Remember how I wrote before that one of my most horrific moments while travelling earlier had to do with a gigantic centipede in my bed?
Ugh. I still get sicked out thinking about it.
Well, not to be out done, my husband has managed to top that one. While he was sleeping last week, he was stung by a scorpion. Yeah, a scorpion. No it didn't kill him. Didn't swell, turn red, bleed ...but it really really hurt. And it totally freaked him out because he had no idea what was going on with his leg at the time. But he was all better by morning.
And no, thankfully it wasn't in our bed where he got stung. It was out in a little hotel in the countryside. (There are some scorpions out there, but none in the city here where we live. )
So, now he has a new little pet. Yep he brought it home. Alive. Perhaps that illustrates a difference between men and women....when I found that centipede I smashed him to smitherenes with a shoe in about 5 seconds flat, and he didn't even bite me. My hubby not only brought his scorpion home but is trying to feed it to keep it alive.
Well, time to go to bed. I'm tired. Think I'll give the sheets a shake before I hop in. Brrrrrrrr.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
Happy Easter!
Well, we've come to the end of a nice quiet day. We cleaned up around here, did laundry, and had a "date night" this evening. Yesterday was full but very good. We had our Easter celebration yesterday. A few of our friends came over around 11:30 and we prepared a BBQ lunch together...it wasn't ready until 2pm to actually eat, but it was worth it! Woo! We had some good eats. We had the shishkabobs, ribs, and a platter with veggies and ranch dip among other goodies..... it was a great food experience. People dug out from their special stores of stuff that they had squirrelled away for a rainy day....meaning things that they brought from Canada or somebody brought in for them. I offered up my ranch dressing. I carted it over with us last summer. It was good. I'd forgotten how much I like Ranch dressing. Someone else dug out their smoked salmon that someone sent over for them, and made salmon pinwheels with some cream cheese that I found at one of the stores downtown. (It's very exciting that we can now buy cream cheese here in our city!) It was nice to bring some special items out to celebrate the special day. And it was nice to spend it together.
After eating we had a worship time together, just singing praise to God for His amazing victory on our behalf. Rejoicing that He truly is alive, and a part of our lives. It was good.
So, after all that, we had today to get things back in order. We'll probably go to bed early. We are both tired and the next few days look to be very busy.
Hope you had a very meaningful Easter, and that you got to truly worship Him for His indescribable gift!!
Peace!
After eating we had a worship time together, just singing praise to God for His amazing victory on our behalf. Rejoicing that He truly is alive, and a part of our lives. It was good.
So, after all that, we had today to get things back in order. We'll probably go to bed early. We are both tired and the next few days look to be very busy.
Hope you had a very meaningful Easter, and that you got to truly worship Him for His indescribable gift!!
Peace!
Monday, April 10, 2006
80 Facts about Elizabeth
I am not a royal watcher or fanatic, but I thought this list of 80 facts about the Queen was interesting. In preparation for her 80th birthday Buckingham Palace released this list.
(I got it from this website .)
Buckingham Palace. 80 fascinating facts about the Queen
1 Queen Elizabeth II is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England.
2 In 2002, aged 76, the Queen was the oldest monarch to celebrate a Golden Jubilee. The youngest was James VI and I at 51.
3 Since 1952 the Queen has conferred more than 387,700 honours and awards.
4 The Queen has personally held more than 540 Investitures.
5 The Queen speaks fluent French and regularly uses it.
6 The Queen has received more than 3 million items of correspondence during her reign.
7 Around 1.1 million people have attended her garden parties at Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
8 The Queen has given regular Tuesday-evening audiences to ten British prime ministers. The first was Winston Churchill (1951-55).
9 Tony Blair is the first prime minister to have been born during the Queen's reign. He was born in May 1953 - a month before her coronation.
10 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh introduced small, informal luncheon parties at Buckingham Palace to meet distinguished people from all professions, trades and vocations. The first was held on 11 May, 1956.
11 The Queen is patron of more than 620 charities and organisations.
12 The Queen has undertaken more than 256 official overseas visits to 129 different countries.
13 The Royal Yacht Britannia was launched by the Queen on 16 April, 1953 and was commissioned for service on 7 January, 1954. It was de-commissioned in December 1997.
14 The Royal Yacht Britannia was first used by the Queen when she embarked with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1954 at Tobruk, for the final stage of their Commonwealth Tour. The last time the Queen was on board Britannia for an official visit was on 9 August, 1997 for a visit to Arran.
15 The Queen has visited Australia 15 times, Canada 23 times, Jamaica six times and New Zealand ten times.
16 Since her accession to the throne in 1952, the Queen has visited Edinburgh nearly every year, staying in the Palace of Holyroodhouse during Holyrood Week.
17 During her reign, the Queen has received many unusual gifts, including live animals; among them jaguars and sloths from Brazil, and two black beavers from Canada.
18 The Queen has sent around 100,000 telegrams to centenarians in the UK and the Commonwealth.
19 The Queen has sent more than 280,000 telegrams to couples celebrating their diamond wedding anniversaries.
20 The Queen's real birthday is on 21 April, but it is celebrated officially in June. This monarch's tradition dates back to the reign of Edward VII, who felt that his November birthday was unsuitable for celebratory parades owing to the cold weather.
21 The Queen has attended 34 Royal Variety Performances.
22 The Queen has opened 15 bridges in the UK.
23 The Queen has given at least 91 state banquets.
24 Since 1952 the Queen has undertaken 78 state visits accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
25 The Queen has launched 23 ships in her lifetime. The first was HMS Vanguard which she launched, as Princess Elizabeth, on 30 November 1944 in Clydebank. The first ship which she launched as Queen was the Royal Yacht Britannia, also from Clydebank.
26 The Queen has sent about 37,500 Christmas cards.
27 The Queen has given out around 78,000 Christmas puddings to staff, continuing the custom of King George V.
28 Every year the Queen sends Christmas trees to Westminster Abbey, Wellington Barracks, St Paul's Cathedral, St Giles', Edinburgh, the Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh, Crathie Church and schools and churches near Sandringham.
29 The Queen learned to drive aged 19 in 1945 in the army.
30 As a young woman, the Queen was a Girl Guide and a Sea Ranger.
31 While a princess, the Queen travelled on the London Underground for the first time in May 1939.
32 The Queen is a keen photographer and enjoys taking photographs of her family. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is also a keen photographer and has taken a number of photographs of the Queen, including an official photograph for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
33 The Queen was born at 17 Bruton Street, London W1, on 21 April, 1926, and was christened on 29 May, 1926 in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace.
34 With the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, the Queen became the first reigning British sovereign since Queen Victoria to have a child.
35 The Queen has 30 godchildren.
36 The first football match the Queen attended was the 1953 Blackpool v Bolton FA Cup Final.
37 The Queen has taken the salute in every Trooping the Colour ceremony since the start of her reign, with the exception of 1955, when a national rail strike forced its cancellation.
38 The Queen has sat for 139 official portraits during her lifetime, two of which were with the Duke of Edinburgh. The most recent sitting was for Rolf Harris (2005).
39 The Queen sat for the first and only hologram portrait in 2003.
40 There have been 11 sculptures of the Queen. The most recent was in 2005 by Miss Angela Conner for St George's Chapel, Windsor.
41 The first "Royal walkabout" took place during the visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Australia and New Zealand in 1970.
42 In 1969 the first television film about the family life of the Royal Family was made, and shown on the eve of the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.
43 An important innovation during the Queen's reign was the opening in 1962 of a new gallery at Buckingham Palace to display items from the Royal Collection. It was the first time that parts of the palace had been opened to the general public.
44 The only time the Queen has had to interrupt an overseas tour was in 1974, during a tour of Australia and Indonesia. She was called home when a general election was called suddenly.
