January 11th

Around 11am I gave up and turned towards home. The coffee he drunk before we left the house some 2 hours earlier did not seem wanting to wear off. Of course he weas only waiting for this signal and fell asleep. There might be the odd question ‘why let a toddler drink coffee?’ but my comeback is Lili’s explanation on how she came to have drunk coffee when she accidentally revealed that she didn’t like coffee: she was walking with her tongue hanging out, she slipped and fell and her tongue accidentally got into the coffee cup sitting on the floor next to the sofa. Ernest’s explanation is so much more modest and straight to the point; I put my more or less empty cup on the table and i turned my back. Surely, what did I expect?

The past week’s biggest achievements are... hm, Jen is frantically studying for exams, writing blog entrie(s) and... well, she is having a stressful time. Poor little sowing machine is sitting on the side of the desk with the dustcover on. Lili is enjoying weaving and keeps talking about it all the time ( I prefer I recounts of school life). Ernest on our Sunday afternoon sunny walk and play in the park learnt to sit down on the slide all by himself and, well, slide down. It was so exciting eventually he stopped doing this in his excitement and would just throw himself down the slide. He had another one. Today while I was yet again talking to the greenpeace activist on the walking street, which happens sort of every time we walk there, Ernest discovered his tongue. Again. He does this at least once a week. And last but not least late this morning walking in town I caught myself thinking about my thesis topic! It was quite a surprise actually. Have been avoiding it for quite some time and now there it was!

In the afternoon I’ve found some old oranges in the fridge and decided to handpress some juice for the kids only to have the glass thrown on the ground. Was tempted to soak it up and squeeze and hand press the second time but i couldn’t.

Started watching river cottage, the very first episode. The pigs were cute. Or so we were told. Lili weaved. It was Jen’t idea, it’s a training video for our future rural life. We are setting up the online community as we speak. Just goes slowly with all this other bits to do.

And finally some politics too

12Dec

Last night we have gone mainstream. We did what everyone else and went for a walk with the children after dinner. It was snowing you see and here in Szeged snow is something still unusual and unlikely to stay around till the morning. Which it didn’t so I congratulate to all of us around town for taking the kids out during the evening. We were smart. It was fun, Both Lili and Ernest were besides themselves with joy. And so was I actually. Ernest was pretty much a first timer though, so it was the excitement of the new for him while Lili, Jen and I probably just missed the stuff. Although it was nothing like building a snowcave but we are a long way from home. It’s ok.

Today was eventless, at least around the home. Jen and Lili went out for a ballet performance in the afternoon. Philosophy of bodies it was called and I hear it was good. Lili practically danced through the thing in her chair. Must have been a site.

With Ernest we (sure we?) decided to watch a documentary about pension funds investment policies and its consequences, the movie speaking mostly in German wit French subtitles. A generally good bashing on contemporary economic globalization. The pictures were amazing though and I still have managed to learn something new about the maintenance of US hegemony.

On Saturday I took the kids to the market which was fun, it always is and then we went for lunch at the vegetarian restaurant. Why is it that such places are always into Indian inspired spiritualism?

Two nights ago I read some recounts from protesters about their experiences on parliament square.
What I have to say about it is following this link.

Lili had a most amazing weekend with the first snow here, Christmas market, going out for lunch loving the food and going to a ballet for the first time of her life.
After all this she will tell the most hideous story from the weekend come Monday morning’s circle time at school.

08 December

I have scared myself away from posting any blog entries after something that could be considered as a breakdown... it was no fun. Wanting out.
When Starting to gather one's self, comes the family, parents being offended for putting demands on them such as 'stop putting demands on us!'

Maybe I should go for a different approach. Write days, simple straight forward. Seemingly at least.

The gas repair guy was running late so by the time he fixed the heater in the kids' room Ernest was up for a nap. We didn't get out before noon after that so most of our plans were scrapped. I enjoyed doing nothing, mostly nothing while he slept. Of course I could have dressed him amid a tuntrum and put him in the buggy to sleep there but since the old one got stolen he sleeps less on the go than he used to. Although we took the flattened people with us to the market LINK, we were so brief and quick that I actually forgot to take their pictures. At least there was some shopping done.

Practically ran to get Lili from school only to realise they were having late lunch. We waited. Ernest played with the stools until realising there were trays of sand for writing in. Waiting become miserable then.

We went home where I cooked a vegan carrot and ginger soup and later at dinner we realised it was good. Jen made us some coffee before we took off again on the bikes, bit early for Ballet but we wanted to go back to a shop we were at yesterday or the day before. An item we bought was faulty. The shopkeeper was friendly and helpful on our return. We didnt queue up for sweet bread freshly baked. Had to go.

Liliom was thrilled as we were there first. This has never happened before and about two minutes later when other children and parents started filing in she proudly announced them 'we have been here for ages'. While she nearly passed out of heat exhaustion for doors or windows are not allowed to be open I went on a shoe hunt without much success. the shopping centre was fun, captain Ernest standing at the front of the boat, sorry, trolley shouting...hm whatever he might have been shouting. Directions, insults perhaps?

The day before's leftovers and the ginger and carrot soup for a change Lili liked. After dinner Ernest insisted on a bath while I insisted the others tidy up while I help him to it. There was tears almost, fortunately Jen handled the request well, it was Lili who was a bit taken aback.

We watched glee and after the kids were in bed I spent, we spent some 250€ online. so it didnt feel so good but wasnt bad. It was a challenge to work
the german amazon site especially after i realised i put in the wrong address and had to track order and... it took me a while. In the mean time, and most of the day Jen has been trying, is trying and becoming desperate to find a task or topic for her assignment in bilingualism course. The original's requirement she doesnt suit. At times At some point I offered I will do it for her as I am a bilingual person and therefore can carry out the task but fortunately she declined which is cool because I dont fulfill other criterias such as being a student on the course or having indebt knowledge of the topic