nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Sep 17, 2011, 5:33 pm
I'm so excited. Mummy was contacted by a nice girl in California who'd like to host me so hopefully my boring life will change completely. Well, here's the shelf where I stayed most of the time. At least I could watch Mummy surfing the internet from there.
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Sep 17, 2011, 5:59 pm
I'm sitting on Heidelberg's Old Bridge, the river Neckar is behind me.
I'm taking a rest in the wilderness (for my height) at the river Neckar.
The Old Bridge and the river Neckar behind me
Taking a rest again, this time on a tree stump
On this picture you can even see Heidelberg's famous castle in the background
Mummy let me smell these flowers ... hmm, that was great and they also look beautiful, don't they?
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Sep 18, 2011, 3:43 pm
Mummy hasn't finished to prepare everything, though. She still needs to buy a large enough envelope for me to fit in and have enough space during the long trip to California. However, she already gave me a booklet which I may take with me and hopefully my hosts will sign it.
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Sep 19, 2011, 2:15 pm
In the background of the above picture you can see Sammy. He's a very tall and fury cat, we're good friends. He doesn't like travelling at all but is looking forward to hearing my reports and seeing pictures from all over the world. Here's a photo of the two of us together.
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Sep 20, 2011, 10:12 am
Posted Sep 28, 2011, 9:38 pm
Hello,
I have made the trip to California safely. It was a nice trip in my padded envie. My host really liked the gifts I brought with me and wanted to make sure I thanked you for them.
My new friend Ika was here to greet me as I came out of my envie to explore this new place.
I was also greeted by the local dogs. Today I will spend the day with Ika in her home so she can show me around. She says that we will soon take a trip into town and go site seeing.
So far I am enjoying myself. There are many new friends to meet here.
Thank you for letting me visit in California. Its better than sitting on my shelf back home.
Well I think I should go now.. I heard something about making chocolate chip cookies and I don't want to miss out.
I'll write more soon.
♥ Sheela
Posted Oct 1, 2011, 2:24 am
Here are the yummy cookies that were made. They were very good and every one enjoyed them that they all were eaten up. I think we will have to make some more later this week.
The dogs even wanted some cookies since they smelled so good, but I was told that they were not able to have any, but I was allowed to give them some dog food that they really enjoy.
For dinner we had some hot soup. It was very tasty.
Posted Oct 1, 2011, 2:43 am
Today I spent the day in the garden. I picked some apples, chilies, tomatoes, and squash. We are going to use the apple to make apple dumplings and the chilies to make a spicy salad. There are many trees and flowers here in the garden. Lots of pretty things to see.
I also went on a quick drive to the mall to pick up my host's sister.
When we got to the mall there were some rides for me to have fun on. I even got to play a game on the Wii system. That was a fun game.
On the way back to the house I helped put gas in the car. It was my first time ever doing it, but now that I know how to do it, I can do if for you when I get back home.
We also passed by the train depot and got a quick picture, but we well be taking a closer look a bit later. I was told that this depot has been in a few films and I am excited to know which ones. Maybe I have seen a few.
I hope you are having a good time hosting other TV's and not missing me too much.
♥ Sheela
Posted Oct 7, 2011, 4:04 am
Hello, sorry it has been a while since I last sent you a message. We're having trouble with internet connection here, so I am trying to send this message from my hosts phone. I hope I will be able to upload pictures from her phone. I hope you weren't worried about me.
Today another tv got here and we went to a few different places. I am really enjoying my time here and getting to know Lester. It was still bit cold and windy today since it rained yesterday, but the sun was still shining bright at the beach.
I found part of a shell at the beach. I am hoping to bring it back home with me, or I might just send it home to you. There was a big ship at the beach named San Salvador. We also found a statue of a beautiful mermaid. The mermaid statue was a gift from Russia. We found a bench and sat there for a minute watching the waves. It was very calming. The sand was warm to walk on the pebbles warm to lay on.
We also had time today to look for one geocach. So we look at the GPS and decided which 1 would be closer for us to find. I was very excited when we found it.
Hopefully the internet problem will be resolved soon so that I can upload the pictures that were taken with a camera a few days ago.
Hope you're having a great day,
Sheela
Posted Oct 11, 2011, 5:54 am
Today we passed by the welcome sigh and I just had to stop to get a quick picture.
Sheela
Posted Oct 11, 2011, 6:44 am
Hello, Today we went for a short walk at the Arroyo Verde Park. We took the Jerry Revard Nature Trail. Some parts of the trail were a bit steep and made me a bit tired so we had to stop and rest on a tree limb. I saw a sign on how to tell the difference between a Mountain Lion and a Bobcat and what to do if I encounter one. These things are important to know because I have been told there have been some sightings in this area.
Later today we went to down town Ventura and I got a picture on the water fountain and a few other pictures. Walking there made me feel a bit sad because I saw many homeless people there, but my host let me know that the city is doing things to help them out, so that made me feel a bit better.
Cant wait to see what tomorrow brings. It will be an early day since my host goes in to work at 5 in the morning and she will be taking us with her so we will be ready to go when she gets off work.
Til later,
♥ Sheela
Posted Oct 20, 2011, 4:38 am
I am sending you this message from my hosts friends computer. She was very nice to let me use it, but it has to be quick because she has things to do. So I will try to upload as much as I can today and try to do the rest tomorrow.
Today we woke up earlier than what I am used to. 3:30 am. My host had to be at work at 5 in the morning. She took us with her and let us continue to sleep in the car until she got out of work.
When she got out of work we started our journey to see all the murals and statue here.
The first statue is the Saint Frances Dam Disaster Memorial. Here is a little bit of information I found on another web site.
"The Warning Sculpture
The new bronze sculpture, The Warning, commemorates the heroism of Santa Paulans who worked to save lives during the St. Francis Dam Disaster. The 200-foot tall St. Francis Dam collapsed on March 12, 1928, just after it was completed five miles northeast of Newhall, California. The floodwaters swept down the Santa Clara River valley to the ocean, claiming 450 lives. As the flood approached Santa Paula in the darkness of night, two Santa Paula police officers road motorcycles through the low lying areas of town, warning residents to evacuate. Telephone operators similarly called residents through the night. This sculpture was commissioned by the Santa Paula Historical Society to commemorate these lifesaving efforts. It was sculpted by Santa Paula artist Eric Roberts."
