Shaggy Bear, Jacksonville, FL, USA

sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Jan 10, 2008, 7:47 am
Hello! This is my first travel log update, I hope to have a lot in the near future. I already have a plan to start out my journey in Germany within the next two weeks my mom will be sending it out to someone she knows that lives there. I'm very excited as I've heard there's a lot of history in that country, and I'm a huge history bear. I love learning. :-)

Here's a picture of me:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/shaggybear.jpg

I'm only 12cms and I'm not too heavy and easily can be squished into a padded bag for sending. I hope to see the oceans and all over the world and see all the different cultures the world has to show me. I'm excited! I'll be spending the next week with my mom though till she sends me off, I know I'll be missed when I go but she'll be excited to see all the blog updates that my hosts make for me. :-)

I also have two brothers that will be traveling soon too their names are Jimbo Elephant and Leo Lion. Leo will be staying with mom for a bit and traveling with her, and Jimbo is on his way to Hawaii last I heard. I hope he arrives safely and I can see more recent photos of him. :-)
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Jan 18, 2008, 3:46 pm
This is sararingham updating for Shaggy, I took a few photos of him before he left with his buddy Sully Monster both we're very proud of their new attire and I sent them off to their destinations on Wednesday the 16th. Shaggy Bear will be visiting with anni in Germany! Hopefully he'll arrive there soon and safe and sound and we'll see more photos soon... here's a photo of him before he left...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/shaggybear_release.jpg

...and of course he wanted a photo with Sully Monster as well...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/group_photo_release.jpg

Have a good journey little Shaggy Bear!
anni


Posted Jan 24, 2008, 5:42 pm
Hallo world!

I arrived in Germany!!! It's cold here compared to Australia ... and I spent the whole day in my envelope it was a nightmare I tell you. But in the faternoon Anni came home and helped me escape from the envelope:

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/7138/dscn5013el0.jpg

The other stuffed animals welcomed me with open arms. Especially this huge mouse, he'sa gravy guy. I thought Australia had strange animals ... have never seen a mouse as big - well compared to me http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/3994/dscn5016ny6.jpg

Anni is pretty active as I found out. So she took me swimming with her. But with all the jetlag and stuff I didnt really wanna pay attention to what she did. I just had a nice shower on my own and get my fur in shape again:

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/230/dscn5019us0.jpg http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8497/dscn5021ad8.jpg

Then I was waiting for dinner as you can see here:
http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/9914/dscn5025wz6.jpg

I was told that we're going to watch a "Handball" match (sry never heard of that sport ...). But Anni told me its pretty popular in Germany ... and there are European Champion Chips in Norway at the mo .... so we're watching that on Tv later. I got myself all dressed up with the German flag. Im sure its fun, have no idea abt the rules but oh well.

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/9669/dscn5022qh0.jpg http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/3136/dscn5023tw4.jpg

But until the match starts Im gonna take a nap! :) I hope you're fine mum ... I miss you. But dont worry about me, the people seem nice and treat me well!

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/8429/dscn5017yk0.jpg
I'm looking forward to my first complete day in Germany tomorrow!

ta for now!  ;)

anni


Posted Jan 25, 2008, 2:02 pm
Oh boy TGIF!!!!

I went to work with Anni this morning and I had to get up at 6.00am!! Holy .... that is way too early for me.
Here are a few pics at her office, she even let me help her:

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/8784/dscn5030pr3.jpg http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/8753/dscn5031bw8.jpg

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2194/dscn5032gm1.jpg http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/6082/dscn5034sx7.jpg

Then I spend a few hrs just spinning on her chair! That was fun for once ha! http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/5999/dscn5037uk3.jpg

And then we drove home. Anni works for Volvo, hence all those huge paving machines in the parking space. They're really really big I swear! http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5355/dscn5039lq5.jpg http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2232/dscn5040pb7.jpg

Its been such a hectic day so far. Then Anni said she needs to hand a paper in somewhere up town. And she was all in a rush but I managed to jump into her bag so I visited the old town. Just reeeeally briefly but still! Its pretty!!! Look at the pics mum!

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/13/dscn5041kg1.jpg http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/8499/dscn5042eu6.jpg

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7184/dscn5043mk9.jpg http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4532/dscn5044kt5.jpg

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7676/dscn5045mg0.jpg http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3797/dscn5046kt7.jpg

Now Im gonna rest a bit in Annis bag. Cos she is off to her friend now and later Im gonna have dinner with Anni and her bf Mario. Im excited to mee that bloke :)

Bye for now mummy

anni


Posted Jan 26, 2008, 12:35 pm
Hi mum!

This is another brief update from me to you. But I had to tell you what I have done last night.
I jumped in the car with Anni and we visited her friend. However I stayed in the blistering cold in the car whilst she was away for two hours. I saw a bunch of interesting people whilst waiting ....

Then we went to Marios house. He was nice and welcomed me with a hug :) But he was camera shy so I couldnt get him on a pic with me. But I got a cuddly bunny on a pic with me (shhh, .... but I think she's fit!) http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1281/dscn5047kv3.jpg

Anyways he said we're going to get pizza!!! << what a good guy haha!
So we got Hawaii Pizza (pineapples and ham) and Pizza Rustica (salami, mushrooms). Sooo yummy!
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/8354/dscn5049wh3.jpg http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4260/dscn5050ty9.jpg

Then we were all lazy and watched Who wants to be a millionaire. It was all German and I didnt get a thing but they guy who hosts it was kinda funny.
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8322/dscn5055xm3.jpg

Mario then showed me his Jägermeister collection - good job the bottles were all empty - I would have gone wild on that otherwise  B)
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/8245/dscn5048xn5.jpg
anni


Posted Jan 28, 2008, 5:03 pm
Hello,

oh we had such a lazy weekend. The weather was awful and Anni was out a lot visiting some people and yeah. I pretty much had a chilled time at home. She promised me to go out more on Friday though. Due to work she always gets home when it's dark - so annoying I swear!
But Im so looking forward to Friday. We might as well go iceskating then - that is just a MAYBE so far  ... but mum how cool would that be eh???

Anyways here are some pics from the weekend:

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2609/dscn5060ee7.jpg
That is the old town of Hameln. Its so beautiful. I must take more pics when the weather is nice. You'd like it here mum!
And you know Hameln is the town of the Pied Piper and look who I met:
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1643/dscn5061nv6.jpg

We also walked to the bank and do some transactions ....
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/263/dscn5059qf6.jpg
Wicked huh?!

On Sunday we had coffee and cake. Anni's mum did it. Very delicious it was with cherries and whipped cream as you can see :) She gave me my very own huuuuge piece of cake!
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/5522/dscn5063jx1.jpg

The rest of the weekend I spent with this guy here:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/5237/dscn5058dh2.jpg
His name is Goleo he is the mascot of the world soccer championchips in 2006! As you know they were hosted in Germany and well he is like a huge celebrity over here! We hung out all afternoon and he told me about football. They call it Fußball here :)
(I think he has fancy hair, dont you?!)

Okay that's it for now!

TTYL
anni


Posted Jan 31, 2008, 5:16 pm
Hello everybody,

ohh the past days the weather was more than awful. Just rain rain rain and today it was even sort of snowish .... baaah its so cold here. Im glad I didnt have to go outside and Anni let me stay inside :)

We just came back upstairs from swimming. This time I went in as well (well uhh not really but sort of) you know I am kinda picky with my fur. Here are some pics of me and the pool.

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8097/dscn5069ht7.jpg http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8614/dscn5072hd9.jpg
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9250/dscn5074eu7.jpg http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3/dscn5077kd1.jpg

When we got back upstairs Anni told me that we're definately going to go ice skating tomorrow. That is amazing. So she showed me her skates and I tried em on. Dont fit :( damn!

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/635/dscn5081tc6.jpg

And then she emptied her piggy bank to show me what german coins look like, in case I wanna go shopping with my nxt host or something :) So I totally know my way through german money now!

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/6530/dscn5082wl8.jpg http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7225/dscn5084vo7.jpg

Afterwards I met this waving tacky cat. She's all shiny and stuff - it's a present Anni got for her birthday cos she is into that tacky chinese (?) ish stuff. She waves like all day .... I assumed she's into hip hop (hence all the waving) not quite sure tho ;)

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/2842/dscn5085zc1.jpg http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4443/dscn5086uu4.jpg

Im chilling a bit now and watch some German tv :) talk to you soon mummy
and I hope you had a great flight today and are all happy!

xxx
anni


Posted Feb 3, 2008, 10:59 am
Hallo,

we went ice skating on Friday!!! Well actually I watched Anni and her bf's cousin Michael skate .... I decided to stay with Mario cos it was so much safer not to ice skate- Its not my thing really. Too slippery. But Anni and Michael did a good job. I took some pics of them.

But here is me in the car on the way to the arena.
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/198/dscn5087li1.jpg http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9382/dscn5089se6.jpg

And here are the pics of Anni and her boyfriends cousin.

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3666/dscn5090db6.jpg http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/7149/dscn5098sx9.jpg

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/1820/dscn5103vw4.jpg http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3598/dscn5101jj0.jpg

Today the weather is quite nice and I think we're going outside later and have a walk either in the park or the village or might as well watch the carnival parade. Not sure yet but I will come along no matter what we do :)

Ta for now :)
anni


Posted Feb 4, 2008, 5:32 pm
Hi mum,

Im so happy you got to America all safe and sound. Thanks for posting pics with Benni as well. I watched em with Anni and she told me that Benni is pretty much my exchange partner  :D

We went to Hessisch Oldendorf yesterday to watch the carnival parade. Granted that Annis region is not really big on carnival it was a nice little parade. I watched the huge parade in Cologne on TV today. Thats amazing mum ... I wish I could have thrown on a costume and partied along. But yesterday with Anni and Mario it was soooo cold. I was happy to sit in ger bag most of the time and just had to get out for the pics  B)

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7268/dscn5107kk7.jpg
finally some rays of sunlight! That was early in the morning. I just got up then.

Then we drove to Marios house and whilst him and Anni got ready I waited outside cos the sun was so nice.
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/5656/dscn5108lk1.jpg http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3001/dscn5109bp2.jpg

Then we drove to Hessisch Oldendorf and waited for the little carnival parade to come by. Thep aper today said that there were 30,000 people. Im so happy I didnt get lost. People were funny dressed and its a lot abt drinking alcohol!! I was really happy to not be as involved as some others. Here are my impressions:

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/2199/dscn5110ae4.jpg http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/5491/dscn5112ms4.jpg
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/4123/dscn5113gs5.jpg http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/5122/dscn5114fd8.jpg
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/8723/dscn5115xn2.jpg http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3430/dscn5116ag6.jpg
see the clown in the back  :p
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/1857/dscn5117ur5.jpg http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/5446/dscn5118xi7.jpg
The first waggons are coming!  AND cheerleaders
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/176/dscn5119rh3.jpg http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/559/dscn5120pe2.jpg
and some more of the selfmade colourful trucks

Thats it for today I am pretty exhausted and gonna go for a nap now :) and watch LOST with Anni tonight!

XXX

anni


Posted Feb 9, 2008, 3:50 pm
Hola!