45 The Queen has opened Parliament every year except 1959 and 1963, when she was expecting Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively.
46 The Queen went on her first state visit as Princess Elizabeth, to South Africa with her mother and father, in 1947. The tour included Rhodesia and Bechuanaland, Swaziland and Basutoland (now Lesotho).
47 The Queen's first Commonwealth tour in November 1953 included visits to Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, the Cocos Islands, Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar.
48 The Queen was the first British monarch to go to China. She made the trip in 1986.
49 The Queen has made a Christmas broadcast to the Commonwealth every year of her reign except 1969.
50 In 1953, the Queen made the first Christmas broadcast from overseas, broadcasting live from New Zealand.
51 The Queen sent a message of congratulations to the Apollo 11 astronauts for the first Moon landing on 21 July, 1969. The message was micro-filmed and deposited on the Moon in a metal container.
52 The Queen has met the following astronauts at Buckingham Palace: Major Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereschkova, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
53 The Queen sent her first e-mail in 1976, from an army base.
54 There have been six different Archbishops of Canterbury during the Queen's reign.
55 In 1982, when Pope John Paul II visited Britain, he was the first pope to do so in 450 years. The Queen, as titular head of the Church of England, received him at
56 The Queen visited a mosque in the UK for the first time in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, in July 2002.
57 The Queen has attended 50 Royal Maundy services during her reign at more than 39 different cathedrals.
58 The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign, starting with Susan, who was a present for her 18th birthday in 1944. The Queen currently has five corgis, Emma, Linnet, Monty, Holly and Willow.
59 The Queen also introduced a new breed of dog known as the "dorgi" when one of the Queen's corgis was mated with a dachshund which belonged to Princess Margaret. The Queen currently has four dorgis: Cider, Berry, Candy and Vulcan.
60 As well as corgis and dorgis, the Queen also breeds and trains labradors and cocker spaniels at Sandringham. There is a special Sandringham strain of black labrador founded in 1911.
61 The Queen's first pony was a gift from her grandfather, King George V, when she was four. This was a Shetland pony called Peggy. The Queen continues to ride at Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor.
62 Horses bred at the Royal studs over the last 200 years have won virtually every major race in Britain. The Queen has about 25 horses in training each season.
63 The Queen's racing colours are purple body with gold braid, scarlet sleeves and black velvet cap with gold fringe.
64 The Queen continues the Royal Family's long association with racing pigeons, which began in 1886 when King Leopold II of Belgium made a gift of racing pigeons to the Royal Family. The Queen is patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.
65 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were married on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey. The Queen's wedding dress, designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, was woven at Winterthur Silks Ltd, Dunfermline.
66 The Queen's dressmakers have included Sir Hardy Amies, Sir Norman Hartnell, Karl-Ludwig Couture and Maureen Rose. The Queen's milliners have been Frederick Fox, Philip Somerville and Marie O'Regan.
67 The Queen's wedding ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold from the Clogau St David's mine, near Dolgellau.
68 The Queen has an extensive collection of jewellery, most of which are Crown Jewels, including the largest pink diamond in the world.
69 The Queen has laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday every year of her reign, except in 1959, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1983 and 1999, when she was either pregnant or overseas on an official visit.
70 The Queen has visited the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale.
71 In 1997, the Queen launched Buckingham Palace's first official website.
72 In 1998, the Queen introduced "theme days" to promote and celebrate aspects of British culture. The first theme day was "City Day" focusing on financial institutions.
73 In June 2002, the Queen hosted the first public concerts - the "Party at the Palace" - in the garden of Buckingham Palace to celebrate her Golden Jubilee.
74 The Queen is the first member of the Royal Family to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry. 100,000 copies of the CD of the "Party at the Palace" were sold within a week of release.
75 The Queen hosted the first women's-only event, "Women of Achievement", at Buckingham Palace in March 2004.
76 In November 2004, the Queen invited the cast of Les Misérables in the West End to perform for the French president, Jacques Chirac, at Windsor Castle.
77 As a young girl, the Queen acted in a number of pantomimes during the Second World War, including playing the part of Prince Florizel in Cinderella in 1941. These took place every year at Windsor Castle.
78 In 2005, the Queen claimed ownership of 88 cygnets on the Thames. They are looked after by the swan marker. The first royal swan keeper was appointed in the 12th century.
79 The Queen still owns the sturgeons, whales and dolphins in the waters around the UK, thanks to a statute from 1324, when King Edward II reigned. Sturgeons, porpoises, whales and dolphins are recognised as "Fishes Royal". When captured or washed ashore within three miles of UK shores, they may be claimed on behalf of the Crown.
80 In 2005, the Queen opened the first "children's trail" in the Buckingham Palace garden for the summer opening.
10 more things you may not know
• 1 In 1964, the postage-stamp designer David Gentleman suggested to Tony Benn, then the postmaster-general, that a new set of stamps be issued without the Queen's head on them. Benn was open to the idea but, after these were mocked up for viewing, word came from the Queen that the status quo was to be observed. She did, however, like Gentleman's idea of substituting her full-face portrait with a profile in silhouette.
• 2 The Queen takes breakfast in the first-floor dining room of Buckingham Palace. Tupperware boxes of cornflakes and porridge are left on the table with a pot of Earl Grey tea. There are silver spoons for the marmalade.
• 3 The Queen carries a comb, a handkerchief, a small gold compact and a tube of lipstick in her handbag.
• 4 Most people think that the Queen never carries money, but she does on Sundays - a folded note, of unknown denomination, which she places in the collection plate at church.
• 5 As a child she was known as "Lilibet" by her close family.
• 6 Touching the Queen is strongly discouraged. Paul Keating, the Australian prime minister, below, broke this rule when he was photographed with his arm around the Queen in 1992 and was afterwards dubbed the "Lizard of Oz" by the British media.
• 7 The Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, spoke on Children's Hour in October 1940. Many British children had been evacuated to the countryside, and Princess Elizabeth wished them luck in their new homes.
• 8 The Queen does not accept honorary degrees from any university.
• 9 As part of the royal prerogative, the Queen does not require a driving licence.
• 10 Orkney is the only part of the UK in which the Queen cannot claim ownership of swans.
I guess the website added on those last 10. My personal favourite it the fact about the "Dorgi's." I wonder why the Queen can't own the swans in Orkney?
(I got it from this website .)
Buckingham Palace. 80 fascinating facts about the Queen
1 Queen Elizabeth II is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England.
2 In 2002, aged 76, the Queen was the oldest monarch to celebrate a Golden Jubilee. The youngest was James VI and I at 51.
3 Since 1952 the Queen has conferred more than 387,700 honours and awards.
4 The Queen has personally held more than 540 Investitures.
5 The Queen speaks fluent French and regularly uses it.
6 The Queen has received more than 3 million items of correspondence during her reign.
7 Around 1.1 million people have attended her garden parties at Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
8 The Queen has given regular Tuesday-evening audiences to ten British prime ministers. The first was Winston Churchill (1951-55).
9 Tony Blair is the first prime minister to have been born during the Queen's reign. He was born in May 1953 - a month before her coronation.
10 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh introduced small, informal luncheon parties at Buckingham Palace to meet distinguished people from all professions, trades and vocations. The first was held on 11 May, 1956.
11 The Queen is patron of more than 620 charities and organisations.
12 The Queen has undertaken more than 256 official overseas visits to 129 different countries.
13 The Royal Yacht Britannia was launched by the Queen on 16 April, 1953 and was commissioned for service on 7 January, 1954. It was de-commissioned in December 1997.