I think those men were very brave to stay and warn people about the flood.
Another group of brave men are policemen who we also found a memorial for. This is the Santa Paula Police Memorial.
We found a water ball. It was nice and calming to sit by it and watch it spin by the force of the water.
A bit to the right of the water ball there are some statue cubs and a mother bear. I felt comfortable with them and I am a bear too.
Across the street is the Santa Paula Train Depot. Here is a bit of information about it.
"Southern Pacific Railroad Depot
Built 1887
Ventura County Historical Landmark
An original 1887 Southern Pacific Railroad Depot is the home today of the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce & Gift Store. Visitors can shop for local gift items and obtain tourist information. Railroad Park features a gazebo, landscaped grounds and gardens, a towering 1879 Moreton Bay fig tree, and a life-size outdoor bronze sculpture, The Warning. The Depot still welcomes train enthusiasts aboard the antique Fillmore & Western Railway."
I would like to take a ride on a train some day. My host told me that it has been featured in a few movies and that many movies have parts that have been filmed in this city. These are just a few of the ones she can remember:
A walk in the clouds
Bedtime Stories
Georgia Rule
Bubble Boy
Joe Dirt
Leave it to Beaver
The Ghost of Sulphur Mountain
Carrie
Disorganized Crime
Mr. Woodcock
A few different Life Time movies.
There have also been a few music videos that were partly filmed here.
Across the street from the Depot is the Fig tree. My host says that her grandfather remembers when this tree was smaller. He was born in this town in 1925 and says that this town has changed a bit since then. The Moreton Bay Fig Tree was planted July 4, 1879. It was also featured in a few movies and shows. My host remembers seeing it in Big Bad Beelteborgs when she was little.
We decided to take a rest for a few minutes between some of the trees big roots.
A few feet from the tree there is a building with a mural. One of the many we saw here.
Well I have to go now my hosts friend says we can come back tomorrow and upload more pictures. I hope you like these so far.
♥Sheela
Posted Oct 28, 2011, 10:55 pm
Here are the rest of the pictures from my walk around Santa Paula.
The first picture was taken at one of the newest statues. It was built for the farm workers.
Next is a few from another big mural of how Santa Paula look many years ago.
"Transport in Time & Place: Trains, Planes & Automobiles, 1890s-1940s
This mural centers around the historic Southern Pacific Depot, built in 1887, illustrating the many activities relating to the use of the railroad. The artist depicts, left to right, a 1937 Hudson Coupe, a 1934 Dodge Panel truck, then a 1937 Greyhound Super Coach and next you see a 1931 Indian motorcycle. Pulling out onto 10th Street is a 1935 Chevrolet stake bed truck with the Union Ice Company in the background. The steam engine is c.1890. The panel on the left, shows U.S. President Benjamin Harrison passing through Santa Paula, 1891, and lemons from Limoneira Ranch being loaded on boxcars. The panel on the right shows Korean War soldiers leaving for service in 1950 and a walnut packing house c.1946."
Next we found a small mural of the Department of Agriculture. It was really nice.
We then went to the library where we found another really big mural. It is of the Chumash Indians.
"Our First Inhabitants: The Chumash Indians
The artist, Ann Thiermann, researched this mural by hiking to the historic site of the Chumash village, Sisa, in the foothills above Santa Paula and listening to local Chumash culture bearers. The artist created a dialogue between a grandmother of today (shown on left) and her granddaughter sharing the story of the life of the Chumash, from their experience during the Mission period back thousands of years to life in the village of Sisa along the Santa Paula Creek. The artist says, "I painted the stucco wall in earth browns, and all the earth elements then painted themselves; first rocks, then sycamores, oaks, the creek and Fall grasses. The figures emerge from these earth elements and reflect the harmony and integration with nature that the Chumash lived out." When the library is open, you may borrow a detailed description of life in this Chumash village."
Inside the library there was more to see. Another statue and some small house. A very nice doll collection.
As we continued our walk we found a clock tower. It is called Oddfellows Clocktower and it was installed in 1905. It is a Ventura County Historical Landmark.
The last mural of the day was Santa Paula Citrus Capital of the World
"This mural highlighted a 60-year span (1880-1940) of the citrus industry in Santa Paula. The first scene, 1900, shows Japanese, Anglo and Hispanic field workers harvesting lemons. The second shows Nathan Blanchard, founder of Santa Paula and his packinghouse. The third pays tribute to all Latino pickers who have harvested citrus over the years. The fourth, 1940s, shows the significant role of women in packinghouses, including women whose families fled the terrible dustbowl conditions sweeping through the mid-west in the late 1930s."
I enjoyed my walk with my host and TV friends. I hope you liked the pictures we took.
♥Sheela
Posted Nov 8, 2011, 8:25 pm
I had a great time in Santa Paula, but now its time to continue my travels. This is the last picture my host took of me on her phone. I am saying good bye to my tv friends. Maybe one day we will see each other again.
I am very excited to be moving on to my next host in San Jose and am read for new adventures.
Ps. All October pictures will be uploaded by my host at a later time.
Posted Nov 11, 2011, 4:07 am
Last night I arrived safely in San Jose. But since it was very late by the time Maggie got home, she had to go right to bed and open me this morning. When I came out of my envelope I met lots of other very nice TV's. There was Wild Thing, who lives here. Then there was Jeremy, a sweet tiger from San Francisco,NiliHH and Sunshine from Germany, and Salmonella from the United Kingdom. They were all so sweet and made me feel very welcome. They let me know that yesterday was the birthday of one of the girls Maggie's mom nannies for. So they were busy all yesterday celebrating! Since everyone was tired we had a nice relaxing morning. First I showed everyone all the fabulous goodies vyl87 sent with me. They really loved them, especially Maggie! Then Maggie's mom needed some coffee, so she showed us how she makes it. She uses a french press instead of a coffee maker. We all had a taste, but surprisingly only Jeremy enjoyed it, and he is the youngest of us! After coffee, we all helped write postcards for Maggie to send out to postcrossers. It was a very nice morning
Posted Nov 15, 2011, 12:38 am
The girls are so excited to give them out next week!