Finally the sun is out and its starting to get spring here. Anni said its still February and supposed to be cold so I guess its just a couple of nice days ahead of us. We made good use of em and went outside up down and to the park.
Have a look at what I saw:

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/169/dscn5126ho4.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1498/dscn5127bl5.jpg
The first pic is a house for kids where they can play after school when their parents arent home yet. I saw a bunch of kids in the yard there. Then we walked through a lot of little tiny medieval alleys as you can see in the following pics.

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4959/dscn5128nb3.jpg
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8709/dscn5129zb1.jpg
All those buildings are verrrrry old and popular for the town. Many tourists come and see them. So I wasnt really pointing out when Anni took the pics with me  :D OH look at the blue sky mummy!!!

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8558/dscn5130bs6.jpg
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/91/dscn5131ox8.jpg
Look at those houses .... they're not even at all! And then omg I found a German beer house. Now how cool is that huh?!

Since we're still in Hameln ... and rats and the pied piper all all over the place. I noticed those lil rats on the ground. They're for tourists and lead em the way through the town. Pretty cool. But they should repaint em I think!

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6791/dscn5132mx7.jpg
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7985/dscn5133kk7.jpg

Then we went of to the park and saw tiny flowers. Cos thats pretty much all that grows here in winter. They're called crocus!
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7301/dscn5134wj5.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/7948/dscn5135sp0.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6940/dscn5136ju3.jpg

And here's me looking at the bright blue sky =)
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3139/dscn5137qr4.jpg
Im ready to leave Hameln soon mum ... Ill contact you these days abt it okay?!

xxx




anni


Posted Feb 17, 2008, 11:05 am
Hello mum,

actually I was about to be gone to my next destination by now. But the stupid post didnt let me cos they were on strike and blah blah. So I have another weekend here in Hameln and will be leaving here tomorrow afternoon.

Yesterday morning Anni went up town cos she wanted to buy some new jeans. She took me with her even though it was mighty cold outside. But we walked by the river Weser for a bit and the view totally made up for it. Here, have a look yourself:

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4813/dscn5139ic0.jpg http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7800/dscn5140ok2.jpg

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/535/dscn5141og1.jpg http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/3898/dscn5142vm9.jpg
The thing in the left pic shows when there was really high tide in the river and parts of the town were flooded! Whew Im glad its all good now cos Im jst so small and Id be all flooded.

The other building is our library. Its really pretty from the outside. From within .... its books! Ya know :D

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/6236/dscn5143tj6.jpg http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/1443/dscn5144rl3.jpg
There's a golden rat on top of the bridge. You see that?! Rats and pied piper are pretty common symbols in Hameln!
The other pic is the new mall the town is having. Nothing compared to malls in OZ or USA I think. But its a milestone for Hameln lol.  B)

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7081/dscn5145ka3.jpg http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/1786/dscn5147tb1.jpg
And some more river shots!

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5710/dscn5148vn9.jpg http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/372/dscn5149bj5.jpg
Here I had a look at what kind of jeans Anni bought. Just snooped around in her bag! And another pretty old tudor ish house that we passed on our way home.

Okay mum ttyl you get one last update from me when Im entering my envelope!  :(
xxx
anni


Posted Feb 20, 2008, 4:41 pm
This is Annika :) Shaggy is already in the mail and should reach his new host soon!

I have some pics of his last day here and thought to post them before he arrives at his new stay.

I miss him already  :(

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/8766/dscn5155um1.jpg http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/6555/dscn5157bu6.jpg
He knew what was coming, another envelope! *shrug*

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/3697/dscn5158co2.jpg http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/4251/dscn5159fj3.jpg
He gained a bunch of friends whilst staying here  B)

http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/817/dscn5161aq1.jpg
And of course some homey feeling before he left. This kangaroo was given to me as a present from a friend who did an aupair year in Australia - so I thought he might feel a little bit at home!

Have a good time in Essen Shaggy!!!

Love,
Anni

BlackCat


Posted Feb 24, 2008, 3:46 pm
Hello Mum,

I arrived safety at the house of Fabi. Here are a lot of other ToyVoyagers and we have a lot of fun together. With me, Tilda and Mingus Moose arrived. We talked a lot about our travel. It is nice here :)!

We will visit a friend of Fabi today. Photos and so came later ^^.

Have a nice day,
Shaggy
BlackCat


Posted Feb 24, 2008, 4:10 pm
Hello mummy,

we visited a friend of Fabi, Vanessa. She is a nice girl and she has a sweet dog. A really big one. I felt so small next to him :(!

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii123/oceania87/TV/am2402/three_41.jpg
He has a funny hat, or?! It was nice there :)!

Have a nice day,
Shaggy
olgamaus


Posted Mar 27, 2008, 12:03 pm
Hi Mummy,
I arrived in Remscheid! My host found me on her stairs when she came home in her lunch break. BlackCat wrote a nice postcard which I took to Remscheid.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/2365568935_a7d75bd987_m.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2002/2365569005_d436f29753_m.jpg

Now I'm starving and we will have lunch.

Later I will go to the office here my host is working. She's working in a law firm. Here at home I would be alone, so I prefer a little bit of work.

Bye
Shaggy Bear


olgamaus


Posted Mar 27, 2008, 1:18 pm
Hi Mummy,
now we finished lunch and we will go to work.

We had toast with cheese, tomato and onion and for dessert I had .... a "Schaumkuss". There seem to be no correct translation, maybe "chocolate marshmallow", with some wine gums. It was wonderful. And I had a spoon full of honey.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2184/2365660795_de95b823cd_m.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2365661027_05d1039904_m.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2340/2366494578_b024a02d3c_m.jpg

In  the office I will meet a little mouse with spots, she would like to be the next TV of my host. She looks like those dalmatian mice in "The Royal Tenenbaums", a movie with Ben Stiller and Anjelica Huston and  Gene Hackman.

My host told me that yesterday there still was a lot of snow. It melted and there are only some little remains of it.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2069/2366494840_f6025412ff_m.jpg

We must go now!

Bye
Shaggy Bear

olgamaus


Posted Mar 27, 2008, 5:42 pm
Hi  Mummy,
we returned from the office and I'm starving again. My host Katja is also starving, so we show you only a few pics.

Here you can see a statue of Lady Justice, the Roman Goddess of Justice. It's a bit abstract, usually the figure is wearing a blindfold, a sword and scales.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2025/2366976904_888dd4edbe_m.jpg

Here I'm talking with the spotted mouse who wants to become a ToyVoyager. She's quite small, the travel tag will be larger,

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2200/2366140773_4b303a4e24_m.jpg

Here I'm watching over the stamps.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2292/2366977066_05447ed62e_m.jpg

Then I wanted to make a photocopy of my backside, but Katja said, only members of english christmas parties would do such things (that's not a good idea because they often break the glass of the photocopier and then they have glass splinters in their behind). I really don't like glass splinters there...

I'm so tired that I will go to bed very early. Katja will take a walk with a friend. She asked me if I wanted to go with her but I'm so tired that I can hardly keep my eyes open.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Mar 28, 2008, 10:22 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we made a long walk in an old district of Remscheid. Katja said that today was the first day without rain or snowfall within the last two weeks. So we went outside after lunch (we had pancakes with caramel syrup).

First we took a photo of the house where Katja is living. She lives in the attic storey of the house on the left.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2394/2368702237_be855ceed1.jpg?v=0

This part of the town has a lot of old houses.

We walked through a small park in front of the police station. Here is a pillar with the crest of the town. On the other sides  the names of the partner towns are engraved.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2377/2369533530_1f8cd2c96d.jpg?v=0

We then walked along the "Trasse des Werkzeugs" (route of tools). It is a lane for pedestrians and cyclists through the town, made on a closed railway route. It was financed by many local industrial firms, most of them they produce tools. Along the lane you can find signs of those producers.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2369911264_2a99286bce.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/2369079549_75e9dc474c.jpg?v=0

Here I'm sitting on a bench made of a huge screw clamp.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2260/2369534268_cb9c7ce4b2.jpg?v=0

And here is a bench made of glass.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2083/2369534466_12c7de03d1.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/2368700791_a554469028.jpg?v=0

Now you can see some houses that are typical for this region:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2138/2368701149_dc455fa1d9.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2043/2368701367_39d6baa84e.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2270/2369534784_48da432805.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2170/2370969670_e7daa37303.jpg?v=0

It's very exhausting to walk here because almost all roads are going uphill and downhill really steep, rarely straight.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2369535534_8e0a141f34.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2272/2369535468_216d377351.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3137/2369535286_bff31940e9.jpg?v=0

We went uphill for a while and came to the muncipal park. Here you can see me in front of the observatory. It was restored last year.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2368702075_04913f2fd7.jpg?v=0

In the evening our new neighbours visited us. We had beer and coke and potatoe chips. Now Katja has to feed the rats - yes, she is keeping pet rats. They are really funny. The whole day you can't see them because they are asleep, but in the evening they want to play and eat.

I'm very tired now, Mummy. We wanted to visit the tool museum, but it is closed on Friday afternoon. We'll do it later.

I will go to sleep now with three large plush rats.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Mar 30, 2008, 5:02 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we made a beautiful excursion. We visited Schloss Burg, a medieval castle, and the Müngstener Brücke, Germany's highest railway bridge.

The castle belongs to Solingen, a neighbour town of Remscheid, the bridge belongs on one side to Remscheid and on the other side to Solingen. It's running across the river Wupper which marks the border between these towns.

Here we're on our way.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2374201208_d95011c1f9.jpg?v=0

On the parking lot we saw this funny coloured car.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2307/2374243124_14e8dbfbbb.jpg?v=0

We made our way to the bridge along the river Wupper. The river is carrying a lot of water after the snowfall last week.

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This is the workshop of a blacksmith who makes pieces of art.

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Now you can see the bridge. It was completed in March 1897. It is 107 meters high and 465 meters long. It was built with about 5.000 tons of steel (5.000.000 kg). The bridge is overstretching the valley of the river Wupper. Two years ago a theme park was established. There are beautiful playgrounds for children, takeaways, lawns for relaxing, a miniature golf and souvenir shops. Katja told me that every year in summer a big festival is held underneath the bridge with fireworks. Last year she was there with her kids and it must have been beautiful.

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Here I am relaxing in the sun.

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Here is a memorial tablet to remind of the visit of the last German Emperor, Wilhelm II. He visited the bride in August 1899.

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Then we made it along some souvenir shops. Hey, what is this? I've seen this before in Hameln! (Katja's son likes this stuff very much).

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These are gingerbread hearts. You can buy them on a fun fair and at places like this with a lot of tourists.

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Then we walked to the castle. The path went uphill and downhill like everything here. Maybe you can see how steep it is.

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Along the path you can find artworks. This for example is a group of rock, placed like table and chairs. On the tabletop these impressions of hands are engraved (Katja didn't find another word for that kind of work a chiseler is doing and I didn't know any word for it either). On other rocks poems are engraved or riddles. Most of them are not so easy to discover because they are partly covered with leafes and dirt from winter.

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Then I had to rest on a stump for a little while.

