3 months?! Or almost, since I've written here. Well, we've had a crazy, crazy time of it, with a combination of lots of work and lots of viruses. No time to write, no time to think, even, I feel as though the last few months have whipped by in a never-ending tornado of laundry, toy-management, and homework. But looking back, it seems that we actually have lots of news, and even a few photos to share. So here goes, I'll try a quick synopsis...

1. Little News...

Valentines Day - I cracked the Panayiotidis wine, and it was just as good, maybe better, as remembered. Gotta go back soon, as there are now only - gasp! - 5 bottles left!

Carnaval - Lia dressed up as a skeleton and Joji as a panda (in keeping with the black and white theme) - they were the hit of several parties...

Clean Monday (the first Day of Lent) in March- we went for a picnic and kite-flying. Great day, but Joji was on the verge of Bronchitis 1, so he was a bit cranky and not so happy to have the wind in his face all the time. The rest of us had fun, though.

Lia's Ballet Exam - lots of extra work paid off, and she said all went well. I watched the girls on their final practice day and they really looked great. Results to come back sometime between now and next September (!?)...

Crazy computer happenings - software conflicts (my fault entirely) and RAM failure (not my fault) just as I was starting some new graphic design projects. This was of course concurrent with Joji's week-long bout of Gastro-enteritis (in between Bronchitis 2 and 3) which meant that he was home from school and, therefore, underfoot at all times. He did discover his passion, however, during this period - mopping and sweeping - and we now think he might have a great future as a Sanitation Engineer...

 

2. Big News (here's the juicy part)

See that tree? (actually there's 2 trees and lots of scrub)

That will (hopefully) soon be OUR Tree. Yup - we found a plot of land that is exactly what we want/need, and the last 2 months have largely been taken up with a) deciding to buy it (that took about 3 seconds), and b) trying to buy it. Not an easy process. First, getting the loan (not too hard, but scary), then doing the deal. What seemed like a pretty straightforward transaction has turned into one big bureaucratic mess after another. All this stems from the fact that this piece of land is bordered on 2 sides by "Meadow" and "Forest" - both protected categories. (Do 2 trees make a forest?) Of course, this is part of what makes it so great in the first place, as it means that (theoretically) no one can build right next to us. But in practice, it means that we have to run from one government agency to the next trying to get answers (always different depending on which department you go to) and finish paperwork. Think of having to deal with the DMV, Post Office, and phone company -every day-  and you get the idea...

So we have a couple more weeks to satisfy all the bureaucrats, build a road, and dig for archealogical remains, and then we can close the sale. May 18 is the magic target date. More on this soon - meanwhile here's more photos... (Note the many 'meadow' and 'forest'-like features - grass, bugs, thorny-prickly things, sheepshit and dung beatles. Also 2 wonderful children aaaawwwwww...)