Posted Nov 15, 2011, 1:24 am
Posted Nov 17, 2011, 3:05 am
After we finished up, we all gave Jeremy hugs and told him good luck on his travels. I'm glad he gets to go home for Thanksgiving, but we will miss him!
Posted Nov 28, 2011, 8:14 pm
Posted Nov 28, 2011, 8:26 pm
Maggie's mom needed to pick up her car in Morgan Hill so we decided to go see Arthur's Christmas while we were there. Us TV's got to share a BIG popcorn and everything. It was a really funny movie and we all enjoyed it. When we were leaving the theater we saw a set up promoting the new Muppet movie. Maggie says we should all see that next.
Posted Nov 29, 2011, 5:09 am
Since it was soooo big, all of us TV's shared it. And let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! On our way out of the park we took a picture with the serpent statue. It's for Cesar Chavez, who the park is named after. The people who made it say it's a dragon, but everyone who lives in San Jose jokes that it looks like a pile of poo, haha. But it is a San Jose landmark so I was glad to see it!
Posted Nov 30, 2011, 1:01 am
Gooble also has a new friend named Squakers that she got at an aquarium. They are both really really nice and I am glad they made it home safe. I can't wait to hear all about of Gooble's adventures!!
Posted Dec 8, 2011, 2:04 am
Posted Dec 9, 2011, 2:38 am
Posted Dec 15, 2011, 3:10 am
Hope things are going well at home!
Posted Jan 4, 2012, 5:45 am
We took tons of pictures!! I hope you enjoy them See if you can find the clusters of butterflies in the not zoomed in pictures. Here is a good site for you to look at so you can learn more about the Monarch migration. There was a wonderful docent there that taught Maggie and us all about the life cycle and migration of the Monarchs. It was very interesting! After we saw the butterflies we went to Monterey, CA to eat at a restaurant on the pier. It's called Bubba Gumps, and it is supposed to be the restaurant from the movie Forrest Gump. Have you ever seen that movie, Mom? It's pretty good. Miss you lots!
Posted Jan 4, 2012, 8:12 pm
After making cookies we lounged around in our pajamas most of the day, and then went to a nice dinner. After dinner and some more lounging around, we went to midnight mass. After church it was 1:30 in the morning, so we put out the cookies and note for Santa. We only had soy milk since Maggie can't have regular milk, so she is hoping Santa likes soy milk too. Then Maggie tucked us in with some of her favorite lovies. I can't wait for the morning!! I hope Santa comes 
Posted Jan 5, 2012, 12:49 am
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas at home! Love you!
Posted Jan 5, 2012, 1:35 am
Things have been a bit boring while Maggie's been on vacation, so yesterday we decided to go on a trip. Now here we are in San Simeon! We got in after dark, so we had to wait until today to go see the seals. This time every year, elephant seals come to shore to have their babies. It is right at the start of the birthing season! The first beach we went to didn't have very many seals, but we were able to get very close to them. They can weigh several tons, so you are not allowed to go onto the beach with them. But there were some rocks a few feet away that we sat on to observe from a safe distance. The first beach had some babies that were probably a few days old. They were very cute But mostly, this beach had bulls fighting over the harem. See the big bull with the red eyes? He kept staring at us! After an hour or so we decided to head down to road to another beach with a bigger group of seals. This one had a board with information about the seals. From reading the board we learned that when you see a group of seagulls around a seal, it means a birth is imminent. Almost right after reading that we saw a bunch of seagulls fly around a seal! We ran over to try and catch a birth, but we were too late. Turns out the seal had delivered her baby a few minutes earlier, and the gulls were coming for the after birth. Kind of yucky, but the gulls like to eat it! Within a minute or so the seal passed the after birth and the gulls grabbed it up and started fighting over it. Once it started to get too cold and windy we headed even further down to road to Moonstone Beach to watch the sunset. The picture doesn't at all do it justice. It was really magnificent!! Wish you could have been here!
Posted Jan 20, 2012, 7:32 pm
I arrived in Miami, Florida a few days ago. I met Franklin and Boris Tonks here!
I am glad Boris is here because he is just my size and perfect to play with!
He helped me ride Franklin's toy mammoth:
We also read before bed together… Franklin lent us some of his books, which are just the right size for us!
I showed Boris my travel journal, which arrived a few days after I did.
Then we went to sleep. There isn't much to do here because my host is almost never home these days. I heard from Franklin that she is going out every day to look for a job and has been doing that for a long time now. But I am having fun with Boris so far!
Posted Mar 1, 2012, 12:14 am
Today was another nice day. We went to the Santa Paula Creek. Even though it was a nice day out, the water was still too cold to get into.
We saw some little stickel back fish and tadpoles in the water. There were also some little frogs jumping around. My host said that in the spring time there are a lot more little fish in the creel and lots of Dragonfly. Listening to the water was very nice and relaxing. We sat there for a few minutes just enjoying nature.
Sheela
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Apr 11, 2012, 8:47 am
Your Mum
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Apr 24, 2012, 4:46 pm
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Apr 25, 2012, 5:36 pm
Love,
Sheela
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted Apr 26, 2012, 10:34 pm
Love,
Sheela
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com
Posted May 9, 2012, 10:57 pm
Bye,
Sheela
Posted May 16, 2012, 2:13 pm
I've arrived safely in Great Britain. My journey was fine - although I'm glad to be out of the envelope!
Tobbi was there to greet me.
I showed him the sweets that I brought with me and he seemed to like them!
He pointed out that Snoopy, hostmum's cat, had come to say hello as well.
Then it was time for the tour of the house. I really liked this elephant!
After the tour we sat down and enjoyed the view.
I can't wait to start exploring the area!
Bye,
Sheela
Posted May 18, 2012, 4:17 pm
Two more TVs arrived today. Tobbi and I were very excited when we saw the two packages, we both wondered who would be inside them.