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We walked through the forrest to the district in which we wanted to visit the castle. We had to cross the Wupper.
Katja and her friend decided to take the chairlift that's running from the street across the Wupper to the castle. I believe the two women were too lazy to walk uphill again. But when I saw the hill we would have had to climb the chairlift was ok.

olgamaus


Posted Mar 30, 2008, 5:54 pm
Hi Mummy,
Katja had to cook tea before updating more. Now she has her tea and she can go on.
(I think she also is exhausted by walkung uphill for hours  :p) But she says "No, I am used to this".)

We arrived at the chairlift. I was impressed how steep this hill was. I was a little bit scared to go with this chairlift, but Katja said that it is ok. There had never happend any accident with it so it would not happen just today.

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We arrived savely on top, directly close to the castle. We made some pictures.

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In the castle courtyard you can find souvenir shops and shops whose owners are doing an "old" handcraft. For example someone makes soap, another makes brushes, then you can buy things that were used by knights for the kids, like swords and helmets. I found this machine that makes an embossing picture of a small German coin. Katja allowed me to make such a thing for you.

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I had to put in the coin and turn a wheel. I found a board with some facts about the castle. You can see that the first parts were built in 1133 A.D., then it was enlarged in 1225 A.D. and often in the following centuries. In Thirty Years War (17th century) many parts of the castle were destroyed. It was rebuilt then, but it was used for industrial purposes for many years. In the end of the 19th century they began to rebuild it as it appears today.

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I also found a histric carousel.

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Before leaving the castle Katja and her fried had a cup of coffee. They bought zwieback with nuts on top. Do you know zwieback? It is a sort of pastry that is baken two times. It is very crispy and with the nuts on top it was delicious.

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Then we walked downhill. Yes, we walked  :D. Here you can see how steep this path is.

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Katja found some nice little flowers on the forest soil and made this  photo. I was glad that I could sit a moment.

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When we came to the bridge again, we crossed the river Wupper on a transporter bridge. You have to help the ferrymen to pull this ferry from bank to bank.

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Another exhaustiing activity  ;)

Then we drove home. Today in the evening I would like to meet the rats. I'm curious if they are afraid of me. Katja sais they are afraid of nothing. As long as I bring a piece of cheese for every rat with me they would like me.

We close now,
bye
Shaggy Bear

olgamaus


Posted Mar 31, 2008, 6:52 pm
Hi Mummy,
today Katja showed me a little bit around the town.

Here you can see the town hall. It would look much better without the scaffold. The tower has to be restored.

On Wednesday and Saturday the farmer's market takes place on the square in front of the town hall.

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Around the square a shopping mall is built. In the glass dome you can find an ice cream parlour.

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This large sculpture of two forceps marks the entrance to the pedestrian area. This again is a symbol for the tool industry Remscheid and its region is famous for.

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This is really typical for Germany: Waste separation. You have to carry your paper waste to such containers, also glass in several colours, as long as you don't want to put a fourth or fifth garbage bin in front of your house. When you come to these containers with a large basket full of paper and glass they are usually full.

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This is the entrance of the local court. Above the door you can see the crest of Nordrhein-Westfalen, one of 16 states.

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Katja wanted to take a photo of the complete building that was restored and enlarged a few years ago. The crossway in front of the building was crowded with busses and cars, so that we will take a photo when there will be less traffic.

Here you can see two more pictures of streets in the neighborhood of Katja's home. Large parts of the town were destroyed in World War II, especially the town centre where the pedestrian area is today. Though you have to walk only a few minutes to get to the town town centre here most buildings remained intact.

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The sun is going down and there is not enough daylight for good photos any more. I hope the weather will be as fine as today the next days.

I wrote a postcard for you, Mummy. The post office clerk was grumbling because Katja asked him to put real stamps onto the envelope, not only a postage label. He put a cute Keith-Haring-stamp on it.

In the evening I'm going to feed the rats with pasta. They like it. Yesterday I petted Isabel, a dear albino rat. She was not afraid of me.

Bye, Mummy, You will see more of me soon.

Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 2, 2008, 9:42 pm
Hi Mummy,
today all my dreams came true:

We visited Katja's sister. She has more teddy bears I have ever seen. Teddy bears made of plush, made of glass, made of ceramics, made of wood, bears on boxes and so on. We made a lot of pictures:

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Before we went into town to visit the Roentgen-Museum we had coffee and cake.

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Katja had knitted a pig-suit for one of the bears.

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I tried this suit on - look, it fits perfectly  :D

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We then went to the museum.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a German physicist, who, in November  1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as x-rays or Röntgen rays, an achievement that earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. He was born on March 27, 1845 in Remscheid-Lennep. He died in 1923.

First we visited his birthplace. This is not a museum, but there is a memorial tablet on the wall. It is the house on the right side.

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Here is the museum. First you can see the original old part, than the new annex.

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We made a tour of the museum. First you could see facts of W. C. Roentgen's life, about his home, family and personal interests. Here is a bust of him.

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Following the tour we went through a cellar. The atmosphere was a little bit spooky, it was dark with only few light, sometimes with red or blue light. You could see prints of announcments, sort of comics or implements of Roentgen's early work.

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Here you can see me sitting on a skeleton, it is made of plastic, otherwise I would not have dared to sit on it.

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We went through a long and dark tunnel with radiograms of all sorts of animals, several people, DIY-tools, kitchen equipment and more on both sides. Can you see what this is?

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We then saw an Egypt mummy. It is the body of a woman, about 24 years old, who lived approximated 300 B.C. The mummy was found in the twenties of 20th century in Achmim, Egypt. It was almost dark in this room, so you cannot see the mummy exactly. On the left side there is the mummy, on the right side the upper side of the wooden coffin.

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We saw a lot of fluoroscopes of various ages. Here you can see an apparat of 1908.

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Here is the first apparat for tuberculosis screening.

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This must be an apparat of the fifties.

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This is a DNS-model.

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X-rays are also used in  space exploration. Here you can see my constellation: The little bear.

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On our way back home we went on a tour through the old town on Lennep. They have beautiful old houses, narrow lanes and wonderful front doors.

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This sign is written in Old German Type:

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It means "Bocksgasse 5", in english "buck vennel 5".

We also found this funny sign on the wall of an old house:
It means "God bless this house (or protect) of storm and fire, of municipality and the local tax office."

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We then went to Katja's sister's home to start the teddy bear party.

olgamaus


Posted Apr 2, 2008, 9:56 pm
Hi Mummy,
in the evening it was party-time  :D

We were a lot of teddy bears and we had wine gums, potatoe chips, peanut puffs, something delicious with coconut and chocolate, orange juice and sparkling applejuice. We were many bears of all sizes and we had a lot of fun. We played games with those two tiny bears, but they liked it.

We really had a lot of fun.

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I have a lot of new friends now and they did not want to let me go, but I was very tired.

I'm now in bed with the three large rats and I will fall asleep soon.

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Bye, Mummy
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 4, 2008, 7:36 pm
Hi Mummy,
yesterday in the evening I played with the rats. I would better say they played with me. Katja gave me pasta to feed them.

Katja has two cages with rats. In the larger cage six rats are living. They are Claire, Jordan, their Mum Batida, her sister Corona, Ida and her sister Betty. In the second cage Isabel, Hella and Kessi are living. Katja is calling Isabel and Hella a pain in the neck, because they are really intrusive.

The rats have some toys, for example a large cardboard box filled with smaller boxes where Katja hides some treats. The rats also like to rummage in the basket with the collected newspapers and paper packings for the waste separation. I told you about this yet.

In the late evening the rats go outside their cage for playing with Katja and running around. Hella and Isabel are either sitting on Katja's lap or they are following her every step she takes. When she tries to read they are sitting on her book. When she walks through the room where the rats are playing, both are running after her. All the time they want to be stroked and cuddled.

But they are cute although.

Here I'm feeding Isabel and Hella. Isabel is the albino rat and Hella is the mink capped rat.

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Hella was looking for more pasta but it was all eaten up.

Look what she has done to me!

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Later I visited the other six rats when they hat dinner.

Here you can see that Corona is interested in me. The brown and white backside belongs to Claire.

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Somehow I like the rats, they are really funny and hoggy. Every night I sleep with those three guys I showed you on Wednesday.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 4, 2008, 8:17 pm
Hi Mummy.
today we took a walk along some places of the town where there can be no doubt that Remscheid is an industrial town.

Katja wanted to show me the central station, but there you can only see a large building site. They are building a new central station.

At the moment it is looking like this:

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It is supposed to look like this in future.

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At least the bus stop in front of the central staion is looking more friendly with all those blooming trees.

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I've seen nicer parts of the town .... Katja says that these production plants would belong to Remscheid as well as the nice forrests and historic districts I have seen so far.

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Can you see where I'm sitting here?

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I'm sitting on a St. Andrew's cross (sorry, I don't know if you have these danger signs, placed at railroad crossings, also in Australia).

On the next picture I'm sitting on the counterweight of a gate.

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We decided to buy some food on our way back home. Katja had to carry me, I was a little bit tired.

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Back home Katja showed me everything that we bought.

We bought serveral sorts of cheese, Italian cookies with lemon filling and cappucchino filling, bread, dough for bread rolls and croissants, chocolate with rum, raisins and nuts (I hope she bought this for me  :D), sausages, a cabbage, a cucumber for the rats and some packs of cream.

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Katja is planning to cook a soup with potatoes and cabbage. Actually it is a vegetarian receipe, but Katja's kids like it more with meatballs. So she will cook this soup with and without meatballs. The soup has to be flavoured with two sorts of paprika, salt, thyme and pepper and should be completed with some sour cream, stirred with flour.

Here she is preparing onions and garlic. She also has to cut potatoes and cabbage. She also will cook a few potatoes for the rats. They seem to love potatoes. I don't know if there's anything that they do not like at all.

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Katja made little balls from the uncooked sausage. Here I'm watching over the soup for the kids with meatballs.

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Now both soups are ready.

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We will taste the vegetarian version now. Tomorrow I will tell you if it was good. I hope we have this chocolat with rum, raisins and nuts for dessert!

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 4, 2008, 9:03 pm
Hi Mummy,
the soup was good and I had chocolate for dessert.

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Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 6, 2008, 11:29 am
Hi Mummy,
Katja made caipirinhas for us. For a glass you need a lime, 2 - 3 tablespoons of cane sugar, cachaça and ice.

First you wash the lime and cut it into 8 pieces. Put the lime into a large glass and add sugar. Then you have to mash lime and sugar, then put some ice cubes into the glass and add 5 cl  cachaça. Enjoy it through a thick straw.

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Cheers  B)!

Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 6, 2008, 11:36 am
Hi Mummy,
you won't believe what's happening in Remscheid. It's snowing!
Katja gave me a scarf and we mad some pictures out of the roof-light.

It is really cold. Look!

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I need a hot tea now.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 7, 2008, 4:48 pm
Hi Mummy,
today I helped Katja writing some postcards. She had to write three postcards to other postcrossing members and a thank-you-card to a lady in Brazil. It is already the second thank-you-card because every postcard sent by Katja another postcard from Brazil is following.

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I was permitted to chose some Rattatouille-stickers for the postcards. Katja says that a real rat lover could hardly send a postcard without a rat sticker on it.

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We wrote one card to Lithuania, one card to the USA and a card to Finland.