14 The Royal Yacht Britannia was first used by the Queen when she embarked with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1954 at Tobruk, for the final stage of their Commonwealth Tour. The last time the Queen was on board Britannia for an official visit was on 9 August, 1997 for a visit to Arran.
15 The Queen has visited Australia 15 times, Canada 23 times, Jamaica six times and New Zealand ten times.
16 Since her accession to the throne in 1952, the Queen has visited Edinburgh nearly every year, staying in the Palace of Holyroodhouse during Holyrood Week.
17 During her reign, the Queen has received many unusual gifts, including live animals; among them jaguars and sloths from Brazil, and two black beavers from Canada.
18 The Queen has sent around 100,000 telegrams to centenarians in the UK and the Commonwealth.
19 The Queen has sent more than 280,000 telegrams to couples celebrating their diamond wedding anniversaries.
20 The Queen's real birthday is on 21 April, but it is celebrated officially in June. This monarch's tradition dates back to the reign of Edward VII, who felt that his November birthday was unsuitable for celebratory parades owing to the cold weather.
21 The Queen has attended 34 Royal Variety Performances.
22 The Queen has opened 15 bridges in the UK.
23 The Queen has given at least 91 state banquets.
24 Since 1952 the Queen has undertaken 78 state visits accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
25 The Queen has launched 23 ships in her lifetime. The first was HMS Vanguard which she launched, as Princess Elizabeth, on 30 November 1944 in Clydebank. The first ship which she launched as Queen was the Royal Yacht Britannia, also from Clydebank.
26 The Queen has sent about 37,500 Christmas cards.
27 The Queen has given out around 78,000 Christmas puddings to staff, continuing the custom of King George V.
28 Every year the Queen sends Christmas trees to Westminster Abbey, Wellington Barracks, St Paul's Cathedral, St Giles', Edinburgh, the Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh, Crathie Church and schools and churches near Sandringham.
29 The Queen learned to drive aged 19 in 1945 in the army.
30 As a young woman, the Queen was a Girl Guide and a Sea Ranger.
31 While a princess, the Queen travelled on the London Underground for the first time in May 1939.
32 The Queen is a keen photographer and enjoys taking photographs of her family. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is also a keen photographer and has taken a number of photographs of the Queen, including an official photograph for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
33 The Queen was born at 17 Bruton Street, London W1, on 21 April, 1926, and was christened on 29 May, 1926 in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace.
34 With the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, the Queen became the first reigning British sovereign since Queen Victoria to have a child.
35 The Queen has 30 godchildren.
36 The first football match the Queen attended was the 1953 Blackpool v Bolton FA Cup Final.
37 The Queen has taken the salute in every Trooping the Colour ceremony since the start of her reign, with the exception of 1955, when a national rail strike forced its cancellation.
38 The Queen has sat for 139 official portraits during her lifetime, two of which were with the Duke of Edinburgh. The most recent sitting was for Rolf Harris (2005).
39 The Queen sat for the first and only hologram portrait in 2003.
40 There have been 11 sculptures of the Queen. The most recent was in 2005 by Miss Angela Conner for St George's Chapel, Windsor.
41 The first "Royal walkabout" took place during the visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Australia and New Zealand in 1970.
42 In 1969 the first television film about the family life of the Royal Family was made, and shown on the eve of the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.
43 An important innovation during the Queen's reign was the opening in 1962 of a new gallery at Buckingham Palace to display items from the Royal Collection. It was the first time that parts of the palace had been opened to the general public.
44 The only time the Queen has had to interrupt an overseas tour was in 1974, during a tour of Australia and Indonesia. She was called home when a general election was called suddenly.
45 The Queen has opened Parliament every year except 1959 and 1963, when she was expecting Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively.
46 The Queen went on her first state visit as Princess Elizabeth, to South Africa with her mother and father, in 1947. The tour included Rhodesia and Bechuanaland, Swaziland and Basutoland (now Lesotho).
47 The Queen's first Commonwealth tour in November 1953 included visits to Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, the Cocos Islands, Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar.
48 The Queen was the first British monarch to go to China. She made the trip in 1986.
49 The Queen has made a Christmas broadcast to the Commonwealth every year of her reign except 1969.
50 In 1953, the Queen made the first Christmas broadcast from overseas, broadcasting live from New Zealand.
51 The Queen sent a message of congratulations to the Apollo 11 astronauts for the first Moon landing on 21 July, 1969. The message was micro-filmed and deposited on the Moon in a metal container.
52 The Queen has met the following astronauts at Buckingham Palace: Major Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereschkova, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
53 The Queen sent her first e-mail in 1976, from an army base.
54 There have been six different Archbishops of Canterbury during the Queen's reign.
55 In 1982, when Pope John Paul II visited Britain, he was the first pope to do so in 450 years. The Queen, as titular head of the Church of England, received him at
56 The Queen visited a mosque in the UK for the first time in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, in July 2002.
57 The Queen has attended 50 Royal Maundy services during her reign at more than 39 different cathedrals.
58 The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign, starting with Susan, who was a present for her 18th birthday in 1944. The Queen currently has five corgis, Emma, Linnet, Monty, Holly and Willow.
59 The Queen also introduced a new breed of dog known as the "dorgi" when one of the Queen's corgis was mated with a dachshund which belonged to Princess Margaret. The Queen currently has four dorgis: Cider, Berry, Candy and Vulcan.
60 As well as corgis and dorgis, the Queen also breeds and trains labradors and cocker spaniels at Sandringham. There is a special Sandringham strain of black labrador founded in 1911.
61 The Queen's first pony was a gift from her grandfather, King George V, when she was four. This was a Shetland pony called Peggy. The Queen continues to ride at Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor.
62 Horses bred at the Royal studs over the last 200 years have won virtually every major race in Britain. The Queen has about 25 horses in training each season.
63 The Queen's racing colours are purple body with gold braid, scarlet sleeves and black velvet cap with gold fringe.
64 The Queen continues the Royal Family's long association with racing pigeons, which began in 1886 when King Leopold II of Belgium made a gift of racing pigeons to the Royal Family. The Queen is patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.
65 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were married on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey. The Queen's wedding dress, designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, was woven at Winterthur Silks Ltd, Dunfermline.
66 The Queen's dressmakers have included Sir Hardy Amies, Sir Norman Hartnell, Karl-Ludwig Couture and Maureen Rose. The Queen's milliners have been Frederick Fox, Philip Somerville and Marie O'Regan.
67 The Queen's wedding ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold from the Clogau St David's mine, near Dolgellau.
68 The Queen has an extensive collection of jewellery, most of which are Crown Jewels, including the largest pink diamond in the world.
69 The Queen has laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday every year of her reign, except in 1959, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1983 and 1999, when she was either pregnant or overseas on an official visit.
70 The Queen has visited the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale.
71 In 1997, the Queen launched Buckingham Palace's first official website.
72 In 1998, the Queen introduced "theme days" to promote and celebrate aspects of British culture. The first theme day was "City Day" focusing on financial institutions.
73 In June 2002, the Queen hosted the first public concerts - the "Party at the Palace" - in the garden of Buckingham Palace to celebrate her Golden Jubilee.
74 The Queen is the first member of the Royal Family to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry. 100,000 copies of the CD of the "Party at the Palace" were sold within a week of release.
75 The Queen hosted the first women's-only event, "Women of Achievement", at Buckingham Palace in March 2004.
76 In November 2004, the Queen invited the cast of Les Misérables in the West End to perform for the French president, Jacques Chirac, at Windsor Castle.
77 As a young girl, the Queen acted in a number of pantomimes during the Second World War, including playing the part of Prince Florizel in Cinderella in 1941. These took place every year at Windsor Castle.
78 In 2005, the Queen claimed ownership of 88 cygnets on the Thames. They are looked after by the swan marker. The first royal swan keeper was appointed in the 12th century.
