So when the UK sleeps, we know you other MNers are out there part II

[tadjennyp]

I was looking for thumbwitch's recipe for that cake and found the old thread has disappeared so Linzer and I thought we'd resurrect it!

Factor 4!!!!! I'm constantly slathered in Factor 50....

I'm so jealous of the snow and Christmassy things, although I wouldn't relish having to clear the driveway of snow to go out for coffee and cakes now I think of it. Christmas in the sun just doesn't feel like Christmas to me but there we go.

thumb that must be horrible seeing the poor kangaroos. I know they're dangerous and a bit of a pest but they look like such nice creatures. Like koala bears I suppose, which are apparently very vicious!

Have you started packing yet stranded? Diplomatic mail does take forever, doesn't it? But so does standard mail... at least diplomatic is safer and there's no chance of things taking 8 weeks and counting when it's supposed to be 3-4 days.

Happy Monday everyone!

I am also determined to have a much better Monday than I did a Sunday. Starting with a good night's sleep I think! Just waiting for dh to skype from Bulgaria.....

Are you up ridiculously early (or ridiculously late) Jenny? I've been awake since 4 am, when DH got up to go to the airport; am feeling OK atm, but suspect coffee will be needed later.

Factor 4 was a long time ago, frakkin - I'm probably showing my age here! I wouldn't use anything less than factor 15 now, and generally buy 20-30, although I try to stay out of the sun as much as possible anyway.

Sorry, ignore my previous comment jenny - I realised afterwards that you quite often post around that time!

Have just had a text from DH to let me know he's arrived in Berlin OK. There's a heightened terrorist threat in Germany atm so he hasn't told his parents about his trip (his mother is a terrible worrier), but he's staying outside the centre so I'm not too worried.

Right there were a few Jennifer Pentland's but I am pretty sure I have the right one - one of your "likes" was MN! And you're surely not the strange looking child dressed as an elf (?) in Hawaii! You've got two gorgeous little children and you are all wearing hats?

Frakkin - not really packing yet, although I am putting things aside that we won't need here to pack later. And getting organised - the heavy packing bloke coming round this week to see how much needs to be taken. Need to sort out toys, this should be a good excuse for a proper clean out.

So you get to use the dip bag - what is it you/your dh do? I am fairly sure the FCO don't have people in Reunion! Actually, I've just been having a look at some info about Reunion and I see that they speak a Creole. I wonder how close it is to the creole spoken here, which is also French based. (probably nothing like it as the ethnicities of the two countries is very different)

Thumbwitch and everyone else - thanks for letting me be your FB friends

right so if you get random friends request on facebook it's from me (if initials are cw).

I'm sure your husband will be fine Linzer. It doesn't stop you worrying though, does it? I wasn't up that late. Try and go to bed for 11 but don't always make it. However dcs let me have a lie-in till 8am this morning! Woo-hoo! They are out in the snow so I can MN get on with cleaning the house!

Have just accepted your friend request, stranded.

jenny I used to get ridiculously worried whenever DH travelled anywhere on business, but am much better than I used to be and don't religiously check his flights like I used to. I think I may have mentioned that the worst time was when we were in the USA just after 9-11; he had three trips planned between then and my due date, and I didn't feel like I could look forward to DD1 being born until he was back home safe and sound from the last one.
Is your DH still in Germany or has he left for (sorry, can't remember where - somewhere in Eastern Europe?) now? I bet you (and the DC) can't wait until he's home.

Thanks linzer - I am still laughing about jet ski-ing across the Pacific on google earth!

I know it's hard to keep it in perspective sometimes but even with a heightened terror threat your sh is still (a lot) more likely to be killeddin a car crash on the way to the airport than by a terrorist.

But I also know it's hard not to think about these things, especially when they are all over the media. My brother was in Bangladesh on 9/11 and my sister-in-law rang me in a total panic on the day to see what she thought would happen to him (I was working in the FCO at the time so she obviously thought I would know!). It was a terrible time. I flew out to New York a few days later and was one of the only people on the flight!

Now I just worry about hurricanes and volcano ash hampering my journey's....

thumbwitch I keep meaning to ask you - whereabouts in Oz are you, with so many kangeroos? And what made you decide to move out there in the first place? Is it a permanent move? Or have you not decided yet? I loved NZ when I was there a decade ago - would have moved there had it not been so far from the UK.

And if you want to go from Japan to the USA, you're told to kayak across the Pacific Ocean!

I know my fear of flying is completely irrational - I read somewhere that you're more likely to be struck by lightning or killed by a bee sting than to die in a plane crash; it's just that plane crashes are so dramatic (which also means that when they do happen, they inevitably hit the headlines).

The DDs are finally (2.5 hours after bedtime) quiet, which I hope means asleep; the excitement of being allowed to sleep in my bed tonight was obviously too much for them! Am now on the verge of falling asleep myself, so think I'll call it a night (even if it isn't quite the early night that I'd planned).