Katja received this beautiful postcard from Estonia today.

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Yesterday's snow had melted until afternoon. Today it is cold indeed, but there is no more snow.

You will hear from me soon, Mummy.

Bye
Shaggy Bear


olgamaus


Posted Apr 9, 2008, 2:57 pm
Hi Mummy,
today the sun was shining. In Katja's lunch break we took a little walk, only because the weather was so nice.

Spring is coming!

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This park is going to look really nice in a few weeks.

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In front of the Allee-Center, the shopping mall, such granite posts with the crest of all 16 states of Germany are arranged. At each post a different tree is planted. Here, behind the crest of Nordrhein-Westfalen, the state to which Remscheid belongs, a common beech is planted.

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Here we are standing in front of another entrance to the shopping mall. In the background you can see the tower of the town-hall. Underneath the shopping mall busses and taxis are passing through.

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Here we are inside the shopping mall. At the moment they have an exhibition about circus. Several times you can see performing artists and clowns, but obviously they also had lunch-break. We did not see any of them.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2400220777_3de8f8c8d0.jpg?v=0

On the market place you can see a huge column with the "Bergischer Löwe" ("Bergischer" lion), the heraldic animal of Remscheid. It is at least 5 meters high.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2189/2400220855_16be9e08fd.jpg?v=0

In the evening I helped Katja cleaning the larger rat cage. Afterwards we prepared the rat's dinner. They had carrots, cucumber, banana, sweet corn and of course their regular food. Here you can see Claire and Corona.

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Here you can see almost the whole cage.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2400221063_87f4103d75.jpg?v=0

Maybe Moony will arrive tomorrow. He is a cute little dog that will be hosted by Katja. We will see  :D.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 9, 2008, 3:33 pm
Hi Mummy,
today Katja took me with her to work because she wanted to buy some vegetables on the farmer's market afterwards.

The market is held on the place in front of the town-hall. In front of the building we saw this fire engine.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2400221157_afa2521386.jpg?v=0

Katja bought her vegetables at this fruit and veg stall. She bought cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes and leek.

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2401053224_cf48b2d6b8.jpg?v=0

We had to hurry because the market was already closing. When we arrived at home it came back to her that she forgot to buy apples. (Why did she make a photo of me sitting on all these apples  :p?)

Back home a surprise was waiting for us. On the kitchen table we found an envelope with something struggling and moaning inside. This could only be Moony!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2192/2401161328_9456df1347.jpg?v=0

We opened the envelope and freed poor Moony.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2350/2400221947_c0a4fcfb10.jpg?v=0

We had lunch and we  tried Katja's coffee. She has a mug with a ... a rat on it, what else?

We will take a walk later so Moony will see where he landed.

Bye,
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 9, 2008, 7:00 pm
Hi Mummy,
in the afternoon we took a walk with Moony. As soon as we got outside the weather was getting worse. It started to drizzle.

Can you see the animal in the enclosure? It is a pot-bellied pig. Katja said there had to be more of them, but only one was outside the stable.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2172/2400680513_9fdaa62304.jpg?v=0

You can see many old granges like this, only in a short distance to the main road.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/2401510280_d628a916b3.jpg?v=0

This is one of Remscheid's sports halls. You can find one of Remscheid''s stadium next to it.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2401510478_4c787ef9c0.jpg?v=0

We walked into a forrest, along a cemetary. On this cemetary you can also find a memorial for dead soldiers of World War I. We will visit it when the weather will be better. I hope it will be better the next days.

Unfortunately I'm not going to Bavaria tomorrow. Katja's collegue will not travel there because someone of her relatives is ill.

I'm looking foreward to dinner. We'll have pizza.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 11, 2008, 7:12 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we took a walk in the evening, Katja, her daughter, Moony and me. We went through an old district of Remscheid, called "Blumental", in English it would be "Flower Valley". In this district many streets are named as operas written by Richard Wagner, for example we have a Valkyrie-Street, Tannhaeuser-Street, Rhinegold-Street, Parzival-Street and some more.

In this district you can find some beautiful old houses like these:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3593/3417491150_ff41681f5a.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3581/3416683233_ed5a4c66ce.jpg?v=0

When we left the valley, we went along some grazing land. In the background you can see bales of straw, protected by foil.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3590/3416683345_51a3f70b97.jpg?v=0

From here you can see the silhouette of Remscheid. The sun has already begun to go down. Look, you can even see the tower of the town-hall, almost exactly in the middle of the photo, a little bit left of Moony's nose.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3402/3416683433_44d92884ac.jpg?v=0

When we arrived home it was almost dark. From here we only had to cross two streets and than we arrived at  Katja's home. We walked for two hours.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3416683475_83d5aaeb9e.jpg?v=0

I will close now, Mummy. Tomorrow Moony and me will go to the office with Katja. Maybe we can help her a little bit.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 11, 2008, 7:34 pm
Hi Mummy,
today Katja took us with her to work. We had a lot of fun. We read today's newspaper in the waiting room. Later we helped her to arrange some dates, we helped to make photocopies and to type something.

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The most fun we had with the postage meter.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3615/3417491502_e86558506f.jpg?v=0

In Germany you have  to collect your mail with postage meter stamps in such large red envelopes before you put it into the mail box.

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Then we brought today's mail to the mail box.

On our way home Katja had to buy some batteries in the shopping mall. Today we saw an artist!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3416683931_5f95d86d31.jpg?v=0

In the afternoon Katja will take a walk with a friend. I'm looking foreward to it, I love forrests.

Bye
Shaggy Bear


olgamaus


Posted Apr 11, 2008, 7:57 pm
Hi Mummy,
in the afternoon we took a walk with Katja's friend. She has two boys, one of them was going to his basketball lesson and the smaller one visited his grandma.

We saw some interesting signs in the forrest today. Maybe you have seen something like this before?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3417491954_d91b0eaf04.jpg?v=0

You can find such a sign at stream beds, which are made of concrete. Usually there is flowing only little water, but with heavy rainfall these stream beds can turn to a torrent. So you are not allowed to play oder walk there.

The  next sign means that this area is a nature reserve.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/3417491990_8b31d8bba8.jpg?v=0

This sign is showing the course of a subsurface gas conduit.
In the forrest some people built their houses and of course they need gas for heating or cooking.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/3417493708_ee4c954dd0.jpg?v=0

We walked back along the railway route.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/3416684111_575054752d.jpg?v=0

Then we went to the sports-hall to pick up the son of Katja's friend. The boys are already gone to the changing room.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3361/3416684161_7a7ef85ecb.jpg?v=0

We went home because Katja has to do a lot of updates  :D

Tomorrow we will go to Wuppertal, the town with the world famous "Schwebebahn", a suspension railway.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 13, 2008, 12:53 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we went to Wuppertal for shopping. Wuppertal is the neighbour town north to Remscheid. We got there by bus. As the name of the town implies it is built along the valley of the river Wupper.

Let's begin with the Concert-Hall, inaugurated in 1900 by the German emperor, William II, and his wife.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3572/3417492146_ecc459c503.jpg?v=0

One of the most famous jewelers in Wuppertal has a museum for clocks. Here you can see a glockenspiel that's playing a song every hour.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3416685463_5eec59c735.jpg?v=0

Then we had lunch. Guess where  :D?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3538/3416684307_85caf05e8b.jpg?v=0

We also bought shoes for Katja's daughter.

Along the river Wupper the "Schwebebahn" is built. The Schwebebahn is a suspension railway that was opened in 1901 A.D. It is the oldest monorail system in the world.

The suspension railway travels along a route 13.3 kilometres long, about 12 metres above the surface of the river Wupper  and approximately 8 m above the city streets.  At one point the railway crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes.

I like the Schwebebahn. It's swinging in curves. We made some photos.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3320/3416684251_96a74d6a9a.jpg?v=0

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Here you can see the "Kaiserwagen", a historical waggon. You can hire it for special events like marriages or birthday parties, it's not used for regular transportation.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/3416684569_39132601c3.jpg?v=0

We're resting a little bit, 8 m above the street.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3390/3416684625_5dfb80ecf9.jpg?v=0

Here you can see us sitting near the station "Landgericht", the  district court.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/3417493598_be98c4d17b.jpg?v=0

Here is a station that was restored some years ago. It is the station "Schauspielhaus". The Tanztheater Wuppertal, headed by Pina Bausch, is world-famous and regularly plays at theatres in New York, Tokyo, Paris, London etc.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/3417492746_da60269da9.jpg?v=0

In front of the Tanztheater we saw this funny colored container. I think it is used for information and selling tickets.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3637/3416684677_ba11ebe95a.jpg?v=0

We were very tired and drove back home by bus. At home Katja cooked pasta with vegetables, cheese and tomatoe sauce for us.  Moony and me went to sleep without watching television.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 14, 2008, 5:54 pm
Hi Mommy,
this is my last evening with Katja, her family and Moony.
Katja had a surprise for Moony and me - "Ü-Eier", actually their correct name is "Kinder Überraschung", but everyone is calling them only "Ü-Ei". This is an egg made of white and milk chocolate, containing a yellow plastic egg with a little surprise inside.

We opened them, ate the yummy chocolate and opened the plastic eggs.

I found a small toy in it. You can let a green ring fly around. Moony found a little orange bunny in his egg.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/3416684809_88eb74a6d2.jpg?v=0

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3417492988_f7372dc32a.jpg?v=0

We played the whole evening with our toys.

I'm a little bit sad that I have to leave tomorrow, but I'm sure I will have as much fun in northern Germany. Katja told me that Hamburg is a beautiful town with a fantastic inner port. She also told something about "Reeperbahn" ... This is not a transportation system .... Maybe I will learn more about it.

I will go to bed now because I have to get up early tomorrow to get ready for travelling.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
olgamaus


Posted Apr 14, 2008, 5:58 pm
Hi Mummy,
I'm on my way to Hamburg!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3350/3416684991_c339251296.jpg?v=0

Katja and Moony gave me a hug and then my envelope was closed. I hope that I arrive in Hamburg soon, maybe already tomorrow.

