 4 days, the main reason to the trip being the KISS concert on May 31st.

We arrived Friday in the late afternoon, checked into our hotel, the Comfort Hotel Børsparken - close to the station and good value for money, and headed out for a meal at Asian restaurant the Golden Dragon.
We soon discovered just what our guide book meant by "expensive food and drinks". Although the meal was really good quality, compared to Chinese restaurants in Brussels, we payed about 3 times the price, with beers at 8 euro and main courses around 20 euro...

After dinner we headed down to the harbour, crossing through the park behind Akershus fort. The park was full of groups of friends picnicking, and a big trend seems to be little throw-away barbecue kits, really neat.

Saturday was spent relaxing in Tøyen Park, with the intention of going to the Munch museum, but we never actually got round to it :)
We headed off to the concert venue, Vallhall arena, a couple of metro stops away from Tøyen Park, and got there nice and early, so we were among the first to enter the venue when the doors finally opened.


We were front row at the concert and the show was impressive.
Afterwards we headed back to the hotel, stopping on the way for take-away noodles from the 7/11.

Sunday we caught the ferry to nearby Hovedoya, an island just off the coast, which we set off to explore before finding a spot on the beach under the shade of a tree - as we hadn't actually brought any sun cream. We had a late lunch at the island's only snack bar and headed back to the ferry. We had taken a day pass for the ferries, part of the public transport system, so we decided to find ourselves a spot on the top deck and enjoy a few rides around the islands, soaking up some late afternoon sun :)


Sunday evening we headed out for dinner in trendy Grynerlokka and ended up in a French restaurant, Bristo Brocante, decent but nothing amazing, especially considering the price...

Monday we awoke to more amazing sunshine, blue skies and soaring temperatures and decided to hit the shopping streets.


After a quick walk up the roof of the impressive Opera House, we walked up Prinsens Gate to the university, stopping to browse books in an amazing bookshop, followed by coffee and a cookie, then past the Slottsparken, on to Hegdehaugsveien and Bogstadveien, all the way up to Frognerparken, where the sculpture park is. There we crashed on the grass, browsing through our newly acquired books and reflecting on life...


Then we headed to the harbour to catch a late afternoon 2 hour Fjord cruise...


... before dining at "Front", on the posh waterfront Stranden... absolutely divine food (and frightfully expensive drinks).