79 The Queen still owns the sturgeons, whales and dolphins in the waters around the UK, thanks to a statute from 1324, when King Edward II reigned. Sturgeons, porpoises, whales and dolphins are recognised as "Fishes Royal". When captured or washed ashore within three miles of UK shores, they may be claimed on behalf of the Crown.
80 In 2005, the Queen opened the first "children's trail" in the Buckingham Palace garden for the summer opening.
10 more things you may not know
• 1 In 1964, the postage-stamp designer David Gentleman suggested to Tony Benn, then the postmaster-general, that a new set of stamps be issued without the Queen's head on them. Benn was open to the idea but, after these were mocked up for viewing, word came from the Queen that the status quo was to be observed. She did, however, like Gentleman's idea of substituting her full-face portrait with a profile in silhouette.
• 2 The Queen takes breakfast in the first-floor dining room of Buckingham Palace. Tupperware boxes of cornflakes and porridge are left on the table with a pot of Earl Grey tea. There are silver spoons for the marmalade.
• 3 The Queen carries a comb, a handkerchief, a small gold compact and a tube of lipstick in her handbag.
• 4 Most people think that the Queen never carries money, but she does on Sundays - a folded note, of unknown denomination, which she places in the collection plate at church.
• 5 As a child she was known as "Lilibet" by her close family.
• 6 Touching the Queen is strongly discouraged. Paul Keating, the Australian prime minister, below, broke this rule when he was photographed with his arm around the Queen in 1992 and was afterwards dubbed the "Lizard of Oz" by the British media.
• 7 The Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, spoke on Children's Hour in October 1940. Many British children had been evacuated to the countryside, and Princess Elizabeth wished them luck in their new homes.
• 8 The Queen does not accept honorary degrees from any university.
• 9 As part of the royal prerogative, the Queen does not require a driving licence.
• 10 Orkney is the only part of the UK in which the Queen cannot claim ownership of swans.
I guess the website added on those last 10. My personal favourite it the fact about the "Dorgi's." I wonder why the Queen can't own the swans in Orkney?
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Quiet Sunday
Had a quiet day today. Mostly just relaxed and spent some time with my husband. Wanted to catch up on writing some personal emails, but I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.
Popped in to see our friends who have the baby. Once again, the baby smiled for me...and he was even having a grumpy day. And once again I was informed that other than the immediate family...I am the only person he will smile for. :)
Popped in to see our friends who have the baby. Once again, the baby smiled for me...and he was even having a grumpy day. And once again I was informed that other than the immediate family...I am the only person he will smile for. :)
Friday, April 07, 2006
Testa Della Benna!
One of my friends told me once that when he would travel or meet people from different countries he would make a point of asking them how to say "Bucket Head" in their language. Why you ask? No real point to it. After playing around with an online translation website I felt inspired. So, here ladies and gentlemen is "Bucket Head" in 10 languages. (Why?........................ no real reason)
1.Het Hoofd van de emmer
2.Tête De Seau
3.Wanne Kopf
4.Κεφάλι κάδων
5.Testa Della Benna
6.バケツの頭部
7.물통 머리
8.Cabeça Da Cubeta
9.Головка Ведра
10.Cabeza Del Cubo
Now, here's your turn to take a guess at what each language is.....if you are so inclined, and a little brave... then leave your best guesses in the comments box. Or are you afraid you might end up looking like a het hoofd van de emmer?
*Note: to all you fluent in other languages smartie pants out there.... yes yes I know- the grammar may not be correct on all of them...blame the machine!!
1.Het Hoofd van de emmer
2.Tête De Seau
3.Wanne Kopf
4.Κεφάλι κάδων
5.Testa Della Benna
6.バケツの頭部
7.물통 머리
8.Cabeça Da Cubeta
9.Головка Ведра
10.Cabeza Del Cubo
Now, here's your turn to take a guess at what each language is.....if you are so inclined, and a little brave... then leave your best guesses in the comments box. Or are you afraid you might end up looking like a het hoofd van de emmer?
*Note: to all you fluent in other languages smartie pants out there.... yes yes I know- the grammar may not be correct on all of them...blame the machine!!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
But....but...I don't speak the language
I have to write a 500 word essay on any topic. Any suggestions for a topic anyone?
Maybe I'll write it on how to fly to the moon and back.
Maybe I'll write it on how to fly to the moon and back.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
You should be more careful next time
Living overseas can be a very "romantic" thing. Romantic in the Anne of Green Gables sense. It can be fun, it can be interesting, adventerous, and definately stretching.
But, those of us who live or have lived overseas in a foreign culture know that with all of the "good stuff" also comes the stuff that threatens to drive you absolutely cuckoo.
There are just those moments that leave you feeling like you would like to throw your hat on the ground, jump up and down on it, with steam pouring out your ears, while letting out a blood curdling yell from the bottom of your gut. I won't get into a big discussion about it all here right now...but I will talk about it sometime. All in all- cultural differences are healthy. They make you, nay force you to choose whether you will walk in step with the Spirit or not. And they develop your character. But there are those choice moments when it's just so hard to not be an angry foreigner!
Here is an example. Tonight, I went to work out with a couple friends. We checked out a step aroebics class. Quite good. We were feeling fine. It was a little late, so we just popped into a little restaurant nearby to grab something quick to eat. They had some food that we were looking forward to eating. So, we order, the food comes...we start to eat. My friend finds an egg shell in her food.... we keep eating, I chomp down on a hard piece of bone, I spit it out. We keep eating. Then I bite on something hard and sharp. OUch!! What is it? I take it out...it's a jagged little piece of glass!!! (So, I must say here, I've never had glass in my food here, so it is an out of the ordinary experience) So, immediately I worry that maybe there was other glass in my food that I ate already, or something. I definately felt unsettled! So I go up to the girl behind the counter and I show her the glass. And she replies "You should be more careful next time." That's it. That's all I get. Fortunately I didn't make a scene because at that moment I didn't understand what she said until I went back to my table and repeated it to my tablemates who informed me of the meaning of the response.
So, I saw the manager, brought her to our table and told her what happened. and she basically just offered my money back or another bowlful. I appreciated that she was fair about it. We didn't say too much other than that is not safe. And she really didn't say much other than making that offer. Now I wish we would have given her a long speech about what to tell the guys in the kitchen. About how if they break something and they aren't sure where the glass went, then they should throw it out, and to be careful not to get egg shells in stuff..etc etc... Not angry like, but long and descriptive so as to stress how unsafe the situation was. And I wished we would have coached her on how the staff should respond if someone complains that there is glass in their food. ie you don't say "You should be more careful next time." Anyway, stuff is like that here. You always second guess how you handled something. Oh, maybe I was too hard on them, oh maybe I was too easy on them, maybe I didn't say enough, oh maybe I embarrassed them, oh maybe they cheated me, oh, maybe they didn't understand what we were saying!.... and etc!