Bye
Shaggy Bear
Mondfalke


Posted Apr 15, 2008, 11:10 pm
Hello out there!
I arrived in Hamburg at Jenny's house after a short trip of only two days. I had to wait for her in my envelope because Jenny had to stay at university until 6 pm. But when she arrived at home the first thing was freeing me from the envelope and reading the nice postcard I was given for her.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/100_3102.jpg
Although it was a short journey, I was very tired. So I had a little sleep while Jenny went to play some volleyball.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/100_3114.jpg
After sleeping for 2 hours I was wake enough to meet some new friends. There are three little bears here and they are all very kind. I hope we will have a lot of fun together.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/100_3106.jpg
It is really late now and we will go to bed to be fit tomorrow.
Good night!
Mondfalke


Posted Apr 17, 2008, 5:57 pm
Hello everyone :)

I couldn't update here yesterday so I will tell you now. I stayed at home while Jenny was at university again. I think she is very busy there. But after she was back home, we had some very delicious cake. I met two new guys over the day and I shared my cake with them. The left one had stayed with Jenny all her life, he was a present for her birth.
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In the evening we watched a handball match on TV.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/100_3124.jpg
The teams were HSV Handball versus THW Kiel. I don't know were Kiel is but they are very good players I think. But Jenny naturally supports the team from Hamburg. She showed me her flag from Hamburg and we made some photos. Ah, the match ended 36:36...
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I hope I will see more of Hamburg soon. Tomorrow we will take a walk around the neighbourhood and we will go sightseeing at the weekend. I hope the weather will be good. Today there was some rain and very much grey...
Mondfalke


Posted Apr 18, 2008, 9:31 pm
Hello again!
As the weather was okay this afternoon, Jenny went to a playground with me. It is next to her house and we didn't have to go far. The sand is really bad so we couldn't built a castle from sand but we found some other nice things. It was really fun to have some time out in the fresh air.
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After we had enough of the playground we went to a supermarket to buy some things. I saw some of the neighbourhood as well. But there wasn't anything really special. It was just interesting to see how people live in Hamburg.
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Before we went in again, we looked at the flowers in the garden. It is finally getting warmer in northern Germany, so all the flowers start to grow and make blossoms. It looks really nice. I also met the budgie PingPing today. He lives with the family. But Jenny told me that he doesn't like cameras at all. So the picture was taken from as far away as possible.
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This evening I met another TV. He is called Ceryni and has lived with Jenny all his live. But now he decided to go travelling. We talked a lot about my expiriences as a TV. I like him very much, he knows a lot about the world.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/100_3152.jpg
We will now go to bed.
Stay well,
Shaggy Bear
Mondfalke


Posted Apr 19, 2008, 8:23 pm
Today I went with Jenny to a volleyball competition. We had to go around 30 minutes by car to get there. It was very exciting to see so many people playing volleyball. It was some mixed-class, so that men and women played together.
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I got a bot bored in the afternoon because I could just sit and watch. Jenny took me out then and we explored the place around the "arena". We found some very beautiful flowers and a strange bus stop.
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In the end we saw another playground and had some fun there. They had a very nice castle to play on.
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I hope that I can see Hamburg tomorrow. I am so excited about the harbour and the thing that is called "Reeperbahn".
Mondfalke


Posted Apr 20, 2008, 11:13 pm
Hui, what an exciting day! I have been at the harbour, the Michel and the Speicherstadt! But let me tell you one after another...
First we went to the harbour. You have a beautiful view over the harbour just when you come out of the station. There is all the water anmd all the ships. And a lot of tourists.
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After we have looked over the harbour we went down to the ships. The platforms swin directly on the water so that no flood can harm them. But I didn't feel anything like that. Mostly I liked the green boat "Rickmer Rickmers". It is an old sailing ship and once a year it still goes to a sailing trip.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/101_3173.jpg
The industrial and trading harbour is on the other side of the river. I wanted to visit it but the ships were crouded with people and so we couldn't go. I am very sad about it. There is also the location of the famous musical "The Lion King".
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After this, we went to the the main church of Hamburg. It is called St. Michaelis-Church but the people from Hamburg just call it "Michel". First we came along the churches from the sailors from Sweden, Danmark, Norway and Finland. I was really fascinated because the buildings doesn't look like churches.
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The Michel is a very beautiful church, I liked it very much! But we weren't allowed to take any photos inside. We climbed up the tower and had an amazing look at Hamburg. Ok, actually we took the elevator. It was really windy up there and I feared to be blown away but Jenny hold me tight.
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There was another platform a little higher were we had a look without any fences.
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Near to the Michel are the "Kramer Amtsstuben". They are really norrow. I wonder how anybody could have lived there.
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Finally we had a walk thruogh the "Speicherstadt". In the past the tradings goods were stored there. The houses were built directly at the water to transport the goods from the ships straightly into the houses. Today mosly carpets from the Orient are stored there...
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As the Speicherstadt is really famous, a lot of interesting shows are located there. We discoverd a toy museum, a horror show, a duty museum and a model railway museum. I think we will visit any of them but as they are expensive, we can't visit them all.
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After this long tour we were very tired and decided to go home. The harbour was very nice and I am looking forward to see more of Hamburg!
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Mondfalke


Posted Apr 23, 2008, 9:18 pm
Hello!
Two days ago we made very delicous muffins here. As we had some classic ones last week, we just made some with chocolate and cherrys this time. We really baked a lot of muffins because Jenny took some to the university. First we searched for all the things we needed in the kitchen.
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When everything was well mixed, we started to put the dough into form. There was space for 12 muffins in every turn.
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The last step, as everyone knows, was to put the muffins into the oven and wait for about half an hour.
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We were so excited about the smell that we forgot to take a photo of me and the ready muffins... But be sure, they were very good!
Mondfalke


Posted Apr 27, 2008, 11:50 pm
Hello again!
I am back from a very exciting day! As the weather was really beautiful, we went first to the Reeperbahn. I was very keen to see what this is. Jenny told me that it is today the place where most people go to have good and long partys. In history it was a place where ropes for ships were made. The name "Reeperbahn" comes from those times. First we went to the most famous police station in Hamburg, the "Davidwache". It is right in the middle of the Reeperbahn.
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We walked along the Reeperbahn and saw a lot of interesting stores, restaurants, bars and discos. As it was Sunday, there were mostly tourists on the street.
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Jenny wanted to show me a very special museum in Hamburg and so we went to the underground station "St. Pauli". This is the name of the area where the Reeperbahn is.
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The walked past the museum on last Sunday but hadn't the time to go in. This time we spent about 2 hours inside and watched a whole world full of model railways. It was so amazing how real everything was done. On the way to the WC, there were little "windows" in the wall.
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First we visited Switzerland.
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There was even a Lindt-chocolate factory with real chocolate coming out!
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Our next stop was Hamburg. I saw the "DOM". It is a fair that takes place 3 times every year in Hamburg but not now during my visit. I am a bit sad about that... They also had the "Köhlbrandbrücke". It is a bridge above the Elbe and an important way south from Hamburg.
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They also built America, so I "visited" the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. They simulate day and night there. Las Vegas was very impressing by night with all the lights.
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The last part of the world I saw was Scandinavia. They built Norway with a lot of real water. It looked very real. Finland (which is not actually a part of Scandinavia) was built with lots of snow and reindeers. I also saw Pippi Longstockings from Sweden!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/101_3320.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/101_3327.jpg
At the end could drive a train by myself and I was very happy to meet another bear there!
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On our way back home we had to take the station at the harbour. We saw some special houses for Hamburg. They were the last typical harbour houses left. And we saw some cruise ship leaving the harbour. It was very big and it must be very great to go on a trip on the ship!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/101_3424.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/101_3433.jpg
This will be one of my last updates from Hamburg as I will continue my travel some day in this week...
Mondfalke


Posted Apr 28, 2008, 11:12 pm
Today I get to know my next destination. I will travel to Freiburg in southern Germany on Wednesday. Jenny has been there and she showed me some photos.
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After this we looked once again around Jenny's place and I took a photo with some of Jenny's favorite books. And I said goodbye to my new friends.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Bild019.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Bild021.jpg
Tomorrow I will write my last update and go into my envelope to on the road again!
Mondfalke


Posted Apr 30, 2008, 10:36 pm
Here comes my last update from Hamburg. I am already on my way to Freiburg in southern Germany. I hope my travel won't take long. Such an envelope is not very comfortable...
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Goodbye Hamburg, I had a great time!
deleted_member


Posted May 3, 2008, 3:10 pm
Hi everybody!

Today together with really fantastic weather I arrived at my new host in Freiburg. I was very warm welcomed  from her and toyvoyager hoppity, who is also staying here. That's great, so I'm not alone.
Both showed me a little bit around,  and later on, we're maybe going to have some ice cream! B)

Cu, Shaggy Bear
deleted_member


Posted May 8, 2008, 10:40 pm
Hi!

Weeks run so fast, uff!

and my host were very busy, so hoppity and I helped her a little bit with the laundry. Until we found a cosy place in the clothes basket :D
Sarah need to go to supermarket and brought a really nice looking ice cream with her, a decorated one called "Vienetta" hmm it was very delicious!

Some days  ago, hoppity and I went with sarah to her work in a home for elderly. she showed us her coating room and the some parts of the elderlys home.
After that we went to her walking dog "Polly"
First I thought *oohhhh!!Panic!* Because it was a huge black dog
but she is very friendly and mainly hoggish.

We had a really nice walk with really nice weather and I hope we do it soon again.

Sarah has an appointment tommorrow, I don't know if we're able to go with her. Defently, we join her on Saturday, when we drive to the Black Forrest, to meet some friends of her.

So hear you next time again,  Shaggy
deleted_member


Posted May 11, 2008, 4:22 pm
Hello everybody!

Yesterday, the weather was really warm, so  I went by train (so cool!) with hoppity and our host to Kirchzarten in the Black Forrest.

There I met Sarah's friend and a lot other toys. I was very shy first, luckily was hoppity there.
He picture me to his friend "Ih- Ah" a little bit slowly and depressive talking donkey, the sister to our host's whale Luca called "Orca", her dolphin friend "Dora" and a lot other's

After a while we started, hoppity and I were spoted in a small bag and walked through Kirchzarten, which is a nice village.

Our first stop was on a miniature golf area. And we watched and cheered our host, while her playing

After that we walked again through the nice nature and lots fields
and than (poor host) high up a rather rampant hill. Luckily we had that save place in her bag. :D

On the top we had a fantastic view over the landscape /hills and down fare Kirchzarten.
Also we visited the small church there, and had a break at the restaurant next to it (Badly silly host forgot to photograph that).
We sat under a  big tree with panorama of the area.

While walking down (this time on directly way on the street way)
we stopped at cemetery, to look after ours host's friend's dad grave.

Back home, we had a break so hoppity and I could Orca and Dolphin Dora, from our journey.

Our next trip started with driving by car to a nice restaurant, which is in the style of black forest tradition and area. The meals they had smells very nice.

Than we drove again, back to Freiburg, as Sarah told us. To the dancing school of our host's friends.
There we joined a dancing night in a huge impressively hall
with good music, lots of (well dressed) people.
It was really funny to see them (and other people) dancing or sometimes bouncing around like that ;)

Very very late we were luckily droven home from our host friends, and all three went straight to bed.
What a exciting day!

Today, on sunday (it's Pentecost and Mother's Day) we get up very late (too late for church, Sarah said). So we started relaxed.

Bye, Shaggy
deleted_member


Posted May 25, 2008, 10:50 pm
Hi!

I had a really nice last day here. As I didn't know from the surprise.
I just know, we're going for a little bit hiking.