Together we opened the first package and saw that it was Paula Hip, who has travelled from Germany.
Then the three of us opened the other package and we saw that it was Flummi.
Now there's four of us here! It's nice - there's lot of company. We showed them around the house, and then the garden. Here we all are underneath a Bonzai tree. Of course, Tobbi had to climb it!
Then we decided to play hide and seek. I didn't see where the others hid, but I found a really good hiding place.
I could hear that Tobbi had found all the others, but they hadn't found me. It took them a while! I could hear them searching for me and saying 'I wonder if she's behind the Bonzai tree?' They had a look, and when they turned around, they finally saw me!
It was a lot of fun. But we were all quite tired afterwards - we only have little legs after all! So we all joined Snoopy for a nap.
Bye,
Sheela
Posted May 21, 2012, 7:00 pm
Today was a very busy day, we had lots of fun. Hostmum's friend, Gizalba came to visit, and she bought her TVs with her, so there were lots of us!
First we went to see Hexham Abbey.
Here we all are inside the Abbey. There's Pinky Bear, Paula Hip, Flummi, Tobbi, me, Imperio and Edelweiss.
Then we went in the crypt. It was very small down there, and everything was really old - it was from the 7th Century.
Once we'd seen the Abbey, we went to see the 'Old Gaol', which was the first ever jail in England.
Then we thought it would be fun to take a group picture in the stocks!
After that, we went to the orphanage, where we met Hippy, who came home with Hostmum.
Then we went to the park. It was such a nice day and the sun was actually shining for once. Look Mum - I climbed a tree!!
Hostmum and her friend sat in the park for a while, while all of us ran around and had fun amongst the flowers. Can you see Hippy?
Then we saw a monument - so we had to have our picture taken in front of it. It's a monument dedicated to all those people that fought in WWI & WWII
It was a very nice day today, but I'm quite tired now!
Bye,
Sheela
Posted May 23, 2012, 6:22 am
Today was such a lovely, sunny day that we decided to go for a nice walk and visit the Roman Fort at Chester.
Isn't the English countryside beautiful?
The Roman Fort is part of Hadrian's wall - a massive 200km long wall that stretched from one end of England to the other. In some places it was more than 10m high! It was built in AD122, almost 2000 years ago, under the command of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The wall meant that the Scot's couldn't invade, so his empire was safe.
Here I am with Flummi, Tobbi, Hippy and Paula Hip. We're standing in front of the barracks - where the soldiers slept.
Gizalba and her visiting TVs Imperio, Pinky Bear and Edelweiss were also with us - we had a lot of fun together.
Here we are in what used to be the 'steam room' - what we now know as a sauna.
In this picture we're sitting in what used to be the 'lockers' of the baths - the place where soldiers put their things while they used the baths.
Then we explored the Commandant's house!
After all that exploring, we thought it was time for a short break by the river.
Because the weather was so nice, we all had a bit of a sunbathe.
After all that time out in the sun, it was time for some shade.
The shade cooled us off a little bit, but we were all still pretty hot. So hostmum treated us to an ice cream - it was delicious, and just what I needed!
After we had all finished our ice cream, we decided that it was probably time to head back to Hostmum's home.
When we arrived, we were greeted by a package.
Quickly, let's open it and see who's inside!
It's Huhn! He looked a bit shocked - I don't think he was expecting to see so many of us Tvs!
But we quickly made him feel welcome, and pretty soon it was like we were all old friends!
So Mum, that was my day - it was really good. I had a lot of fun.
Bye,
Sheela
Posted May 25, 2012, 8:42 pm
The past few days have been gorgeous weather, so we've been making the most of it.
Here we all are, playing outside and enjoying the sunshine.
All that playing has tired us out - time to just sit back and relax.
After all that sun, I needed a nice cool drink to cool myself down.
Then, while the others did their own thing, I decided it would be nice to lie on the sun-lounger reading a magazine.
It's been a very nice, sunny, relaxing day!
Hugs,
Sheela
Posted May 26, 2012, 10:11 pm
Today we went for a short drive to visit one of the landmarks of the North East of England.
It's the 'Angel of the North'. I wasn't expecting it to be so big! It's 20m (66ft) tall and the wings are 54m (177ft) long!
Hostmum treated us to an ice cream as well, yum.
When we got back to hostmum's house, we decided that a fruit smoothie would be perfect for this weather. But, we had to make it first!
I was in charge of passing the strawberries and raspberries to Tobbi to put in the jug.
The finished smoothie - doesn't it look delicious?
It sure did taste nice, and in this hot weather it was the perfect drink - cool, refreshing and fruity. Yum!
Afterwards, hostmum gave us some olives to try. Some of the TVs didn't like them, but I thought they were delicious.
Hugs,
Sheela
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 9:47 pm
Today was a both a sad and happy day as we said goodbye to two TVs.
First I said bye to Tobbi and wished him a good journey to Yorkshire.
Then I said bye to Hippy and wished him a safe journey and told him he'll have a great time. (He was a little nervous as it's his first ever voyage.
Then we all said goodbye to them one last time, and off they went!
But almost as soon a they had left, two packages arrived!
Let's see who is in the first envelope... it's Lizzy Lizard!
Then we all opened the second package.
And it's _Mishuta_! Here we all are - Flummi, me, Huhn, Mishuta, Paula Hip and Lizzy.
Then we decided to go for a short walk - here's the view from outside hostmum's house.
As you can see, it's not very sunny anymore, but it's still quite hot, just very cloudy.
We decided to go to Brunton Turret, which is another part of Hadrian's Wall.
Here we are on what used to be the turret.
Can you see me on the wall?
Here I am!
On the way back to hostmum's house, some sheep came to say hello.
As you can see, it's been quite a busy day - saying bye to two friends and meeting two new friends, and then exploring more of the countryside and Hadrian's Wall.
Bye!
Sheela
Posted Jun 4, 2012, 4:10 pm
Today we went to Durham, which is where hostmum goes to university. We met up with hostmum's friend Gizalba again and spent the day exploring her college grounds. It was great seeing Edelweiss again, and meeting Tapsi.