ANyway, my point wasn't about the manager, but about the first girl. "You should be more careful next time" girl. She and I should both be very thankful that I couldn't understand her response right away. Sometimes it's grace to not have all the words you need to express what you are feeling!! But in the situation, she said what she could say. In her mind she wasn't being a twit. I don't exactly know what was going on in her mind, but I do know this.... that here, someone with her job has no power. So she only has permission to do her little job and nothing else. She can't step out of her little job "box." She has no power to say- "Oh that's terrible!! I'm so sorry let me see what I can do for you!" Nope, she doesn't have that authority. Only the manager has the authority to do anything or offer any consideration. So, actually even as I walked up to the counter to complain, I knew in my heart, "this is going to go nowhere. "( While I realize that in canada a lot of clerks and restaurant personelle are limited too, that they have to get the manager to ok a lot of stuff... it's just a whole different level here)
SO, anyway, all this to say. While I do really love living here, and there are so many things that are all those great things- fun, interesting, adventurous, new and we love the people here.....Sometimes living here isn't "romantic." Sometimes it's hard, and it tempts you to be grouchy, and irritable, especially when people say things that you think "Dude, why would you even remotely think that is an ok thing to say to me?" "Why would you tell ME to be careful when YOUR restaurant served ME a shard of glass hidden in my food?" Ok, calm down....so, sometimes it's hard. But it's always healthy. The harder cultural things here do serve to refine you. It shows you your own ugly side, and calls you to make sure that you are walking with Christ. And sometimes you bungle it, you scowl when you should smile, you snap when you should be gently firm....and often you feel rotten later -"Oh why did I handle that so badly?" but even in that you grow. You grow because it only reinforces how great the grace is that we stand in.
But, those of us who live or have lived overseas in a foreign culture know that with all of the "good stuff" also comes the stuff that threatens to drive you absolutely cuckoo.
There are just those moments that leave you feeling like you would like to throw your hat on the ground, jump up and down on it, with steam pouring out your ears, while letting out a blood curdling yell from the bottom of your gut. I won't get into a big discussion about it all here right now...but I will talk about it sometime. All in all- cultural differences are healthy. They make you, nay force you to choose whether you will walk in step with the Spirit or not. And they develop your character. But there are those choice moments when it's just so hard to not be an angry foreigner!
Here is an example. Tonight, I went to work out with a couple friends. We checked out a step aroebics class. Quite good. We were feeling fine. It was a little late, so we just popped into a little restaurant nearby to grab something quick to eat. They had some food that we were looking forward to eating. So, we order, the food comes...we start to eat. My friend finds an egg shell in her food.... we keep eating, I chomp down on a hard piece of bone, I spit it out. We keep eating. Then I bite on something hard and sharp. OUch!! What is it? I take it out...it's a jagged little piece of glass!!! (So, I must say here, I've never had glass in my food here, so it is an out of the ordinary experience) So, immediately I worry that maybe there was other glass in my food that I ate already, or something. I definately felt unsettled! So I go up to the girl behind the counter and I show her the glass. And she replies "You should be more careful next time." That's it. That's all I get. Fortunately I didn't make a scene because at that moment I didn't understand what she said until I went back to my table and repeated it to my tablemates who informed me of the meaning of the response.
So, I saw the manager, brought her to our table and told her what happened. and she basically just offered my money back or another bowlful. I appreciated that she was fair about it. We didn't say too much other than that is not safe. And she really didn't say much other than making that offer. Now I wish we would have given her a long speech about what to tell the guys in the kitchen. About how if they break something and they aren't sure where the glass went, then they should throw it out, and to be careful not to get egg shells in stuff..etc etc... Not angry like, but long and descriptive so as to stress how unsafe the situation was. And I wished we would have coached her on how the staff should respond if someone complains that there is glass in their food. ie you don't say "You should be more careful next time." Anyway, stuff is like that here. You always second guess how you handled something. Oh, maybe I was too hard on them, oh maybe I was too easy on them, maybe I didn't say enough, oh maybe I embarrassed them, oh maybe they cheated me, oh, maybe they didn't understand what we were saying!.... and etc!
ANyway, my point wasn't about the manager, but about the first girl. "You should be more careful next time" girl. She and I should both be very thankful that I couldn't understand her response right away. Sometimes it's grace to not have all the words you need to express what you are feeling!! But in the situation, she said what she could say. In her mind she wasn't being a twit. I don't exactly know what was going on in her mind, but I do know this.... that here, someone with her job has no power. So she only has permission to do her little job and nothing else. She can't step out of her little job "box." She has no power to say- "Oh that's terrible!! I'm so sorry let me see what I can do for you!" Nope, she doesn't have that authority. Only the manager has the authority to do anything or offer any consideration. So, actually even as I walked up to the counter to complain, I knew in my heart, "this is going to go nowhere. "( While I realize that in canada a lot of clerks and restaurant personelle are limited too, that they have to get the manager to ok a lot of stuff... it's just a whole different level here)
SO, anyway, all this to say. While I do really love living here, and there are so many things that are all those great things- fun, interesting, adventurous, new and we love the people here.....Sometimes living here isn't "romantic." Sometimes it's hard, and it tempts you to be grouchy, and irritable, especially when people say things that you think "Dude, why would you even remotely think that is an ok thing to say to me?" "Why would you tell ME to be careful when YOUR restaurant served ME a shard of glass hidden in my food?" Ok, calm down....so, sometimes it's hard. But it's always healthy. The harder cultural things here do serve to refine you. It shows you your own ugly side, and calls you to make sure that you are walking with Christ. And sometimes you bungle it, you scowl when you should smile, you snap when you should be gently firm....and often you feel rotten later -"Oh why did I handle that so badly?" but even in that you grow. You grow because it only reinforces how great the grace is that we stand in.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
My "Most" moments for this last little while
Here are the winning moments in various categories of everyday living over the last couple weeks:
My most Pleased with myself moment: had a few friends over- made a meal of squash soup and a chicken couscous dish. And, hey whatdya know -it all turned out well. My dear Hubby also made strawberry smoothies for everyone! The crowd went away satisfied!
My Most displeased with myself moment: Discovered I've lost my bike key, with the lock locked. Arg!
My Most Fearful moment: In the middle of the night I heard a noise in the corner of the room. While I am not afraid of mice, it's still alarming to have some unidentified -"could be a rodent" noise in the corner. We later identified the noise as our blind sweeping an airfreshner across the window sill- it was soooo windy the air was coming right through the closed windows, and moving the blinds.
Most windy moment: A few nights ago. It was really windy.
Lowest moment: the other morning laying on my bed, sick as a dog.
Most encouraged by others moments: 1. - a friend here told me the story of how her daughter broke her arm a few months ago but God healed it in 7 days. Apparently the doctor said "This is not possible" when she looked at the healed arm. 2. An encouraging email from Amy about what God has done in her life recently. Yeah!
Most inspired moment: Did a word study on the word "guard" from Philippians 4:6.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
The Greek word for "guard" here is used in other places in the NT in a military sense....
Moment most lacking in closure: Watched half of "The Sound of Music" then the disc was all wonky and couldn't finish it. (Yes I have seen it before, but i was really into it)
My most pleasant turn of events moment: Got message that one of my teachers from last term is taking over my conversation class- it's the lady who does the splits.... I like her.
My most anti climactic moment: Had this lovely couple over for lunch- they are also foreigners here, but not from North America. I spent a good part of the morning getting ready, served Shepherd's pie and stir fried veggies.....they were very polite, but I could tell they didn't really dig the food. (Not used to it...I've served that same dish to nationals here, and they really liked it, so I thought it would go over for them too....) We still had a good conversation, and we'll hang out again which is great, I really like them.
Alrighty - well that's enough of that!
Hope you are having lots of notable moments too. For all kinds of reasons.
My most Pleased with myself moment: had a few friends over- made a meal of squash soup and a chicken couscous dish. And, hey whatdya know -it all turned out well. My dear Hubby also made strawberry smoothies for everyone! The crowd went away satisfied!
My Most displeased with myself moment: Discovered I've lost my bike key, with the lock locked. Arg!
My Most Fearful moment: In the middle of the night I heard a noise in the corner of the room. While I am not afraid of mice, it's still alarming to have some unidentified -"could be a rodent" noise in the corner. We later identified the noise as our blind sweeping an airfreshner across the window sill- it was soooo windy the air was coming right through the closed windows, and moving the blinds.
