Bliss!

Emi had nice sleep on my chest. Only one day left to enjoy these smooches... Then we'll head home to some fresh snow, just as it starts to melt over here. We've been ok, as we were prepared for snow, but I feel sorry for the Greeks!

BMW!

I forgot to bring the memory card uploader for the iPad, so the photos taken with the camera will have to wait until we  get back home. We're going for a walk soon, to a huge BMW showroom. Little munchkin will come to take us there, then Sandra will go on one of her very long, very fast walks, we'll find our way back and meet everybody back home.

Ha! I took the iPad with me, so you can see the cars.

Pause for coffee and cake:

I'm not a car or motorbike enthusiast, but you-know-who likes boys toys! I enjoyed my fruit and nut cake with the nice cup of coffee... ;-)

Munich, here we go!

We're travelling to Paris right now and then we'll have an overnight journey to Munich, arriving there around 9:15 am. We decided to go by bus, as it's snowing a lot in Bavaria, we don't have winter tyres and can't afford them at the moment. Motorists who get caught driving without them get a fine and a point on their licence. The bus company is German and the buses look very cheerful.

We're returning on the 13th, arriving home late the next day, then on Monday we have to pick up my nephew from the airport. He's the one studying in Dublin, who was treated to a lovely meal and a Christmas party by our dear IrishGirl. His visa expires on the 17th, but he has an interview at end of February at a college he'll attend next September, so he'll be staying with us until March.

Busy days ahead, but what I really really really want is to give this little person loads of smooches!

I will blog when I can, yes? Be good, peeps!  ;-)

We bought a nice little car

We bought this nice car, with low mileage, in very good condition, and at a reasonable price. Peter drove it and was quite impressed. We can't do anything about insurance until tomorrow, though. We'll drive back to France early on Tuesday morning, then I'll get behind the wheel. I can't drive in London anymore, it's too crazy!

London here we go

We're at the airport waiting to board our plane to London. Unfortunately, the nice Honda we bought a few years ago has broken down, so we're going to get another car... I'll let you know how it goes. 

As I always need to post a picture, here's my sons' clock. These personal trainers sure eat a lot!

Hi! Yes, I'm still here

I had a very long, very tiring journey home. Just about all my chosen modes of transport were delayed. I'm still getting myself back together. It's as hot here as it was on Miami, but we don't have A/C here... We've been spending a lot of our time on the lake.

Here's a picture of my farewell lunch and Dora's smily face. I miss her already.

Sorry, GrannyJ...

Sunset from CC's balcony:

Sunrise...

The pool:

A certain blogger in the pool:

The same blogger in the Jacuzzi:

Hey, it's a hard life, but somebody has to live it!

Good morning!

When we woke up this morning, we were greeted by this:

Then it rained a few cats and dogs, followed by this:

We're off to the swimming pool!

Peter has gone to the Bastille Day horse races in Pompadour with friends. I like to know they're looking after him while I'm away... 

A tout à l'heure!

Quick note from Miami

Yo, my lovely peeps! I'm totally jet-lagged and still exhausted from an absolutely epic journey. There are pitfalls to life in the sticks, such as the logistics of getting from A to B to C at the right time, etc etc etc. I spent more than 40 hours awake, walking miles in a very large airport or sitting uncomfortably for hours on end. No wonder I have the impression I landed on another planet! I'll try to post as often as possible. In the meantime, here are a couple of nice pictures:

Swimming pretty

One of the passions of my niece's deceased husband was his tropical fish tank. It's quite large, over 7 feet long! There's a nice variety of fish and corals. I found it very relaxing to watch them.

A couple of Nemos:

 

The red fish with crazy eyes was nicknamed Charles Manson. There have been several of them. When they die, they're quickly replaced because they are my niece's favourite fish.

This prawn is a good friend of the big fish with blue lipstick. He vacuum cleans his friend very carefully, to keep his scales and skin pristine. The fish is normally a dull blue colour, but when the cleaning is in progress, he turns a brilliant silver.

The pictures were taken with the iPad, so the quality is not very good, but they'll have to do for now. Dora will post my camera and other bits very soon. I can't remember what's in the memory card!

First meal I cooked after getting back home

I'll post photos I took in Miami after I've recovered from the jetlag. In the meantime, here's our first lunch together since I arrived back home: 

Last full day in Miami

I'm flying back home tomorrow... Time flies when you're having fun, and a lot of fun I had with my wonderful family and our lovely CC. I missed Peter and the cats, can't wait to hug them all. Here's an Irish joke to keep us smiling:

Keep the conversation going...

Thank you for all your good wishes for a speedy recovery from this blasted cold. 

I'm still coughing a lot. Some places here have Arctic temperatures, then you step outside into a very hot oven, followed by another spell in the cold, then more heat and so on. It's very hard to get rid of a virus when your body's thermostat is constantly under siege! I'm eating like a horse, that should help...

These stylish illustrations by Malika Favre might inspire me to get better quickly so I can arrange to meet CC very soon.

Dublin - Bonus un-touristy photos

This is the latest batch of photos from CC. Thank you, dahhling!