While our host is hiking Hoppity and I sat on the top of here bag and had a really nice view about the diffent things on the way and what happenend.
It was really really hot, but luckily we had enough water bottles with us.
Everything was fine, until we had another drinking stop.
She hit an entrance or housing of ants. And a (absolutly true) horde of ants are everywhere and our host were screaming, because (so she said, they bit). Hoppity and I hide in the bag and Sarah closed asap the bag, so that we are save.
It really takes, with water and shaking the bag till most biting ants were gone, and we could move on, uff!!
After a long time in the sun (luckily I didn't get like our host a sunburn) we arrived in Kirchzarten, in Black Forrest! B)

There we went straigh, to an ice cream parlou an shared a big glas of strawberry milkshake together, so yummy!!!
We sat a while together and went than to a fountain, were Sarah is cooling down here feet.
Hoppity and I sat on a higher part of the fountain, but just I was brave enough to go to the border of it.
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Than walked a head and met, the friend of our host I've been one time again, this was really nice to see her again!
For farewell we made a lot of different places, and especially the break at area of vale bailiwick  with small streams and the pond was great!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2366/2531702058_b3139512ab.jpg?v=0
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Than it was time to say goodbye from our host's friend and Kirchzarten and walked a nice way at the hometown stream "Dreisam" towards Freiburg.
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The last part of the way, we made with a funny small bus and the Tram.
And had a nice evening together in front of the TV.
Tomorrow, when Sarah is going to work I'm ready in my envelope and going from the next letter box on a new journey.

So, good night and goodbye Freiburg!
Shaggy Bear

PS:The oneway camera is ultimatly full, and when the pictures are ready and digitalised Sarah will still insert them in my travellog.
annasari


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 8:24 pm
I'm in Sweden!  :) I've arrived at my new host-mum Anna and host-dad Kent. And look! A new friend was waiting for me! This is my new friend Ramses, who's also staying here for a while.  :D

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/annasari/shaggybear1.jpg
annasari


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 8:34 pm
Yay, I'm at a picnic!  :) Here I am relaxing out in the wild, together with my new friends. This was so great, we stayed for hours and I enjoyed every second!  :D
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Here I am at the picnic, getting a big bite of a delicious cream bun, yummy!!  :D
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Here's me and my new freind Ramses at the picnic.  :) We ate so much, we fell asleep!  :D
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/annasari/picnic3.jpg
annasari


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 8:44 pm
Here I am in the town of Vadstena, at a real castle!  :D
Vadstena Castle was built by King Gustav Vasa in 1545 as a fortress to protect Stockholm (the Capital of Sweden) from enemies from the south.
The fortress consisted of three smaller stone buildings facing the lake, Vättern, three 31 meter wide ramparts, a courtyard, a moat and four circular cannons turrets. The original ramparts were torn down in the 19th century and the present ramparts were inaugurated in 1999. The stone buildings later formed the ground floor of the castle.

On August 22, 1552, King Gustav Vasa married his third wife, Katarina Stenbock, in Vadstena. One of the castle banqueting halls is called The Wedding Hall (Bröllopssalen), although its construction wasn't finished in time for the wedding.

The reconstruction from fortress into a castle began in the 1550s, when prince Magnus Vasa became Duke of Östergötland. Duke Magnus was the only son of Gustav Vasa who didn't become king of Sweden. Magnus died in 1595 and is buried in the nearby Abbey Church.

In 1620 the castle construction was finished and all the kings of the House of Vasa up till then had led the construction. Since 1620, the castle has been very well-preserved, and is one of Sweden's best examples of Renaissance architecture.

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/annasari/vadstenaslott1.jpg

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/annasari/vadstenaslott2.jpg
davidbe


Posted Sep 1, 2008, 8:56 am
Hello !

Today I arrive to Jesenice. David show me his home and I meet his two gerbils Vinko & Stanko. David will upload some pictures soon... See you !


                                                              Greetings,
                                                                            Shaggy Bear
MrsC


Posted Nov 4, 2008, 3:24 pm
G'day mates! I have arrived in Johannesburg and it is blistering hot!

I have 21 days scheduled, so I'll try and do a daily update to tell you what it is like around here.

Fi said, I am just about to experience my first Highveld thunderstorm. She says when it gets unbearably hot and feels humid, it is a sure sign of rain as Jo'burg is usually very dry.

She also says I have to stop saying G'day mate and learn to speak like a local so: HOWZIT, my china! That is the exact translation of G'day Mate apparently. Oh well...when in Jo'burg...

Oh look how dark it is getting! That was very sudden.

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We had to take a little drive. You can see Jo'burg city from here usually, just not when it is raining. Fi says it is much blacker behind us but she can't get a photo of it.

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Holy thunderclap! That was scary...and loud. The thunder is quite vicious. I'm going to find a pillow to hide under.....



MrsC


Posted Nov 5, 2008, 9:21 pm
Howzit! See, I learn fast!

Today was lovely and cool...it was overcast almost the entire day and it has been rainy and stormy since 16.30.

Just before the storm started (my gosh it was rattling the windows - I thought they were going to fall out!) I went outside to have a look at the house Fi lives in.

Oh dear, the whole house doesn't fit in one photo! Can you see there is a room above the garage doors? That is the HOTTEST room in the house and where Fi spends all of her time - her PC is in there... and the sky looks blue here, but trust me it was actually grey.

See what all the sun and rain and hail have done to the gutters? She needs to get up her ladder with her paint brush!

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And this is the rest of the house... bedrooms mostly.

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And the back of the house - well part of it, too many trees in the way to see it all.

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On my way round, I met one of the dogs... she sat and posed for a photo! (Showing her best side of course...)

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I was most interested in supper this evening. I thought there would be ...oh... I don't know...lion? Kudu? Crocodile? Warthog? Worms?

It was boring old roast beef!!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/3005279511_299c22f7af.jpg?v=0

Fi, you have got to try harder with my whole African experience.




MrsC


Posted Jan 15, 2009, 8:35 pm
Today we went to watch Fi's son play in his last mini cricket match of the season. It was an amazing sight. There are about twenty games going on at the same time on one field! The field is circular and the teams spread out around the perimeter - kind of like a clock, here we are at half past four  ;) That's our boy batting (in the blue shorts)

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They won their match but scores are not kept at this level. They are encouraged to play for the love of it, not for winning - they save that for later when they go up against us Australians!

It was a sweltering hot day (38°C / 100.4°F) and there was NO SHADE and Fi got sunstroke (she really can't handle the heat - I can't believe she lives in Africa!) Well that put paid to any plans for the next few days....
MrsC


Posted Jan 15, 2009, 9:06 pm
As a special treat we all went out this evening to a family restaurant called the Lone Wolf Spur. Spur is a franchise right across the country. It has an American Indian theme though they are basically a steak house.

Hmmm...I'm starving, I wonder what's to eat?

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Ooh! Pizza...wait, ribs! No, fish fingers....aarggh!

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Yeah baby! Hang on, that's bigger than me! Who wants to share?

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We were sitting outside as there is a huge play area for the children. Don't the lights look pretty? (Okay, okay - and a bit fuzzy...)

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Naturally, as we were sitting outside, it started raining... so we went inside to the other play area. We watched a bit of a movie with Shane till we got bored and then played computer games with Natalie for a while.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/3147692689_46bb8d86a3.jpg?v=0

...and then we climbed the wall...no really!

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Fi can we have five Rand please?

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MrsC


Posted Jan 15, 2009, 9:16 pm
It rains an awful lot in summer in Jo'burg.....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/3148527988_7091b1bc86.jpg?v=0
MrsC


Posted Jan 15, 2009, 9:33 pm
Oh dear, a TV called Pinky Bear returned from her 'holiday' in a very bad mood. She stuck her head under a pillow and would not speak to anyone at all....

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It turns out that she was supposed to go to Romania with Fi's brother and the simpleton left her behind... in a bag full of important documents... and then when he returned he LEFT her in the bag for ages before returning her to Fi. Wow, no wonder she was so upset...

We told her she was lucky that she got left in Jo'burg - imagine he had left her somewhere in Romania!It turns out he left his best fishing rod behind. Well that made her think that it wasn't so bad after all and she agreed to play a game of basketball with us.

SLAM DUNK!!!!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/3147714869_e267b55f25.jpg?v=0

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3147715093_a6ea8a9d5d.jpg?v=0

...and then it started raining again... so we went inside.
MrsC


Posted Jan 15, 2009, 10:02 pm
Tonight we went to Carol's by Candle light at the children's school.

The entire playing field is covered in people having picnics and the children sit up on the stands and sing and dance. It was lovely...

Heh heh, we ate Reindeer eggs! And sausages and carrot cake and...ooh, my tummy is grumbling with hunger just thinking about it....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/3148565274_bbe39bb8d1.jpg?v=0

...and chocolate hedgehogs too! Yummy!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3253/3148566430_0974d45606.jpg?v=0



The children were to far away to get nice photos of, so you will just have to imagine them all in Santa hats, or reindeer antlers waving big green shakers around.

Once it got dark we lit our candles.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/3148566298_fa487e1c51.jpg?v=0

Luckily the rain held off until it was time to go home, but it sure cleared the field fast!
MrsC


Posted Jan 16, 2009, 9:29 pm
I could not understand why Fi was running around like a nut, moving stuff and setting up tables and while her husband was reeling out metres and metres of cables....

Before long the gate intercom was buzzing and strange men drove in with...their entire PC strapped in their cars!

The War Geeks had arrived. Usually they play a game called Battelfield on line. They have a forum too and they have funny nicknames like 'Useless' and 'You are toast', Fi's son is called Shrapnel (cause he is small and annoying? :p ). Today however, they were having a network session and taking over the house!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/3147763189_26ca8c78d1.jpg?v=0

When I say taking over the house I mean it!

Upstairs… (Wow! That is a massive screen!)

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In the garage!!!! Two teams...

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In the dining room...oh, umm... that's me having a turn!

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They were in the lounge and someone even commandeered Fi's PC. Aha! It was Shrapnel - that's okay then. He plays quite well for a kid (though his mother would prefer he didn't play at all!)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/3147762289_2d9798efb2.jpg?v=0

Could someone send out for pizza? The troops are starving - an army marches on its stomach you know!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/3147785033_6491eff449.jpg?v=0



MrsC


Posted Jan 16, 2009, 9:52 pm
Fi and her friends formed a book club for their children called Bookworms. They meet once a month, share books, read stories, have lunch and play. They have been doing this for about three years now.

Today was the Christmas meet up as most of them would be on holiday in December. We all met at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/3147798647_4c92076d38.jpg?v=0

Each child gave a book present to another. The children also gave their Dads a small gift to thank them for attending Bookworms for the VERY FIRST TIME! One of the Dads took the children down to the waterfall to see it. (We had to stay behind because Fi had just found out that her Grandmother had passed away after a very long and happy life) We wandered around the area and found a tortoise! There was another, bigger one but they move faster than you think!

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After a picnic lunch, we all sat down and listened to Christmas stories... and 50% of the Dads fell asleep  ;)

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I had some left over pudding that Fi made - oh it was yummy!

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MrsC


Posted Jan 16, 2009, 10:07 pm
There is always something going on in this house. Every year Natalie and Shane take part in an international Christmas card swap. The rules are simple: the children have to make ten cards by themselves and then they get sent to other children who are partaking and whose names are randomly drawn.

Well, we really wanted to help so they let us! As you can see we went with an 'African Christmas' theme.

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We helped with cutting, gluing and glittering (and we stayed clean and glitter free!) and then popped the cards in envelopes.

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MrsC


Posted Jan 16, 2009, 11:03 pm
Tomorrow is the last day of school. Fi had decided to give the children's teachers a platter of home baked biscuits as an end of year gift. Nice, but she only started baking once the children were in bed! We got roped in to help - to speed things up, but all the posing for photos actually slowed things down  :p We ended up going to bed at 4 in the morning!  :o We had an extra pair of fins to help. A little turtle called Squirt arrived from Okinawa today.