Most windy moment: A few nights ago. It was really windy.
Lowest moment: the other morning laying on my bed, sick as a dog.
Most encouraged by others moments: 1. - a friend here told me the story of how her daughter broke her arm a few months ago but God healed it in 7 days. Apparently the doctor said "This is not possible" when she looked at the healed arm. 2. An encouraging email from Amy about what God has done in her life recently. Yeah!
Most inspired moment: Did a word study on the word "guard" from Philippians 4:6.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
The Greek word for "guard" here is used in other places in the NT in a military sense....
Moment most lacking in closure: Watched half of "The Sound of Music" then the disc was all wonky and couldn't finish it. (Yes I have seen it before, but i was really into it)
My most pleasant turn of events moment: Got message that one of my teachers from last term is taking over my conversation class- it's the lady who does the splits.... I like her.
My most anti climactic moment: Had this lovely couple over for lunch- they are also foreigners here, but not from North America. I spent a good part of the morning getting ready, served Shepherd's pie and stir fried veggies.....they were very polite, but I could tell they didn't really dig the food. (Not used to it...I've served that same dish to nationals here, and they really liked it, so I thought it would go over for them too....) We still had a good conversation, and we'll hang out again which is great, I really like them.
Alrighty - well that's enough of that!
Hope you are having lots of notable moments too. For all kinds of reasons.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Nick names
There's a new friend that we recently met, his english is quite good. He has this super sincere personality. Very friendly and loves to speak english with you. I just had to post this little story that I heard about him tonight!!
He also knows two of my North American friends-Brad and Rhonda.
So, one day our friend (Let's call him Earl) walks up to Brad and says "Hey! I have a new name for you! Want to hear what it is?"
Brad:" OK!"
Earl: "It's Chubby Boy!"
Ok, so Brad at this point is none too thrilled with the new nick name.... (he's not chubby at all either..)
so then Earl goes over to Rhonda and says "Oh! Brad doesn't like his new nick name!! Hey I have one for you too! It's "Hot Chick"
(Where he got these names - I have no idea!!)
Seeing as how Brad was thumbs down on Chubby Boy, Earl comes back to him again and says:
Earl: Hey Brad - I have a new name for you!"
Brad: "Ok, what is it?"
Earl: "It's Hank"
Brad:"Hank, oh ok, Hank."
Earl:" Don't you like it!!!! ????It means handsome man!"
Brad realized later that he was trying to say "Hunk"
Ok, I don't know about you ...but i find everything from "Chubby Boy to Hot Chick, to Hank and Hunk" very funny.
He also knows two of my North American friends-Brad and Rhonda.
So, one day our friend (Let's call him Earl) walks up to Brad and says "Hey! I have a new name for you! Want to hear what it is?"
Brad:" OK!"
Earl: "It's Chubby Boy!"
Ok, so Brad at this point is none too thrilled with the new nick name.... (he's not chubby at all either..)
so then Earl goes over to Rhonda and says "Oh! Brad doesn't like his new nick name!! Hey I have one for you too! It's "Hot Chick"
(Where he got these names - I have no idea!!)
Seeing as how Brad was thumbs down on Chubby Boy, Earl comes back to him again and says:
Earl: Hey Brad - I have a new name for you!"
Brad: "Ok, what is it?"
Earl: "It's Hank"
Brad:"Hank, oh ok, Hank."
Earl:" Don't you like it!!!! ????It means handsome man!"
Brad realized later that he was trying to say "Hunk"
Ok, I don't know about you ...but i find everything from "Chubby Boy to Hot Chick, to Hank and Hunk" very funny.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Spring sniffles
Well, it's a sunny gorgeous day here. The sun is streaming in and its very springy all around.
Last week was the first time I noticed that the bushes were starting to bud. Now there are bonafide leaves on some of them, and I noticed green clover that was starting to come up on my walk to school yesterday. The trees still look pretty bare, but it is amazing how far just a little bit of green goes in giving you hope!
But, while it is nice outside, my head feels like it is in a foggy cloud. I have come down with this nasty cold or flu. It's one of those very contradictory kinds- I'm really really cold, so I cover up, then I'm really really hot, so I take off some covers, then I'm really cold etc...and I feel like I need to lie down but when I lie down I get a headache, and earlier I felt hungry and nauseous at the same time. Very Contradictory. Right now, I'm feeling somewhat better, but I'm prepared that I may feel worse again soon.
My husband also has it, but it seems much more low grade for him. He seems hardly effected. So that's good. He has been slowly working at coming off of his medication for his other health problem. He still has a number of weeks left. It seems to be going well so far though.
Well, there's your health and weather update for today!!
UPdate: Apparently my husband feels quite rotten too.(with this cold)
Last week was the first time I noticed that the bushes were starting to bud. Now there are bonafide leaves on some of them, and I noticed green clover that was starting to come up on my walk to school yesterday. The trees still look pretty bare, but it is amazing how far just a little bit of green goes in giving you hope!
But, while it is nice outside, my head feels like it is in a foggy cloud. I have come down with this nasty cold or flu. It's one of those very contradictory kinds- I'm really really cold, so I cover up, then I'm really really hot, so I take off some covers, then I'm really cold etc...and I feel like I need to lie down but when I lie down I get a headache, and earlier I felt hungry and nauseous at the same time. Very Contradictory. Right now, I'm feeling somewhat better, but I'm prepared that I may feel worse again soon.
My husband also has it, but it seems much more low grade for him. He seems hardly effected. So that's good. He has been slowly working at coming off of his medication for his other health problem. He still has a number of weeks left. It seems to be going well so far though.
Well, there's your health and weather update for today!!
UPdate: Apparently my husband feels quite rotten too.(with this cold)
Sunday, March 19, 2006
My fav Jack Handy saying- or close to it.
A quote on Tiffany's blog reminded me of something that I once found very very funny.
It goes something like this....
"The most fearsome animal in the world is not the lion, tiger or bear. It is a shark riding on an elephant, trampling and biting everything in sight."
Note: I wrote this from memory- it's pretty close to the original saying in my Deep Thoughts book.
It goes something like this....
"The most fearsome animal in the world is not the lion, tiger or bear. It is a shark riding on an elephant, trampling and biting everything in sight."
Note: I wrote this from memory- it's pretty close to the original saying in my Deep Thoughts book.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Things that speak of the splendor of God
While we were away I really enjoyed the flowers, and shrubbery- it was a feast for the eyes!
The Make over
My husband and I have been talking about sprucing up this one little corner of our place, the area that is our guest "room." I'm sort of excited about the result of our make over so far! We spruced it up some things we recently found along the way in our travels!
Before
And after!
Well, you may think- "Umm, actually, I really like the brown plaid couch better." Well, while I realize that brown is really "in" in Canada right now, uh, well, everything here is brown or grey outside right now, so why add to the depressive colour scheme by our own choice? (when we bought it it was supposed to be blue) ....
I intentionally posted these house make over pictures just after the flower pictures. The reason being that both sets express creativity. The first, God's handiwork, the second, a creative project of ours. I love the idea that when we are being creative, we are simply reflecting the fact that we are made in the image of God. He is creative, (flowers, trees, animals, the universe, people) we are made in His image, and therefore we also have that characteristic. (we decorate, write, draw, write music etc) We are simply reflecting Him. Our ability to be creative is a gift from Him, but it's extra special because we not only have this wonderful gift but we are also reflecting the giver when we use the gift.
I got so much satisfaction and joy out of simply creating a new look for that couch. My mind can only conceive of a fraction of the joy and satisfaction that God must derive from all of His creative projects!