That's hilarious about the kayak - they all involve Japan,do you think it's something to do with bored Japanese techys?

stranded - DH is Aussie, hence reason for move out here. We are in NSW, 1.5h north of Sydney and the only reason we have so many kangaroos near us is because we live close to a nearly-defunct mental institution that was built on beautiful land but is about a 4km drive through bush til you get there from our direction (proper road but) - I reckon because there used to be a high-security wing for the criminally insane, so any of them who escaped had to trek through bush before they found the town - gave the warders more chance to catch them but I'm just speculating. Anyway - in the grounds are hundreds of kangaroos - many of which are half-tame because they get fed by visitors, inmates and staff. So it's like having our very own wildlife park (free) almost on our doorstep - literally in fact, as the kangaroos come up to our back gate sometimes! (not during the day though)

We have 6 inches of snow laying outside and I am having to relight the water heater on my hands and knees in the garage and relight the furnace so we have heating. Tomorrow's high temperature is -5C and the low -21C. Hoping that the furnace etc doesn't break down for good! Sorry for moaning about it, feeling quite emotional at the moment. Would like it if dh came back now......

Awww tad sending warming thoughts your way. Not surprised you're wanting DH back.

stranded we have the French secure postal system. DH is military but deals with the civil side of military operations/when military support is needed in the civil sector - it's a bit like being an attaché (sort of).

I'm waiting at the hospital, they're running nearly an hour late...

WOW jenny, that's a lot of snow! was that an overnight fall? I hope your DH can get back through it all ok.
Fingers crossed that your heating stands the pace!
Don't blame you for feeling emotional - it's quite isolating, snow.

frakkin, what are you at the hospital for? Routine stuff?

Poor you jenny, I don't blame you for feeling emotional. Hope the days until your DH gets back go as quickly as possible.

I think if thumb, frakkin, stranded, you all sent some weather my way it would be melted in seconds. Water should have heated up by now so heading up for a shower. Night! (Good luck at the hospital frakkin.

I could send some wind to blow it away. It's getting colder by the day here, with snow forecast for Friday.

There's talk of it getting near frosty conditions here (only predicted to go down to plus 3, but I get the impression it's a blip) and it's all the news that there going to have to crop protection for the lemons . I'm liking this as a winter.

tad we'll endeavour to keep you company, sounds very stressful no wonder you're emotional and that's without the hormones.

Having not run since wednesday due to illness I was quite surprised to have my fastest run yet. Obviously needed my body to recover from the shock of being reintroduced to running. Also had a MP3 player which is prob the main reason for improvement. Still I'm happy :)

Well done on the running Climber! I've just been told I have to stop

This was a routine appointment where I negotiated very hard to be handed over to the midwives completely but I did get a bonus scan out of it. I was labelled high-risk because of bleeding at 6 weeks but everything since then has been perfectly normal. That said they wouldn't hand me over until I had my Downs bloodwork back (1:6000 although heaven only knows how they work that out) and they don't like that I test negative to antibodies for toxoplasmosis, despite the fact that I do like this! I got a bonus scan though and could have found out the sex but DH wasn't there. Anyway, that was rather mememe!

Glad you got some semblance of heating back jenny and if I could send you some of this heat then honestly I would!

Oooh Jenny I would send you some of our heat but it's got a little chilly here - can't be more than, oooh, 26 degrees this morning

Seriously though I do feel for you with all the snow and no dh. When my dh and I were dicussing me and the dd's coming home early due to the flooding etc here, one of the things that put me off was the possibility of snow and ice at home. I have managed to forget how difficult it all is, but it's starting to come back to me....

Frakkin - how far along are you? I bled at about 7 weeks with dd2 and she was fine - in fact she is now a very lively little thing! Are you going to find out the sex later when your dh is around? It sounds like he has a very interesting job, but I am still trying to work it out - is he French?

thumb I hadn't realised your dh was Australian, now it's all making sense! I loved Australia when I visited, but of course visiting and living are very different things. Is it true about the "lifestyle" thing though - everyone says it's a "better" place to bring up children. The one thing that put me off was all the scary animals - spiders, sharks, crocodiles, box jellyfish - it always seemed like there was something ready to kill you round every cornor (although when I mentioned this to some Australian doctors I met out there they told me they were scared to come to London in case they got blown up by the IRA so I guess it's worth keeping a perspective!).

Yup he is French! Hence us being here....

I'm 19+2 but they're really cautious. I get scared because I think they're being overly cautious compared to what I know from working with the system in the UK and therefore something must be wrong. But here I think people just don't question the medical system and actually like being taken care of by doctors and having lots of appointments. My view is I'm pregnant, not ill, so leave me alone unless there is actually a problem! Or maybe there is soemthing and they're not telling me. I'm not the kind of person that finds endless appointments and tests comforting.

We actually have sunshine here now. Although I am very envious of your 26 degrees stranded; I'm hoping that the forecasters may have got it wrong about the snow at the end of the week, but it's bound to come sooner or later.

frakkin Antenatal care is very medicalised here too. In the USA I only saw midwives for my antenatal appointments (although I know that's not possible everywhere) and had just the one scan at 20 weeks, whereas here you have to see a gynaecologist for prenatal care and I think I had an ultrasound at every appointment. Must admit I didn't mind - I've probably been here too long as I quite like the emphasis on preventive healthcare (annual check-ups, skin checks, etc.), although I don't rush to the doctor for every minor ailment like a lot of people do here.

I am seeing the OB every 2 weeks here but don't have to have an ultrasound. He seems to think I'm doing well so I wonder why I have to go so frequently. Nothing to do with the fact that my insurance pays him 100%?

On a complete tangent, do you know a guy called Greg Bearman climber?

We had 26 degrees Fahrenheit today stranded! Nearly had a panic attack driving along the highway in the snow as there was a multi car pileup on the elevated section. I'm obviously a bit fragile. Dh can't come home early as the Bulgarians won't sign off the tool till the boss comes back. When is your dh back Linzer?