Here we all are by the pond.
We saw this war memorial - it's dedicated to those that lost their lives in WW1.
Here I am with the memorial and Durham Cathedral in the background.
Look Mum, I saw a rainbow! Isn't it pretty?
It was starting to get a bit chilly, so we had one last group picture taken with the cathedral in the background before going inside.
I thought it would be fun to have a game of Monopoly on the machine in the bar. Unfortunately I didn't win.
To finish the evening, we all had a cocktail. It was very yummy. But don't worry Mum, I was sensible and didn't drink too much. Judging by the camera-shake, hostmum wasn't quite as sensible as I was...!
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jun 8, 2012, 12:47 am
Today was such a fun day!! Hostmum's college at university was having a special party that we all went to.
The theme was 'Alice in Wonderland'. So naturally, we started the day by watching the Disney movie of Alice in Wonderland. I hadn't seen it before - it's such a funny film. I liked the butterflies that looked like bread.
Then, because it was such a nice day, we went outside. And oh boy - the back yard really did look like something from Alice in Wonderland! They had decorated everywhere and there were lots of games. There was even a bouncy castle!! Unfortunately we couldn't go on that, as there were a lot of students on there. Hostmum said that they had had a few Pimms, so were a bit rowdy...
But look - here I am with one of the decorations.
Then we thought it would be fun to try some of the games. First we went bowling. There were two teams - unfortunately I lost, but it was a good game!
Then we played giant checkers. I tell you what Mum, I felt like I was on Harry Potter - except I wasn't riding a horse or a knight, but checkers! It was a lot of fun, and my team won!
And finally, we played giant 'four in a row'. Look how big it is!
I won this game as well - I was yellow.
It was such a fun day - and I really did feel like I had drank that potion from Alice in Wonderland, the one that makes you shrink, because everything was so big!
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jun 16, 2012, 11:03 am
Today another package arrived.
Inside there wasn't one, but TWO toyvoyagers! Niiskuneiti and HelgaHH.
We all made them feel very welcome.
There's so many of us now - 8! We thought it would be fun to play a game, so we played Disney Trivial Pursuit, with a twist. If a player lands on a question that could give them a cheese, then they're asked a question from the normal Trivial Pursuit. We didn't want to make things too easy!
But first, we had to choose what colour we wanted to be. I was orange.
It was a lot of fun.
Do you know the answer to this question Mum? Which daughter of a former Blue Peter presenter charted with 'Murder on the Dancefloor'?
The answer is Sophie Ellis Bextor. Hostmum played the song for us - it's quite catchy.
In the end, I didn't win. It was a fun game though, and I learnt a lot of new things.
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jun 16, 2012, 5:10 pm
Today I saw the Olympic Torch - it was pretty neat!
We arrived early to make sure that we got a good spot to see it. Luckily we had brought a seat with us, so we could just sit back and relax.
Then lots of police started to show up.
And then we saw it - the torch!
It was an exciting day.
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jun 28, 2012, 5:57 pm
Today we went to Derwent Resevoir.
It's quite a big resevoir - just under 5km wide. It can hold up to 11 million gallons of water, and provides water for almost half of the North East of England.
There's almost 7km of coastline around it. We all enjoyed seeing it very much.
And look Mum, when we were exploring we saw this pretty river that feeds into the resevoir.
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jul 8, 2012, 5:07 pm
This past week I have been in Essex. Snamoen's Nana has just been released from hospital, so Snamoen went down to help out around the house. This means that I haven't had a chance to explore, but don't worry, I've been keeping myself occupied with all the animals that Snamoen's Grandparents have!
Here I am with Summer. She's such a sweetie, she loves to play and have her belly rubbed.
This is Honey. She's very mischevious and loves to play.
This is Tosca. He has to be the fluffiest cat I've ever seen! He loves to go outside and explore his domain.
Here I am with Jessie. She's quite an old lady (she's 15), so she likes to spend her time relaxing in the sun and being stroked.
And finally, here I am with Mr. Pickles, the tortoise. He's a great little character and is very cheeky.
So as you can see, I'm having a great time with all the animals here!
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jul 17, 2012, 3:02 pm
We arrived back in Hexham early Sunday morning. And today I said goodbye to two new friends, who are continuing in their travels.
First I said goodbye to Huhn.
And then I said bye to _Mishuta_.
It was sad seeing them leave, but I bet they have a great time at their new hosts'!
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jul 19, 2012, 9:33 pm
Guess what? We threw a house party last night! Hostmum and her family went out, so we had the place all to ourselves. So of course, we took that opportunity and threw a big party for all the toys in the neighbourhood.
But first, we had to get the place ready. I helped Niiskuneiti and Paula get the snacks ready.
Then toys started to arrive. We used the carpet in the lounge as the dancefloor, while music played in the background. It was great!
I soon got chatting to a guy called Belgian Bear. We had so much in common, that we ended up chatting all evening. We may have had a few drinks as well...
Which would explain how and why I woke up like this this morning!!
It was a fun night (don't worry, Belgian Bear was a true gentleman!), and we managed to tidy everything up before hostmum came back.
I think we may have gotten away with the houseparty...!!
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jul 20, 2012, 8:13 pm
Just a quick update before I go to bed - it's been a very long day! We were all up at 3am, as we had a plane to catch.
But first we said bye to Niiskuneiti, who is going back home.
Then we quickly made sure that we had everything we needed, and we're ready to go!
I'm now on a cruise ship - but haven't taken any pictures yet. It's been a very long day travelling. I'll make sure to update later, with more pictures.
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jul 22, 2012, 10:30 pm
Today was such a fun day!
First we drove to the Virgin Mary house. It is believed that this is the last house that the Virgin Mary lived in before she died. Every year thousands and thousands of people (Christians and Muslims alike) make a pilgrimage to visit this house. Even the Popes come here.
People write prayers on pieces of paper, or napkins or anything they can find and put them on this wall. There are so many prayers!
Then we went to the ancient city of Ephesus, which was built in 2000BC.
This is where people in the government held their meetings, to decide how the city should be ruled etc.