Humans can make some really cool stuff. But His work blows our away everytime!!(Of course anything we make, is actually made up of things that He has created first, and He gives us the capacity in the first place to even have a remotely creative thought!) In a nutshell, I think the idea that my creativity is a reflection of the Creator of the universe is incredibly wild, and beyond cool at the same time.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
What is this? DeGrassi Junior High?
Do you ever have those moments that bring back those insecure feelings from Junior high school?
The other day I was sitting at the back of my class. My friend didn't come that day, so I was the only one back there. There were a smattering of other students from various countries there....amongst them - 4 Russian girls. They just transfered into our class, and are quite good with the language- and are eager beavers to say the least. They like to be the first to answer the questions, and are good at reading, will correct you if you give the wrong answer etc.
For me, it was one of my first days back at school after being away for quite some time, so I was just getting back in the swing of things. Feeling rusty.
I was sitting with my head in my hand staring at my book...the teacher was saying "waw waw waw waw waw" (think Charlie Brown- that is literally how it sounds to me- 60% of the time I have no idea what they are saying. If I don't pay attention it sounds like that 80% if the time.)
After a few minutes it dawned on me that I was hearing "Waw waw pause" ....."Waw waw pause".... "Waw waw? pause" .... I realized that the teacher was talking to someone in the class and they weren't responding. Upon lifting my head I realized it was me. If it were in english it would have sounded like this " Stella...", "Stella", ....."Stella?" which makes no sense right? Yeah, cuz my name is not Stella. So, understandably I was a little confused....who is Stella? Is that the name of one of the people in the dialogue? Or does she think I'm Stella? So, in my flustered state,I fumbled through explaining that my name is not Stella, my name is actually blah blah blah.... etc..." I don't think the teacher understood me as she just moved on to asking someone else to read the dialogue and didn't ask me to read anything else after that. Which was ok with me actually, but what bothered me was that the Russian girls laughed at me. And I felt a sting of that kind of embarrassment that you become well acquanted with in Junior High School, but rarely experience after that time. I don't think they were trying to be mean, I think it was actually a funny moment- if you weren't the person being called Stella...
I realized from this event that it doesn't take much to bias you against people. Really. I felt a touch of distaste for the eager beavers after that. Most likely that distaste is based on a misperception. Regardless though, I decided I'm going to make a move to be friendly and choose to be gracious. Forgive it, move on, reach out. I know it sounds like a petty little thing-....but even the little things can cause rifts. I know that I have the capacity to let that tiny bit of embarrassment cause me to be just a little bit less friendly, to be a little less warm...and to be truthful, they probably wouldn't care. But I would know it. And God would know it. And my heart would be a little colder for it. And really, isn't life too short for that? After all, I'm really not in junior high anymore.
The other day I was sitting at the back of my class. My friend didn't come that day, so I was the only one back there. There were a smattering of other students from various countries there....amongst them - 4 Russian girls. They just transfered into our class, and are quite good with the language- and are eager beavers to say the least. They like to be the first to answer the questions, and are good at reading, will correct you if you give the wrong answer etc.
For me, it was one of my first days back at school after being away for quite some time, so I was just getting back in the swing of things. Feeling rusty.
I was sitting with my head in my hand staring at my book...the teacher was saying "waw waw waw waw waw" (think Charlie Brown- that is literally how it sounds to me- 60% of the time I have no idea what they are saying. If I don't pay attention it sounds like that 80% if the time.)
After a few minutes it dawned on me that I was hearing "Waw waw pause" ....."Waw waw pause".... "Waw waw? pause" .... I realized that the teacher was talking to someone in the class and they weren't responding. Upon lifting my head I realized it was me. If it were in english it would have sounded like this " Stella...", "Stella", ....."Stella?" which makes no sense right? Yeah, cuz my name is not Stella. So, understandably I was a little confused....who is Stella? Is that the name of one of the people in the dialogue? Or does she think I'm Stella? So, in my flustered state,I fumbled through explaining that my name is not Stella, my name is actually blah blah blah.... etc..." I don't think the teacher understood me as she just moved on to asking someone else to read the dialogue and didn't ask me to read anything else after that. Which was ok with me actually, but what bothered me was that the Russian girls laughed at me. And I felt a sting of that kind of embarrassment that you become well acquanted with in Junior High School, but rarely experience after that time. I don't think they were trying to be mean, I think it was actually a funny moment- if you weren't the person being called Stella...
I realized from this event that it doesn't take much to bias you against people. Really. I felt a touch of distaste for the eager beavers after that. Most likely that distaste is based on a misperception. Regardless though, I decided I'm going to make a move to be friendly and choose to be gracious. Forgive it, move on, reach out. I know it sounds like a petty little thing-....but even the little things can cause rifts. I know that I have the capacity to let that tiny bit of embarrassment cause me to be just a little bit less friendly, to be a little less warm...and to be truthful, they probably wouldn't care. But I would know it. And God would know it. And my heart would be a little colder for it. And really, isn't life too short for that? After all, I'm really not in junior high anymore.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Remnants of March 8th - International Womans Day!
It must be noted that only one of these lily stalks was given me for International Womens Day. The other one that you see in the picture is a gift from my husband, for no reason in particular, which is also a great reason to get flowers.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Some time ago, I mentioned a few things that I was going to share about our time away that I haven't told you about yet. On the whole- it was very good. I can't possibly go into it all here. So, suffice it to say, it was good, we are glad we went. So, that is the overall synopsis... however I feel compelled to say that it was (as is painfully obvious from the previous posts) an unusual trip for us due to unusual mishaps minor and major.
Both my husband and I have traveled a fair amount, but this trip stood out in having an unusually high number of critter run-ins. As I've already mentioned- there was Buffy the vampire cat, and my husband's illness which may have be caused by something mosquito born (the jury is still out on that one.) Here is where I throw in a disclaimer.....disclaimer: I'm sharing about this due to the fact that it seemed unusual, so if you are given to a controlling fear and aversion to creepy crawly critters, then don't let this add fuel to a fear of travelling!
Ok then. When we arrived in our first local, it was a great place. A clean, bright place....but what I noticed upon inspection of the place was a HUGE spider....no......think biggger....... no think bigger....as it sat on the glass of our window the span from one side to the other was about 10 cm....or 4ish inches....neither of us were really scared of it but both of us wanted that thing out of our room! So, my husband was kind enough to somehow get it into a glass and take it outside.
The second thing that we discovered in that room was a thick trail of ants that went from the window in the bathroom along a ledge around the back wall behind the toilet and up over the doorframe. They disappeared into a hole in the doorframe. We didn't even attempt to get rid of them. There were thousands of them. They stuck to their little trail for the most part. And they would disappear during the hottest part of the day, then come back later. So we just ignored them.
The third thing in that place was the hardest to shrug off. I get the willies just thinking about it. One night, we turned out the lights and I flopped down on the pristinely made bed get some shut eye (it was too hot to go under the covers so I just lay down on top of the sheets without disturbing the covers. ) I was laying down for all of about 1 minute when I felt something prickle me. I shot around with a gasp to see what it was and saw this guy zipping away over the side of the bed. (click on it to see picture) Brrrrrrrr! I was out of that bed faster than lightening. (faster than the mouse incident in Winnipeg Karen D) We searched and destroyed that thing. Should have taken a picture of it. It was huge. (we were on ground floor by the way, and there was a huge crack at the bottom of our door, so I think that's where some of our little friends were coming in..)
Later, we went to a different place, no critter incidence. But the third place we went to we also had a night time visitor. There were a lot of little geckos around everywhere. They are these very nice little lizards that eat mosquitos. They don't hurt you or want anything to do with you. Generally they mind their own business. But we did have some in our room that would chirp at night. One night my husband was thrashing around in bed- one of them had fallen off the ceiling onto the foot of the bed in the middle of the night. That gecko will definately be more careful next time.