First up: Pistachio and cranberry biscotti (if you want any recipes just ask Fi)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/3148697864_e7a02ddbc3.jpg?v=0

Looking good, but a bit too big...

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That's better!

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Pop them on a baking tray and in the oven they go!

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Shall we mix the next batch while that bakes? Good idea!

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Okay, we need butter...

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Chopped nuts... Fi wouldn't let us help here; she said the knife was too sharp and dangerous.

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Oooooohhhh! Treacle sugar! Yummy!

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Now that it is all mixed up we need to add the nuts and chocolate chips... it is very hard working with all these yummy things and not being allowed to eat anything - my tummy is grumbling...  :(

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Tada! The first batch of choc chip cookies!

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The biscotti comes out the oven and the choc chips go in...

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The loaves get sliced...another big sharp knife!

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...and put back on the baking tray... biscotti means 'twice baked biscuit'.

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The choc chips are done! The smell! My tummy is EATING itself....

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The biscotti are done! There is a hole in my stomach...I think I am digesting my own stuffing...

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Fi says she usually uses the ends of the loaves as 'testers'. She gave us one to taste (heavenly - what a relief for my poor starved tummy) it got passed around and we all had a nibble...

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Going….

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Going….

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Going….

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All gone! Next up: gingerbread! Ooohhh...molasses!

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The dough was all mixed up and the counter cleared, ready for rolling. Can you make out the time on the clock behind us? 23.20! We'd better get moving.

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Good grief! What a lot of cookie cutters! And these in this jar are JUST the Christmas ones...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3148698142_e8db329c51.jpg?v=0

We tried to get Fi to use these bear shaped ones but she said no...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/3148698270_6bdee85f13.jpg?v=0

Rolling out the dough was such hard work we had to take it in turns.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/3147865945_2394a95bb3.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/3147866091_a5ca51ea04.jpg?v=0

Oh my hat! It has just gone mid-night and Fi is starting on fudge...it takes almost an hour to make... yaWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWn

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/3147867179_d4b7774a95.jpg?v=0

I can't keep my eyes open any more...I need to sleep now... fudge is setting, gingerbread is decorated...what more?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/3148709206_bbd3aa08d7.jpg?v=0

Ah, trays! Fudge is till to warm - Fi says she will get up early to sort it out  :o she hasn't even gone to sleep yet and it is four in the morning! I bet she will have a mid morning nap!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/3147876993_0e7c7de665.jpg?v=0


Bed time!








MrsC


Posted Jan 19, 2009, 6:44 pm
Today we all packed into the car very excitedly as we were going somewhere that was a surprise...

As we set off it became apparent that we were driving into a massive storm! Fi and her husband looked a little worried as the surprise was outdoors.

We finally drove into the parking lot of the Montecasino...which was mostly flooded because the rain was bucketing down... We went upstairs to the outdoor arena to be met with a solid sheet of water and hundreds of sad looking children and grumpy looking parents.

We had come to see 'The Beautiful Creatures' concert and it was the very last show and it looked like it would be cancelled. After much milling about and unhelpfulness from the ticket agents, we went to have some lunch. On the way back we saw that all the children were still hanging about with their even grumpier parents, so we went to ask what was happening...aha, if the rain stopped by 4 the concert would go ahead!

At quarter past four we took out our tissues to try and dry our seats! The children eventually just moved to the front and sat on the wet floor because they were so excited to see their favourite African animal songs come to life...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/3147877279_a936ce7740.jpg?v=0

The children did all the actions and sang along (actually, so did most of the parents - once you have heard the CDs a million times in the car, you pretty much know all the words!)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/3147878975_65216b8b78.jpg?v=0

Oh it was lovely! Worth the rain and the wait and the damp seating...and I was right up front to watch it!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/3147879687_d5ab38a37d.jpg?v=0

After the show, we queued up to buy the new CD and had it autographed by Ed Jordan who created the series (and Alan Glass, but we never got a photo of him) and sings on the CDs.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/3148711162_c4bd0aeb18.jpg?v=0

MrsC


Posted Jan 19, 2009, 7:55 pm
Usually Fi puts up her Christmas tree on the first day of December. This year she didn't feel inclined to bother.... so the children nagged and nagged and said they would decorate it.

Eventually she decided to haul it out of the trunk it is kept in - it is just too hot for a real tree, it would be dead way before Christmas!

So we helped 'puff' it all out.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/3147890421_42c34b006b.jpg?v=0

Not very awe inspiring is it?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/3148722632_afb09c728b.jpg?v=0

Oh...<blush> that was just the bottom piece, it comes in segments...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/3148722510_885e647d0f.jpg?v=0

That's more like it! Fi said we could stay on there if we wanted and be the decorations. Ha ha ha! Always so funny...Hey! Take me down!!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/3147900791_b3eaacebcc.jpg?v=0

The children started decorating the tree - three days later they still hadn't finished so Fi took pity on them and finished it off - You will have to wait then to see what it looked like.

In the meantime, we popped up our tree - easy peasy - it took 2 seconds!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3200328924_ba7263e468.jpg?v=0

...and we hung up our stockings... there is no fire place and therefore: no mantle, so we found the next best thing: the gas heater.

Voila!


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3437/3200329042_8cc8867850.jpg?v=0
MrsC


Posted Jan 19, 2009, 8:05 pm
You know, Fi really takes advantage of us....
baking, tree puffing and now KNITTING! Honestly...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/3147902131_d651bf5691.jpg?v=0

I didn't even know I COULD knit!
MrsC


Posted Jan 19, 2009, 8:22 pm
She's at it AGAIN...or rather WE are at it again...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3147908467_20745dba1d.jpg?v=0

We are not really even that sure of what we are making...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3427/3209937877_86924f6f68.jpg?v=0
MrsC


Posted Jan 19, 2009, 8:28 pm
Oh! They are mice, Christmas mice! They are gifts for fi's friends - they each get a bowl of tree decorations....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3110/3147911975_5586cfe1a1.jpg?v=0

...and what would Christmas be without gingerbread men...and ladies?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/3147911845_fde552ea93.jpg?v=0
MrsC


Posted Jan 19, 2009, 9:04 pm
Today is a public holiday in South Africa called 'The Day of Reconciliation' read about it here.


We went to visit Fi's Mom for lunch. We thought we would stop by the Zoo in the afternoon to look at the animals and then wait till the lights came on.... Luckily we passed the Zoo on our way and saw that it was jam packed, so we gave up on that idea and just waited until dusk to go when we knew most of the people would have left.

This is the closest you'll ever get me to an ostrich.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3148806928_e6f8976d10.jpg?v=0

I have an uneasy feeling that something is going to drop down on me....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/3148877914_0f3e53dfbd.jpg?v=0

This is the entrance to the gorilla enclosure. They were inside though as they have a new baby (a few days later Fi's brother walked through here and the gorilla threw a stone at him!)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/3148882672_cc7441eb69.jpg?v=0

How brave am I? Actually, I think I am too small for him to see or bother with. But if he takes a step sideways he will squash me!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/3148051103_648de9f7cd.jpg?v=0

This has got to be the only place a lioness would meet a polar bear...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/3148882266_9c7140c935.jpg?v=0

This Christmas tree looks tiny in the photo but is was really, really big! Whoops, the top lights seem to be  off...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/3148052525_f23e3eafa0.jpg?v=0

Yikes! A hippo wants to eat us! Run for your lives....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/3148052129_c76cc3182d.jpg?v=0

Phew! We had to sit down and catch our breath after all that running!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3148052307_168ea3ba9c.jpg?v=0

We are safe here... oh! The flash just blinded me - it lit up the whole area, could you see what was behind us Fi? Why are you laughing?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/3148053077_cbc861a435.jpg?v=0


That is one grumpy looking buffalo.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/3148052745_35a45e8041.jpg?v=0

Hey! We found the gorilla! Mostly because we nearly tripped over him in the dark.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/3148884102_2ea74fb52d.jpg?v=0

This was Natalie's favourite.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/3148892748_88f25ef38e.jpg?v=0

Oh and this one!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/3148061379_0c610372f3.jpg?v=0

We had a few turns on the funfair rides and then we left as it was getting late and very dark and none of us had eaten supper.
MrsC


Posted Jan 20, 2009, 7:37 am
We went to Fi's sister for supper as the children had been swimming there all afternoon.

This is a traditional way of cooking food. It is called a 'potjie' which means 'small pot'. Usually it is placed on a fire but a Cadac gas cooker works just as well. The food is layered in the pot, with the longest cooking ingredients (meat usually) at the bottom and the quickest cooking at the top.

In the rural areas this is the only way to cook when you have no electricity. These post range in size from tiny to ridiculously enormous (a friend of Fi's has one so huge it takes three strapping men to lift it!)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/3148061497_85527fc5b1.jpg?v=0

Hmmm! Smells delicious! Lamb and rice...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3404/3211548399_17362283d1.jpg?v=0


MrsC


Posted Jan 20, 2009, 8:02 am
Today we went to the Krugersdorp Game Reserve, but we didn't see a single animal...

We were there for an end of year party with some friends and just went to the recreational part of the reserve.

Mostly we sat under a thatched umbrella to stay out of the sun (it was so hot!) and the children swam...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/3148088379_21c8dce6b8.jpg?v=0

We watched some young men playing soccer....South Africans are CRAZY about soccer.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/3148918000_d6c3c52c44.jpg?v=0

We made some international friends... (We may have eaten them...oops, tasted just like chocolate!)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/3148087967_9cf7cf070b.jpg?v=0

…and we just hung around chatting and listening to music...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3148921158_c5b1b5e6c9.jpg?v=0

Then we ate too much...Braaied (BBQ'd) chicken and pap (finely ground corn meal that is mixed with water and salt and cooked to a stiff porridge - it is a staple in the diet of most South African people) with tomato and onion gravy and carrot and pineapple salad.



MrsC


Posted Jan 20, 2009, 8:52 am
It's Christmas Eve!

There is a great air of expectancy around the house, everyone is excited! Well... the children and TVs are excited...

To keep us occupied Fi gave us and the children a job (as usual) but this one was fun! We got to decorate the gingerbread house. Fi had assembled the house the day before, with much wailing and gnashing of teeth - the icing would not set - most likely due to the fact that it was 36°C (96.8°F) and the air was humid, thanks to a brewing storm. It set very nicely once Fi re-arranged the entire fridge to remove one shelf so the house could fit in!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/3148951386_85f95e309e.jpg?v=0

Burp! Pardon me! I may just have eaten more sweets than I put on the house....

Once we were done with that, Fi banished the children upstairs to watch a movie and threatended them that Christmas would be CANCELLED if they so much as peeked down the stairs!

Hmmm...smells like more work for us....

Oh boy, here we go again...


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3286/3148121361_d1460832ec.jpg?v=0

None of us could figure it out....a sort of nappy? Who knows...all we did know is that the fabric is a local one called shwe-shwe. It is a stiff cotton that becomes softer with washing. Traditionally it was made in blue or brown but now comes in a slightly wider range of colours like red and yellow. It has pretty patterns on it, usually small repeats. On the back there is always an animal stamp to denote the manufacturer. We have a leopard and an elephant here. Maybe these are elephant pants...um no...too small...