These are the original mosaics.
In this picture you can see part of the city, with the library in the background.
And look – we ran in to other TVs!
This is the theatre. It wasn’t used for gladiators to fight in, instead they held plays and concerts.
After visiting Ephesus, we went and had a look around Kusadasi, which is the town where our ship docked.
Eventually it got so hot that we decided to go back to the ship and relax on the balcony.
Love,
Sheela
Posted Jul 24, 2012, 3:15 pm
Today we have been at sea the entire day. It’s been very relaxing. I’ve spent most of my time sunbathing, and watching the sea.
Then when it got too hot – it’s 37C – we all relaxed in the shade.
There was also an ice-sculpting demonstration. It was pretty fascinating to watch.
Can you see what it is? Two dolphins! Can you believe he made it in only 15 minutes?
Love,
Sheela
Posted Jul 25, 2012, 8:38 pm
Today we docked in Beirut, Lebanon. It was a great place to visit, but I’ll get to that later.
First we went to the ancient city of Byblos. Here I am at the entrance.
It was such an interesting place to visit. I mean, this is the city that the Bible was named after!
Can you believe that it’s over 7000 years old?
Here I am with a beautiful view of the coast of Beirut.
After we had visited Byblos, we decided to go to ‘Jeita Grotto’ – the caves of Jeita. They were beautiful. However, the security wouldn’t let us take any pictures, unfortunately.
This statue is in front of one of the entrances to the caves, it’s called the ‘Guardian of Time’.
Look Mum! Now I can safely say that I’ve seen the entire world!
After we had finished exploring the Jeita, we had a wander around Beirut. Here I am in front of the parliament house.
This is the main Mosque of Beirut. Did you know that 50% of the population of Lebanon is Muslim and the other 50% is Christian?
As you can see Mum, it’s been another great day!
Love,
Sheela
Posted Jul 27, 2012, 4:41 pm
Today I’m in Marmaris, which is in Turkey.
It’s a very picturesque place with stunning views.
The beaches are lovely – the water is so warm. It’s like stepping in to a bath.
We visited some little villages. In most of the villages there are only a few hundred people that live there. Each village has a Mosque (99% of Turkish people are Muslim), which you can see behind me.
In one of the villages there was this tree, which is just under 2000 years old. According to local legend, if you walk around the tree then you will be blessed with a healthy and happy life.
When we got back on to our ship, we relaxed on the balcony, just enjoying the wonderful view.
Bye,
Sheela
Posted Jul 28, 2012, 3:32 pm
Today was our last day on the cruise. Tonight we sail for Athens where we will disembark and catch a plane back to hostmum’s home. But today, it was still holiday. We were on the beautiful Greek island Santorini. This is Santorini’s most famous church.
Here I am on the highest peak of the island, and from this point, I can see the entire island.
It was quite a trek up to the top of that mountain, so a quick stop at a café was definitely called for. Here I am enjoying a delicious iced coffee.
Look at the view out to sea, isn’t it beautiful?
And look Mum – that’s our boat!
Love,
Sheela
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 3:55 pm
It's been a very long day. We've been travelling from 9am yesterday morning, and only arrived back at hostmum's home at 1am. I had a quick nap, and then it was time to say bye to Flummi, who is continuing in his travels.
I'm still pretty tired from the journey, so think I might go back to bed!
Love,
Sheela
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 4:39 pm
We've been taking things easy these past few days, as hostmum has had a lot of unpacking and washing to do! So we've been relaxing in the garden.
I've especially enjoyed lying on the sun-lounger and getting a bit of a tan!
Love,
Sheela
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 5:31 pm
Today HelgaHH has left us as she's travelling to Finland.
It's been another quiet day. But hostmum says she has a surprise for all of us tomorrow. Hmm... I wonder what it could be? Guess I'll just have to wait and find out!
Love,
Sheela
Posted Aug 3, 2012, 10:28 pm
You'll never guess what hostmum's surprise for us was! She got us tickets to an Olympic event! We saw the quarter-final of the women's football. It was so exciting!
Here I am outside the stadium, St James' Park.
And here I am inside - the pitch looks so much smaller in real life!
The players are warming up. The teams in this quarter-final are America and New Zealand. Hostmum was rooting for New Zealand.
And now... let the match begin!
In the end, America won against New Zealand 2-0. Hostmum was dissapointed, but she said it was an excellent game. And it really was! Both teams played really well, and I was so happy to witness an Olympic event!
Love,
Sheela
Posted Aug 10, 2012, 6:06 pm
It's been such nice weather recently, that we've been enjoying the outdoors. Today, Imperio, Paula Hip and I saw that Lizzy Lizard had been up to something...
She had built a swimming pool outside! It looked fantastic. Lizzy was enjoying floating on the water in her boat, but she then wanted to sunbathe.
She had put out chairs for us as well. Imperio jumped straight in to the pool, and Paula relaxed on her chair in the sun. But Lizzy had also found a drum - which I promptly started playing.
It was so nice Mum, sitting outside by the pool, enjoying the sun, and playing a drum.
Of course, I had been eyeing up the boat that Lizzy had been using. I couldn't resist trying it out myself!
It was so much fun!
Love,
Sheela
Posted Aug 13, 2012, 12:25 am
I'm very excited! Today is the day that I continue my travels. I've had so much fun here staying in England, but I'm also very excited about seeing Sweden!
I said goodbye to everyone, first Lizzy Lizard.
Then Paula Hip wished me a safe journey.
And lastly, Imperio and I said goodbye to each other.
I then prepared my envolope for my travels.
Then we all posed for a final group picture.
And now, I better get myself to the post office. Sweden, here I come!!
Love,
Sheela
Posted Aug 23, 2012, 8:47 pm
I´m finally arrived. Took me almost a week in this little bag. Poor me. I was so happy to get air and see the light again.
When I crawled out of the bag a wooden cow and a strange yellow bus were waiting for me. The cow is Klöver and the strange bus said he´s called Poschti and is a swiss Postbus. A so called Poschtauto. He sounds very funny. Fisi was very happy about the gifts I brought. She reads a lot and always looses the booksigns. I told her I will help her to take care for them as long as I am here.