I can say, while being not super critter tolerant. We still had a very good time. Even with my husband's illness, he would still say it was a good trip.
Ok, gonna go relax now!
Both my husband and I have traveled a fair amount, but this trip stood out in having an unusually high number of critter run-ins. As I've already mentioned- there was Buffy the vampire cat, and my husband's illness which may have be caused by something mosquito born (the jury is still out on that one.) Here is where I throw in a disclaimer.....disclaimer: I'm sharing about this due to the fact that it seemed unusual, so if you are given to a controlling fear and aversion to creepy crawly critters, then don't let this add fuel to a fear of travelling!
Ok then. When we arrived in our first local, it was a great place. A clean, bright place....but what I noticed upon inspection of the place was a HUGE spider....no......think biggger....... no think bigger....as it sat on the glass of our window the span from one side to the other was about 10 cm....or 4ish inches....neither of us were really scared of it but both of us wanted that thing out of our room! So, my husband was kind enough to somehow get it into a glass and take it outside.
The second thing that we discovered in that room was a thick trail of ants that went from the window in the bathroom along a ledge around the back wall behind the toilet and up over the doorframe. They disappeared into a hole in the doorframe. We didn't even attempt to get rid of them. There were thousands of them. They stuck to their little trail for the most part. And they would disappear during the hottest part of the day, then come back later. So we just ignored them.
The third thing in that place was the hardest to shrug off. I get the willies just thinking about it. One night, we turned out the lights and I flopped down on the pristinely made bed get some shut eye (it was too hot to go under the covers so I just lay down on top of the sheets without disturbing the covers. ) I was laying down for all of about 1 minute when I felt something prickle me. I shot around with a gasp to see what it was and saw this guy zipping away over the side of the bed. (click on it to see picture) Brrrrrrrr! I was out of that bed faster than lightening. (faster than the mouse incident in Winnipeg Karen D) We searched and destroyed that thing. Should have taken a picture of it. It was huge. (we were on ground floor by the way, and there was a huge crack at the bottom of our door, so I think that's where some of our little friends were coming in..)
Later, we went to a different place, no critter incidence. But the third place we went to we also had a night time visitor. There were a lot of little geckos around everywhere. They are these very nice little lizards that eat mosquitos. They don't hurt you or want anything to do with you. Generally they mind their own business. But we did have some in our room that would chirp at night. One night my husband was thrashing around in bed- one of them had fallen off the ceiling onto the foot of the bed in the middle of the night. That gecko will definately be more careful next time.
I can say, while being not super critter tolerant. We still had a very good time. Even with my husband's illness, he would still say it was a good trip.
Ok, gonna go relax now!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Classic moments
Just a few odds n ends about things I've enjoyed recently .
I was thinking about this tonight that one of my favourite phrases that I've learned here is, "Hello little friend".... useful. I use it a lot. Since lots of kids stare at, approach , or yell HA-LOW! at me, it's nice to be able to say something to them. Also, lots of people with babies respond really warmly to me if I talk to their baby. So I say "Hello little friend" (usually with raised eyebrows and high pitched voice) and then the mom, dad or grandparent will say "Say hello to auntie!" (They call everybody auntie and uncle here)
A favourite moment the other day was riding my bike with a friend. We were coming home from something that we had been out doing and we happened upon a strawberry cart. That in itself was fun, but get this- the strawberries were $1.40 Cdn for 3 pounds. Amazing. Anway,as we were pulling away, I hear this commotion behind me, this girl laughing. She had walked into this massive pole, but wasn't hurt. I think she walked into it because she was staring at me. Ah, that gave me a chuckle.
Some friends of ours just had a baby. He's about 2 months old right now, I've seen him twice. Huge kiddo. (For here that is) I got to hold him for the first time this week. Oh it was fun! And for some reason he smiles for me. Apparently I'm the only person he's smiley with. I consider myself greatly blessed in this. Apparently I'm also the first person he's peed on. Can't say that that is such a blessing, but hey, I guess he's comfortable with me.
Wednesday was International Women's Day. I recieved a stem of stargazer lilies and a free dinner. Canadian women, I'm telling ya, we gotta get on this international women's day thing. Here there are big sales in stores, restaurants often offer deals, and some people get time off. Some Russian girls in my class said that Russians get a 3 day holiday. At least that's what I think they were saying. Why don't we do more?
Ok, well, I'm going to go now, I need to go do some baking, before it gets too late.
I was thinking about this tonight that one of my favourite phrases that I've learned here is, "Hello little friend".... useful. I use it a lot. Since lots of kids stare at, approach , or yell HA-LOW! at me, it's nice to be able to say something to them. Also, lots of people with babies respond really warmly to me if I talk to their baby. So I say "Hello little friend" (usually with raised eyebrows and high pitched voice) and then the mom, dad or grandparent will say "Say hello to auntie!" (They call everybody auntie and uncle here)
A favourite moment the other day was riding my bike with a friend. We were coming home from something that we had been out doing and we happened upon a strawberry cart. That in itself was fun, but get this- the strawberries were $1.40 Cdn for 3 pounds. Amazing. Anway,as we were pulling away, I hear this commotion behind me, this girl laughing. She had walked into this massive pole, but wasn't hurt. I think she walked into it because she was staring at me. Ah, that gave me a chuckle.
Some friends of ours just had a baby. He's about 2 months old right now, I've seen him twice. Huge kiddo. (For here that is) I got to hold him for the first time this week. Oh it was fun! And for some reason he smiles for me. Apparently I'm the only person he's smiley with. I consider myself greatly blessed in this. Apparently I'm also the first person he's peed on. Can't say that that is such a blessing, but hey, I guess he's comfortable with me.
Wednesday was International Women's Day. I recieved a stem of stargazer lilies and a free dinner. Canadian women, I'm telling ya, we gotta get on this international women's day thing. Here there are big sales in stores, restaurants often offer deals, and some people get time off. Some Russian girls in my class said that Russians get a 3 day holiday. At least that's what I think they were saying. Why don't we do more?
Ok, well, I'm going to go now, I need to go do some baking, before it gets too late.
Hubs health update
Friday night. At home for once. It was a full Looooong day. But a reasonably good one none the less.
My husband and I are going to watch an episode of Lost in a little while. To unwind. He is digging around right now for a "Big Turk" to eat for a treat. (That's a chocolate bar that is made of turkish delight. He likes that kind. It's an aquired taste.) He got some as a gift awhile ago and has been storing them away for times like this. Generally we've been watching what we eat, as he is still on the medication from his illness, and it raises his blood sugar levels so it's a bad idea to eat a lot of sugar right now.
As for his health, it's going ok. We've made to trips up to the big hospital about 3 hours away. He's being tapered off the meds, but last week had to raise the amount he was taking as it seemed to be a little too rapid for his body to respond rightly. So, he gets his blood checked again in a few days.
I asked him if he wanted to be a guest blogger to share some things about his experience. So, that may be an upcoming post!
My husband and I are going to watch an episode of Lost in a little while. To unwind. He is digging around right now for a "Big Turk" to eat for a treat. (That's a chocolate bar that is made of turkish delight. He likes that kind. It's an aquired taste.) He got some as a gift awhile ago and has been storing them away for times like this. Generally we've been watching what we eat, as he is still on the medication from his illness, and it raises his blood sugar levels so it's a bad idea to eat a lot of sugar right now.
As for his health, it's going ok. We've made to trips up to the big hospital about 3 hours away. He's being tapered off the meds, but last week had to raise the amount he was taking as it seemed to be a little too rapid for his body to respond rightly. So, he gets his blood checked again in a few days.
I asked him if he wanted to be a guest blogger to share some things about his experience. So, that may be an upcoming post!
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