Now that it is turned the right way round it looks like a doll with a flat head!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/3148125363_5fc983df8a.jpg?v=0

AH! The penny drops....

It is a pouch for Natalie to carry her doll in!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/3148955154_cc54c7ca6d.jpg?v=0

This pram had belonged to Fi's sister in law 25 years ago. The plastic had all deteriorated and the children improvised with a blanket!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/3148123647_d8fced1ecc.jpg?v=0

Fi got rid of the blanket....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/3148123751_30d19e6b66.jpg?v=0

Then the natives started getting restless and demanded to be released from captivity! So Fi released them and wrapped the gifts in her room safe from prying eyes.

And then a million people descended on the house for supper... well ten adults and three children and four TVs... but it felt like a million and her husband certainly catered for a million- we ate left overs for the next three days (interspersed with Christmas lunch)!
MrsC


Posted Jan 26, 2009, 9:30 pm
Merry Christmas!

At last!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/3148127891_5e8f6b4c72.jpg?v=0

Why am I hanging in the tree? Um...I am not quite sure...but it's Christmas at last! And how do I know this? I have been counting down everyday since the First of December with the aid of an advent calendar and there are NO MORE CHOCOLATES!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/3148959190_58f270a016.jpg?v=0

Our Christmas stockings were filled with candy canes and chocolates and SOMEONE seems to have forgotten to take the photo.... and nothing is even left over to fake a photo wth!

Never mind. Put on a silly paper hat and pull a cracker!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/3199479145_cee853e70d.jpg?v=0

BANG! Oh that was scary and fun! Squirt read the silly jokes and we all fell about laughing...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3199479867_f85979e318.jpg?v=0
My turn....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3475/3199480135_4b122fe655.jpg?v=0

BANG! Ha ha ha....look what we all won!

Hmmm....those will come in useful late at night when everyone else is sleeping....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3510/3200329252_1f909d8767.jpg?v=0

Hector Oooh! Ladybug crayons....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/3199482685_66518d8634.jpg?v=0

Pinky Bear A yo-yo! Can you do any tricks with it?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3492/3199482771_5e350ef877.jpg?v=0

Squirt A pipe? How odd... oh, you blow out of it and try balance the ball. Squirt is very good at that because he can take such deep breaths and let them out slowly...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3200327888_79c07ebb92.jpg?v=0

Right, is everybody ready for turkey? Time to leave and visit Fi's sister for Christmas lunch... I can't believe SOMEONE left the camera at home.....

There was a power failure so the potatoes and veges were roasted in the Weber (BBQ). Luckily the turkey was smoked and the ham had been cooked on the gas braai (BBQ) the day before (during the previous power outage). It was so good, but there was a lot of turkey left over - I can already tell we'll get sick of it soon!





MrsC


Posted Jan 26, 2009, 9:49 pm
It has been raining....again... look at that miserable sky...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/3148147975_462a577b30.jpg?v=0
MrsC


Posted Jan 26, 2009, 10:19 pm
If you go down to the woods today,
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today,
You'd better go in disguise.
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for teddy bears;
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today.
Watch us catch them unawares,
And see them picnic on their holiday.
See them gaily gad about.
They love to play and shout,
They never have any cares.
At six o'clock their mummies and daddies
Will take them home to bed
Because they're tired little teddy bears.


SURPRISE! Happy Birthday Pinky Bear!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/3200330914_908e8d9d9a.jpg?v=0

We have been slaving away in the kitchen - well we had nothing better to do in all the rain.

We made bear biscuits and a chocolate cake with bear sprinkles so we could have a surprise picnic party for Pinky's third birthday.

Fi lit the candles for us (we are not allowed, it is against THE RULES.)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3199483943_785eb15000.jpg?v=0

Blow out those candles and make a wish!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/3199485345_2b23984f1d.jpg?v=0

Hmmmmm....honey tea and cake!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3418/3199485099_1a6df4ee93.jpg?v=0

Once we were all rolling around from eating and drinking so much, we surprised Pinky with a birthday present!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3468/3200332344_7dfb99a2a4.jpg?v=0

I sure hope she plans on sharing! That is the biggest bottle of honey I have ever seen....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3427/3200332452_0b12811409.jpg?v=0


MrsC


Posted Jan 26, 2009, 10:33 pm
And suddenly...to make up for all the horrid rain... Mother Nature gave us this sky....BEAUTIFUL!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/3148979246_f99daf4e9f.jpg?v=0
MrsC


Posted Feb 9, 2009, 7:43 pm
Tonight is New Year's Eve!

We ended up at Fi's sister again, this time we had to make supper ourselves...

Roll out the dough...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3200321590_d714a3c083.jpg?v=0


...smear it with a tomato sauce and pile it with ham and cheeses and whatever else you feel like!


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3486/3199478923_976d56e029.jpg?v=0


Then pop it in the table top pizza oven.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3375/3200319718_81fa6109eb.jpg?v=0



And wait and wait and wait and wait....guess it wasn't hot enough yet or it needed more coals. By the time it was ready we were too hungry to take a photo of it! It tasted really good and the next ones didn't take as long to bake, but by then we wondered off to play a game called 'Cranium'. We were on Fi's team so we won of course. It wasn't long before someone asked what the time was....


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/3200325722_24cd8e9320.jpg?v=0


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Luckily there were no fire works to terrify the dogs because it was bucketing down with rain!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3445/3200321492_baae456c78.jpg?v=0

MrsC


Posted Feb 9, 2009, 8:04 pm
Today we went to a cute restaurant to help celebrate a friend’s birthday. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the suburbs, is a walled off property. It is like a tropical jungle inside, with a quaint little tea room, a few craft shops, as well as an antique/ junk shop and a book store. The whole place is decorated with old farm equipment (possibly because the property WAS once a farm - the tea room certainly looked like an old farm house.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/3210079908_fa211ef575.jpg?v=0


Chickens run around underfoot and you feel like you are miles away from the city.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/3210097924_0c397f0710.jpg?v=0

...and look at the cakes!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3388/3210071120_a9f4b9c123.jpg?v=0


Hmmm…blueberry pancakes!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3209226225_a58f2ccc97.jpg?v=0


They grow their own flowers to decorate the dishes with....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/3210072086_8ccb4650c6.jpg?v=0


I can't believe it is not raining today!



MrsC


Posted Feb 9, 2009, 8:36 pm
We were all starting to get cabin fever from all the sitting at home during the never ending rain

Fi had to take a 'little' drive out to the Cradle of Humankind, so she stopped here at Maropeng so we could have a look. We didn't go into the centre  as there wasn't time. But we learned a few cool facts.

This area is where the oldest evidence of mankind is found. AND, some of the earliest forms of dinosaur were found here too (200 million years old! Wow!) The first stone tools were used in Africa (2.6 million years ago).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3422/3209268563_5a9bcc8a32.jpg?v=0

This is a 'dig' site where fossils are excavated from. You can clearly see the layer of fossils in this bit (about half way down).

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/3209267673_f9e424a9fc.jpg?v=0

I also learned that former South African president, Thabo Mbeki , has tiny feet!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3488/3209268029_710ca6fe4a.jpg?v=0

...and Kofi Annan has big feet!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3298/3210102332_5208417236.jpg?v=0

Then just for the heck of it, we drove down to the actual Sterkfontein Caves where the important fossils like 'Mrs Ples' and 'Little Foot' were actually found.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3097/3209257309_ffd691f96f.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3439/3209256987_45a8002374.jpg?v=0

Isn't it a beautiful view? This is where our ancestors once roamed....okay, I'm a stuffed toy... YOUR ancestors.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3413/3209257467_607444f5d8.jpg?v=0


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/3210101968_4b887cd965.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3515/3209256821_5ab1cb7cf1.jpg?v=0





MrsC


Posted Feb 9, 2009, 9:04 pm
OH. MY. WORD.

You know the insistent rain I keep mentioning? Today I had the most terrifying experience of my short little life.

Fi was driving to school to fetch the children and the rain was absolutely pouring down. The area she was driving through was in FLOOD! The road she drove on had become a raging river... and to make matters worse, paving bricks were tumbling down through the water too... the windscreen wipers could hardly keep up with the downpour.

At one stage she felt a rather large void under her tyre and knew the road was being washed away underneath her...

Indeed...this is what the patch of road looked like once the water drained away....

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1320/3266715615_4a8a5cccc1.jpg?v=0

Some roads completely washed away and several cars did the same....


ENOUGH RAIN ALREADY!
MrsC


Posted Feb 17, 2009, 9:58 pm
Well, I came, I saw and I....met Madiba! If I was a foreigner I'd call him Nelson Mandela, but I've been here so long I'm pretty much a local and that is the name the locals call him by.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3535/3288901216_8536d9ebe0.jpg?v=0


Talking of being here long, it is time for me to hit the road again - I'm off to Florida, USA where it is hopefully NOT raining....and maybe I'll get to see the ocean  (a few more of these floods and there might be an ocean on Jo'burg's door step!)

So Totsiens julle almal which means 'till we meet again you lot  ;) '
velvette


Posted Mar 11, 2009, 5:59 pm
Hi Mom!

I arrived in Jacksonville this past weekend. Everything is great here. I'm hanging out with Herbie and Turk and, of course, my host, Trip. When I arrived, she took us all out to eat at the Loop.

This is when I first got here

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy070.jpg

Me meeting Herbie and Turk :)

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy071.jpg

Us posing for a picture. This was at the Loop, which is on a inlet off the St John's River.

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy073.jpg

Here's a good picture of the inlet. The St John's River runs through Jacksonville, which is why its called "the river city".

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy077.jpg

We had warm bleu cheese chips for an appetizer. Trip said that this is Lewis' favorite meal.

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy074.jpg

We shared a swiss portabella sandwich with Trip. She's a vegetarian so there's no meat on there.

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy080.jpg

For dessert, we ate a cupcake from Vanilla's

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy081.jpg

They looked so good!

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy083.jpg

I had german chocolate cake cupcake

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/xxy084.jpg

I've had lots of fun so far. I will update again soon! Love ya!
velvette


Posted Mar 21, 2009, 4:06 am
Hi mom! My host, Trip, has been sick all week so we haven't gone out and done much. She's also been really busy with work and school, so I helped her with studying.

She has a class practical next week on the skeletal system.

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/TVMARCH002.jpg

Here's a real 12-lead EKG she did on patient. It showed the lady having an STEMI aka heart attack!

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/TVMARCH003.jpg

Hopefully, Trip will feel better this weekend so we can go have fun!

Love,
Shaggy
velvette


Posted Mar 31, 2009, 11:40 pm
Hi mom!

The weather has been nasty here all week so we've been stuck indoors. I've been just hanging out with Herbie, watching Harry Potter movies.

Me and Herbie took a pic with Trip's new owl figurine she found at a Thrift store.

http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww298/tripvsgod/owlandus.jpg

I'll be traveling soon to my next host. I'll let you know when I live here.

Love,
Shaggy

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