Unfortunately it is raining here in Sweden, so I have seen only the view from the balcony. But I just wanted to let you know that I´m safely arrived.
Kisses from Sweden
Sheela
Posted Aug 24, 2012, 7:52 pm
Today it was bad weather again. In the evening my hostmum had to go out and buy thingies for the bees. But in the car it still rained. In the end we were lucky and made it without heavy rain and had a nice picnic at the shore.
Just some impressions from this evening. (together with Klöver and Poschti of course)
Have a good weekend!
Posted Aug 28, 2012, 10:20 am
Had a good weekend? Mine was wet I can tell you. On saturday we wanted to make a little grillparty out in the summerhouse, but it rained very hard and we needed a big parasol for the grill. Sunday was even worse; it is time to take the honey out in the beehives, that would have been so interesting, but no, it rained the hole day again.
Still, some pics I made for you. I was impressed by the big flowers, Dahlias, they were bigger than me! The hairy lady at the waterpump is Gullan, Hostdads mums cat
Actually the house has no other water access. If you want water, you have to pump there. It is all a bit "gammaldags" here, that means oldfashioned, but its is very nice and quiet. One can see a lot of different animals and theres always something to collect. Like mushrooms. Look at the bag we collected in only 20min. I tell you we had a great dinner on sunday
So, that was it for now. I hope, the weather will be better soon.
Med många hälsningar,
Sheela
Posted Aug 28, 2012, 10:26 am
It is still raining, but look at this beautiful rainbow
I hope it will bring luck to everyone and a good and safe trip for Klöver.
Hostmum said, that if it´s nice weather once this week, we will go and visit \"gamla Uppsala\". However, today is nothing. I wish you a good start in the week.
Puss
Sheela
Posted Aug 29, 2012, 8:03 pm
Yesterday we finished the tile wall in the kitchen, but it´s still a mess. The stove standing in the middle of the room, the fridge just somewhere...still, we celebrated today and made a proper swiss bread, called "Bärner Ankezüpfe". No one in the kitchen ever tried before, but I think we did well. Fisi read the recipe and we did what she said. Then we sat on the balcony and enjoyed. Now I go back to work in the kitchen
Have a good evening mummy, miss you
Posted Sep 3, 2012, 11:05 am
The weekend was great! It rained the hole friday and saturday without a single stop. So we renovated more in the kitchen, sat around and read books. On saturday night we drove out to the summerhouse in the hope that it will be okay weather on sunday. At midnight we saw a very bright fullmoon in a colorful sky, absolutely beautiful and it wasn´t raining! Sunday morning was still a bit sad, Poschti and me sat on the bench and watched out on the meadow. But even the animals stayed home.
Then we went to pick mushrooms. Hostmum has more than a kilo "trattkantareller", A kind of a cantarell which tastes very nice. Poschti and me just picked random mushrooms and after we sat at the table and tried to figure out what we picked. Wasn´t that easy.
The big moment came! I landed in a plasticbag and went to the beehives. Then I helped hostmum and dad to steal the honey from the bees. They were really kind and friendly, but the bag was needed because bees do not like hair or fur and try to sting it. I didnt wanted to be stung and also not to kill bees. After that we began to make honey, it was interesting and smelled sooo nice
I wish I could have jumped in the pot.
We were home very late and I slept deep and long. Now we go to the library. Have a good start in the new week mommy,
Love
Sheela
Posted Sep 9, 2012, 10:24 pm
It was a lazy week. A lot of rain, wind and cold. Like the summer wanted to make clear that it is gone now.
Today we went to pick mushrooms again and I kissed a prince! Unfortunately, it didnt change into one
Guess it's the frog prince and stays the frog prince. And we saw a lot of goodlooking insects.
When we came back from picking mushrooms we found tracks outside the garden. So we followed them and found very fresh eeeehm moose shit. But no moose
We relaxed a bit in the garden and drove home.
And on the way home, we saw it! A moose! I couldnt go out of the car and hostmum had the big tele on the cam, so I'm not on the picture. But I want you to see it
It was an impressive one, even the antlers were quite small. I have seen a mooooose *sing*
So, we are all very tired and go to bed soon. I hope, I will be able to show you a bit more next week.
God natt Mamma
Puss
Sheela
Posted Sep 17, 2012, 7:38 pm
I hope, you are well and happy
This weekend was hostdad´s birthday and we spent last week with preparing everything. I have seen a Lappuggla, that was very impressive and it´s a beautiful bird. Of course, hostmum had the tele on to make pictures of the owl which turned out very nice, but so she couldnt make any pictures of me again. I think, she should carry both cams with her all the time, so that she can make more pictures of me and Poschti. But its already heavy enough I guess.
So hostmum prepared and cooked the hole saturday while hostdad´s daughter took as around and made pic´s with the handycam. Unfortunately most of them aren´t sharp. We helped decorate the table and making Filetspett. We visited the bees and read "raggarbil" magazines. In the night we had everywhere candlebags and lanterns around the house and in to the forest, it looked very cute, like in a fairytale.
Since sunday it´s very windy and almost dangerous to go out if one weights only 50grams. Hostmum was cursing, as she´s planning since long to go to the viking church with me and Poschti. On tuesday she´s free and hopefully the weather will be nice. All in all i have a good time here, I learnt starsigns, we eat all the time good food, we are often out in the forest, even in the bad weather from the last weeks. So. Sorry for the bad pictures!
Missing you a little and looking forward to finally see this viking church (:
Sheela
Posted Sep 19, 2012, 3:53 pm
Today we finally made it to this church. We wanted to go yesterday, went out, bought dinner in a store, came out of the store and it rained. Today we went out, bought sandwiches in a store, came out and it rained. We drove there anyway, sat in the car and ate our sandwiches and what happens...the sun is shining!
Some claim that Odin and Thor were in Gamla Uppsala once. Anyway, it´s a place full of history, pagan and christ. In the entry is also a museum which has an interesting architectual style, but not much to see and quite expensive. So Poschti and me sat in the viking boat and tried to look important. Unfortunately were to small for that
Then we visited the church. They have a coffee maker in the church! We tried to open the big oak barrel, in the old days it was filled with wine, but we weren´t strong enough and Fisi did not wanted to help. And imagine, Poschti couldnt be quiet in the church. We stood and watched and suddenly "tüüüü taaa doooo", Poschti was embarassed, hostmum began to laugh and probably everyone in the church thought we were all insane.
After we made a walk around the gravehills and went home. Not even two minutes home it began to thunder and rain very hard.
Har det så bra mamma
Sheela
Posted Sep 25, 2012, 9:44 am
It´s still bad weather, I begin to believe that they never have more than some hours of sun in a row. That´s why we stayed home this weekend and worked in the kitchen. Fisi´s mum is coming soon and until then we have to be finished... but when Fisi´s mum is coming, we will hopefully also do some cool stuff as she is also a tourist.
So. This weekend we put up a new wallpaper. It´s a really really cool one, I´m a bit jealous and now I wish to sit in the kitchen all day long But to put it up wasn´t that easy, we had to cut and measure and find points in the picture to put the next row right. I think we did it nicely, no? Next time they plan to take out the floor and put in a nice oak floor. I think it will look stunning and Fisi can´t wait to see the end results.
It´s a bit funny, those swedes here are doing everything by themself. They even have drive through do it yourself stores.
So, Hostmum is finally charging the little cam and in the afternoon we will go to the library and maybe to town. If it isn´t raining...
And next weekend we will also do something cool she said..but she did not wanted to tell us...
I show you the wallpaper now.
Ta hand om dig!
Sheela
Posted Sep 26, 2012, 6:45 pm
Today it rained again the hole day. Really, we are so unlucky with the weather. But we went out yesterday and made some pics in the city. Of course the domkyrka was closed to public when we arrived, some kind of wedding or so.the domkyrka in Uppsala is the highest Church in Scandinavia and can be seen from quite far away.
Uppsala is a nice and quiet city with a lot of cheeky birds. Here you get my impressions. God natt mamma
Posted Sep 30, 2012, 10:43 pm
Had a good weekend? I had a great one, even though the weather was bad again and we got wet. Friday we all went to Stockholm. The morning we spent shopping and in the afternoon we watched a 4d movie and visited the tekniska museet. Stockholm is a very vivid and nice city, a lot of trees and parks, nice shopping malls and a lot of tourist. The old town, the Gamla Stan is also very cute. Only the castle is somehow depressing. Hard to imagine that someone wants to live there. The Sommerhouse is much nicer
But the guards at the castle were funny. We teased one of them. I walked up there and sat down just beside him. That confused him quite a bit. When Poschti did the same after, he began to smile
In the tekniska museet we played a game called Mind Ball. Our brainwaves were measured with a headband and the calmer one was, the faster one could move a little ball in the opposites goal. I won! Poschti was as usual fidgeting around and Fisi had to laugh about us. It was a really nice day and we were very tired in the evening and could barely watch the hole midsomer murders episode.
Sleep well Mommy and no stress on mondays
Sheela
Posted Oct 3, 2012, 10:42 am
Just wanted to show you the pic of the weekend.
Unfortunately it isnt overly sharp, the little fellow was just tooo fast. But it gave me a kiss! First a frog kiss and now a squirrel kiss
Posted Oct 5, 2012, 3:34 pm
Last saturday we spent in Skansen, a nice outdoor museum/animal park mix. It was also autumn fair from the 1900 with a lot of oldschool food and people. Fisi made fotos from her & family dressed up as a farmer family from then. Looked quite funny
We saw all the animals which live here in Sweden and as you have already seen, a squirrel kissed me. That was soooo cute Unfortunately it didnt dare to come back that we could make an other pic. Poschti feed some birds in the meanwhile. Íf you are ever in Stockholm, this place is a must see if you have time. Really beautiful and interesting and funny. All at the same time
Here some impressions for you, we had a great weekend. Now Fisi has to clean and finish the kitchen and so on as her mum will come for a visit next week.
Have a good time down there
Sheela
Posted Oct 23, 2012, 3:14 pm
So, we spent a day in Gävle, thats maybe 100km in the north of Uppsala. Its famous for its old town, which is really small, but also really cute. Luckily it rained not the hole day. After visiting the town we went to a shopping center, the weather wasn't so great.
On the way home we saw several rainbows, they are so beautiful.
Here some pics...
Kisses
Posted Oct 23, 2012, 3:27 pm
We also visited Öregrund, a little town at the coast. On the way home we went to see Dannemora, which was once a very important iron mine and was recently reopened.
But the weather... nowhere it was nice. Always wet and cold. Poor people in this country!
So, more comes later.
Miss you and hope youre fine
Sheela
Posted Oct 28, 2012, 9:17 pm
We have been in Dalarna, on a car trip. Of course it was raining the hole day, but it was still nice to just drive around and watch the countryside. We have seen the biggest Dalahäst and made a walk in Gysinge, which is a really nice place with a lot of water, birds and beavers.
Finally the weather got a bit better too, but it was -6 this morning. And we have seen an other moose
Soon the winter will come here, today everything was frozen. If Im still here I want to try ice skating on the big lakes, that must be cool. But only if it isnt -20
Have a good night mummy, missing you
Sheela
Posted Nov 22, 2012, 5:00 pm
I'm still alive! Sorry that we didnt update but Fisi is all the time in school and they have a lot of stress at the moment and not so much time for me. I travel around with them but Fisi just never makes pictures because they do other things.
Just wanted to let you know that I'm fine.
Kisses Sheela
Posted Feb 25, 2013, 4:31 pm
How are you? Long time not heard and seen, hope you're okay!
I'm still travelling around, Xmas I spent in Switzerland, skiing and shopping in Zuerich. We made onlz some bad mobile pics, so nothing to see.
Last week I was in Lappland! They didnt had soooo much snow, but it was very beautiful, all white and quiet. We saw many moose, some deer but no rendeer. Here some pics for you, we didnt made so many. Ah and I also saw the northern lights!
Kisses from the Snow-Sheela